Questions about the governance/leadership of Madinah Academy:

What is the role of the Board of Directors?

The Board of Directors was expanded in order to better support the current and future growth of Madinah Academy of Madison (MAM). A growing number of families are interested in sending their children to a school that supports both their academic and Islamic education. The previous Board of Directors recognized more people were needed to help lead this growth and expansion.

What role is the former Board of Directors playing?

The former Board of Directors now serves on the Madinah Academy of Madison Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees currently has eight members.

What is the role of the Board of Trustees?

The Board of Trustees ensures Madinah Academy of Madison remains true to its Islamic education mission. The Trustees are not involved in day-to-day operations of the school. They do support the Board of Directors in an advisory capacity and vote alongside the Board of Directors on major financial decisions (e.g. purchasing a building).

Questions about the location of Madinah Academy:

Why is the school relocating?

Moving to a new building will allow Madinah Academy of Madison (MAM) to serve more children. The new building allows us to shape the physical environment in a way that best supports effective academic and Islamic learning. The building is large enough to eventually add more classrooms, a library, art room, computer lab, and large room for all-school assemblies.

The location poses a challenge to some of Madinah Academy’s students, what is the school doing to address transportation needs?

We recognize some families have challenging work schedules and limited access to transportation. Unfortunately at this time we are unable to provide school-funded busing for our students. We will work with the Parent Teacher Association to explore options. 

We encourage families to carpool. We are happy to connect you to families near where you live so you can coordinate with one another. If you are willing to help other families by offering carpooling, please let us know at admin@mamonline.org so we can match you with families who have this need.

I heard the location will be next to businesses. What are you doing to ensure the safety of our children?

As is always the case, children will have a teacher or other school staff with them at all times.

The new building includes 2 tenants whose leases have not yet expired. We will work with the building owner and these tenants to develop a list of individuals who work in those offices so we know who is coming and going on a regular basis. The other side of the building will continue to have commercial tenants. There is a door between the two buildings that will remain locked during all hours.

Questions about enrollment and tuition:

Why was tuition increased for the 2023-2024 school year?

It is our goal to ensure Madinah Academy of Madison (MAM) serves our Muslim youth for years to come. This requires us to look closely at our budgets and as a result we determined we needed to increase tuition. This is the first tuition raise in 10 years. Even at the new tuition rate, a MAM education is reasonably priced when compared to other private school options.

In order to provide our youth with a high quality education we need to invest in a long-term location for the school, enhanced curriculum, and qualified teachers. For too long, our teaching staff has been paid well below the local public school salaries. In order to retain and attract teachers we need to offer a competitive pay scale.

What if we can’t afford the increased tuition rate?

The Board of Directors recognizes returning families only have a few months over the summer to adjust their budgets to accommodate the increase in tuition. We hope the new rate will not create an extraordinary burden on your family. If, however, you are struggling to make the new tuition work in your budget, please contact the Principal to discuss reduced tuition options. You may be asked to provide documentation outlining your family’s financial needs.

Will you be increasing tuition again in the future?

As we strive to grow the school, serve more families, and reach top levels of educational excellence, we will likely need to raise tuition slightly every few years. The Board of Directors is committed to exploring other options for funding prior to raising the tuition again. Additionally, as we develop a strategic plan for Madinah Academy of Madison we will be able to project further in advance when we may need to raise tuition again and by how much. Currently, we do not plan on raising tuition for the 2022-2023 school year.

How will decisions be made if there are more students than available seats in a grade?

There is more than one solution to address this challenge if it presents itself. Depending on how many additional students we have in a particular grade level, the Board of Directors may authorize the Principal to add another class and hire an additional teacher. Another option we will consider is determining if there are any students who might test into the next grade level. 

Our final option is to form a waitlist for that grade. In this case, seats will be filled as followed:

1. Wisconsin Choice Program students. Wisconsin state law requires us to provide seats for every student eligible for Choice.

2. Returning private pay students.

3. New private pay students from families who already have an enrolled student.

4. New private pay families.

How will decisions be made if there are not enough students for a full class in any given grade level?

The Board of Directors has discussed with the Principal strategies for addressing this challenge. The first step we will take is to see if the grade can reasonably be combined with another grade level without compromising the students’ learning (e.g. combine 7th and 8th grade). If this is not possible then we may decide to eliminate that grade level for the upcoming school year. This would be the case if the number of students in the grade isn’t enough to justify employing an additional teacher.

Other Questions:

Will there be activities offered before and/or after school?

The Board of Directors would like to offer early-drop off and late pick-up options for families who need or would like to take advantage of these programs. Due to more pressing priorities, we have not had an opportunity to develop these programs. We anticipate that when these are offered they will be fee-based in order to cover the cost of staffing these programs. We do not have a set timeline for when these programs may start.

Do you plan to offer summer school? Sunday school?

Yes, the Board of Directors does plan to add summer school (likely in 2022), Sunday school and other youth and family-focused programs. This summer our priority is relocating to the new building, hiring additional teachers, and preparing for the start of school in September. Once we have these priorities addressed we will begin a strategic planning process during which we will develop plans to identify and develop additional programs that serve both enrolled students and their families, as well as students and families who do not attend Madinah Academy of Madison.

Will breakfast and lunch options be provided for students?

At this time we will not be able to offer breakfast or lunch for students. Students will still need to bring their lunches as has been the case in prior school years. During our strategic planning process we will evaluate alternatives to see if the school can provide meals in the future. Any meals we offer would be fee-based.

Do you have plans to serve high school students?

The Board of Directors have discussed that it is important to offer our high schoolers an Islamic education and an Islamically appropriate environment in which to learn. We hope to eventually expand the school to include 9th through 12th grade. At this time we are uncertain when that will happen. Our first priority is to the students and grade levels we currently serve. Expansion into offering high school is something we will look at when we engage in strategic planning later this year.