ASAP Update - Flex Academies Q&A

Over the last several weeks, there have been many questions raised regarding our transition to Flex Academies to manage and administer ASAP. Below are answers to the most frequent questions we have heard. If you still have questions, please feel free to leave a comment or e-mail the PTO. 

Why did we switch to Flex Academies?
Over the last several years, the after school activities program (ASAP) has been a volunteer administered organization. This means that payment processing for parents, pay for teachers, attendance and staffing were all handled by volunteers. As ASAP continued to grow in popularity, finding enough volunteers to support the program became difficult and had a negative impact on the overall quality of the program. 

Flex Academies provided Weller with professional management which helped us eliminate the reliance on volunteers providing a sustainable approach to ASAP while ensuring consistent quality for the students. Without the transition to Flex, ASAP may not have happened at all this year.

OK, are there any other benefits to parents and students?
Yes! By moving to Flex there have been several positive changes. They include:

• Larger portfolio of courses offered
• Seamless online registration & payment
• Professional administration
• Addition of a third ASAP session during the school year
• More than $1,500 in fees to PayPal have been eliminated

That sounds good, but why isn’t my favorite class offered anymore?
There are many reasons why classes aren’t being offered. Some are related to the transition and some aren’t. Unrelated to Flex, some teachers simply did not have the same availability as they had in the past and had to eliminate courses or push to later sessions. Related to Flex, some courses with a-typical schedules could not be added at this time. The new, shorter schedule (3 8-week sessions instead of 2 10-week sessions) were the reason for this.

Please be aware we take feedback seriously and want to provide courses that have a positive impact on our students. This is our first session with Flex and we are continuing to refine the process. We are investigating how we can fit all the courses you love into the new system.

Why did prices go up?
Not surprisingly, with a professional organization managing ASAP the cost of the program increased. To minimize the expected price increase, PTO reduced the amount of money it earned per registration to $10. Other factors impacting price include the cost of supplies, the length of a program and the payment structure of the instructor. We expect prices to stabilize from here on out.

I saw drama was not available, is it going to happen?
YES! We are excited to announce that through diligent efforts of the instructors, Flex and the school administration we have been able to offer drama at a lower than anticipated price. This took a bit of time to get sorted out (remember, this is our first session with Flex) but it has been resolved. We are happy to announce you can register for the drama class right now!

How can I request a class or request to teach a class?
Another benefit of working with Flex is they have a defined process for becoming a vendor. As mentioned earlier, our portfolio of classes is larger than ever and Flex is hoping to expand it further to offer benefits to the community. The PTO will regularly solicit feedback on the offerings to provide feedback to Flex, but if you have suggestions, requests or are a vendor hoping to run a course just reach out to the ASAP Coordinator Rasha Saad at ASAP@Wellerpto.com

The PTO is committed to open and transparent communication in regards to ASAP and all the business we conduct. If you have any questions, comments or concerns there are many ways you can reach out to us. You can e-mail anyone on the executive board starting with President@wellerpto.com, you can attend PTO meetings, you can message us on Facebook or alert the office and they can channel your feedback to us. Expect ongoing updates in regards to Flex and all other activities that impact the school.

And a last Reminder: Registration for Flex Academies is open through September 17, so if you’re interested register now!