[Money] Teacher-Collected Tuition: Families Pay Independent Tutors Directly

Raised Nov 4 by a tutorial-style co-op on a sales call, and asked about several times before. In many tutorial co-ops the board or director runs the program, but families pay each teacher directly for their classes. The director does not want tuition to touch the co-op's bank account, so the co-op is not issuing W-9s, 1099s or running payroll for teachers who are independent businesses.

What it does

• The director chooses, per class, whether the co-op collects tuition or the teacher collects it.
• Teachers who collect their own tuition connect their own bank account through Stripe and are paid out on a set schedule.
• Teachers set the price for their own classes and handle their own refunds.
• Families pay through LearningSense with one saved bank account (and one invoice where possible), and each teacher's share goes straight to that teacher.
• The co-op can still collect its own fees (membership, facility, supplies) on the same platform.

What stays with the director: approving who teaches, background checks, rosters, attendance, child health and safety info, rooms and schedules, and messaging oversight. The director does not set teacher prices, see teacher payout amounts, or handle teacher refunds.

Priority: after the December and January (spring 2027 semester) work.