With spring break this week it has been awfully quiet around the office. The normal hum of activity has a certain comfort, and I look forward to it returning next week.
I thought a lot about what to write about this week. Although the week has been quieter than most, there were several good meetings, including two with members of the Assumption Foundation and another with John Cooper, Vice President at St. Ambrose. We also held a Finance Committee meeting Friday morning regarding the budget for the upcoming year. It has been a good time to get caught up on some things that were pushed to the backburner when dealing with the day-to-day activities of Assumption.
However, instead of focusing on this week’s activities, I would like to focus on something very important to me and to our Catholic schools: tuition assistance.
Now before you hit the red X in the corner of this window because, “I’ve heard this before,” give me a couple more lines.
I’ve spent a lot of time looking over a plethora of numbers regarding enrollment at our local schools, tuition assistance, number of Catholics at local parishes, baptisms at local parishes, etc. to paint a picture of what has happened in our schools over the last 10 years. The information is staggering.
I won’t make this this update overly complex by throwing out a bunch of numbers; instead let’s look at one number: 35%. This is the percentage of students in our Scott County Catholic Schools who are currently receiving some type of financial assistance. Many of you have heard me use this number before, but let’s put it into perspective. Of the 1,830 students enrolled in our schools, 648 students receive aid, including 30% of Assumption students. What would happen if that aid were not available? Assumption alone could potentially lose 130 students, substantially decreasing enrollment. Teachers and programs would be cut. Tuition would increase at a significant rate. Morale would suffer. Things would be very….very….challenging.
Luckily, through the generosity, hard work, and determination of many individuals, these things have not happened.
What has happened? We have been able to provide tuition assistance to 648 students this year. The ten year average for Assumption enrollment is 420 students; starting this year we had 437. Approximately 130 Assumption students receive the financial aid that enables them to receive a great education. Instead of cutting teachers and programs, we are constantly exploring ways to increase offerings. Parish subsidy has decreased at 1% annually over the last seven years. The average Catholic high school tuition in the United States is $9,000. Assumption tuition for the 2012-2013 school year is set at $4,570, roughly half the national average. The senior classes will receive well over $3 million in scholarship money this year. Year after year we celebrate successes throughout our many academic, athletic, and fine arts programs. To summarize, what has happened? Too many great things to write without making this a 6 page update.
In short, things are good.
That certainly doesn’t mean we should sit back and relax with the “we’ve made it” mentality. There are still challenges ahead, challenges which will necessitate continued support of the success of all Scott County Catholic Schools. Together we can overcome these challenges and continue to move forward celebrating the many successes along the way.
I look forward to many years of celebrating success with all of you.
No comments:
Post a Comment