Q & A ON TUITION AND RELATED MATTERS

Q: When we were in Catholic School we paid little or no tuition. Why does it cost so much now?

A: Historically Catholic Education has been free or nearly so. This was possible because the Sisters who taught in the schools worked for nothing. In a sense, the cost of this was not really free; it was deferred. We now have thousands of religious who have no retirement incomes and their communities are struggling to support them. Now, we rely on dedicated lay teachers to staff our schools. They are paid substantially less than teachers in the public school but even that is a great deal more than the Sisters received.

In addition, think about Catholic Schools of your childhood. Did you have programs in music, art or physical education? Did you have a computer lab and computers in every classroom? What do you suppose the cost of healthcare was for employees?

Like it or not, we live in a different world than we did 40, 30 or even 20 years ago. The cost of running a Catholic School has increased exponentially and it has been necessary to raise tuition accordingly. Keep in mind that the tuition you pay still does not cover the cost to educate your child. The difference is made up with fundraising and donations.

Q: Why did you eliminate the family plan? It seems family un-friendly. We thought the Catholic Church encouraged large families.

A: At first glance this does seem family un-friendly. If you look more closely at the economics of the situation, you will see that it is not. By eliminating the family discount to all families, we have freed up additional funds to provide family assistance to those families who need it. There is an underlying assumption here that there are some families in the school who have the resources to pay the undiscounted amount and that their discount can be applied to families who need it. In essence, we are trying to put our resources where they are most needed, which in most cases will be families with multiple children in the school. The decision to eliminate the family plan was made with the strong urging and encouragement of the Diocesan Department of Catholic Schools.

Q: Will tuition continue to rise? We need to plan ahead. My children will be at St. Mary for quite a few years.

A: The short answer to this question is "yes". Commonsense tell us that this is so. We must continue to strive to pay our teachers a living wage and just benefits. Other costs continue to rise also, especially healthcare coverage and insurance. And this is without even expanding programs or facilities.

However, we are well aware of your need to plan and have taken steps to address it. Recently, we formed a long-range planning committee, which is charged with mapping the future of St. Mary. There are many aspects to this task but primarily this committee will be identifying the needs of the school as we move forward and determining how we will find the resources to meet these needs. Part of this will be to develop tuition projections for the next few years. Hopefully, our long range planning will help you with yours.

Q: We work hard on fundraising and tuition still goes up. Why should we bother?

A: Fundraising closes the gap between tuition and the cost to educate a student. Without fundraising, tuition would go up even more. When and if our fundraising exceeds our budget we are able to do some things to improve the school-new furniture and equipment, additional curriculum materials, professional development for teachers, etc. So, the short answer is that we do need to continue to fundraise to keep St. Mary in the black.

Q: Should I apply for financial aid?

A: You are the only person who can answer that question with certainty. You need to look honestly at your other obligations and your income and decide whether or not you can meet tuition. If the answer is "no" then you should apply. Every family has a different threshold at which they will need to apply for financial aid. Only you know when you have reached that threshold.

I know that many people are uncomfortable with the process of applying for financial aid and feel that it is an invasion of their privacy. Please remember that the money for financial aid has been set aside to assist families who need it. There is nothing shameful or embarrassing about asking for assistance. In one way or another, we all need help with something. Please be assured that the information you provide in your application will be held in strictest confidence and will be used for no other purpose.