Stewardship/Tuition Presentation Notes and Information for School Year 2022-23

January 27, 2022  ·  Updated: January 27, 2022

Dear SJBS Community,

I was glad to see so many parents at our school stewardship meeting on Tuesday, January 25th.  For everyone's benefit, this post contains a summary of the information shared in that meeting, including the tuition plan for next year.

Gratitude

The meeting began on a note of start on a note of gratitude to all families for your ongoing support of your school.  Throughout the centuries, the Catholic Church has referred to parents as the primary educators of their children.  The role of a Catholic school staff is to partner with you and to support you in the always challenging, sometimes exhausting, and ultimately rewarding role of being parents.   In the bonds of a Catholic school community, the need to support each other is truly mutual.  In so many places, community bonds have been strained and frayed by the pandemic, but I can say with gratitude that our community is still strong.  Absolutely, our community is far from perfect, it is consistently growing and improving, and always in need of asking hard questions about our effectiveness as a school.    I am grateful for your questions, your insights, your willingness to share concerns in addition to letting the school staff and administration know when things are going well.  Please know that as a staff we celebrate your children, we care about them, worry about them, strategize around their needs, and we constantly want the best for them.  Through wise stewardship of school resources – material, financial, physical, spiritual, experiential, and more – we put ourselves in a position to serve the needs of our students – of your children -- now and in the years to come.  

New Programs, Resources, and Updates for the School

1. As mentioned in previous posts, the school has benefitted from EANS -- Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools:
   1. $224,000 in reimbursements for
      1. 160 new iPads
      2. COVID supplies purchased since 2019
      3. Fence additions that complete fencing around school buildings
   2. The school has recently applied for American Rescue Plan (ARP) EANS funding, a second opportunity that can support services such as counseling and academic support.  More information will be coming in the months ahead.
2. The school continues to use the new writing program, Units of Study for Writing, with success and enthusiasm from students and teachers.  We are looking at acquiring Units of Study for Reading as a complementary resource that would strengthen our reading program throughout the school.
3. Advancing school mission:  “Cherishing diverse cultures . . . .”
   1. The contributions to the recent survey on school mission were very helpful.
   2. The Mission committee is currently reviewing the survey responses and will make recommendations for specific actions that can strengthen our school in this area
   3. Survey responses noted a spirit of welcome and of responsive communication, but with room to grow in
      1. cultural and economic diversity
      2. making sure that everyone in the community feels welcome
      3. welcoming new families from diverse backgrounds
      4. always improving communication and a welcoming environment for current families
4. The school continues to respond to the pandemic in various ways:
   1. Ongoing measures to mitigate the virus include a strong home-school partnership, maintaining cohorts, universal masking, on-site testing, sanitization and hygiene procedures, symptoms monitoring, and physical distance at lunch/between cohorts
   2. There is still a 0% transmission rate on campus since the return to in-person school
   3. The DSJ guidelines are in alignment with those of the County and State
   4. We are looking ahead to a gradual opening up/loosening of restrictions in upcoming months, always dependent on lowering rates of infection
5. Shout-out to PTG!  Thanks to Francis Capili and the PTG Team for your ongoing efforts on events past, present and future for this year:
   1. Virtual Walkathon
   2. Virtual Halloween Carnival
   3. Eat/Support Local (monthly)
   4. Free Zoom Yoga Class (January 29th)
   5. Readathon (coming February 15-26!)
   6. Silent auction 
   7. And, thank you room parents for your creative and patient ongoing support of the classes during this year!

Tuition Presentation Notes

Included here are the tuition and fees for next school year.  Because we will be in the third year of a six-year tuition plan,  I have included a summary of the information and rationale regarding the tuition structure in this plan.  

Stewardship at St. John the Baptist School is focused on making sure that we can continue to grow and evolve in ways that meet all the educational needs of our children.  Next year, there are a number of major factors that affect our yearly school budget, since we, like all Diocesan schools, are budgeting for long-term sustainability.  These factors include:

• The need to set aside Capital Reserves of up to $98,500 next year (based on Diocesan assessment)
• Increasing our operating reserves in order to weather any unforeseen circumstances 
• Continuing implementation of Diocesan plan for ongoing teacher salary adjustments so that the school is in a position to retain highly-skilled staff and recruit new high-quality teachers in a tight labor market
• Plan for likely increase in compensation for support staff – this has been months in planning among the Department of Catholic Schools, the principals, and Diocesan leadership
• Plan for a higher-than-average Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) due to current economic conditions
• Pay fixed costs which increase yearly (insurance, health benefits, etc.)

To ensure that we are able to continually grow in our mission to “educate the whole child” for years into the future, there are three main ways to ensure the school’s viability:   1) consistent strong enrollment growth; 2) staffing adjustments; and 3) tuition adjustments.  The school works diligently to achieve enrollment growth, but this does fluctuate over time and cannot be the only way to ensure that the school remains viable.  Our school enrollment increased by 21 students from August 2020 to August 2021 after dropping significantly during the first summer of the pandemic. St. John school maintains a small and effective staff and any further cuts would not be in the best interests of the students.  Tuition adjustments can strengthen the school’s long-term sustainability by bringing tuition to a point where it is equal to or greater than what it takes to educate each child.  Historically, the school has charged less for tuition than the actual cost per student, which over time makes sustainability difficult (especially without significant and consistent growth in enrollment).

Please note the following about the tuition structure for 2022-23:

1. This will be the 3rd year of a 6-year process of moving towards one tuition rate for all families AND raising the tuition rate to a level consistent with how much it costs to educate each child and support budget sustainability requirements into the future.
2. A sibling discount will be maintained (next year and as part of the long-term tuition plan).

On the attached slides, you will be able to see the tuition for the 2022-23 school year.   Note the information comparing average private school tuition with that of our Diocesan Catholic schools for this year and a breakdown of the 2022-23 increase over a month, a week, and each day.

PTG Fees and Family Fundraising commitments will remain the same next year, as noted in the attached slides. Enrollment can be secured for next year by paying an enrollment deposit  of 500.00 per child, due by February 15th. The amount of this enrollment deposit will be applied to your first month’s tuition payment for 2022-23.

Please take note, as well, of the reminder about Financial Aid options for next year.  Applications for Financial Aid are encouraged to be completed through Facts Grant and Aid by February 14, 2022 in order to be part of diocesan calculation of tuition assistance money given to the school.  The school will continue to accept financial aid applications after this point and throughout the year. 

Thank you for your ongoing support of St. John the Baptist School. Along with the School Advisory Council and School Finance Committee and with the constant support of the Diocesan Department of Catholic Schools, this sustainability plan, including the plans for tuition over the next several years, have been considered thoughtfully and carefully. 

Again, please see the attachment for a breakdown of tuition and fees for 2022-23 in addition to other information from the 1-25 meeting.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at any time.

God bless you and your families,

Mr. Brazil

Stewardship/Tuition Presentation Slides January 2022.pdf