Tuition Task Force Guidelines & Principles

Preface

The St. Columban School Tuition Task Force recommends seven (7) overarching guidelines and principles for the establishment of annual tuition rates each year. As part of the parish's annual budgeting process, the task force recommends that the Finance Council reviews and considers each and all of these guidelines and principles when establishing the tuition rates that feed into the overall parish budget.

While all seven guidelines and principles may not be attainable each year, it is expected that each will be carefully considered and a majority will be met. Clear explanations will be provided to the pastor and parish community for any which cannot be met.

These seven guidelines and principles are as follows:

The parish should target to contribute 25% of annual Sunday/Holy Day collections towards annual school expenses (not to exceed more than $375,000). In past years, the parish has provided necessary and adequate supplemental funding to offset the difference between tuition payments and the actual costs for operating our school. Given the parish's fiscal responsibility to pay off its sizeable debt, as well as fund numerous other priorities and ministries within the parish, the Tuition Task Force believes that this targeted funding recommendation represents the maximum supplemental funding provided by the parish at this time.
Annual tuition should be benchmarked against neighboring Catholic schools with an objective of ensuring that St. Columban School remains at or near the median when compared to these schools. Our ongoing objective should be to ensure that our tuition remains at or near the median of the following five neighboring Catholic schools: St. Margaret of York (Loveland), All Saints (Montgomery), St. Susanna (Mason), St. Gertrude (Madeira), and St. Andrew-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School (Milford). This will ensure that St. Columban School continues to provide an exceptional value in Catholic education - excellent quality at a reasonable price.
Annual tuition increases should be targeted to be no greater than 10%. The Tuition Task Force recognizes that school operational costs will fluctuate from year to year. We are also sensitive to the financial challenges and sacrifices being made by our school families. The Task Force therefore recommends that, guided by the present financial conditions and outlook, we avoid yearly tuition increases above the 10% level.
Multi-Child Discount should be targeted at 10% for the second child, 15% for the third child, and 20% for the fourth child and additional children. Over the past several years, most schools have significantly reduced multi-child discounts, many to the 5%-10% range. Some schools have completely eliminated multi-child discounts. The Tuition Task Force recognizes the financial burden placed on families with multiple children in the school and believes the present multi-child discount can and should continue.
Tuition Pre-Paid in Full Discount. Those families choosing to pay school tuition in full will receive a 3% discount on their tuition if paid by July 1 of the upcoming school year.
Financial aid will be made available to parish families eligible for such assistance. St. Columban parish will do everything prudently possible to assist parish families in financial need. Procedures are presently in place to help ensure that each family seeking financial aid is treated fairly, consistently and confidentially.
Total Teacher Compensation (salary, pension, and benefits) should be benchmarked against neighboring Catholic schools with an objective of ensuring that St. Columban School remains at or near the median when compared to these schools. The Tuition Task Force recommends that when considering tuition each year the Finance Council should thoughtfully and deliberately take note of how such increases will impact teacher salaries. Our ongoing objective should be to ensure that our teacher compensation remains at or near the median of the following five neighboring Catholic schools: St. Margaret of York (Loveland), All Saints (Montgomery), St. Susanna (Mason), St. Gertrude (Madeira), and St. Andrew-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School (Milford). Every attempt should be made to maintain teacher compensation at or near this competitive level with these and other exemplary Catholic elementary schools.

Tuition-Setting Guidelines & Principles

If you are a parent of a St. Columban student, you may wonder how tuition is determined for each school year. It is a fair question, especially since the cost of tuition is a substantial investment allocated from a family's financial budget.

St. Columban School is one of our most significant and far-reaching parish ministries. We are fortunate to live and worship in a parish that possesses a school with an earned reputation for excellence, both in its spiritual mission and academic standards. Attaining such a level of respect comes from a limitless amount of commitment and substantial sacrifice from many St. Columban parishioners, especially our parents, students and school faculty/staff.

The leadership of our parish, notably our pastor and Parish Council, initiated a plan some years ago that would ultimately result in a fair, deliberative, systematic, open and family-sensitive process in establishing tuition for each school year.

To ensure the integrity of this tuition-setting process, an ad hoc task force is convened every five years. This ad hoc tuition task force is strictly advisory. Its membership is comprised of a cross-section of parish stakeholders. Included in its membership are representatives from parents of St. Columban School children, parents of school-age children not attending St. Columban School, Parish Council, Finance Council, Education Commission, school administration, parish ministry, school business management and those with an understanding of Catholic school finance issues.

The task force collaborative process includes three steps: (1) a comprehensive review and analysis of extensive up-to-date school funding and budget data; (2) a thoughtful, open and deliberative interpretation of this data, and how it projects to influence annual tuition-setting decisions; and (3) the formulation of a recommended set of principles that serve to advise and guide the pastor, Parish Council and Finance Council in setting yearly tuition costs. Much of the task force's time and deliberations are spent in analyzing our parish and school budgets, school operational costs, and projected school income and expenditures.

The 2010 revised St. Columban School Tuition-setting Guidelines and Principles School Tuition Task Force document was completed and forwarded to the Parish Council, Finance Council and Education Commission. It bears repeating that the seven guidelines and principles contained in this document are meant to serve as a recommended template for those responsible for setting school tuition. In its preface the advisory document states that "the task force recommends that the Finance Council reviews and considers each and all of these guidelines and principles when establishing the tuition rates that feed into the overall parish budget."

While any parishioner can access the St. Columban School Tuition-Setting Guidelines and Principles document via our parish website, the following is a summary overview of the recommended seven guidelines and principles:

That a limit be placed on the amount of financial support the parish provide from its general budget to offset the difference between tuition payments and the actual costs for operating our school.
That annual tuition be benchmarked against neighboring Catholic schools.
That annual tuition increases not exceed 10%.
That multi-child discounts be in place for those families who have more than one child attending St. Columban School.
That those families choosing to pay tuition in full should continue to receive a 3% discount on their tuition, if paid by July 1 of the upcoming school year.
That financial aid be made available to as many families as possible who are eligible for such assistance.
That every attempt be made to maintain teacher salary levels at a competitive level with other exemplary Catholic elementary schools.

The Guidelines and Principles document is meant to serve as a recommended guide for the Parish Council and Finance Council in their annual tuition-setting deliberations. There may be unexpected/emergency financial, budgetary or operational pressures that warrant a variance from the guidelines and principles proposed here.

Ultimately, the St. Columban Tuition Task Force joins all those who are responsible for establishing annual tuition levels in achieving one basic goal: To continue to offer our students the finest Catholic education program possible at an annual tuition level that is fairly, reasonably, responsibly and judiciously established for our school families and parish.

Tuition Task Force Membership: Kent Heiden, Beth Judd, Patrick Lesher, Kelly Lipp, Paul Madix, Ralph Maresco, Connie Mattei, Jo Rhoten, Jerry Sasson, Fr. Larry Tensi