March 28, 2013
Dear Parents,
After several weeks of gathering data, analyzing numbers, sharing thoughts and expressing opinions by members of our Parish Finance Committee, Business Manager, Pastor and Administration, the School Budget for 2013-2014 was ready for official review and approval by our Parish School Advisory Council at their March 13th meeting. I am very pleased to report that the Council approved the budget by a unanimous vote.
As you would expect, there is an increase in tuition rates for next year. Please know this decision was not made lightly. The fact remains that in order for Queen of Martyrs to remain the viable, outstanding educational institution that it is, an increase was necessary. Tuition for the 2013-2014 school year is as follows:
FINANCIAL POLICY
| Family Brackets | 2013-2014 Tuition | Increase from last year |
| One Child 3 Years Old Only | $ 1,130.00 | $ 55.00 |
| One Child ½ Day PK or K | $ 1,885.00 | $ 90.00 (5.01%) |
| One Child ½ day 4 yr + 1- 3 yr old | $ 2,440.00 | New Category |
| One Child Full | $ 4,800.00 | $200.00 (4.35%) |
| One Child Full + 1 3 yr old | $ 6,000.00 | $205.00 (3.54%) |
| One Child Full + ½ day PK or K | $ 6,700.00 | $230.00 (3.55%) |
| Two ½ day 4 yr old twins | $ 3,050.00 | New Category |
| Two Children Full Day | $ 7,700.00 | $305.00 (4.12%) |
| Two Children Full + 1 3 yr old | $ 8,900.00 | $320.00 (3.73%) |
| Two Children Full + ½ day PK or K | $ 9,600.00 | $350.00 (3.78%) |
| Three Children Full | $ 9,900.00 | $300.00 (3.13%) |
| Four or more Children | $10,500.00 | $105.00 (1.01%) |
| | | |
As the above chart shows, the increases are small for next year ranging from a low 1% bump for four or more students to a high of 5% for a half-day student in PK or K. Moreover, for the fourth year in a row, there are no changes in the curriculum fees or in the $300.00 mandatory raffle fee for 2013-2014.
Expenses for next year are projected at over $1.5 million. Income needs to cover these expenses with most coming from tuition. Other sources of revenue include curriculum fees, fundraisers, parish school support envelopes and a parish subsidy. (For specific dollar amounts of income and expenses, please contact the school office and a copy will be sent to you).
If the 2012-2013 tuition for one full-time student is $4600.00, and you choose the 10-month payment plan which starts in August, you would owe $460.00 per month. If you wanted to spread your payments out over 12 months, starting in June, your monthly tuition would be $383.34. This is definitely worth considering and perhaps the following chart will help in your decision.
| Family Brackets | 10 month | 12 month |
| One Child 3 Years Old Only | $ 107.50 | $ 89.59 |
| One Child ½ Day PK or K | $ 179.50 | $149.59 |
| One Child Full Day PK-8 | $ 460.00 | $383.34 |
| One Child Full + One 3 year old | $ 579.50 | $482.92 |
| One Child Full + ½ Day PK/ K | $ 647.00 | $539.17 |
| One Child Full + Three 3 year old | $ 686.00 | $571.67 |
| Two Children Full PK-8 | $ 739.50 | $616.25 |
| Two Children Full & One 3 yr old | $ 858.00 | $715.00 |
| Two Children Full + ½ Day PK/K | $ 925.00 | $770.84 |
| Three Children Full PK-8 | $ 966.00 | $805.00 |
| Three Children Full + 3 yr old | $1039.50 | $866.25 |
| Three Children Full + ½ Day PK/K | $1039.50 | $866.25 |
| Four or More Children Full Day | $1039.50 | $866.25 |
NOTE: This chart only applies to tuition. Curriculum fees, which can also be spread out over 12 months, were not included. Neither was the $300.00 Raffle Fee which is to be paid in full on Welcome Back Day in August.
Queen of Martyrs is a viable, dynamic educational institution where children learn and flourish. However, for this to remain the case, we must continue to work together to manage expenses, keep our enrollment up and think of new creative ideas to encourage others to join the Queen of Martyrs family so we can keep our tuition rates as low as possible. Participating in school fundraisers such as the 60th Reunion, Trivia Night, Celtic Ceili Weekend, Market Day, the Sharing Program, along with regular contributions to the church are ways to help keep our school and parish strong. After all, we are all in this together.
For a detailed account of projected income and expenses, please feel free to contact the school office with your request.
Items that were discussed by the Finance Committee, Parish School Advisory, Pastor and Administration which factored into our final decisions regarding the 2013-2014 budget included:
· Teachers will receive a 2% pay raise for next year.
· Premiums for health insurance are being raised over $400.00 for each employee choosing coverage.
· State funding for books remains unavailable.
· Maintaining, and perhaps expanding, our Music and Spanish programs.
As always, we remain vigilant of the dedication and sacrifice families make to provide their children with a Catholic education. We respect all that you do to make this happen. Accordingly, we offer our commitment to you, to make the best informed decisions and to provide your children with a quality education in a faith-based setting to which you are accustomed. Specifically, we pledge to:
· Provide our students with a balanced curriculum, so they are prepared for high school.
o Historically this has often translated into high entrance exam scores, which have allowed our graduates to be accepted into the high school of their choice.
o As a result of high entrance exam scores, our graduates frequently earn a monetary scholarship or award at their preferred high school as well. (25% of this year’s graduates have already been recipients.)
· Prepare our students such that they continue to score well above the national average on Terra Novas.
· Emphasize moral development, social justice and service to others.
With our small class sizes (average of 21 students per class) along with our exceptional faculty, we expect to be able to fulfill our pledge.
As always, should you ever find yourself in a situation where your ability to remain a member of Queen of Martyrs School family is challenged, please contact Father Ed or Mr. Krsek to discuss the matter. As always, if any questions arise, please contact the school office or any member of the Parish School Advisory Council. Thank you very much. We truly appreciate your faith in, and support of, Queen of Martyrs Parish School.
Sincerely,
Fr. Ed Mikolajczyk (Pastor) Michael Krsek(Principal)
Lois Kettering(Ass’t Principal) Irene Smith (Business Mgr.)
Advisory Council
Lisa Ellerbeck (President)
Maureen Larkin-Revers
Katie Demcak
Margaret McShane
Cathy Larkin
Cathy Panarese
Stephanie Osborne
Terry Reidy
Jason Szczesniak
Parish Finance Committee
Dorie Smith
Kim Geraghty
Katie Demcak