In an effort to encourage more parishioners to register their children at Holy Family School, Randallstown, Father Andrew S. Mohl, pastor, has announced a significant drop in the school’s tuition.
After the school board studied enrollment trends, it was realized the school has a very small percentage of students who are also parishioners, said Mary Jo Warthen, principal. “We currently have 155 students in grades K-8 but only 22 of them are parishioners,” she said. “When we looked at the enrollment in the School of Religion, we found we had approximately 108 students from 40 families enrolled. This indicates we have a number of families with more than one child for whom our tuition may prove too expensive.”
For non-parishioners with more than one student at the school, tuition was decreased as well.
“Our purpose is to make Catholic education accessible to as many families as we can,” said Mrs. Warthen, in her fourth year at Holy Family, a school with the potential for 220 students.
A glance at the tuition numbers shows:
Current tuition for parishioners 2007-2008 school year:
$5,404 (1 child); $9,568 (2 children); $11,756 (3 children)
New tuition for parishioners beginning 2008-2009 school year:
$4,000 (1 child); $7,400 (2 children); $10,600 (3 children)
Tuition will remain the same for non-parish families with one child but a reduction will be offered for a second and third child:
Current tuition for non-parishioners 2007-2008 school year:
$5,885 (1 child); $11,145 (2 children); $16,138 (3 children)
New tuition for non-parishioners beginning 2008-2009 school year:
$5,885 (1 child); $10,887.25 (2 children); $15,889.50 (3 children)
Mrs. Warthen is “100 percent in favor of the new rates,” she said, “because they will allow more children to receive the benefits of a Catholic education.”
To promote the school to non-parishioners and to announce the tuition changes, a meeting was held Jan. 27 with parents of children enrolled in the parish’s School of Religion (religious education). Several school parents and board members spoke at the meeting and teachers were on hand to address questions.
A DVD of the school’s “Values First” program was shown as well – a program in its second year – which is based on a core set of 13 values students pledge to keep daily.
To increase enrollment, the school planned three separate open houses during Catholic Schools Week: one for current families, one for prospective families, and one for fifth-grade parents to familiarize them more fully with the middle school.
They have purchased print ads in newspapers and mailed promotional fliers to surrounding pre-schools and press releases to local churches, Catholic and non-Catholic.
“My parents actually do the open house for the prospective families,” said Mrs. Warthen, “and this is a big plus for the school.”