December 5, 2011
Dear Parents of Current Students,
In order for Catholic Secondary Schools to prepare, plan and welcome students to a new school year we have developed some very specific budget setting and enrollment processes.
We begin the budget setting process as early as August of the current school year in preparation for the next year. Throughout the current year, we will draft an estimated budget reflecting enrollment trends and typical expense patterns of Catholic Central and West Catholic High Schools based on data collected by the Business Office.
Using projected enrollment numbers and those estimated costs, the Business Office will develop standard operating and student budgets for the awarding of grants and scholarships, staffing and labor costs, supplies, operations, programming, Campus Ministry, course offerings, transportation, etc.
Ninety percent of our operating revenue comes from tuition, so an enrollment deadline of March 1 allows us to gain an accurate projected student count early in the year. This allows us to better prepare for staffing needs, the scheduling of core courses, class size, additional course offerings, extra-curricular offerings, including athletics and the performing arts, bus runs, and campus ministry.
Since three quarters of the student population is made up of returning students we feel that it is a reasonable expectation for us to have 75 percent of course schedule and staffing needs identified by the enrollment deadline. Ultimately, we want our faculty to feel certain of their employment and of the courses they’ll be teaching. Our goal is to have a course and daily schedule in place on the first day of classes to insure the best use of our resources and your investment in your child’s education.
As you are aware, course registration cannot take place until enrollment is complete. Yet we have experienced a recent trend toward late enrollment on the part of many of our returning families. This trend has a negative effect not only on staffing but also on programming, possibly compromising our number of course offerings – especially singleton classes, such as Advanced Placement and Honors courses. Late enrollments also put a strain on the master schedule as we attempt to balance course offerings; class sizes are affected; and individual student schedules must be adjusted to accommodate changes.
To help remedy the situation, we are reminding our returning families to enroll no later than March 1, submitting both the completed Tuition Contract forms and the $100 (per family) enrollment fee to the Business Office. Further, beginning in 2012 returning families who do not complete the enrollment process by March 1 will be assessed an additional amount in enrollment fees for a total of $400*, per a recent policy passed by the CSS School Board.
To clarify, the enrollment process is as follows:
* Complete a Tuition Contract
* Pay the Enrollment Fee ($100 per family if paid by March 1)
* Complete the Payment Processing Agreement
* When the enrollment process is complete, your student may register for classes.
By making use of these budget setting and enrollment processes, we can provide an efficient start to the school year, a higher degree of employment certainty for faculty and staff and continued high-quality programming. We ask that our families also consider these goals when enrolling your student(s) for next year. Necessary enrollment forms will be mailed to homes and available on the school websites near the end of January 2012.
Please don’t hesitate to contact your building principal with questions.
Sincerely,
Tom Maj
President, Catholic Secondary Schools
* Please notify the Business Office if your future enrollment is uncertain due to job status change, medical issue, or other hardship.
Download the letter (pdf)