Annual Appeal (click here for an Annual Appeal Contribution Form)
Dear Friends,
In the 116 years that Saint Bernard's School has been providing Catholic education, we have met many challenges while building a lasting legacy of preparing students to be Saints, Scholars, Ladies and Gentlemen.
One of the most pressing challenges is providing tuition assistance to keep Saint Bernard’s School accessible for all. The cost of tuition is less than the actual cost of education per child. To provide affordable, quality education, our development efforts must make up this gap. Currently, our Grade School tuition is $3,350 while the true cost per child is $5,800. Our High School tuition is $8,176 with the true cost being $11,850.
As tuition continues to rise, the staff and our Board of Directors have been diligent in keeping a tight budget and being fiscally responsible. A Tuition Task Force studied tuition and education costs at other Catholic schools and found that even as we raise tuition, we continue to be one of the most affordable schools in our Archdiocese.
However, we also must adjust to the changing business of Catholic education. It is important to provide a just living wage for our staff that is 100% lay people, and to hire and retain excellent teachers. The most significant change is the need to market Saint Bernard’s School and recruit students from all over the metro area. In today’s competitive market of Catholic education, our neighborhood and parish students alone do not fill our school. It is vital to our success that we spread the word about Saint Bernard’s.
Operating a Catholic school in the 21st century has many new challenges yet also offers the privilege of carrying on Saint Bernard’s tradition of Catholic education to a whole new generation. The additional financial needs are a challenge but also an opportunity for our Alumni and friends to be a part of our future as well as our past.
We not only invite you, but we need you to “help us open the door to our future” for today’s Saints Scholars Ladies and Gentlemen.
Sincerely,
Jennifer M. Cassidy
President
