Closing the Gap: Understanding the REAL Cost of Private School Education

I remember my daughter's first year at SEES. As a bright, excited, new kindergarten student, she was thrilled to find her name on a cubby and her new teacher smiling and greeting her at the door. As the parent of a new kindergarten student, I was not only relieved to see my 5-year-old so happy, but also to know that I had written the check for her tuition and that the expense of a private, faith-based education was taken care of until next year - until I learned the ropes and realized that, like almost every other Catholic school in existence, the financial commitment for a SEES family doesn't really end when the tuition check has cleared.

For more than 50 years, SEES has, with the support of parents, grandparents and community partners, been able to keep tuition remarkably affordable. It is through voluntary gifts of treasure and time that our school has maintained one of the lowest Catholic tuition rates in our Diocese and beyond. What I quickly realized, and now as our Director of Advancement work tirelessly with our Administration, School Board and Finance Committee to maintain, is that tuition only covers 89% of our total cost to educate each child. While that number may vary a percent or two from year to year, as a community, we have to find additional resources to close a annual budget gap that extends north of $300,000.00. While a number like this seems larger than life, it is absolutely manageable through community support and engagement. The three largest resources for closing our annual budget gap are: The Annual Fund for Excellence, HSA Fundraisers and Regional Subsidies. Together, annual fundraising goals are collectively an average of $150,000.00. If we had to pass that cost off to each family in the form of a tuition increase, it would be roughly a $300.00 increase per child.

My first exposure to school annual giving campaigns came with my graduation from the University of Richmond. As a new alumni, I was expected to begin financially supporting the University that had helped to develop and shape the young adult I had become - and so I penned my first check to Richmond to the tune of $25.00, a dollar amount that was completely manageable for a new college graduate. And as a new parent at SEES, I quickly learned that my additional gift to the Annual Fund (no matter the size), my family's participation in the Auction, our donation of gift cards during Teacher Appreciation Week and our registration for the Eagle 5K Challenge were all small but impactful ways that we were supporting the fundraising efforts at SEES. Small efforts such as these from so many garner HUGE, impactful results - it is our collective effort as a community that allows our Administration and Finance Committee to keep our tuition affordable. And while Annual Fund giving and participation in HSA events is not mandatory, it is absolutely necessary to meet School budget needs.

The Office of Advancement, in tandem with our Administration, School Board and Finance Committee has taken on the mission to clearly articulate the "real" cost of a SEES education to our current families and beyond - through financial updates and State of the School Addresses, it is our goal to help show parents that the investment in SEES doesn't end with their tuition check. Through everyone's participation and support in a capacity that is comfortable for their own family, we will certainly close the gap and keep SEES open to as many families as possible.