Catholic schools see marketing aid enrollment

THE TIMES LEADER ^ | July 29, 2012 | CHRISTINA HOAG

[skully]

LOS ANGELES — After 97 years, Our Lady of Lourdes School was closing — enrollment had dwindled to just 35 children last year at what was once one of the West Coast's biggest Catholic schools.

But with a new principal who knocked on doors, offered X Box video game consoles to kids who brought in a friend, and recruited families who lost their bid in a charter school lottery, the East Los Angeles school stayed open — 132 pupils are registered for this fall.

Call it educational evangelism. Roman Catholic schools are seeing years of marketing efforts starting to pay off in spite of tough competition from charter schools and the lingering effects of a devastating recession.

After seeing years of relentless enrollment decline, several key dioceses across the nation saw students trickle back to their schools over the past year. They say it comes down to a cultural change in Catholic education that has taken a while to implement but is finally taking root.

[murron]

Catholic school tuitions are out of sight. If my 4 kids were still school age, I don’t know how I’d afford to send them to Catholic school.

[Reaganez]

They have to pay lay teachers somewhat competative wages.

Very few Nuns and Priest on vow of poverty wages.

Now the same as post-Protestant prep schools.

[VermiciousKnid]

Well...around here Catholic school tuition certainly isn’t as affordable as it used to be, but compared to the public school (property taxes) we pay, it’s peanuts.

Example: My 2 children attended Catholic school for a total yearly tuition of c.$8,000. On top of that, last year’s property tax bill for a 4BR/2B Cape Cod on 1/3 acre was $14,874.

We’d be delighted if we only had to pay $8K/year. Sadly, the government steals nearly $15K more — twice as much as the tuition itself.

In the interest of full disclosure, my oldest now attends a Catholic high school with an $8K/yr tuition bill, and my youngest is home schooled. The tax bill remains ridiculously high and dwarfs Billy’s tuition.

It’s the combination of taxes and tuition that make people think they can’t afford Catholic school — at least in my area. Parents say, “How can I justify spending MORE money on school when I already pay $15/K in taxes for “free” school?”

Regards,

[Salvation]

Not to mention the disintegration and lack of integrity in the public school system.

Regardless of the cost, if I had it to do over again, I would send my five children to Catholic School.

[murron]

We don’t have that problem with property taxes here in Louisiana. But adding that to the mix makes it impossible for parents today to give their kids a Catholic education, unless they are home-schooled like you do.

[VermiciousKnid]

I understand, murron. My husband and I were able to do it because 1) We bought a house FAR less expensive than one we could have afforded had I continued to work after the kids were born (that wasn’t going to happen), and 2) we actually live pretty modestly, only going on vacations to the family cottage on the lake in Pennsylvania (no expensive trips for us).

That said, if I had to do it all over again, I think I’d homeschool both of them right from the start. I’m LOVING it! We’ve been blessed to have made some wonderful new friends through the Latin Mass/Home School crowd, and the experience of teaching my youngest has been one of the most rewarding of my life. (I had few complaints about their Catholic elementary school, though — my desire to home school is unrelated to our experience with St. Patrick’s.)

I’m sorry that Catholic schooling is so expensive in your area. That is a crying shame and the bishops should certainly do all they can to rectify the situation. (Like maybe quit sending $$$$ to organizations that are opposed to Catholic doctrine and send it to the ailing schools instead?)

Regards,

[murron]

Much success to you and your family. Home schooling can be challenging but so rewarding.