Father John Le Vecke, the new administrator of Holy Family Church in Honolulu, greets students of the parish school as they arrive for the first day of classes, Aug. 1. (HCH photo | Darlene Dela Cruz)
A Catholic school education may be priceless, the superintendent says, but not always affordable
By Darlene J.M. Dela Cruz
Hawaii Catholic Herald
The benefits of a Catholic education are priceless, says the head of Hawaii Catholic Schools, but in these tough economic times, keeping costs and tuition down continues to be a major concern for local parents and students.
Michael Rockers, Hawaii Catholic Schools superintendent, spoke with the Hawaii Catholic Herald July 29 about efforts to make Catholic education more affordable. Roughly 9,000 Island Catholic school students from preschool to grade 12 are embarking on a new academic year, and Rockers shared his hope that with extended outreach to financially strapped families, enrollment numbers will grow in the future.
According to Rockers, tuition and fees at Catholic schools across the country tend to rise at a rate of about 2 to 3 percent each year. This increase accounts for the effect of inflation on Catholic school operations, as well as keeping salaries of faculty and staff viable as costs of living go up.
Ten years ago, the most affordable Catholic school in 2006 for students in grades K-8 was St. Theresa School in Kekaha, Kauai, which charged $2,800 tuition and $250 in fees. The lowest tuition among Catholic high schools was $6,700, with fees included, at St. Joseph School in Hilo.
Maryknoll School in 2006 charged the highest tuition for both K-8 and high school students, which ran upward of $10,000 inclusive of fees.
According to this year’s Hawaii Catholic Schools chart, St. Anthony School in Kalihi has the most affordable price tag for K-8 students at $3,500 tuition and $1,110 fees. St. Joseph School in Hilo has the lowest cost for a Catholic high school education at $8,100.
Maryknoll has the most expensive tuition this school year for K-8 and high school at $16,400, fees included.
In comparison, the website for highly touted local private school Punahou lists its tuition for the 2016-2017 school year at $22,950. Iolani School, another notable Honolulu institution, on its homepage notes $21,700 tuition for this academic year.
“The value is the question,” superintendent Rockers said, when parents consider options for their child’s education.
“I think the cost is always in relationship to the quality and the difference that they see the school making in the life of the child,” he said.
Determining tuition and fees, Rockers explained, is a balancing act. School leaders must “look at their program, what their people can afford, what additional tuition assistance is available. Those three ‘balls’ of cost — especially related to faculty and staff — tuition and other income have to be juggled.”
Rockers noted that the median income for middle class families has not risen proportionally to the rate of inflation in the last several years. This creates a growing “dichotomy” between the cost of a Catholic school education and the number of families able to pay for it.
The earliest Catholic schools in the U.S. were not aimed for the rich. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, for example, in 1809 started a religious community of sisters in Maryland that established the first Catholic parish schools, which served the needy at little or no cost.
Superintendent Rockers said it is important to offer Catholic education at a reasonable rate to foster Christian morals and values in young people. He hopes to provide more families — especially loyal Island parishioners — a chance to experience the innumerable advantages Catholic schools offer.
“I think we’re at a point now where we really are more and more sensitive to middle class families, especially those with more than one child, having a hard time affording a Catholic school education,” Rockers said.
Two fronts
The superintendent has been tackling this issue “on two fronts,” through community outreach and collaboration.
“One is we need to get the word out relative to how strong our schools are,” he said. “The other is helping schools develop stronger school boards so that people with the memory and the money and the expertise to help the school — and those that have a love for the school — are in a place where they can have influence on how the school moves towards being thriving.”
The Hawaii Catholic Schools office, particularly communications and marketing specialist Deborah Manog, has partnered with a local marketing firm to promote the Hawaii Catholic Schools “brand” and assist the Islands’ 38 Catholic early learning centers and schools with marketing inquiries. A robust network has been created with the Hawaii Catholic Schools website (www.catholicschoolshawaii.org) and social media outlets.
Developing leadership boards for each Catholic school is a key point outlined in “System for Success,” a set of goals and objectives developed in 2011 by the Diocesan Board of Education’s School Planning Task Force. Superintendent Rockers explained that boards allow community members to lend their time and talent in areas of finance, academic improvement and faith formation.
“They can have a real influence on the quality and sustainability of the school,” Rockers said.
Rockers has been reaching out to local foundations and organizations for grants and other ways to help defer Catholic school costs. The Augustine Educational Foundation and Kamehameha Schools, for instance, are important partners in tuition assistance for families.
The Augustine Educational Foundation has also been helping smaller parish schools start and manage endowments. Rockers said these funds are an open opportunity for people to support their favorite schools with general contributions or donations earmarked in wills or trusts.
“They need to know the endowment is there and it’s something that’s going to help a school stay open for a long, long time,” Rockers said.
Finding ways to subsidize Catholic education is a “continual process,” Rockers noted. He encouraged families, however, not to view a Catholic education as out of reach regardless of their income.
“It really, really hurts when these Catholic families that love the Lord and attend Mass and love their faith can’t get into a Catholic school,” he said. “Don’t assume that there aren’t some ways through our partners or through parish tuition assistance that can make it more affordable.”
