Enter to Learn. Go Forth to Serve.
Friday, February 28, 2020
Hello O’Hara families, 

It is registration time already! Though the start of the 2020-21 school year is 6 months away, our budgeting process is complete and the work of preparing O’Hara for another new year is underway. I want to be the first to share with our families that there have been a number of changes to our tuition calculations this year. 

The changes that will impact our families this year are a tuition increase, and a smaller discount for families with multiple children. The changes are a result of multiple factors, and I want to explain them to you here.
TUITION CHANGES IN 2020-21
As with every year, we will have a general tuition increase. This is a reality that O’Hara, along with every other business, deals with as we work to absorb increasing health insurance premiums and offer our staff cost-of-living raises. Over the last 5 years, our general tuition increase has been in the 4 - 6% range. The increase this year is 5.25% for grades K-8 and 8% for Preschool & PreK. The additional increase for Preschool and PreK will allow us to meet our goal of bringing their salary structure to a more competitive range.

The multi-child discount will decrease. This change is a result of financial and budgetary mandates the Archdiocese has given to all Catholic schools in our Archdiocese:

In the Catholic school system, O’Hara reports to the Archdiocese of Portland. The Department of Catholic Schools oversees Catholic schools within the Archdiocese, and it is comparable to a school district in the public system. Over the past few years, the Archdiocese has been working on a diocesan-wide strategic plan as it strives for constant improvement.

The strategic plan includes new financial requirements for Catholic schools, and these new requirements will result in some big changes. It is their directive that tuition at Catholic schools should match the actual cost of education at that school. To that end, they have directed us to make a number of budgetary and financial changes to align O’Hara’s budget with their model. As a result of the new mandates, we have been working to develop a 3-5 year plan to adopt their required changes. We are aware that these changes will affect our families, and our budgeting process has been thoughtful and intentional in order to make the impact on our families as gentle as possible.

You will see the first phase of these changes in the tuition rates for the 2020-21 school year. The Archdiocese has directed us to discontinue the multi-child discount program. We recognize that this program is incredibly beneficial to our families with multiple children, and we are very sensitive to that. In order to follow the Archdiocesan mandate and make this work for our families, we will gradually dissolve this program over a 3+ year period of time. 
TUITION ASSISTANCE FOR 2020-21
I am ever mindful of the financial commitment and sacrifice so many of our families make to send their students to O’Hara. Cost of living increases affect us all; O’Hara is no different from any other business in that regard and we must make sound financial decisions to balance our budget each year. However, I do not take lightly the impact that tuition increases and these additional changes will have on our families.

We strive to assist families with tuition assistance as needed and we have a healthy tuition assistance program. For this current school year, we were able to provide over $200,000 in need-based tuition assistance. As always, this continues to be a priority for our administrative team. Additionally, over the last month, we have been working to secure alternative funds that will be available for Catholic families who need financial assistance with tuition. O’Hara is blessed with wonderful benefactors who are committed to helping us fulfill our mission, and we are grateful that a number have already stepped forward to help provide scholarships, including more than 50 families who donated to our scholarship fund at the auction. For the 2020-21 school year, we are blessed to be able to offer new and additional opportunities for assistance. Details and specifics of applying are forthcoming, but opportunities will include:

Fr. Bryce & Deanna McProud Named Endowment: $500 tuition assistance for a qualifying Catholic family with a 1st grade student.
Open Door Foundation: Middle School Technology Fee covered for qualifying families (8 available).
Anonymously Funded Scholarships: $1,000 tuition assistance for qualifying families (5 available).
Monsignor Murnane: $500 in tuition assistance to an active Catholic middle school student with intent on attending Marist Catholic High School (or another Catholic HS).
Open Door Foundation School Supply Assistance: Need-based assistance to provide school supplies for students (25 available).
Joseph E. Weston Scholarship: $7,000 to be distributed as need-based assistance to Catholic families.

Maintaining affordable tuition, and making tuition assistance accessible to families, is a priority of mine, both personally, and as a representative of Catholic education in Eugene. I want to assure families that I will continue to work diligently, on many fronts, to help families who need assistance. 
REGISTRATION HELP SESSIONS NEXT WEEK
We will be holding multiple registration help sessions next week. These sessions will include a chance to ask clarifying registration questions, and then will move into technical assistance for anyone who needs help completing the online portion of registration. Everyone is welcome to attend these sessions, they will be held in the library:

Monday, March 2 - 8:30am
Wednesday, March 4 - 8:15am
Thursday, March 5 - 8:15am
REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS MONDAY, MARCH 9 AT 3PM
There will be a $50 late fee assessed for registration not completed on time, so please make a note of the deadline on your calendar: Monday, March 9, 3pm.
I am grateful for the students and families that make up our O'Hara community. We are blessed to have your children in our hallways, their smiles and faith-filled hearts brighten our days! Our students inspire us, motivate us, and challenge us to be the best educational community we can be. Thank you for letting us be a part of your child's journey as they grow spiritually, academically, physically and socially. 
 
Many blessings and with gratitude,
Tammy Conway
Principal
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

- Joshua 24:15
O'Hara Catholic School
715 West 18th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97402
541.485.5291