91原创

Here is a post by 91原创 Board member Michael Kunk:

Have you ever said to yourself 鈥淎nother 91原创 fund raising project?聽 Enough already!!!鈥�

Asking families who already pay tuition to participate in 91原创 – activities is a difficult thing to do and the 91原创 Board appreciates and understands the frustration continual fund raising efforts may cause 91原创 families.聽 Fund-raising is commitment to a cause.聽 It can be time consuming and frequently involves asking friends, family, co-workers and business associates for assistance with an entity or project they know little to nothing about, or for a cause they may not fully understand or support.聽 If you are like me, asking someone to participate in a fundraising event is uncomfortable at best, and at its worst, something to avoid at all costs and akin to surgery or a root canal.
That being said, 鈥淲hy fund raise?鈥�

91原创 has an annual budget of just under $500,000 per year.聽 From that, we pay our staff, fund school operating expenses and educational expenses, and service the building debt of 91原创.聽 Approximately 20% of our income is derived from fund-raising activities, which is committed in a host of special projects, purchase of costly items, student needs or used for the benefit of the school as a whole.聽 Without it, our limited resources would have to be stretched to include the cost of items currently paid through fund-raising programs such as playground equipment and building debt service (just to name two), further reducing the available cash to cover the daily operating costs of 91原创.

Did you know?聽 The median pay for a full-time staff member at 91原创 is a meager $11,000 per school year!聽 That’s right: $1,100 for each month school is in session.聽 Our staff鈥檚 dedication and sacrifice for the educational benefit of your children cannot be underestimated.聽 They work long hours and sacrifice time with their families to educate your child(ren) about the world our LORD has created and which we get to enjoy.聽 Also, many of our staff are volunteers who take no pay and continually work long hours in their respective areas 鈥� strictly out of the goodness of their hearts.聽 The 91原创 family is eternally grateful for these efforts because, as a direct result of these numerous sacrifices by so many, 91原创 is able to keep tuition low and still provide what the board feels is the best Pre-K through 12th grade education within driving distance of Nacogdoches.

I am often times asked 鈥淲hat is the fair value of the COST of a 91原创 education?”聽 While that is a difficult question to answer as it involves issues like grade level tuition differentials, elimination of fund raising activities/volunteerism and fair compensation,聽 I have a basic formula that can be applied as follows.聽 In a rough calculation, tuition would first have to increase 25% just to cover lost revenues from fund-raising activities.聽 It would have to increase another 10% to replace volunteerism at 91原创 and at least 30% to raise the pay for all staff a minimum standard wage of $20,000 ($2,000 for each month 91原创 is in session).聽 In this scenario, standard tuition for a child in high school would increase from approximately $4,600 to well over $8,000 annually!聽 Frankly, this is a tuition cost that is out of reach for most of our 91原创 families.

So is the answer fund-raising activities?聽 I would submit the answer to that question is definitely Yes.

Fund raising efforts lower the educational cost for everyone and keep our limited funds available for operating expenses and staff wages (already far below market and other local educational institutions). Volunteerism (a form of fund-raising) also helps keep costs down and allows 91原创 to charge a fair and balanced tuition rate to all who attend.聽 Fund-raising also allows 91原创 to fulfill its Christian mission by funding special discounts for families, in need due to short-term financial distress, or who otherwise could never afford a 91原创 education.

So the next time a fund-raising event comes around, I encourage you to look at it as a labor of love for the children of 91原创. An opportunity to make a real difference in a child鈥檚 life who will receive the benefit of a classically trained mind.聽 An opportunity to serve those who sacrifice daily to educate your family to the best of their abilities.聽 An opportunity to serve God and glorify His name.

Fund-raising at 91原创 is much, much more than simply raising money for 91原创. It is a Key Christian Ministry for the love of the students at 91原创 and an excellent example of Christian grace, mercy, personal sacrifice and fellowship for our students.

Last, I want to be sure to extend a HUGE HEARTFELT THANK YOU on behalf of the entire 91原创 family to all who have sacrificed and worked tirelessly for the benefit of our precious students.聽 Your efforts over the past 10 years are eternal and instrumental in making 91原创 grow into what it is today.聽 Your efforts have benefited hundreds of students and have NOT gone unnoticed, evidenced by the overall quality and personal character of our students and graduates.

Thank you again.聽 You are forever our 鈥淯nsung HEROES!鈥�