School budgets are prepared annually by the principal in coordination with the parish and/or school business manager and are subject to a series of reviews and approvals:  by the pastor, by the parish Finance Council and by the superintendent.  Budgets must adequately provide for fair and just salaries and benefits and for contingencies, and income and expenses are tracked monthly so that there may be no significant deviation from the approved budget.  Strict internal controls must be followed for handling financial transactions and filing regular accounting reports, and the schools undergo regular internal audits. 

Tuition and Financial Assistance
Archdiocesan policy provides two options for tuition payments: prepaid or electronic debit.  Schools require that parents enroll in the FACTS program, a third-party tuition collection system, for all tuition that is not prepaid.  Cash payments are not accepted.

In addition, the archdiocese has several programs in place to help with tuition assistance.  One of these is the Archbishop's School Fund endowment.  An annual distribution from the interest earned on this fund is provided to the archdiocesan Catholic schools and is targeted for tuition assistance for eligible students.  Each year, at least a hundred families benefit from the distribution.  The schools themselves also attempt to set aside some funds to provide financial assistance to students in need. 

Our Adopt-A-Student program provides a vehicle for a direct investment in the Catholic education of a child who needs tuition assistance.  Donations are made through the Catholic Schools Office, which coordinates the distribution of gifts.  Donors may direct that their gifts be given to help a student at a particular Catholic school or schools, or that it be used to help a needy student in any school.  Many Catholic school alumni choose this method of giving. 

Fund-Raising and Development
Catholic schools strive to keep tuition affordable, while still providing for growth in educational programs, competitive salaries and functional facilities.  This is a delicate balance to achieve.  To supplement the deficit between the median costs-per-student and tuition charges, Catholic schools must pursue alternative sources of income, including fund-raising, grants, endowments and development programs. 

One program that supports Catholic schools is the parish subsidy.  Students who are registered members of any Catholic parish may qualify for the parish to pay the school a $300 subsidy on their behalf.  The parish subsidies serve as a major source of income to the schools and give the parishes an opportunity to be directly involved in supporting Catholic education.  Parents who wish to review this archdiocesan policy, FIN-303, may do so at the parish or school office, or at the Catholic Schools Office. 

The Catholic Schools Office coordinates grant-writing efforts for the archdiocesan schools to ensure that solicitations meet archdiocesan requirements.  For information about special events and fund-raising activities, see our Calendar of Events page, call us at 505-831-8173, or e-mail us at cso@archdiocesesantafe.org

We can always use volunteer assistance!  Please visit our Volunteer page.
 

Assistance with Wills,  Bequests and Endowments
In addition to the efforts of the Catholic Schools Office, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Catholic Foundation offers free and personalized consultation services for those who wish to help Catholic schools financially.  For example, the Catholic Foundation oversees all endowment programs, including those established to benefit a particular Catholic school.  An endowment is an excellent way to provide a lasting source of funding to schools through interest income.  The Archbishop's School Fund is such an endowment and benefits Catholic school families through its annual distribution (see explanation under Tuition Assistance, above).  They can also assist you with creating wills and bequests to benefit Catholic education.  To contact the Catholic Foundation, call 505-872-2901 in Albuquerque or email them at info@thecatholicfoundation.org. 
 

See also:  Directory, Enrollment, Calendar of Events