FINANCIAL POLICIES

March 2006

REGISTRATION FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2007-2008

Registration form/s for your child/children is/are enclosed. Please complete a form for each child. We have enclosed a self-addressed envelope marked "REGISTRATION" for your convenience. If there are any special circumstances or information pertinent to this form please add it on the form at this time. Please return the form as soon as possible so that we may plan your child's schedule. Return the completed form (both sides) and the fee, $50, by April 24, 2008. Students may sign up for courses after the registration and fee are received.

SCHOLARSHIP AID

Need based scholarship aid is available to our families. It is necessary to complete the Private School Aid Form for aid from Bishop Walsh. These forms are available at school each day in the Business Office. You may pick up the form at your parish office for aid from your parish. Forms from Bishop Walsh are due to the company by April 15.

Important: All families receiving aid from Bishop Walsh must apply each year. All payment plans are negotiated each year. Due to the increasing numbers of families applying for aid, only those completing the Private School Aid application will receive scholarship aid. Participation in the FACE program is mandatory to receive aid from BW.

TUITION RATES FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2007-2008

Over the recent years, our utilities, bad debt expenses (our parents not paying their tuition bills) and employee benefits have seen large increases while our fundraising income has declined. We have been able to maintain low tuition rate increases during these times of rising costs and declining fundraising because of continued increase enrollment which has allowed us to spread those increased costs over more students. However, we significantly missed our enrollment projections last year and we are now facing the increased costs with fewer budgeted students. Therefore, to maintain our quality programs, we must raise tuition by larger amounts than in past years. The latter part of this letter outlines our tuition, fees and discounts for the upcoming school year.

Please keep in mind that our cost per child is substantially less than other private schools in Maryland and the local public school system. We have been able to accomplish much with our limited resources. Our graduates are attending colleges such as Cornell, Dartmouth , Mount St. Mary, Loyola, Drew University, Washington and Lee, Boston College , and the University of Notre Dame.

To keep future tuition increases at the prior levels, parents can do two things: 1) increase fundraising and 2) assist in increasing our enrollment, particularly at the elementary school level. A mere increase in enrollment of two students per grade level would have allowed us to reduce this tuition increase by approximately $200.

Our tuition, fees and discounts for the school year 2007-2008 will be as follows:

Pre-Kindergarten - 5 days $1575

Pre-Kindergarten - 3 days $ 1000

Pre-Kindergarten- all day $3150

All Day Kindergarten - 6 grade $3700

Grade 7 - 12 $4775

Before and After School Care Registration $10 a family - $4.50 per hour for care

A $100 discount per family is applicable to those families whose full tuition payment is received in the Business Office no later than July 31, 2007. This discount applies to PreK-12. No discount will be given to those receiving any form of financial assistance.

POLICIES

Tuition payments are made through the FACTS Collection Plan. (See FACTS Collection Plan.) This is a mandatory program .

All families may purchase FACE coupons and apply them to current tuition accounts and may participate in the sweepstakes program to obtain tuition credits.

FAMILY PLANS

The current Family Discount still applies to families with children in All Day Kindergarten through grade 12 whose oldest child is in grade 7 through 12. These families will receive a discount on the second, third and fourth child as follows:

FEE PLAN

Fees Registration Books/Fees Computer Fee Graduation

Pre-K $50 $135

K-8 $50 $135 $70

9-12 $50 $70

Seniors $125

High school Art, Music and Science Lab fees are assessed according to courses taken;invoices will be sent.

Middle School Band fee will be assessed separately.

BUSING FEES

If your child uses our busing service, the busing fee will be billed on a separate invoice. This must be paid on the 10 th of the month or in full at the beginning of the school year.

BOOK FEE STATEMENT

High School Books

High School students are responsible for the purchase of their own books. They may purchase used books from the bookstore or new books from an on-line service. These books become the property of the student. In regard to the books supplied by the MSDE, the books are not paid for by the student and become the property of the school at the end of the school year.

Middle School Books

Middle School students pay a rental fee that includes art supplies, other supplies, scholastic magazines, standardized testing fees, and the use of textbooks and workbooks. The total cost of these books and fees is $200. The $20 deduction sponsored by the MSDE and the $50 subsidy provided by Bishop Walsh enables us to reduce the cost to $130. This allows us to receive new books without further charge to the parent. If we did not receive this funding from the state, parents would face a much larger bill for middle school books.

NOTE: Eighth grade students enrolled in high school courses must purchase books used in these courses.

Elementary School Books

Elementary level students pay a rental fee that includes the use of textbooks, workbooks, standardized tests, and Archdiocese of Baltimore fees. The total cost of these books is $150. The $20 deduction sponsored by the MSDE enables us to reduce the cost to $130. This allows us to receive new books without further charge to the parent. If we did not receive this funding from the state, parents would face a much larger bill for elementarylevel books.

• FACTS Tuition Management collects tuition. Payments are withdrawn automatically from your Bank Checking or Savings account.
• Parents will receive an invoice from Bishop Walsh in July. The invoice will have all charges itemized, with any financial assistance from the school and parishes deducted. The balance will be divided into 12 equal payments, July through June. The exception to this is the senior class, whose tuition must be paid in full by May 18, 2008.
• FACTS will be provided with your balance, along with your renewal agreement. Previous contracts do not require your signature. New contracts require your signature. Automatic withdrawals will be made on the 5 th or the 20 th of each month.
• Bingo and FACE credits will be deducted monthly and the Business Office will provide FACTS with the adjustment in April, which will lessen your last payment for grades K through 12.
• Neither Bishop Walsh nor FACTS has access to the privacy of your bank account.

If you have any questions, please call the school for assistance.

© 2007
For information email us at: info@bishopwalsh.org
Bishop Walsh School Site Designed by: Kristin J. Compton