Praying for donations

As the economy continues to worsen and enrollment drops, area private schools are feeling the financial squeeze to make ends meet.

Of the three most visible private schools in Culpeper, St. Luke’s Lutheran faces the most immediate financial hardship. The situation is so dire that the school says it needs to raise $300,000 by July 6 to remain open.

Officials at Culpeper Christian and Epiphany Catholic schools report that although their enrollment is also down, they’re still moving forward with expanding programs while tackling the tough economy.

St. Luke’s Lutheran
St. Luke’s, founded in 1979, is experiencing its lowest enrollment in recent years. The school has 135 students registered for the fall, nearly 200 below its peak of 321 in 1996-97, and its 52 employees have yet to be offered annual contracts.

“We, like many businesses, are being negatively affected by the economy,” Head of Schools David Kukielski said.

On July 6, a council at St. Luke’s will make a recommendation to church officials whether to open the school this fall.

“We simply need the $300,000 to have the assurance that we will be able to cover all of our bills for the upcoming school year,” said Kukielski, on the job for three years.

“Without the $300,000 in hand, could we still end up paying for all of our bills? Yes, because we would continue the fundraising. But then you’re taking a risk because you don’t know for sure how that fundraising is going to come through. We’d rather not take that risk.”

Last year, St. Luke’s had more than 200 students enrolled, according to Kukielski, adding that the majority of the school’s $1 million operating budget relies on tuition payments.

St. Luke’s, located at 1200 Old Rixeyville Road, typically opens between the last week of August and the first week of September. It provides preschool and pre-kindergarten classes through ninth grade.

In an effort to increase revenue, staff began fundraising earlier this year to counter the tuition shortfall. The push includes asking alumni, parents and the community at large for tax-deductible donations.

“Our hope is that by July 6 we will indeed have reached that financial goal,” said Kukielski, who remains optimistic about the school’s future.

Without an endowment, the school relies on annual funding based on tuition. Admissions Director Deanne Cockerill said the school also depends on “word of mouth” to bring in new students.

“Families that may have never considered it before are stretching everything they can to keep their kids with us,” Cockerill said. “It’s a challenge. But there are families that will not do things like take vacations to keep their kids here.”

The cost for preschool tuition and fees for this fall starts at $3,000 annually for two days a week and goes up to $12,000 a year for fifth- through ninth-grade. Several students also benefit from need-based scholarships.

Culpeper Christian
Two years ago, Culpeper Christian School doubled in physical size thanks to a $2 million, 15-month expansion project.

The school’s peak enrollment was 164 in 2007-08, forcing the need for more room. The expansion allows CCS to accommodate about 240 students, but that growth has yet to come.

This fall, its 35,000-square-foot building on Old Rixeyville Road will house about 155 students. Last year, CCS started with 146, according to School Administrator Mike Owings.

“Obviously, the economy has slowed down our growth rate,” he said, “but we’re recovering and look forward to matching even more families to quality, academic Christian education.”

The school’s 2009-10 operating budget is about $800,000 and is based on 155 students. CCS provides classes for preschoolers to eighth-grade.

“We’re doing fine,” said Owings, who began working for CCS in the fall of 2002. “We focus on the students that we have, and our staff is doing a great job. We don’t have any plans of being a big mega-school system. We have a niche, and we want to continue doing a great job with that niche.”

The old building, constructed in 1990 on the same campus, could only hold about 140 students. CCS’s original one-room location on East Street opened in 1976 with a single instructor.

Owings said all 30 employees will return this fall.

Epiphany Catholic
Enrollment is down at Epiphany as well, according to Principal Bobbi Terry. There are 126 students (33 preschoolers and 93 K-8) registered for the fall.

“We have lost families because (they had) to move because of the economy or a job situation,” Terry said. “There’s a lot of anxiety right now.”

For Epiphany, $81,000 in recent donations ($27,000 from the diocese and $54,000 from the school) will help cover this fall’s operating budget.

“We have very generous people in our parish that really want to see Catholic education continue,” Terry said.

To maintain a balanced operating budget, school officials increased the tuition this fall.

“It’s been a difficult year to do that, but it’s the direction we have to go in,” said Terry, who began her career with Epiphany in 1983.

“We are working to be more of a cost-based tuition (school) where the tuition will cover the salaries and benefits,” Terry said.

Terry added that Epiphany teachers didn’t receive a raise this year and school administrators are in the process of finalizing teacher contracts.

Like Culpeper Christian, Epiphany officials predicted increasing student enrollment and purchased 22 acres in 2000 along Route 299 south of town.

Today, the rolling farmland remains untouched except for an old barn and the neighboring Three Flags subdivision. Terry said a school site plan will be presented to the Culpeper County Planning Commission this summer.

Last year, Epiphany offered four preschool classes; three are scheduled this fall.

“Even our preschool enrollment is down,” Terry said, “but we also have people signing up throughout the summer.”

Epiphany’s preschool opened in 1981; the grade school in 1997. The grade-schoolers return Aug. 31 while the preschoolers return after Labor Day.