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Parents live with higher tuitions
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE, Times Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG -- When Skip Crandall writes the check each month for his son's private school, it is almost as much as his mortgage. He didn't mind, until he learned that tuition at Northside Christian School, which his 10-year-old son has been attending since kindergarten, will be going up again next year -- by double digits. "My concern is that their increases seem to be out of control," said Crandall, who is moving his child to a less expensive school. Were Crandall to keep his son at Northside Christian School, where the cost of an elementary education is $5,326 a year, monthly payments would be $499 a month. At Shorecrest Preparatory School, though, that money could not buy his son an education, even at the kindergarten level. Tuition for kindergarten through fourth grade will be $8,500 next year. And middle school has broken the $10,000 barrier. High school will cost $11,100. "It sort of goes to the old adage that you get what you pay for," said Gina Legendre, whose son, Owen, is in the seventh grade at Shorecrest. "The quality of education is worth the money." Terry Cobb, whose 9-year-old daughter Sydney has been attending Shorecrest since pre-kindergarten, said "I'm fortunate that I only have one child. . . . But if I had three or four kids, it would be a whole different story." Private school officials say that despite the economy, parents are willing to pay for small classes, individual attention, superior education and a secure environment. Annual tuition increases are normal and help to take care of such costs as upgrading programs and increasing faculty salaries and benefits. Little of the money goes to capital projects, they say. In a letter announcing the largest tuition increase in several years, the Rev. Louis J. Molinelli of St. Petersburg Catholic High School told parents that recent events have affected the school's finances. Donations have dropped significantly since since Sept. 11, a number of parents have lost their jobs and have not been able to make timely tuition payments, and health, liability and disability insurance is expected rise by about 20 percent in the coming school year. The result? Tuition is rising $1,000 -- 14 percent -- for those who aren't parish-affiliated. Parents are taking news of the rise in tuition in stride, Molinelli said. "I am hearing that this was a big increase this year, but I'm not hearing that this was an unfair increase or that I'm pulling my kids out of your school," he said.
Phil and Marisa Secord have two children at St. Petersburg Catholic, 16-year-old twins Samuel and Marina. "This is a big deal for us," Secord said of the increase. "For us to spend $10,000 is a big deal. We don't have a money tree." But it is worth it, he said. Parents choose private schools such as his for a variety of reasons, said Russell Ball of the Canterbury School of Florida. "We have smaller class sizes, individual attention. I think the overall academics are stronger," said Ball, director of Canterbury's Knowlton Campus. "I think another big issue right now is that it is a safe environment, that everybody knows everybody. These are important issues when parents are spending a big hunk of money to send their children to private school." Despite the economy, he said, applications for the school have increased. "For these parents that choose to send their children to Canterbury," Ball said, "it's a top priority. I think if there are monetary problems, I feel parents will cut back elsewhere." Robert Fine, headmaster of Admiral Farragut Academy, spoke along similar lines. "I think some parents sometimes make the decision to use some of the college funds early just to ensure that they do get into college," he said. "I think the demand for private schools is fairly high right now." Parents are not surprised by annual tuition increases, said Shirley Owen, headmaster at Keswick Christian School. For Keswick's parents, she said: "Christian education is a priority for them. They will make the sacrifice for that." Crandall, father of the 10-year-old, said he and his wife are prepared to do exactly that, but were distressed by the large increases at Northside Christian. "Some increase is expected from year to year, but 33 percent in three years is above the norm," he said. "The bottom line for me is that private education is expensive. It costs money to run an excellent program," said Rick Newberry, headmaster at Northside Christian, which with 956 students is one of the largest private schools in the area. Newberry, who was hired last year, said one of the reasons for the substantial tuition increase in recent years is the school's move toward "cost-based tuition." "Essentially what it means is that what parents are paying for tuition is the actual cost. . . . We've eliminated the gap from what tuition revenue brings in and the total cost at Northside Christian. That gap has been about $200,000, where we have in the past sought outside funding for that gap." The school's fundraising projects can now focus on capital improvements and other needs, he said. While some parents have raised concerns about the recent tuition increase, enrollment has not been affected, Newberry said. "We re-enrolled a higher percentage of students this year than we did last year, and to me that speaks volumes as to what parents are saying," he said. Annie Scott's three children will continue at the school. "It's definitely a sacrifice, but it is a sacrifice I am willing to make," said Mrs. Scott, who pays full tuition for her children, 7, 9 and 10. "I love the school and I am happy with the direction they are going in," she said. Crandall will send his son to Indian Rocks Christian Schools when the new academic year begins. He values a Christian education, he said. "It's a sacrifice," he said. "I don't make a lot of money. We purposely don't carry any credit card debts. We don't drive new cars. . . . We do live in a small home and that's a choice. I am making the sacrifice to do that because I feel it is worthwhile for my kids to have that education, to get that extra education."
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