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Harrisburg Christian school needs fundraising to stay afloat
By ANGELA SHUFF HARRISBURG, Pa. – Piles of cinder blocks are stacked next to the main administration building of Harrisburg Christian School (HCS). HCS hopes to build more classrooms, but for now the project must wait until later. An independent financial consultant advised the school that it would not be feasible for HCS to raise the money needed to build when fundraising is needed just to keep the school alive. HCS is just one of the many private Christian schools that uses a budget-deficit model of funding. Only 70 percent of the budget is covered by tuition payments, and the other 30 percent of the needed money calls for fundraising projects. This puts an extra burden on the school and has led Tom Weiland, headmaster of Harrisburg Christian, to gradually raise tuition over the next 5 years. To cover their $2 million budget, HCS must raise $600,000 each year. “Fundraising should be used for initiatives aimed at extending and improving the school, it shouldn’t be needed to keep the lights on,” said Weiland. This budget-deficit model leaves the school with unpaid bills at the end of every year. This budget-deficit model of Christian school funding is only common in the Northeast. Most southern Christian schools are supported 100 percent by tuition. This issue dates back to the 1950s, when Brown vs. the Board of Education called for desegregation of schools. Christian schools rose up as an alternative where upper class white children could have a haven. Weiland regrets this bit of history and how it reflects negatively on Christianity, but it explains that differences between the financial structures of schools in the two regions. Gerald Twombly, a renowned expert on fundraising for non-profit organizations, said that 90 percent of Christian schools in the Northeast are one month away from financial failure. Paying teachers what they deserve is a concern for Weiland. “We can’t tell our teachers that they will only be paid 70 percent of their salary this year and the rest they will have to raise on their own or trust that God will provide,” he said. According to the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), on the average, Christian school teachers are paid only 61 percent of the PA state average salary for public school teachers, and HCS teachers are paid only 53 percent of the average. Starting salaries between public and Christian schools show a difference of $15,000. There is a stereotype that those in Christian service, such as non-profit organizations and Christian schools, don’t need to be paid a lot because they are doing ministry unto God. “But meanwhile, my teachers are eligible for food stamps,” said Weiland. Money, or lack thereof, has never been an issue for Alan Muchmore, a teacher at HCS. The low salary is worth the freedom he enjoys to share his faith and teach from the Bible. He recently transferred to HCS from a school in New York which also struggled under a budget-deficit model of funding. The Pennsylvania School Board Association reported that the average state per pupil expenditure in 2000-2001 was $8,528. The average per pupil expenditure of Harrisburg Christian was $5,452. While the financial discrepancies are alarming, HCS’s academic reputation is remarkable. Kindergarten SAT scores from last year show that the average Harrisburg Christian student ranked in the 90th percentile. Weiland explained that HCS is doing a good job, but they can’t improve any more or grow numerically before the financial situation is dealt with. Weiland plans to raise tuition gradually over the next 5 years so that 90 percent of the budget will be taken care of by tuition. This will increase teacher pay by 4 percent the first year, 8 percent the second year, and 10 percent for the third through fifth year. Muchmore states that Weiland has done an excellent job communicating the issue to parents and teachers. Parents are showing concern over the potential rise in tuition, many of whom said they don’t want HCS becoming a “rich kid school.” They have accused Weiland of having little faith in God to supply their needs. Weiland explained that higher tuition provides money to help families in need, instead of having to turn kids away because HCS doesn’t have enough money to pay utility bills. “I’m not against faith,” said Weiland, “but I am against stupidity.” All stories in this magazine are the intellectual property of the individual
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