My first Magazine Villa Voice Summer 2018 | Page 16

ST. URSULA VILLA ANNUAL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS & HAPPENINGS A Special Appeal For A Crucial Need During this year’s Villabration, past parent Tracy Sagester shared her family’s experience with loss and how they were lifted up by our St. Ursula Villa community. Tracy graciously introduced our Special Appeal to create the Villa Family Emergency Tuition Assistance Fund. True to form, our Villa community answered Tracy’s call, raising their paddles totaling $51,000 towards this crucial initiative to provide tuition assistance to a family facing a temporary, unexpected crisis. Learn more at www.stursulavilla.org/special-funds. The Sagester family: David, Cameron (’07), Tracy, and Ian (’10). My name is Tracy Sage ster. I have 2 sons, Cameron and Ian, who graduated from the Villa in 2007 and 2010. My husband David and I always said that sending our sons to the Villa was the BEST decision we ever made. We chose the Villa for all the same reasons you send your children to this wonderful school. Sending our boys to the Villa was a financial stretch and sacrifice -- there were many times we thought we couldn’t stay another year. But with hard work and the grace of God both boys thrived here, graduated from the Villa, and continued to St. Xavier High School. The Villa was our family and remains an integral part of my life and family today. On May 28, 2016, my husband David had a heart attack. He spent the next 10 months in a coma and passed away last April. During this time the friends and families from the Villa stepped in and showered us with love and support. My “Non-Villa” connections were amazed at the food, gift cards, lawn upkeep, or simple gestures like taking walks or just sitting with me for moral support. And of course, many prayers. When making funeral arrangements, the boys and I requested donations to be sent to the Villa in lieu of flowers. We wanted the funds to help a family that was going through an unexpected temporary hardship and facing the scenario of not being able to stay at St. Ursula Villa. The boys and I were thrilled to know that the donated funds allowed a student to blossom at this fantastic school, and establish his/her own roots that will never be forgotten. This is exactly what David would have wanted, and as my boys said “this is much better than flowers.” Please consider donating to St. Ursula Villa's Family Emergency Tuition Assistance Fund! It truly will make a difference. Grandparents' Christmas Coffee Villa grandparents Principal Polly Duplace and Trustee Karen Jahnke hosted St. Ursula Villa’s first annual Grandparents’ Christmas Coffee in December. Grandparents got acquainted and enjoyed Christmas cheer at the home of Karen and her husband Mark Jahnke. From the Board of Trustees Chair Dear Villa Family and Friends, Each June St. Ursula Villa celebrates an important milestone for our 8 th graders as they graduate from the Villa prepared to succeed in high school and beyond. St. Ursula Villa’s well-deserved reputation for quality academics and whole child education is due to our teachers and staff who, backed by a supportive administration, see each student as an individual with strengths, opportunities, and potential to tap. Recognizing that our teachers are the Villa’s most precious resource, supporting our faculty is a key component of our Strategic Plan. This past academic year, our Human Resources Committee analyzed the local landscape of comparable faculty compensation and benefits and, working closely with the Finance Committee, set forth a multi-faceted, multi-year process to allow the Villa to attract and retain the very best teachers and staff. We have taken initial steps this past year towards this important goal. Step one was joining the Independent School Management (ISM) consortium to participate in health insurance. By pooling resources with other ISM schools, we have realized immediate quality health insurance plan savings and, importantly, we will stabilize future cost increases. These savings have enabled us to increase faculty salaries and pay scale. Benefits also now include retirement and financial planning education to help our teachers make sound financial decisions with their income. St. Ursula Villa also continues to reimburse faculty for professional development and graduate level classes, including credentialing and master’s degree courses. Funding these and future improvements hinges on fiscal stability through healthy enrollment. The Administration and Board of Trustees are vigilant in ensuring that we maintain predictable and sustainable resources to meet operating costs. Future positive steps in our multi-year strategic process will be achievable through philanthropy including growth of our endowment. We are fiscally sound thanks to our generous donors who support our day-to-day operations and other needs. One of my proudest moments as a member of the Villa community was during the Villabration Special Appeal when so many of us raised our paddles to create the Villa Family Emergency Tuition Assistance Fund. I am grateful to past parent Tracy Sagester, who took the podium and shared her family’s story with grace and passion. With this new fund, we honor the memory of her husband David while supporting each other in times of need. Our Board of Trustees welcomes the following new members: Suzy Dorward, who brings deep experience in development and non-profit marketing; Jessica Metzger, a first-rate Villa parent volunteer with broad experience spanning from VPO to Buildings & Grounds; and Judy Wimberg, whom we honor within these pages. We also bid fond farewell to Dick Paulsen, who served our Board for many years facilitating our Strategic Plan and leading our Governance Committee; and to Ralph Nardini, who shared wisdom from his decades of educational development and administrative experience. We are so grateful for each of them. On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Administration, faculty, and students, I thank each of you who have contributed to our school’s success. We proudly list names of contributors during this fiscal year in our Annual Report Honor Roll of Donors. These financial contributors help make the Villa an outstanding educational community and one of which I am proud to be a member. Sincerely, Grandparents Karen Jahnke and Polly Duplace 15 Past Villa parents (and current Villa grandparents): Jody Pohlman, Jane Solimine, Margo Heubi Grandparents Declan O’Sullivan, Carol Tabone, Michael Humbert, Rosemarie O’Sullivan, Patty Sayre, and Molly Vollmer Financial Report (As of 7/15/18, unaudited) Misc: 1.4% Government: 6.9% Fundraising: 8.7% Fees: 4.2% Net Tuition: 78.8% Operating Revenue Tuition Tuition Allowances Net Tuition Fees Fundraising Misc. Government TOTAL REVENUE Endowment Funds Physical Plant: 12.5% Instructional E xpenses: 8.1% $5,008,255.97 $(373,145.00) $4,635,110.97 $245,950.00 $513,941.96 $84,357.14 $404,769.69 $5,884,129.76 $598,058.19 Debt Service: 5.3% Instructional Salaries: 41.5% Administrative Expenses: 4.7% Benefits/ Taxes: 17.2% Non-instructional Salaries: 10.8% Operating Expenses Instructional Salaries $2,328,589.61 Non-instructional Salaries $604,394.13 Benefits/Taxes $965,578.33 Administrative Expenses $262,463.58 Instructional Expenses $457,318.51 Physical Plant $698,890.25 Debt Service $296,169.90 TOTAL EXPENSE $5,613,404.31 Matt Iacobucci, Board Chair 16