REGIONAL UPDATE

In January 2022 Bishop Joensen announced the regionalization of the 12 Catholic schools in the Des Moines metro. Since that time, significant progress has been made in creating a business model that will sustain the collective future of our schools. Pastors, principals and business managers from each school have been working with regional staff to develop a multi-year plan for teacher salaries, tuition and tuition assistance.

Increasing compensation is a regional goal that is necessary to retain and attract the best teachers. On average, first-year teacher salaries at regional K-8 schools are 26% lower than the starting pay in public schools and vary by more than $13,000 across Catholic schools in Des Moines. Over the past several years DCHS has been able to match the public school pay scale and a five-year goal has been established to do the same for all teachers across the region.

Keeping tuition affordable for all families also remains a top priority. Tuition in the Des

Moines region has always been lower than the cost to educate each student. Support from parishes and donors helps offset the gap and continues to make this possible.

Increasing tuition assistance is essential as the region works to develop a more comprehensive tuition model across all schools. Approximately 37% of Catholic school families in Des Moines currently receive some form of tuition assistance. Next year it is anticipated that up to 15% more families may qualify based on expanded guidelines to be released in January and additional funding from the Catholic Tuition Organization (CTO), the Tuition Assistance Endowment established with the Ignite Campaign and other sources. Increased tuition assistance strengthens the mission of our schools by making a Catholic education possible for more families.

Regionalization efforts are also focused on enrollment. With nearly 1,000 open seats across the region, opportunities exist for more students and families to benefit from the faith-based education and strong community that are unique to Catholic schools. Schools at full capacity also strengthen the budget and ultimately fund our mission.

Much of this progress is the result of the vision and work from our Regional Board of Directors, the Members Board comprised of 24 pastors and Bishop Joensen, as well as committee members who have shared their time and expertise.

“It is exciting to see new levels of collaboration and innovative thinking,” said Dr. Dan Ryan, president of DCHS and the region. “Our goal is to work collectively as we continue to build on the strengths of our schools, each of which plays a critical role in fulfilling our shared mission.”

To learn more about tuition assistance and other regional initiatives, please visit dsmrcsplan.org.