Finance
accountability
We are committed to managing our finances in a responsible and ethical fashion. Our financial policies, reports, board minutes, financial records, and procedures are reviewed annually by the Culver CPA Group. Culver CPA develops our year-end statements and makes recommendations for how we can improve our procedures and policies. These statements have always been available to our parents and donors on request, but to ensure the utmost transparency and accountability to our constituents, we are making them available as downloads here on our website. (Note: Some items were moved for the 2017-18 report, so changes were made to the previous year comparison numbers as well.)
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Giving
Jesus said that anyone who was faithful in the little things (meaning money) would prove to be faithful in the big things (spiritual life). Algoma Christian School is committed to careful stewardship of the resources God has entrusted to us. To ensure financial integrity, our budgets are balanced and our books are audited every year. Our administrative overhead is low so that we can maximize the educational impact of every dollar. Nevertheless, tuition alone does not cover the costs of education, so from time to time families and friends of the school are asked to consider making a donation to support the ministry.
Fundraising
The school holds several fundraising activities throughout the year (Auction, Feed the Need, Fireworks Tent). These activities not only raise money to support various school activities but also raise public awareness of the school's ministry. We also have a few "background fundraisers" that provide ongoing support with minimal work on the part of the school or family. Among these are smile.amazon.com which returns some money to the school for every purchase and TRIP, which saves money on your utility bills and other purchases (see below). We encourage every family to sign up for these programs, because we believe that every family should accept some responsibility for supporting the school. However, we also appreciate that each family has unique skills and interest. As a result, we take a flexible approach to fundraising: Each family may choose to participate in as many or as few of the fundraisers as they wish, but we anticipate that generally each family does their part in the effort, keeping in mind that the actual cost of education is typically $1500 more than tuition alone.
Tuition & Fees
Because our school operates with great efficiency and our staff serves sacrificially, we are able to operate at a much lower cost than most schools. We are committed to a tuition structure that will enable us to provide a quality Christian education at a competitive price. We have taken several steps to create what we call "Family Friendly Tuition Rates". We know that people don't like to be "nickled and dimed" for everything, so to simplify things for our families, we have eliminated all mandatory fees other than the annual registration fee. All other costs are for optional items such as hot lunches, yearbook, band, sports teams, etc. We are also moving to a Family Friendly rate structure that is gradually eliminating the distinctions between grade levels but significantly reduces the costs for second and third children by 20% and 35% respectively. All subsequent children are free. There are several payment plans available: 12 month, quarterly, and annual. A discount is provided to families who pay the full tuition in advance. All plans begin on June 1. We do not believe that any child should be denied a Christian education due to lack of funds, so financial aid is available to assist families facing temporary financial difficulties. Families who need financial assistance may apply during the enrollment process. Click here for the 2020-2021 tuition rates.
