ESA Deadline Fast Approaching
The deadline for applying for an Educational Savings Account is fast approaching: June 30th. This deadline, put in Iowa legislation, has no exceptions. See the information below regarding eligibility and the application process. Most applications take less than five minutes.
Pre-Registration for 2023-24
Pre-Registration Process: All preschool, kindergarten, returning and new families will need to enter information through the pre-registration/application survey.
To access the survey, click HERE. Families will need to pay the registration fee for K-8, three year old preschool, or “non-qualifying” four/five year old preschool* OR the extra time fee for an “IA preschool” four year old preschool. The registration fee is $125 per PK-12 student for a maximum of $375 per family. The extra time fee for four year old preschoolers is $250 per child. These “one time” fees can be paid online by following the link in the pre-registration/application survey or this link and using the “one time” payment option: registration fee. Checks can also be made payable to JFK and sent to the school office.
*A non-qualifying preschooler is a non-Iowa resident or student who turns 5 on or before Sept 15th. Tuition is charged for this student, and there is a registration fee. There is no extra time fee.
Official Registration for 2023-24
Official Registration Process: SCCS registration link or use the following link/url: register.sccsiowa.org/
After completing the pre-registration process and making the registration payment, the next step is to submit the official registration application information through the online form. Through this process, you will be entering names, grades, primary and emergency contact information, medical information, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and more. You may want to have this information handy before you begin the process. For all JFK students, you will want to click on the “New Registration” button. Also, make sure you change the school year to 2023-24.
Once your information has been successfully submitted, your official registration application will move toward approval. The deadline for the official registration application is June 23rd.
ESA Applications for 2023-24
ESA Application: https://iowa.withodyssey.com/en/odyssey_auth/sign_up
If you are an Iowa resident with an incoming Kindergarten student, a transfer student from a public school or a transfer student from home-school, you need to apply. There is no income qualifier for you to meet.
If you are an Iowa resident with returning students and line 26 (gross income) on your Iowa return(s) is less than 300% of poverty, then you should also apply. Below is a 2023 chart demonstrating 300% of poverty:
| Family Size | 300% poverty | Family Size | 300% poverty | ||
| 1 | $43,740 | 5 | $105,420 | ||
| 2 | $59,160 | 6 | $120,840 | ||
| 3 | $74,580 | 7 | $136,260 | ||
| 4 | $90,000 | 8 | $151,680 | ||
| If more than 8 in family, add $15,420 for each additional member | |||||
All families currently receiving FTP financial assistance should apply to the ESA program first. An ESA application tutorial is available here: Application Training Webinars for Families section. If you do not qualify, then you should apply to the Family Tuition Plan ASAP.
The ESA application deadline is June 30th.
After the deadline, there will probably be another step for those receiving an ESA. You will probably have to go back into the state system and actually direct funds to be transferred to an SCCS school. So far, approved families will receive the funds in an ESA account. Families will then have to direct/transfer the funds out of the ESA account to pay for qualified educational expenses like tuition at a private school.
Other Financial Assistance Application for 2023-24
If you do not qualify for an ESA this year, you may qualify for the Family Tuition Plan since the criteria for that program is 400% of poverty (also using line 26 of the Iowa return.) Families that have not applied in the past may be surprised to find that tuition support is available through this program since many of our previous recipients will be helped through the ESA program. The application for the FTP is available at: www.assumptionhigh.org/familytuitionplan.
If you do not have access to a computer or otherwise find yourself unable to complete the ESA application independently, you may email Theresa.Vondran@assumptionhigh.org or call 326.5313 ext. 229.
SCCS Tuition Billing Process for 2023-24
In the past, our Catholic schools used paper “tuition contracts” to set up payment arrangements. Now, SCCS is using an online system through the Blackbaud software system. You will receive an email from customerservicemessages@blackbaud.school saying “Important information about your Blackbaud Tuition Management enrollment for Scott County Catholic Schools.” Follow the directions and process outlined in that email. I am also emailing an attachment along with this Principal’s Post link with more detailed directions regarding the tuition billing process.
Tuition payments for 2023-24 begin in July. Tuition is billed at the gross amount less any discounts (like multi-child discounts and parish membership discounts) and financial aid. Due to the many steps involved in registration this year, the timing of ESAs, etc., not all discounts and financial aid have been posted to families’ accounts yet; they will be posted as soon as available. Because of this delay, late payment fees will be waived. However, please remember that schools have bills to pay over the entire year, the biggest of which is payroll. Teachers, who have their own bills to pay too, are paid over 12 months so cash flow during the summer is just as important as it is throughout the rest of the year. If you need to estimate your tuition payments for now, please do so.
Tuition Rates for Paying Families
The tuition rates for those not yet eligible for ESAs was contained in an April 27th letter. It can be found here: ESA Letter and Tuition Rates for Paying Families Letter, 4-27-23. As anticipated the tuition rates for those not eligible for ESAs increased by about 5% at the elementary level and 3% at Assumption, which is about its historical average. Please note that the actual cost to educate a student in SCCS is over $8,000. Tuition covers just over about 50% of the cost. Parish subsidies and fundraising cover the rest. The SCCS “tuition contracts” will show the parish discounts applied to students’/families’ accounts.
Scott County Catholic School tuition rates for preschool, with or without wraparound care, are in the linked document: Preschool Tuition Rates JFK
Finalizing Payments for 2022-23
Please finish making your 2022-23 payments to OLV/JFK as soon as possible. You don’t want to mix your payments to OLV/JFK with SCCS. Payments due for 2022-23, including delinquent tuition, fees, aftercare balances, lunch balances, fines, etc. go to OLV and/or JFK. Payments for 2023-24 will go through SCCS.
Teaching Positions at JFK for 2023-24
JFK welcomes Jacqueline Everhart to the staff for 2023-24. Ms. Everhart has multiple years of teaching experience, including at third grade, which is the grade she will be teaching at JFK. Ms. Kathy Neuberger will be moving from her interventionist position at JFK to teach kindergarten next year. Ms. Neuberger taught kindergarten at JFK before she took time off with her young children and then returned to JFK in an interventionist role.
JFK is currently seeking a K-8 music teacher for the 2023-24 school year. If interested, please send me a cover letter, resume, copy of one’s Iowa license, and references. The hiring process will also involve Scott County Catholic Schools, but these steps would good first ones.
Other positions may be available as details of federal funding are finalized.
Chad
