By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

THE Mount Carmel School’s board of directors has decided not to raise tuition for the next school year.
During a special meeting on Monday, the board noted the hardship currently being experienced by parents.
“In a unanimous vote, board members agreed that most parents would not be able to afford an increase, especially considering the current economy,” a statement from the school said.
The board considered a tuition increase of about 30 percent during a meeting in March as current tuition and other fees were only enough to cover about 75 percent of the school’s operations.
The remaining 25 percent came from the school’s fundraising activities.
“As a result of the depressed economy, this year’s fundraising efforts have brought in less revenue than expected and needed. Furthermore, there was about a 10 percent drop in enrollment this year from last school year, while the cost of utilities, commodities, and other essentials has risen,” according to a school statement.
The board said to ddeal with these financial challenges, school officials enacted several cost-saving measures, including cuts in faculty and staff, more stringent power conservation efforts, and the suspension of some services.
“In some cases, the school has had no choice but to assess fees for the use of school facilities by school clubs and organizations,” the school said, adding that these drastic measures prompted the board to consider a tuition increase.
The board has directed the school administration to conduct a parent survey to assess whether or not such an increase would discourage parents from re-enrolling their children the following year.
“Of the 103 parents that responded to the survey, only a third said that they would enroll their children. The remaining respondents said that they would not seek re-enrollment and only one parent indicated that he or she was undecided,” the statement said.
In light of the survey results, the board desidedthat while a tuition increase was needed, “an increase would only exacerbate worsening enrollment figures.”
The last time the school raised tuition was in 2001.