I was raised Catholic, and wanted to bring those Christian values to my kids. In the beginning, I…read moreheard good things in the general community about this school. The kids were enrolled, and off they went.
What is my impression now that they have nearly completed their journey? If I were to go back in time, knowing what I do now, would I send them back? Here are some of my honest takes.
The Positives
- Promotion of Christian values.
- Mandatory service hours in the community
- Kairos retreats
- A new trades building and classes
- Nice technology for students
The Negatives
- Tuition: The tuition cost here goes up each year, and it is ridiculously expensive! The same goes for registration fees.
- Solicitation for money: With how much the tuition costs, they are constantly soliciting donations, raffles, and other money-making opportunities.
- Cafeteria Prices: The price of food for kids is ridiculously high. Through the years, my kids and their friends have told me that the quality is generally poor. Expensive and poor quality are not a good combination.
- Meal Balance: Should your child's meal balance become even $1 short, you will get an email asking for it to be paid immediately, or the child will not be able to have lunch until it is paid in full. I speak from experience. My child's meal balance was -$1.00, and I got an email about this from the "FSC Kitchen Manager" asking for it to be paid immediately. Okay, I get that there is a $1 negative balance. Fear not, it will be paid right away, but -$1?? Do they have any idea how much money they are making off of me with tuition? Maybe consider a threshold before these emails are fired off.
- Over the last 3-4 years, there have been several suicides, teen pregnancies, and threats of violence. I understand that this can happen anywhere, and it is a tragedy in any circumstance, but I didn't expect it here. When the school administration sent out notes to parents regarding some of these things, I found it in very bad taste to keep the "It's a great day to be a Crusader" signature.
- Days off: I have never seen a school with more time off. Half days, full days, it's incredible. One day I would like sit down and tally up all of the days that my kids were off and see what the actual cost per day had been that year. Or, would that only frustrate me more?
- For students who buy parking passes, there is a cranky staff administrator who likes to walk around to find grievances. Forget to put your parking pass up one day, and you WILL be reprimanded.
Having experienced the school for a number of years now, would I send my kids back if I had to do it all over again? Absolutely not. Not for the amount of money, food prices/quality, or solicitation for money.
My kids often say that the school is "just okay" and that their friends in public school seem to have more opportunities. When I went to public high school, I had such fond memories of the opportunities, like shop, driver's education, indoor swimming pool/team, and so much more. Plus, it is already paid for by my taxes.
I'm not saying that Saint Dominic is a bad place. The high tuition costs, constant donation solicitations, ridiculous cafeteria costs, and registration fees are disappointing, especially in this economy. With public school, I found that I could still keep my faith (which I cherish) and go to church on Sunday.