Vision 20/20 Campaign FAQ's:
Why start construction now instead of waiting until we close our fundraising gap?
Since we gained the unanimous vote from the Planning Commission last Tuesday, the timeline for construction is moving rapidly. For most of you, this feels fast, but we have been talking about the general idea of this plan for six years. You may have already noticed the survey crews on campus, and wooden stakes put into place. The window of city approval, cost of construction, floodplain correction, and space needs were all factors in the decision-making process. Timing of construction led us to two important decisions. 1) As a school we need to start in order to take advantage of the summer months with children off campus, especially in regard to parking and moving the modular buildings, and 2) The cost of a construction delay has several multiplying effects on the school. Therefore, board decided that now is the time to step up with courage and vision and strength and get the project moving.
Why do We Need 100% Participation?
Our visionary goal is to obtain 100% participation from every family and every employee because a gift (regardless of size) represents collective support towards a project that will impact everyone in this school community. Likewise, remembering the generosity of those donors before us, values the imprint each of us can have on this campus for many generations to come.
So, please be involved with our Vision 20/20 campaign by signing a pledge card or confirming your pledge online by Thursday, May 24th. Let’s go into the summer with a great show of support for these needed improvements on our campus.
Will Regents Enrollment Continue to Grow as We Add New Buildings?
This campaign is addressing much needed facilities for our current body of students. We are already near enrollment capacity at Regents with a maximum enrollment at approximately 1000 students. Did you know we already have 943 students this year and we anticipate 960 this fall? Temporary buildings have proven to be expensive and limiting for program development over time. Once this phase is complete, the eleven leased modular buildings in the back of the campus will be removed. Regents continues to receive great applications and produce positive reenrollment again this year. In fact, admissions applications have increased 19% over last year and, we are confident enrollment will reach its maximum state by Fall 2013.
Why is there a need for these buildings?
In 2009, the Master Campus Planning Committee conducted a comprehensive study of all facilities needs in consideration of steady-state enrollment K-12 for the next 50 years. This committee, working in concert with senior staff and faculty department heads, used the maximum enrollment numbers to determine size, type and number of classrooms, labs, offices, as well as performance and practice facilities. The athletics department aligned policies for number and age of sports teams, physical education programs, and practice needs to determine fields, gyms, offices and storage. An important and guiding principle in determining enrollment was the desire to maintain a singular K-12 campus community.
With 943 students currently enrolled, Regents is expected to reach maximum enrollment by the fall of 2013. At present, we have completely filled our buildings and added nine modular buildings for the School of Logic and Fine Arts. The current 10th grade class is the first at maximum enrollment, charting the course to put more space demands on high school as grades 9-12 reach maximum enrollment.
Why does Regents choose to enhance all buildings, fields and landscaping with a classical design?
Twenty years ago several families imagined a school of Christian conviction and academic excellence. Our school stands as a Christian expression of the Classical tradition that entered humanity through the Athenians in the time of Socrates, Plato and Pericles. We are following in the path of our founding families who conceived the excellence of this education and built the first buildings on campus according to these principles. It is for us who are here now, with the torch in our hands, to dedicate our hearts and minds to this cause. The buildings that complete our campus community should reflect the order, balance and beauty of this tradition.
What are the reasons for a singular K-12 campus?
As stated in the Regents Strategic Plan, the future development of the campus should foster student-to-student interaction between and among all three schools (Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric) in order to advance the maturity and growth of our students through cross-mentorship. The challenge to maintain our sense of community grows with enrollment. To ensure that future students enjoy our healthy community experience, Regents must remain a single-campus institution. (The most frequently used word in the strategic plan is: community)
Is it plausible for Regents to use portable classroom facilities over the long term?
While it is plausible to accommodate some additional classrooms in portable facilities, there are limitations as to the number and placement of those portable buildings and the programming offered. Even the academic classrooms needed for Humanities, math and science would have difficulty accomodating student-teacher ratios for effective instructional practice. The current needs for rehearsal, performance, and instructional space in drama and music are significantly limiting program growth.
What is the current percentage of families receiving assistance in the last five years?
Since 2005, 17-20% of Regents families were on some level of aid. The current operating budget includes an 8.75% appropriation for tuition assistance and the Board of Directors and administration are committed to maintaining this level of assistance over time.
Question from a Grammar Student: What will happen to the teachers inside the cottages when you move them?
We will take extra care to make sure all teachers are safely out of the cottages before they are moved.
Questions about Giving?
Contact Julie Grevelle in our Development Office at 512-899-8095 x151
