Dear St. Joseph Parents,

We wanted to express a big thank you to all who responded to the survey sent out by the PSC Executive Board a little while back. We were pleased with the return rate, receiving 83 surveys back from St. Joe families. These surveys contained a tremendous amount of information that has been compiled and reviewed.

As a result of your input, there are a few changes that can be made in the following areas.   Most notably you will see changes to the Carnival Big Money raffle where tickets will now sell for $5.00 each, decreasing the number of tickets that have to be printed and filled out, while keeping the odds for winning unchanged. Also, while we will continue to hold the Christmas program in the church, we will attempt to provide an additional viewing screen to increase visibility.

Also, in evaluating survey results, we noted several comments that St. Joseph School should implement a mandatory service (or volunteerism) policy. Some suggested we grant a tuition reduction to families that perform a required number of service hours, similar to what other area Catholic schools have done in the past; others suggested (or volunteered to pay) a tuition increase rather than performing set service standards. The PSC discussed this issue with teachers and Administration at recent meetings. It was noted that the vast majority of St. Joe parents do volunteer in some capacity, and many give generously of their time and talents. The PSC also contacted other schools about their current policies. While considering the options, however, we became aware that legal counsel for the Diocese of Lansing recently advised all schools to cease tying service activities to incentives with an established monetary value. The basis for this recommendation was the risk that these practices can create income tax liability for volunteers, and/or employment tax liability for the school. For this reason, St. Joseph School will continue to encourage involvement of all parents in school and related activities, without incentives or penalties.

Also, based on input from the survey and discussion based on that input, other, less dramatic changes will be made. We will also continue to consider options for items that cannot be changed now. So again, thank you for your feedback and the many, many ways you give of yourselves to benefit St. Joseph School. If you ever have comments or ideas to share, please feel free to attend a regularly scheduled PSC meeting, or contact PSC Executive Board members or St. Joseph School Administration.

If you would like to view the numeric results from the survey, check out the St. Joe School Website (http://www.stjoecatholic.com/School_index.htm) at the bottom of the Parent School Council page.

Thanks again.

Sincerely,

Bridgette Voisinet, President 2007/2008

St. Joe Parent School Council