The Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo Faculty Endowment
Our teachers are extraordinary: they go above and beyond, day after day, to support our students and create the remarkable community of our Catholic schools. We are committed to providing salaries that will help us retain highly qualified teachers, and truly represent our appreciation of their commitment to Catholic education.

We know that, like many Catholic schools around the country, the Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo (CSGK) are not able to offer our faculty as high a salary as the public districts in our area. While we provide competitive benefits, our research shows that our 2018-19 salary levels were, on average, 70% of what the nine public school districts in Kalamazoo County offer. The CSGK Board of Directors has set a goal of increasing compensation while maintaining an affordable rate of tuition for families, and has laid out a multi-year plan to move in this direction.

The CSGK Faculty Endowment will play a key role in our efforts to attract and retain the best teachers at St. Augustine Cathedral School, St. Monica Catholic School, and Hackett Catholic Prep; and thereby maintain and increase enrollment.
 
How will this fund benefit our faculty?
The return from this endowed fund could be used in many ways to provide financial support to our faculty. We can better recruit skilled teachers, retain our top teachers, and enhance students’ experience with additional funds available to principals as they hire, an annual bonus recognizing high-performing faculty, or stipends for those who give additional time every day to mentor students through clubs and extracurriculars. Because the fund will be endowed it will continue to provide these resources perpetually, supporting our faculty today and in the future.  
 
How will this fund benefit our community?

• Retaining the best teachers means providing the highest quality education to students.
• High quality education ensures growing enrollment and a strong future for Catholic schools.
• Students learn from their teachers’ model of lived faith, engendering the spirit of service that leads them to provide thousands of volunteer hours with local agencies every year.
• Catholic school graduates are the future of the Church: they are 8 times more likely to attend Mass as adults and more than twice as likely to consider the priesthood and religious life. (CARA study June 2014)

 
How much do we need to raise?
The CSGK Faculty Endowment will be held by the Kalamazoo Regional Catholic Schools Foundation (KRCSF), and invested through the Michigan Catholic Conference. The Endowment will provide an annual distribution of 5%, determined by KRCSF’s spending policy.  An endowment of $1 million would provide additional funds of up to $1,000 per teacher per year. An endowment of $10 million would allow CSGK to increase salaries to within 80% of neighboring public districts.

As the Endowment grows, through generous donations and wise investment, the fund will provide a real benefit to our 53 teachers every school year. The CSGK Faculty Endowment is structured to have a tangible impact on our teachers at every level along the way.
 
How can I contribute?
Make a gift or pledge. Personal donations from Catholic school alumni, parents, parents of alumni, and parishioners can include gifts of stock or gifts made through donor advised funds. Gifts may be made immediately, or may be paid over a period of three to five years. These gifts will provide a strong foundation to the CSGK Faculty Endowment.

Secure a matching gift from your employer. Many companies will match charitable donations made by their employees. Speak to your human resources office to find out if your company has a matching gift program. You may be able to double your impact!
Make a planned gift. Planned gifts, from a donor who chooses to make the CSGK Faculty Endowment a beneficiary of their estate plan, will ensure the continued growth of this fund and its impact on our Catholic schools well into the future. Please notify us of your planned gift, so we know your wishes and can thank you!
 
How do I learn more?
For more information, contact the Keith Crowell, Advancement Director, at kcrowell@csgk.org or 269.381.2646
 
Thank you for your support of Catholic education in Kalamazoo.