HOLLANDALE – Although the Hollandale Christian School was facing a $15,000 budget shortfall, officials there say the school has recovered more than 50 percent and will raise the rest of the money shortly.

Monday, January 10, 2000

HOLLANDALE – Although the Hollandale Christian School was facing a $15,000 budget shortfall, officials there say the school has recovered more than 50 percent and will raise the rest of the money shortly.

Individual donations made in December and church contributions scheduled for 2000 have raised some of that money.

"With the contributions and commitments that we have to date, we have secured more than 50 percent of the funds needed to meet our shortfall and are confident that the remainder will be provided as well," Treasurer Bob Reynen said in a statement provided by the school’s principal, John Geerling.

"What created the shortfall was the optimism in the number of students we hoped to have this year," Geerling explained. Hollandale Christian School hoped to have 80 students enrolled this year. But the first semester had only 76 students; two more are expected to join for the second semester.

Hollandale Christian School is advertising on cable channels in both Albert Lea and Austin. Officials also are making a presentation at an Austin church. They hope to attract some students from the Austin area.

The school charges $2,275 per year for elementary school students and $1,625 for kindergartners. It offers some discounts to families who have more than one child enrolled.

While funding is mainly tuition-driven, the school does receive some federal money for texts, about $40 to $45 per student. That’s enough to buy one textbook, Geerling said. About 20 percent of the budget comes through fund raising and gifts.

Yearly church contributions and gifts from alumni and other individuals account for that. And donors usually also are generous when help is needed, Geerling said.

"There’s a history that when we announce a need, people are very generous," Geerling said. He recalled a couple years ago when a $70,000 roof was needed for the school. "And without doing anything – other than announcing the need – we raised all the money."

If the school is not able to raise the money to cover the shortfall, it does have a reserve fund that could cover the operating budget for three months.

"If we do come up short, we can borrow from that fund and pay it back in the future," Geerling said.

But he remains confident they will be able to cover the shortfall by the end of the month.

Individual donations "were double those made during the same period most years and triple those made in December last year. We expect to see an increase in individual donations during January as well," Reynen’s statement said.

Also, churches are increasing the amount they commit to the school for the year. One church increased its donation another $1,500, Reynen said.

To those who helped, "We’d like to say thanks," Geerling said. "And we’re doing our best to be responsible and give kids solid academic training with a Christian prospective."

Geerling expects the school board will likely be more conservative this year when it projects the number of enrollees for next year, which will determine the budget. However, he still anticipates more students because of the additional marketing efforts.