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Since indefinitely shelving the idea of merging Christian Brothers Academy in Colonie with the LaSalle Institute in Troy to ensure the long-term survival of both institutions, administrators at CBA have shifted their focus toward increasing enrollment.

CBA currently enrolls 340 students, down from more than 500 about five years ago. To bolster enrollment, there are plans to decrease the junior high tuition from $10,000 to $8,200. The high school tuition, however, will climb $200 to $10,900.

Half the current students receive financial aid and academic scholarships, but money is probably the main reason for the decline, said James Schlegel, principal.

A fundraising appeal coinciding with the school's 150th anniversary has brought in more than $464,000 in donations from alumni, parents and supporters. This will help with operating costs and financial aid packages. Nothing will be cut.

In fact, there have been many additions at CBA lately. The number of advanced placement courses has doubled in the last two years. The school forged a partnership with Hudson Valley Community College in Troy for college courses and The State University of New York's colleges for online distance learning courses. CBA also added a robotics team to its long list of after-school activities.

But without public relations efforts, none of this matters, alumni said. Alumnus Edward Kampf told The Evangelist that members of his class of 1961 have been sending out letters and making calls to solicit donations.

About 30 parents of students also formed a council in the fall to address these issues and support the administration. Mem-bers of the council have been asking every parent to identify three to five prospective families, share their experiences and pass the families' names on to the admissions director.

They then invite the families to one of seven CBA information nights, which will be hosted by families in different regions.

The Saratoga Springs information night turned out 20 families of prospective students. Repre-senting CBA were two teachers, the principal and assistant principal, 12 uniformed students and a board member. Interested boys were encouraged to shadow students at the school.

"Nothing sells a product better than a satisfied customer," remarked Jim O'Toole, co-chair of the enrollment committee of the parents' council.

The main obstacle thus far in promoting the school has been the cost of tuition, Mr. O'Toole said. But private education is an investment in a child's future, he noted, adding that graduates earned $5 million in college scholarships last year.

The parents' council aims to attract 50 new students next fall.

"It's an exciting time for CBA," Mr. O'Toole said. "The parents have fully engaged in the process, and I feel it's a realistic goal."

(02/18/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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