Christian academy gets new head teacher

Like other schools, Sisters Christian Academy (SCA) is facing dwindling cash flow - but they are handling it in a unique way.

Needing to slash the 2009-2010 school year budget by $200,000, Principal Peggy Miller and the SCA School Board, along with staff members rolled up their sleeves to find a workable solution for the preschool-eighth grade institution.

In an effort to help those SCA serves, Miller proposed lowering tuition on top of cutting the budget expenses.

"A proactive response in time of need is to jump in and cut costs to help our customer," Miller said. "I love the heart of our school board. They always face any challenge with the strong desire to build and keep a full program of excellence. They want SCA to be available to everyone, to not be an elitist school. And, they're not willing to give up the tuition assistance program. In fact, our board personally organized the golf fundraiser for Wednesday, June 10 at Aspen Lakes."

After eight years, Miller will be leaving her post as principal of SCA.

"Eighty percent of our budget is staff salaries, building lease, insurance, and supplies. It just made sense to remove my position," said Miller.

In March of this year it became apparent to Miller that her position needed to go, and she informed the board.

"As a private school we don't have a union, so we get full feedback from our staff, and they have input in all we do which leaves us with no divisiveness," she said. "Our staff suggested that we take a pay cut all around. In general, our teacher's salaries are about 70 percent of public schools, and the benefits are not even close. Everyone on staff already gives so much".

Barby Miller, an SCA staff member, will step in to fill some principal duties as "head teacher." She will continue to teach Latin classes.

"It was the responsible thing to do," Miller said. It's not a good long-term solution but a great and needed short-term solution. This wouldn't be possible without Barby Martin who has been on staff at SCA for two years."

Even with two-year-old frozen salaries, every staff member elected to stay on. SCA will not be replacing a middle school position and a part-time math position in addition to other cost-saving efforts. SCA has chosen to retain its Latin classes (beginning in the third grade), content-based art, physical education and music.

"The great thing is, I'm not coming in cold," Martin said. "Peggy started the mentoring process as soon as her leave was decided."

Martin assumed many public functions of the principal's position last month.

One change instituted for next year is in the dress code.

"No more uniforms!" she said. "We want to make our school non-prohibitive in cost for all, and this change lets students think for themselves. It's another way to teach excellence"

Last month the Association of Christian Schools International announced that SCA is one of two schools chosen out of a pool of 1,000 as a "school of distinction." ACSI's focus was on smaller schools that had affordable tuition.

What will Miller do next?

"I have an offer to teach at a university out-of-country," she said. Our children would be able to go into an International Baccalaureate program. However, with the strict visa quotas there's no guarantee I'll be at that job this fall.

"I've commuted to Sisters from Redmond for eight years," she noted. "Two of my children will be in high school and two would continue on at SCA. It's the best education for my children."