The Board of Trustees was able to hold a telephone conference on Tuesday, September 27, thanks to the Network of Sacred Heart, in which the following three items were covered.
- The Board is investigating the possibility of opening earlier than January 3, 2006 but we do not have any assurances that the city will be inhabitable, therefore, we are waiting to find out when the city services will be coming back on line. We were fortunate to have Renee Gill Pratt join the teleconference so that we could ask her about what requirements there would be in order to reopen the building. She was about to go into a committee meeting and would find out but she felt that we would need some inspections. The Board plans to teleconference weekly to review any updates on the situation and will keep the school community informed of the latest decisions.
- The school is going to continue to pay faculty and staff but it will be based on the amount of time they are actively teaching or working for Sacred Heart. Anyone who is not actively working for Sacred Heart will receive something resembling a stipend in order to feel connected to the school. They will be advised to look into federal assistance such as disaster unemployment until such time as they can return to full time employment.
- The Board is delaying setting a policy on the issue of tuition awaiting more information from the federal government and the Department of Education. We have received information that the DOE is proposing funding a maximum annual payment of $7,500 per child for attending private schools. (See www.hurricanehelpforschools.gov) For anyone who paid for tuition refund insurance, this is being researched and we will let you know when we get an answer from A. W. G. Dewars, Inc.
I have been in constant communications with Dr. Burns. Having him in St. Charles, MO working out of the offices of the Network of Sacred Heart and with so much assistance from there, has made it possible for so much information to be gathered and disseminated to all of our constituencies. We are blessed to have Dr. Tim Burns, Sr. Lynne Lieux, Sr. Cynthia Vives and Mrs. Kay Higginbotham. They, along with so many others, have been working tirelessly.
I am confident that, in the end, many good things will come from this catastrophic time. Somehow, it is all in God's plan. May God's blessings be on all of us and may we soon be reunited at our beloved Sacred Heart on St. Charles Avenue.
Catherine Bisso Howard '70
ASH Chairman of the Board of Trustees
