by Katie Ostgren
Director of Development & Stewardship, Diocese of Lincoln
When we talk about the benefits of Catholic schools, we often talk about Catholic identity, academic rigor, and great communities. But we often fail to draw the appropriate amount of attention to one of the best aspects of Catholic education, in my experience: the educators themselves.
I have so many great things to say about the teachers who are working with my kids at St. Wenceslaus School in Wahoo. (Mrs. Nelson, Mrs. Schlautman, and Mrs. Mika—we think you’re the best!) If you have kids in Catholic school, or if you ever did, my guess is that you, too, have a story about a particular teacher who has impacted you or your family with his or her commitment to your student.
I will never forget the light in the eyes of my youngest daughter, when she came home from her first day of kindergarten this year, and was asked what her favorite part of kindergarten was. Her entire face lit up as she smiled and shyly shared, “my teacher.” It gave me goosebumps then, and still does to this day.
In Diocese of Lincoln Catholic schools, our teachers are something to celebrate. Often going the extra mile to care for their students as whole people, these men and women sacrifice, day in and day out, to make Catholic education possible.
When we look at the newly envisioned tuition model that was instituted in 2018 with the inception of the Good Shepherd Scholarship, ensuring that our teachers were appropriately compensated for their tireless work was one main priority of the group that helped to develop the new plan. By increasing tuition to cover a larger percentage of the total cost of education per student (and offering scholarships to those families with a financial need through the Good Shepherd Scholarship program), both schools and parishes are more financially sustainable, and therefore teachers can be compensated at a rate that is much closer to their public school peers than before. Certainly the change hasn’t been easy on families (my husband and I know the reality of making needed sacrifices to pay tuition bills every month), but when we look at the big picture, this model is creating more financially sustainable Catholic schools that provide equitable compensation for their excellent educators. That is worth sacrificing for.
Last year, in an effort to celebrate the good work of Catholic school teachers and share the overall vision of Catholic education in the Diocese of Lincoln, we held the inaugural Bishop’s Saints & Scholars Dinner. When I look back over my time working for the Diocese of Lincoln, that first Saints & Scholars dinner will always be a personal highlight. We honored and celebrated the winners of the Diocese of Lincoln Catholic Educator Awards, along with teachers who were celebrating years-of-service milestones. We also gave supporters of Catholic education the opportunity to join us and contribute to the Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund in support of Catholic education in our diocese. As one of our speakers said, “It was like a big family reunion!”
This year, we will celebrate the dinner Oct. 15 at the Embassy Suites in Lincoln. Hopefully, you have enjoyed the profiles in the Southern Nebraska Register on this year’s award-winning educators! These winners, nominated by other teachers, parents, and administrators, and selected by a group of parents, educators and diocesan staff, will be honored publicly and will speak about their work in our Catholic schools.
We invite any supporters of Catholic education in our diocese to join us for an evening of joy, hope, and celebration!
Tickets are still available at www.goodshepherdscholarship.com, or by contacting the Office of Development & Stewardship at the Chancery (402-488-0921). We hope you’ll consider joining us for the evening, and in future years as we establish this important tradition of celebrating Catholic education together as a diocese!
In closing, I want to thank the many people who have been supportive of this new event and other efforts we have worked hard to implement over the past few years to make our Catholic schools more financially sustainable, including the institution of the Good Shepherd Scholarship. Our new tuition model has been a change, to be certain.
History is full of stories of people, institutions, and cultures that discovered the truth that the most important survival skill is adaptability, or an openness to growth. Change is never easy, but it is required of us in the Christian life and in the life of the Church. St. John Henry Newman once said, “To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.”
I pray that all of us in the Diocese of Lincoln will be renewed in our awareness of this truth and be open to the ways in which the Holy Spirit wants to lead us forward during this period in history, which presents new challenges and new opportunities.
