At Sacred Heart School, we are proud of our dedicated faculty and staff who love their work, care deeply for our students, and are committed to our mission of a family educating heart, mind, body and spirit for this life and the next.
As is well known, personnel costs-specifically teacher salaries and benefits-make up a significant portion of our expenses. We are pleased to share that our tuition remains the lowest within the Diocese. Despite this, we can offer our teachers competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits. For the year 2025-26, the base salary of a first-year teacher is $36,500, which is an increase of $1,000. In the Diocese of Lincoln, our base pay ranks second among the six Catholic high schools, behind only Lincoln Pius X. Our benefits package is also generous; we cover 100% for single employee health insurance. We contribute two-thirds to Family, Employee+ Children, Employee+ Spouse with our employees paying the other one-third. The Diocese recommends an 80%-60% ratio but we feel it is important to provide 100%-67%. Additionally, teachers with children enrolled at Sacred Heart School receive a 50% tuition discount.
Our teachers are the cornerstone of our school’s success, and maintaining competitive compensation is essential to attracting and retaining talented educators. Over the past five to six years, we have made significant progress. Even with the lowest tuition in the Diocese and our investment in staff, we balanced our budget for 2024-25. This achievement is made possible through the generosity of many supporters who believe in our mission.
Our school’s financial foundation rests on four pillars: tuition, assessments from our five supporting parishes, the Sacred Heart Foundation, and fundraising efforts including the Annual Fund. Eight years ago, we started the Annual Fund to help bridge the gap in our budget. Our goal for the year 2025-26 is to raise $125,000.
We are renaming the Annual Fund to the “Support our Teachers Fund” to better emphasize its importance. With approximately 80% of our expenses dedicated to staffing, contributions to this fund directly support the salaries and benefits of our teachers. Supporting our educators is one of the most meaningful ways you can demonstrate your appreciation and invest in the future of Sacred Heart School.
Contributions can be made through monthly electronic funds transfers, a one-time gift, or whatever best fits your financial situation. Gifts can also be made online via our website at www.fcsacredheart.org. For assistance, please contact Renee Kopf, our Advancement Director, at 402-245-4151 or via email at renee-kopf@cdolinc.net.
We recently received our 2026 health insurance rate increase of 16%, which will cost approximately $20,750 more than last year. With the increase in teacher salaries along with this high rate of increase for health insurance, this highlights the importance of the Support Our Teachers Fund.
Thank you for your continued support and generosity. Your contributions ensure the ongoing success of Sacred Heart School and our dedicated staff.
Sacred Heart School – a family educating heart, mind, body and spirit for this life and the next. Thank you.
Doug Goltz, CAO
