Over the last 30 years, the history of Regents School of Austin has been made up of many moments. Our humble beginnings at local churches. Exploring the beautiful land where our campus currently sits. Parents volunteering their time to build the Science and Nature Center. Opening of the Rhetoric Building. Returning to campus during a pandemic. And many other incredible moments in between.
Regents is built on God’s grace and the generosity of His people. For over 30 years, families stepped out in faith and served our school to provide the campus, resources, and community that we have today. We are faithful to that foundation.
As we look to the future, we have an opportunity to bless the next generation of Regents families with our time, talents, and gifts. It is up to us to steward the resources God has given to move our mission forward as we look to the future of Regents.
We are excited to announce our capital campaign, Momentum: From Foundation to Future. Momentum means we are moving forward but contained within Momentum is the word moment. It calls us to look back on our history, remember, recognize, and plant our feet firmly on the solid foundation built by the families who came before us.
There were many moments of generosity to get us to this point. It is now our moment to bless future generations. What we do over these next few years sets the trajectory of our school for the next 30 years.
THE PLANNING PROCESS
One of the Regents Onward Strategic Plan initiatives is to Build Needed Campus Facilities. The Regents Board recognized that the needs of our students and families were not being fully met by our current facilities. In May 2021, the Board appointed the Campus Task Force consisting of Regents parents who are industry experts to obtain community input, assess our needs, and develop a plan for the future of our campus with our architectural firm Page Southerland Page.
The Campus Task Force issued its recommendations in a November 2022 report.
The task force made recommendations for a new Fine Arts building, expansion of Athletics Facilities and Café, and additional paved parking and traffic solutions.
New buildings are not the goal. What happens inside those buildings will enable us to carry out mission and vision with greater excellence.
Keeping Tuition Affordable
Ensuring that Regents remains affordable for every family is woven into the fabric of our school. We are committed to providing needed financial assistance and strive to maintain low annual tuition increases.
Regents currently ensures that 100% of verified financial need is met so the Regents community can remain economically diverse. The funding of financial assistance comes from two sources: A percentage of every tuition dollar is allocated to financial assistance in addition to annual proceeds from The Regents Fund, a sustainable source of non-tuition revenue that supports the school’s mission.
Of capital raised during the Momentum campaign, it is our plan that a percentage of these funds go towards The Regents Fund. This will help offset the operational cost of new buildings by increasing the amount of annual proceeds from The Regents Fund. Increased proceeds maintain our ability to fund financial assistance while keeping annual tuition increases low.
Meeting the Needs of Our Students and Families
Regents enrollment has grown by over 700 students since the current gym opened in 2000, with about 80% of 6-12 grade students participating in Athletics. More than 95% of Regents students are involved in Fine Arts with no dedicated Fine Arts facility. With over 1500 drivers including parents, faculty/ staff, and students, our current parking lots with only 257 paved spaces are often overflowing. The growth of our student body and families has far outpaced the growth of our facilities.
With the funds raised by the Momentum campaign, Regents will provide a flourishing environment for all of our athletes, artists, and students to excel with a new Fine Arts building, expansion of our Athletic facilities and cafe, as well as parking and traffic solutions.
Returning Time to Families
Parents are the primary disciplers of the family, and it is imperative that students spend quality time in fellowship with their families while not at school.
Currently, our gym and Event Center are booked from early morning to late at night to accommodate the needs of Athletics, Fine Arts, chapel, and community gatherings. New facilities will reduce the time demand on students, allowing them to spend more time at home while maximizing their time at practice or rehearsal.
