People of Catholic faith believe in miracles and Cotter may have just received one.

Cotter’s enrollment has increased by 20-25 students this year, with the largest gains  in grades 7 and 9, due in part to a remarkably benevolent donation from  anonymous benefactors.  The gift will dramatically reduce tuition for local students attending WACS or Cotter in the next six years and possibly extend beyond that timetable.

For the fall semester of 2014 alone, the gift to Cotter will be a most generous $320,500.  This amount may increase or decrease for the January donation, depending upon the amount of students enrolled.  The tuition break was announced very shortly before the semester began, so, with longer notice, the hope is that more families may make the switch to Catholic schools.

The gift has been a godsend for Cotter.  The school board had been meeting for a year to figure out how increase enrollment, which had been decreasing for five years.  Their first priority was the growth of Cotter.  Anonymous benefactors apparently felt the same way.  They contacted the board, asking if they could help.  Contracts were drawn up, and an announcement was made.  The benefactors hope to continue the tuition reduction with an endowment after the initial six years.

Donations like these are rare.  Very few high schools or  elementary schools receive gifts this large; most donations of this size are contributed to universities.

The gift had to be this substantial to be effective, though.  There was a realization that the whole system had to be more affordable to draw more local families to Catholic education in Winona.  A parent of a first grader at St.Stanislaus is allowed some peace of mind knowing that they are now much more likely to be able to  afford to send their child to Cotter when the time comes.  The plan is to only raise tuition by slight cost of living increases.
The very philanthropic benefactors just wanted to do some good in the world, according to President of Cotter Schools, Sister Judith Schaeffer.  She believes that they have succeeded.   Cotter would be in a tough spot for years to come, if not for their generosity.

“The gift was like a miracle, ”  Sister Judy said. that this was “like a miracle”

Based on early returns, many people in the community agree.