Luther South Wish List

Classroom Furniture-$2,500

After 50 years, Luther High School South is definitely showing its age. In some classrooms we are using classroom furniture from when the school opened in the 50’s. Thanks to a special donation, we were able to purchase 45 tables and 90 chairs to furnish three of Luther South’s classrooms. We still have 10 more classrooms that need new furniture. $2,500 furnishes one classroom, which includes 15 tables and 30 chairs.

Scholarships & Grant-in-aid-$7,000 per student

Tuition at Luther South, including fees, is close to $7,000 per student. Although the majority of our student families are able to afford a valuable private school education at Luther South, we are faced with an increased need for student financial assistance. At this present time, tuition remains the first source of funding for our school, accounting for 78% of our funding. With a lack of up-to-date tuition payments, it becomes much harder to met other operational deadlines. For most of the students who qualify for scholarships and grant-in-aid, the moderate assistance is a tremendous help and is just enough to help parents continue to provide their children with a Christian Education. Without assistance, more and more families will be forced to forgo a Luther South education due to cost consideration alone.

Stone Marquee Sign-$10,000

From time to time we have parents who walk in the school and say that they didn’t know Luther South was a school because they never saw a sign. We want to fix this problem by adding a corner stone marquee sign located by the front student parking lot going east to west. This will be additional to the marquee that is currently located in front of the school close to the corner of 87th and Kedzie.

Replacing Security Doors-$13,496

When parents are asked why they send their child(ren) to Luther South, in their top three reasons is SAFETY. When thinking of safety, we automatically think of cameras and alarm systems, but in providing teachers, staff and students with a safe, comfortable and welcoming learning environment, we must focus more on maintaining and replacing defective entry/ security doors. This summer entrance doors located at the back of the school by the cafeteria were broke into. There is an immediate need to replace all security doors around the school. Replacing 7 doors will cost $13,496. Each door will cost $1,928.

School Bus-$30,000

Between $25,000- $35,000 is needed to purchase a slightly used or new 15 passenger school bus for this current school year. Purchasing a 15-passenger school bus will allow Luther South to save money on contracting out to bus services to transport students to academic events, sporting events and field trips. Currently we are spending $250 for every event a sports team attends and for every field trip.

Computers and Technology- In-Kind Donation or Monetary

Technology and computers are taking over our 21st century. Many schools have made the proper adjustments to meet the needs of the time. Unfortunately, Luther South is well behind these schools. We were blessed with funding to add refurbished computers to our library and to our computer lab, but we lack enough computers and technology such as LCD projectors, laptops and computer resources and programs to add to each classroom. We sometime take computers for granted and think that our students have them at home, but we are finding out that more and more of our students live in homes without a computer present. This makes it harder for the students to turn in homework and reports on time and in the format requested. The library and computer labs are constantly packed with classes and students, which makes it harder to allow every student the opportunity to use them. It is for these reasons we must obtain more technology to help our students and recruit others.

Outside Lighting-$50,000

The safety of our students, faculty, staff and visitors of Luther South remains a great priority. Years ago a lighting system was put into place to create ambience lighting around the school and to light up doorways. Over the years, this lighting system has undergone vandalism, age, and dangerous weather conditions. For these reasons the lighting system no longer works. To rewire the existing system, it will cost Luther South between $20,000-$50,000. To add additional lighting it could cost an additional $25,000.

Automatic Sensor Water Faucets & Toilet Flush Systems- $44,560

Upgrading to automatic sensor water faucets & toilet flush systems will eliminate the spread of germs among students, faculty and visitors, conserve water, reduce water cost and maintenance, and will enhance the appearance of our school. Driven by the growing concern over germs on restroom surfaces, an increasing number of commercial, private, and public buildings are installing automatic faucets, flushers, and other touch-free devices in their restrooms. The total for this project to install automatic sensor water faucets and toilet flush systems for 10 bathrooms, including locker rooms and the teacher’s lounge, is $44,560.

Mortgage Elimination — $850,000

The remaining mortgage, created when Luther South purchased the school and land from the Lutheran High School Association in 1989, is now consuming $80,000 a year from the operating budget.

*These are just some of our immediate needs. Other needs, in which we have not sought bids for, but are greatly needed are: athletic field revamp, new windows and or blinds to conserve energy, rewiring school for air conditioners in every classroom, landscaping project, and weight room.

Completed Projects- Thank You!

Repairing North Boiler— $46,000

Due to an aging building, over the last couple of years the boilers at Luther South have caused great concern. Since its origin in 1951, Luther South has maintained the same two boiler systems. These two boilers are needed to run consecutively to produce enough energy to adequately heat the entire school and create balance in the heating units. In September of 2005, the City of Chicago inspectors permanently shut down our north existing boiler. The city inspectors cited our north boiler for tubes that needed to be replaced. This left Luther South using the south boiler system alone to heat the entire building for the 2005-2006 school year. The lack of using two boilers during our winter months caused Luther South to have inadequate heating throughout the building, high energy cost and caused a relapse in it’s energy efficient efforts for the school and community. In order to run our school and try to stay proactive for possible problems in the future, two boilers are needed to heat the school. If our existing boiler breaks down during the upcoming winter season, we will be forced to close the school until a new boiler can be purchased or the old boiler can be fixed.

Replacing Leaking Roof — $55,000-

Over the years the roof has become an area of concern. We had additional roofing put on directly over the existing roof some years ago to stop our leakage problem, but the problem persisted. Due to the fact that the leaks cannot be found, the only real solution to this problem according to the Carolina Building Group is taking off both roofs and replacing the entire roof with a new one.
We have met our $55,000 goal! THANK YOU to everyone who donated toward our goal. The roof project was completed in November of 2005.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Immediate Use — $40,000
Endowment — $300,000

As the years have passed, education expense has skyrocketed and the financial commitment expected of families at Luther South has grown disproportionately. At the same time, many of our student families have become less able to should the cost. Tuition - at $7,000 is kept to 80% of the cost, yet even at this level, over 20% of the current families require additional financial aid. Without assistance, more and more families will be forced to forgo a Luther South education. Without a stronger scholarship program, our academically gifted students must choose public schools for cost considerations alone.

Markerboards- Whiteboards — $9,700 -Completed

This price is to supply all of the classrooms with white boards instead of the chalkboards that we currently have in classrooms.
This project was completed June of 2006. Thank you for your support!

These are just some of our major needs. You can donate toward any of these needs by clicking here. For more information on any of these needs on our gift list please contact Malaun Willie in the development office at 773-737-1416 *2108.

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."
Luke12:48