Tonight’s virtual meeting was presented as an appeal for trust and unity, but it also confirmed a major problem: leadership is still asking tutors to accept significant mid-year compensation decreases while providing narrative and moral framing instead of the documentation needed to verify necessity, fairness, and proper process. Chris Ice acknowledged that recent communication was unclear and stated, “I take full responsibility for what feels like a lack of transparency.” We appreciate that admission, but transparency is not a sentiment. Transparency is financial disclosure, clear written terms, and the ability to ask questions in real time. Instead of live Q&A, the meeting ended with: “we’re going to send out a Google form where you can submit questions.” That is not dialogue. That is a controlled channel.

During the meeting, leadership cited specific numbers, including: “In the calendar year 2024 there was a net operating income deficit of over $1 million,” and later that through the month of November there was a deficit $1.4 million, with December numbers pending but still trending down. Leadership also presented a binary choice: centers closing immediately versus “a small shared sacrifice” through the reduction of after-hours work for our staff, described as an “adjustment back to a stipend.” The meeting repeatedly framed this as moral participation, including “sacrifice is not punishment, sacrifice is participation,” while also stating that “petitions, accusations and division do not strengthen our child’s education.” That framing is disingenuous. A petition is a lawful, professional tool for affected parties to raise concerns about contracts, pay, and governance. Calling it “division” does not answer the underlying issues and is dismissive.

If the organization is in financial distress severe enough to justify rewriting compensation mid-year, then leadership must prove it with documents, not speeches. Full transparency of the finances is now crucial. Numbers were referenced, but no financial statements were shown. Even more importantly, publicly available 2024 tax filings appear to show a positive net position in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, which conflicts with the “over $1 million deficit" claim presented in the meeting. If leadership believes that statement is still accurate, they must reconcile it in writing with the public filings and release the full financials (including whether the “deficit” being referenced is a separate internal metric, a cash-flow issue, a restricted-funds issue, or something else). A mission-driven Catholic organization does not ask families and tutors to sacrifice without providing verifiable facts.

This also raises another major contradiction: tuition was increased this year with the stated purpose of better supporting instruction and tutor compensation. Now compensation is being reduced mid-year. Tutors and families deserve a direct explanation: where did the tuition increase revenue go, how much was budgeted for tutor compensation, and why is tutor pay being cut after families were asked to pay more?

The meeting also referenced “shared sacrifice” and included the claim from Ice: “I am also giving back one of my paychecks. Others on the leadership team are doing the same thing.” A one-time gesture is not the same as proportional, ongoing sacrifice. If tutors are being asked to accept ongoing reductions, then executive and board compensation must be disclosed and reduced in measurable, ongoing terms. “Shared sacrifice” must be shared—and equally felt.

Most importantly, many tutors are currently working under signed 2025–2026 agreements that explicitly approved paid at-home work. Eliminating that compensation mid-year is not a small adjustment. It is a fundamental change. Whether leadership’s preferred justification is “economic hardship,” “handbook language,” or “exempt status,” none of that replaces the need for transparency, proper process, and consent for material changes to agreed compensation. If leadership wants to restructure compensation for 2026–2027, it should be done with notice, planning, and clear written agreements before the year begins. Mid-year changes imposed under pressure are unacceptable.

Our position remains unchanged: we are calling for Chris Ice’s resignation, the reinstatement of paid at-home prep work for the remainder of the 2025–2026 term, and full financial transparency. We are also urging tutors not to sign revised agreements under pressure, not to resign due to uncertainty, and to continue following the current written timekeeping procedure while documenting all work performed (including prep and grading time). Do not work off the clock.

Tonight’s meeting did not resolve the core issues; it confirmed why this petition exists. Leadership asked for trust and unity; trust requires facts, and unity requires accountability.

Path forward: We will remain calm, professional, and united. We will keep sharing the petition. We will submit consistent questions through the Google Form so concerns cannot be dismissed as scattered or isolated. We will continue to insist on documented transparency, reinstatement of at-home pay for this school year, and leadership accountability.

QUESTIONS TO SUBMIT (copy/paste into the Google Form):

• Will RCA release full 2024 and 2025 financial statements (profit & loss, balance sheet, cash flow), including actual vs budget?
• Chris Ice stated 2024 included “a net operating income deficit of over $1 million.” Publicly available 2024 tax filings appear to show positive net results in the hundreds of thousands. What is the Board's explanation for this discrepancy?  Please reconcile this in writing and provide the underlying financial statements supporting the deficit claim.
• Are any funds restricted (donor restrictions, tuition assistance funds, etc.) such that they cannot be used for payroll, and if so, what amounts are restricted vs unrestricted?
• What is RCA’s current cash position and runway (how many months of operating expenses remain) without additional reductions?
• What are the executives' salaries and what ongoing reductions are being made as part of the claimed “shared sacrifice”?
• Tuition was increased this academic year with the stated goal of better supporting instruction and compensation. Why is tutor compensation being reduced mid-year after that tuition increase?
• Where did the tuition increase revenue go, and how much was allocated to tutor compensation for 2025–2026?
• How was the new stipend amount calculated relative to the previously approved at-home hours? What assumptions were used?
• What is RCA’s contractual basis for changing compensation mid-year for staff currently working under signed 2025–2026 agreements that include paid at-home work?
• Why was live Q&A not allowed for a decision affecting contracts and compensation?
• Will RCA publish all submitted questions and all answers provided, unedited, so staff can verify transparency?

To add questions to this unified list, email: jamesbakercharles@gmail.com

Thank you again to everyone standing together. Keep sharing the petition. Keep documenting. Keep asking for financial transparency. Stay calm, stay professional, and do not sign away your leverage.

God Bless,

Charles Baker

Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis!