Our Story

How did the “V” come to be? Dr. Bobby Haydel, Jr., a VCHS alumnus, was invited to a workshop three to four years ago presented by Mr. David Boudreaux. This presentation focused on the dire straits of where Vandebilt was financially compared to other Catholic schools. Mr. Boudreaux presented a blueprint for the school and asked for input from business leaders in shaping Vandebilt’s future. At this time, Dr. Bobby’s sister, Margaret Johnson, was the school’s athletic director and was also running into financial challenges. After hearing Mr. Boudreaux’s presentation and talking with his sister, Dr. Bobby decided that he needed to try to do something to help out. Although he initially thought to raise money to help the athletic program, as he started to research and brainstorm, he realized that the financial need was much greater than athletics. From his initial ideas, he partnered with Dr. Chris Saal who has served on the Vandebilt Advisory Board and was familiar with both long and short term financial challenges that Vandebilt faced. From these early conversations, the “V” Foundation of South Louisiana was born.

The “V” Foundation of South Louisiana came into official existence in 2019, and received 501-C3 designation by the IRS in August, 2019. This designation gives the “V” tax exempt status by virtue of its charitable programs. The “V” Foundation of South Louisiana is also certified and eligible for federal grants. The current vision and financial goal for the “V” are bold and designed to ensure Vandebilt Catholic High School has the means to provide the best secondary education for the adolescent youth in our community.

The “V” Foundation of South Louisiana is run by a Board of Directors with a vision and commitment to place Vandebilt Catholic High School as one of the premier Catholic high schools in the country. The “V” Foundation will exist on donations, grants, insurance, estate vehicles, and other fundraising ideas approved by the board. The V Foundation of South Louisiana is autonomous of the Diocese of Houma Thibodaux and has currently chosen to invest endowed dollars with the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana with the approval of Bishop Shelton Fabre. The board is composed of volunteers and is not financially compensated. Expenses approved by the board will be detailed in an annual public report. Donors will receive confirmation of contributions for tax purposes. The “V” Foundation will operate on a calendar year (January through December).

Our Focus

When choosing where to focus its efforts, The V Foundation of South Louisiana has decided to tackle one of the most pressing challenges facing almost all Catholic schools. Offering teacher pay that rewards outstanding teachers and that attracts the best and brightest educators when openings need to be filled was selected. For decades, strategic plans at VCHS have set a goal of elevating teacher pay to at least 90% of teachers in the public schools in Terrebonne Parish. In all that time, reaching that goal has been elusive.

Starting teacher pay at VCHS is 82.5% of starting pay in the public school system. That’s a difference of $7,509 per year. Depending on years of experience, some Vandebilt Catholic educators make $10,000 per year less than their public school counterparts.

The V Foundation board of directors is looking for people to assist in raising money to be placed in an endowment to generate enough dollars to elevate teacher pay at VCHS to 120% of the public schools. That is a goal of $23,000,000. An intermediate goal of $10,000,000 would bring pay to 100% of the public school teachers.

An affordable quality Catholic education is an important way to evangelize the youth of today. We are looking for partners to help us assist VCHS in offering an outstanding education now and into the future by employing the finest Catholic educators available without large increases in tuition.

About The "V" Foundation of South Louisiana