Catholic Schools in some cities show signs of life, helped by voucher program

[buffalo]

Catholic Schools in some cities show signs of life, helped by voucher program

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. – It had been years since Principal Kathleen Lowry pulled extra desks from the dusty attic of St. Stanislaus, the only Catholic school left in this port city. But after Indiana began offering parents vouchers in the spring of 2011 to pay for private tuition, she had to bring down 30 spare desks and hire three teachers’ aides.
Thanks to vouchers, St. Stanislaus, which was $140,000 in debt to the Catholic Diocese of Gary at the end of 2010, picked up 72 new students, boosting enrollment by 38%.
“God has been good to us,” says Ms. Lowry. “Growth is a good problem to have.”
For the first time in decades, Catholic education is showing signs of life. Driven by expanding voucher programs, outreach to Hispanic Catholics and donations by business leaders, Catholic schools in several major cities are swinging back from closures and declining enrollment.

Read more: foxnews.com/us/2012/06/09/catholic-schools-in-some-cities-show-signs-life-helped-by-voucher-program/#ixzz1xJ2bJc7p

Read more: foxnews.com/us/2012/06/09/catholic-schools-in-some-cities-show-signs-life-helped-by-voucher-program/#ixzz1xJ2BaCAw

 

[Dale_M]

I am not surprised that voucher programs have increased enrollment in Catholic schools. But what I find interesting is that enrollment in Catholic schools is up, even in places without vouchers e.g. Chicago and Los Angeles.

 

[_Abyssinia]

 

[Swiss_Guy]

 

[_Abyssinia]

Vouchers Breathe New Life Into Shrinking Catholic Schools

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304821304577440763188839928.html

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

I think its important to remember that Catholic schools are “failing” because of cost, not want. If Catholic schools had only the nominal fee as in years of old then the schools would be full. Especially now, parents are sick of the mindless secularism that invades public schools but a Catholic school is just too much for most families to afford. The American Catholic Church needs to invent a kind of peacecorps system for teaching in Catholic schools.

 

[manualman]

…parents are sick of the mindless secularism that invades public schools…

Look out! You’re starting to sound like me!

It’s a double whammy problem. Not only have we lost the heroic corps of saintly sisters and brothers that once devoted their lives to teaching children (and to poverty, btw), but in the same time period, the public school system ballooned its expenditures on ‘education’ (quotes because most of the extra expenses are going for busses, extra curricular, therapy, not traditional education costs).

But all that said, it still can be done. We’re barely above average family income in our area and make it work. I drive a 17 year old econocar, learned to do all my own car and home repairs, we drive and camp on vacation instead of fly/hotel and we have no cable TV. And we’re broke. But we manage. The key is that catholic schools have to demonstrate to faithful catholic parents that they are WORTH it. If they are just a typical secular school setup with 1/3 the budget and a religion class and monthly mass tacked on as afterthoughts, it ISN’T worth it. But if the faith permeates the place, the faculty and curriculum I’ll sell my grandma’s diamond heirloom ring before I’ll send my kids off to a government school for their education and formation. (And don’t kid yourself, there is no such thing as “values-free education”).

 

[buffalo]

I think its important to remember that Catholic schools are “failing” because of cost, not want. If Catholic schools had only the nominal fee as in years of old then the schools would be full. Especially now, parents are sick of the mindless secularism that invades public schools but a Catholic school is just too much for most families to afford. The American Catholic Church needs to invent a kind of peacecorps system for teaching in Catholic schools.

Exactly. Tuition is an obstacle to enrollment. Every parish must see the school as an investment not a liability. Most Catholic schools are 5.00 per week per envelope used per parishioner away from a tuition free school. That is the price of a hamburger.

I propose reducing tuition by 100.00 per year until the capacity threshold is reached.

 

[manualman]

Exactly. Tuition is an obstacle to enrollment. Every parish must see the school as an investment not a liability. Most Catholic schools are 5.00 per week per envelope used per parishioner away from a tuition free school. That is the price of a hamburger.

I propose reducing tuition by 100.00 per year until the capacity threshold is reached.

Nice dream, but catholics are the stingiest religious group in America. When I was a kid in the pre-politically correct world, kids told jokes about stingy Jewish people. If it weren’t a PC world today, Jewish kids would tell jokes about the stingy catholics.

In most parishes, if you got a $5 per person increase in weekly giving you’d be more than doubling the total collection. Good luck!

 

[buffalo]

Nice dream, but catholics are the stingiest religious group in America. When I was a kid in the pre-politically correct world, kids told jokes about stingy Jewish people. If it weren’t a PC world today, Jewish kids would tell jokes about the stingy catholics.

In most parishes, if you got a $5 per person increase in weekly giving you’d be more than doubling the total collection. Good luck!

The parishioner has to be convinced that the school is a worthy investment. I do agree with you about stinginess.

1. Catholics that earn the most give the least as a % of income
2. The lowest earners give the most as a % of income.

And yes, a doubling of collection would give parishes many more educational options.

However, we shouldn’t punish the children for the sins of the parents.

Follow the lead of the Diocese of Wichita which now a practicing Catholics child can go K-12 tuition free.

 

[Dale_M]

Follow the lead of the Diocese of Wichita which now a practicing Catholics child can go K-12 tuition free.

I was unaware of this policy, but it seems to have been in place since the late 1990s. Schools are the responsibility of the parish, and the children of “active parish stewards” can attend tuition-free.

The diocese puts a great deal of emphasis on stewardship. They define it as “the grateful response of a Christian disciple who recognizes and receives God’s gifts and shares these gifts in love of God and neighbor.” “At Mass we recognize and receive God’s gifts, now what is our grateful response? Sharing them, in love of God and neighbor!”

catholicdioceseofwichita.org/about-us-schools/we-are-parish-schools

catholicdioceseofwichita.org/office-of-stewardship/articles

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

Follow the lead of the Diocese of Wichita which now a practicing Catholics child can go K-12 tuition free.

I guess my question would be: what is the cost of educating a student there? Here in New England, IIRC, its around $6000 per student. I’m not sure the parish/diocese could sustain that here.

 

[Tobias2]

Vouchers are not necessarily the answer. Many Christian schools refuse to take them as they come with strings. I wish the Catholic schools were as aware on this.

In the Bay Area ,which is growing, Catholic schools are closing while Christian schools are opening. No vouchers here. This area has been, fortunately, not touched near as much as most of the country by the downturn. Because of Silicon Valley and downtown SF which is attracting a lot of high tech jobs (like Twitter and Yelp).

So one can’t blame the closings primarily on the economy.

Christian schools can flourish in a non-voucher environment while Catholic schools generally seem not to be able to do sot.

What is wrong with this picture?

 

[buffalo]

I guess my question would be: what is the cost of educating a student there? Here in New England, IIRC, its around $6000 per student. I’m not sure the parish/diocese could sustain that here.

I think the question is more of “would they”?

Think of the typical discretionary income people now have…

 

[manualman]

What is wrong with this picture?

Actually this isn’t a hard answer. Evangelical christians comprehend the fact that we are living in a culture hostile to the christian faith. They “get it” that there is no such thing as a “values-free education” and that kids in public schools ARE being taught values, regardless of how much secularists say it isn’t so. The trouble is that the absence of faith and God in all subjects sends the message that God is irrelevant at best, imaginary at worst (intended or not).

Catholics, on the other hand, have lost sight of the incompatibility between our values and those of the larger culture. We misinterpreted Vatican II’s “aggiornamento” as meaning “We did it! We’re finally the same as everybody else now.” And so we no longer aim higher.

When catholics were publicly scorned in America and denigrated on a routine basis, we saw the threat and we built our own school system from virtually nothing on the contributions of penniless immigrants. Now that we’re a ‘mainstream religion’ the wealthiest generation of catholics in American history can’t afford to repair the roofs our broke forefathers built. It’s a priority issue. Evangelicals are making christian education a priority. We aren’t. Yet.

 

[Tobias2]

Actually this isn’t a hard answer. Evangelical christians comprehend the fact that we are living in a culture hostile to the christian faith. They “get it” that there is no such thing as a “values-free education” and that kids in public schools ARE being taught values, regardless of how much secularists say it isn’t so. The trouble is that the absence of faith and God in all subjects sends the message that God is irrelevant at best, imaginary at worst (intended or not).

Catholics, on the other hand, have lost sight of the incompatibility between our values and those of the larger culture. We misinterpreted Vatican II’s “aggiornamento” as meaning “We did it! We’re finally the same as everybody else now.” And so we no longer aim higher.

When catholics were publicly scorned in America and denigrated on a routine basis, we saw the threat and we built our own school system from virtually nothing on the contributions of penniless immigrants. Now that we’re a ‘mainstream religion’ the wealthiest generation of catholics in American history can’t afford to repair the roofs our broke forefathers built. It’s a priority issue. Evangelicals are making christian education a priority. We aren’t. Yet.

I sort of asked that tongue in cheek.

It’s funny but the goal of some evangelicals is to build a national network of Christian primary and secondary schools even larger than the Catholic school system had during its hayday.

The sad thing is when a church school closes as one near me did last year and the Catholics refuse to sell the facility to Christians who want to continue it as a school. It is so hard to get building permits in the Bay Area - for anything. I hope that the Catholic church will rethink and sell some of these empty schools to Christian groups who have more applicants than they can deal with but no facilities. And little chance of getting too many permits to build new schools.

 

[Dale_M]

I guess my question would be: what is the cost of educating a student there? Here in New England, IIRC, its around $6000 per student. I’m not sure the parish/diocese could sustain that here.

I am reluctant to compare the situation in Witchita Kansas, a largely rural area with a relatively low percentage of Catholics, with the situation of your area. However, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute published a report on Catholic education back in 2008 and it has some interesting information.

According to Bob Voboril, Superintendent of Schools for the Wichita diocese, the cost per pupil for Catholic students is roughly $3,500 in elementary and junior high schools and $5,000 in high school. Parishes with Catholic schools spend 80 to 90 percent of their budgets on education.

The history of the tuition free policy dates back to the late 1960s, when the pastor of one church began promoting a “stewardship way of life.” He challenged parishioners to donate 5% of their income to make their elementary school tuition-free. After meeting with success for a few years, he enlarged his request to 8% of income so that the high school could be tuition-free. Daily attendance was originally 220 students, now it is 800 students.

When Bishop Eugene Gerber assumed responsibility for the diocese in 1982, he spent two years studying the situation in that parish. He decided to make the call to stewardship a policy of the diocese, one which emphasized spirituality and not funding. The policy was never mandatory, but parishes found that it worked for them. By 1993, 75% of Catholic grade schools in the diocese had eliminated tuition. The majority of high schools were tuition free. By 2003, all Catholic schools in the diocese were following the policy of parish stewardship and tuition-free education

edexcellencemedia.net/publications/2008/200804_whowillsaveamericasurban/catholic_schools_08.pdf

 

[He_Man]

The parishioner has to be convinced that the school is a worthy investment. I do agree with you about stinginess.

1. Catholics that earn the most give the least as a % of income
2. The lowest earners give the most as a % of income.

And yes, a doubling of collection would give parishes many more educational options.

However, we shouldn’t punish the children for the sins of the parents.

Follow the lead of the Diocese of Wichita which now a practicing Catholics child can go K-12 tuition free.

Problem is for those of us who went to, or are going to send out kids to private Catholic school not tied to a Church, we are left with a dilemma.

The school in question is $12k/year. I can’t afford to tithe (despite it not being a mandate) and save/pay for tuition. The school is superior academically to the other parochail schools in the area, but also costs twice as much. Church donations do nothing for the tuition.

I’ll likely try and aim for some middle ground, but even for one child, you are looking at $1000/month in savings.

I have heard most Catholic and Christian financial advisors consider Catholic school education and your “tithe” to be in the same class of savings. Is is greedy to treat your school payments in the same breathe as charitable donations?

I don’t think pulling your kids out of Catholic School in order to give more to the poor is being a good parent, so that certainly isn’t an option, and I don’t believe in simply sending them to the cheapest Catholic school you can find is doing them a service unless that is all you can afford to do.

I guess I feel like in terms of education, your children deserve the best you can afford to give them, whaetevr that is, but what of charity?

 

[He_Man]

I guess my question would be: what is the cost of educating a student there? Here in New England, IIRC, its around $6000 per student. I’m not sure the parish/diocese could sustain that here.

Same in Baltimore. Some are higher, some are lower, depending on quality. The private Catholic schools are all updwards of $10k, though there aren’t very many. Parochail schools abound in this diocese.

 

[buffalo]

Problem is for those of us who went to, or are going to send out kids to private Catholic school not tied to a Church, we are left with a dilemma.

The school in question is $12k/year. I can’t afford to tithe (despite it not being a mandate) and save/pay for tuition. The school is superior academically to the other parochail schools in the area, but also costs twice as much. Church donations do nothing for the tuition.

I’ll likely try and aim for some middle ground, but even for one child, you are looking at $1000/month in savings.

I have heard most Catholic and Christian financial advisors consider Catholic school education and your “tithe” to be in the same class of savings. Is is greedy to treat your school payments in the same breathe as charitable donations?

I don’t think pulling your kids out of Catholic School in order to give more to the poor is being a good parent, so that certainly isn’t an option, and I don’t believe in simply sending them to the cheapest Catholic school you can find is doing them a service unless that is all you can afford to do.

I guess I feel like in terms of education, your children deserve the best you can afford to give them, whaetevr that is, but what of charity?

Every Catholic School I know has an asking price and a discounted price based on income.