83 percent of families of parochial school students apply for aid
Officials for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg report that families of 83 percent of students planning to attend 10 parochial schools implementing its new Catholic tuition policy in the upcoming school year have applied for financial aid. “I think it’s hopeful and doing what we expected,’ said Bishop Anthony Bosco at a Monday press conference in Greensburg. “It’s still early on and everybody hasn’t made a decision yet.’
Officials revealed the average tuition assistance award per student will be $1,680. With the average tuition for the 10 schools listed as $3,128, which is the average cost of education per pupil, this means the average student will pay $1,448 to attend these elementary schools next year. Students who do not apply for financial aid will pay the full tuition rate.
In Fayette County, however, the rate will be lower with Holy Rosary in Republic the only Catholic elementary school to implement the new policy. Tuition for the 2002-03 school year will be $2,800 at Holy Rosary with the average financial aid grant per student set at $1,636. This means parents will pay an average $1,264 per child to attend the school.
The diocese’s remaining 10 elementary schools will implement the new policy in school year 2003-04, including St. John the Evangelist in Uniontown, St. Mary in Uniontown, All Saints in Masontown and Conn-Area Catholic in Connellsville.
When contacted by the Herald-Standard about parent reaction, Sister Corrine Giel, principal at Holy Rosary, said, “Most of them are positive. One mother called and said she was very much opposed to the new policy but was surprised to find out the amount they received. I got a beautiful letter and a couple of notes from people thanking us for our efforts.’
Sister Giel said she had five or six people fill out appeal forms. She said one couple came to see her who did have concerns.
She added, “We’re still waiting for some reports. Some people had to wait for their taxes to be done.’
Asked about enrollment for next year, Sister Giel said it appears that Holy Rosary will have the same number of students next year as this year. Currently, Holy Rosary has 147 students in grades kindergarten through eighth. Another 30 students are in pre-school.
“Every year – no matter what – a week or so before school, we receive requests for transfers or people realize that school is starting and they enroll their child. It happens all the time,’ said Sister Giel. “Every August, you wonder what your enrollment will be.’
Sister Giel and diocesan officials report there is still time for families to apply for financial aid.
Michael J. McGee, executive director of finance for the diocese, said the diocese leaves money in the financial aid pool available for people who decide to apply at a later time than the spring deadline. Later applicants may be people who moved into the area, suffered a loss in income or simply put off applying for aid.
“That’s something we always leave the door open for,’ said McGee.
The diocese is implementing this new tuition policy in an effort to save its elementary schools, which have dwindled from 56 in the 1950s to 20 at the start of the 2002-03 school year. The new policy calls for financial aid to be based on need unlike the current policy. Currently, all students pay tuition that is half the cost of education per pupil no matter their financial profile. Their home parishes pay a subsidy that is 40 percent of costs and the school makes up the difference.
Under the new policy, tuition will be the cost of education per pupil with students now encouraged to apply for financial aid that will be based on need. Many variables are taken into consideration in the application, including income and assets, family size, age of parents, number of working parents, how many children are in tuition-charged schools and the state and/or metropolitan area where the family resides.
Extenuating circumstances, including a loss of income and caring for a disabled child, will also be taken into consideration. Multiple-child discounts are also available for children in grades kindergarten through 12.
Because of all the variables, officials can’t provide profiles or establish a sliding scale for what financial aid awards would be.
Bishop Bosco compared it to applying for college financial aid.
He added, “If you can afford to pay, you don’t need charity. What you do helps those in need.’
In addition, the parish contribution to Catholic education will also change. Under the new policy, parishes will no longer pay a 40 percent subsidy per child attending elementary school. Instead they will pay an assessment to support elementary schools similar to one they currently pay to support a Catholic high school if they are located “within reasonable’ access.
In Fayette County, all parishes are considered within reasonable access to both a Catholic elementary and high school so the assessment for all parishes will be 15 percent of parish income.
McGee explained to the Herald-Standard last winter that parish income includes money generated by collections and festivals. But it does not include special campaigns or insurance reimbursements.
The change will help alleviate the financial burden of parishes who currently use up to 30 percent of their income to support their elementary schools. In addition, parishes will pay the same rate regardless of how many children they send to Catholic schools. If an increase in enrollment follows, it will benefit all students because costs-per-student would decline. The new assessment will be phased in with all parishes participating in full by 2006.
Sister Marguerite Coyne, superintendent of the diocesan schools, explained at Monday’s press conference that Catholic schools have become caught in a vicious cycle.
“An increase in the per pupil cost leads to a tuition increase. When you add an inadequate pool of needs-based tuition assistance funds, this leads to a decline in enrollment and then leads to an increase in per pupil cost,’ she said.
As a result, Sister Coyne revealed, the Diocese of Greensburg has gone from operating 56 elementary schools since 1956 to 20 at the start of the 2002-03 school year. The diocese has two high schools: Geibel in Connellsville and Central Catholic in Greensburg. This is a trend followed across the country as the number of Catholic school in the United States has decreased from 8,100 in 1980 to 6,920 in 2000, she reported.
Catholic schools have also had trouble retaining experienced teachers who leave the parochial system for better salaries in public schools. The new tuition policy also calls for a significant increase in teacher salaries that have traditionally been well below public school salaries.
According to Sister Coyne’s presentation, starting salaries in the Greensburg diocese for elementary school teachers are as low as $13,000. The average salary is $18,954 while 62 percent make less than $20,000. The turnover is 15 percent, or 50 teachers a year, and about 40 percent of teachers have been in the diocese’s system for four years or less.
In contrast, the Pennsylvania School Boards Association Inc. released a “2001 Pennsylvania School Facts and Figures’ brochure that reports the typical teacher salary is $49,528 with the teacher having 15.9 years of service.’
According to information previously released by the diocese, schools that implement the new tuition policy will see their teachers receive a $3,500 increase in salary the first year. The starting salary will be raised to $18,000.
The highest salary for an elementary school teacher in the diocese will be $44,500 under a 15-step program. However, no teacher in the elementary schools will earn that much money. The average elementary teacher salary under the new policy will be $22,454.