Value of Catholic education touted at State House

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PROVIDENCE - The continued academic excellence of Catholic schools and significant challenges awaiting them were unveiled in the first annual State of the Schools report released March 22 at a press conference at Catholic Schools Day at the State House March 22.

The report, titled "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Catholic Schools: Beacons of Hope" examines enrollment, student demographics, test scores, financial information and other data for the state's 52 elementary and secondary Catholic schools.

Chief among the findings are that the Catholic schools save the state nearly $200 million in pupil educational costs, which can then go into the public schools' coffers.

Catholic schools spend about $3,980 "to provide a second-to-none education per elementary student and $9,363 per secondary school student," said a press release from the Catholic School Office in summing up the findings.

"For every child who attends a Catholic school, additional taxpayer funds are made available for those students and teachers in public schools," said Sheila Durante, superintendent of Catholic schools, who spoke at the State House event.

The report also cites data from fall, 2006 which shows that students in all grades performed above the national average in all content areas. More than 90 percent of Catholic school high school seniors took the SAT in 2005-06, and scored an average of 535 in reading, 519 in mathematics and 533 in critical writing. National SAT scores for 2004-05, the latest scores available from the U.S. Department of Education, were 503 for verbal and 515 for mathematics. Locally, Catholic school students fared even better in math compared to their public school counterparts, who scored 505.

"The report shows that Catholic schools are a gift to children, their parents and the state," Durante said.

Durante took the podium at the State House to thank those in the political arena who are proven friends of last year's Rhode Island Corporate Scholarship Tax Credit, which allows C-corporations [see related article, page 11] to donate up to $100,000 annually for scholarships to eligible students attending private schools and receive a tax credit of 75 percent of their contribution; 90 percent tax credit for a two-year contribution of up to $100,000 per year. The annual tax credit allowed by the state for all donations is capped at a total of $1 million.

Specifically, Durante thanked Bishop Thomas J. Tobin for his personal commitment to the excellence of Catholic schools in the diocese; Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, General Assembly members, the Catholic School Parents Federation and the director of the Office of Government Liaison, Father Bernard A. Healey, for helping the Rhode Island Corporate Scholarship Tax Credit become a reality last year.

She also thanked House Speaker William J. Murphy and Senate President Joseph A. Montalbano, both present at the press conference, for their support of the bill, but warned that even more is needed to ensure that a Catholic school education is affordable to every student who wants one.

Durante referred to the schools' report, which reflects generous financial aid through the diocese, and such sources as Anchor of Hope, Catholic Charity Fund and the Frances Ward Fund: "In 2005-06, 2,121 students received $1,235,000 ... and an additional $24,332,200 was awarded in college scholarships to graduating high school seniors."

Durante stated, however, that the aggregate need was actually $11 million last year, and that means that many students who wanted to attend or continue in a Catholic school could not financially afford to do so. The impact is greatest in the inner cities, she said; and while the report shows that Catholic high schools are in most cases thriving, the same is not true for Catholic elementary schools.

The report states that "since 2000, elementary school enrollment has again begun to decline, especially in the inner-city areas, while secondary school enrollment has continued to increase. [Because of] this decline and other contributing factors, two elementary schools were merged into a new school, while two other inner-city and one suburban parish elementary school were closed. Enrollment now stands at 16,216 - 10,836 elementary students and 5,380 secondary students, a decrease of 2,629 or 14 percent."

While the tuition tax credit bill is great news for Catholic schools and all private schools, she said its base must be expanded beyond allowing only C-corporations to receive the tax credit and allow smaller businesses a similar incentive for supporting school choice for all. She also urged an increase in the $1 million cap.

Durante urged the Rhode Island General Assembly to be "creative and courageous" in its support of Catholic schools in the state.

Murphy and Montalbano both praised the job Catholic schools do in the diocese and said that a number of their political cohorts and they, themselves, either attended Catholic schools or have children who are currently doing so. Montalbano said, "We recognize that Catholic school students often have to fight for the services and materials taken for granted by many in public schools, such as busing and funding for textbooks. We don't want cost to be the deciding factor in any child's education." He pledged to continue working to support Catholic education in Rhode Island.

Beverly Blais, president of the Catholic School Parents Federation, introduced the speakers, which also included Father Bernard Healey and Dr. David M. Beaudoin, secretary for Catholic Education, Spiritual Formation and Evangelization, who offered an opening prayer.

(This article originally appeared in The Providence Journal)