April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
EDITORIAL

Catholic schools save

Catholic schools, as seemingly permanent as a sidewalk or the moon, continue their mission despite challenges. But we need to pay heed, and chip in, if we want these to continue their invaluable work. 

The 30 elementary and secondary schools of the Albany Diocese, plus four private Catholic schools, carry out their mission on various fronts in our 14 counties. 

Among the students at St. Casimir's in Albany's Arbor Hill neighborhood, there are many non-Catholics whose families treasure the values, discipline and love their children receive there. 

To the east in Hoosick Falls, St. Mary's Academy maintains its mission through the generations in this rural, small-town community.

To the west, St. Mary's Institute in Amsterdam educates 216 students whose families come for, in the words of the principal, Giovanni Virgiglio, "a value-added education grounded in faith and God-centered."

Like other Catholic schools, St. Mary's joins mission and charity through its school. The tuition of $3,150 covers less than the full cost, $4,600, of educating a student. The rest is made up with parish support, diocesan scholarships and other donations. 

"We want to make it affordable, especially for those who sacrifice to send their children to Catholic schools," said Mr. Virgiglio.

For all diocesan schools, the average cost per student is $5,170. Just 70 percent of that is covered by tuition. Most of the remainder comes from the parish and Diocese and from fundraisers. 

All of us, not just Catholics and certainly not just Catholics with children in those schools, should chip in. 

The reason is simple: every child that attends public school in the Capital Region costs taxpayers $11,504. In Albany, the price-tag is $15,422 per student. Most of that is carried by local property-owners. The rest comes from the state and the federal governments. 

So every student in Catholic school is saving taxpayers a lot of money. One slogan, unlikely to be adopted, could be: "Catholic schools, what a bargain! Especially for the taxpayer." 

If a Catholic school closes, many or most of those children are likely to end up in public schools. So we all, Catholic and not, should pull out our checkbooks and send off a donation to Catholic schools. 

At the same time, we can support other measures, such as education vouchers or tax credits. 

In Washington, D.C., Arch-bishop Donald Wuerl took drastic steps to preserve Catholic schools in his archdiocese through closings, realignments and coordinated fund-raising and administration. The best answer, he said in an interview last year, was to create a consortium of schools and convince businesses and government to help out. 

In his old post in Pittsburgh, a state tax credit has prompted businesses to donate about $360 million to finance tuition at Catholic and other private schools.

Regardless of how it's done, we all should make it possible for Catholic education to serve our children, who are the Church of today and tomorrow. If words and reasons don't persuade you, just visit a Catholic school.

"We offer the intangible lessons that go beyond the academic and involve the physical, the emotional and the spiritual in a faithful atmosphere," Mr. Virgiglio said. 
"You can't put your finger on it, but you can feel it as soon as you walk in."[[In-content Ad]]

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