School ends academic year by readying tuition aid

As the 2007 school year ends, St. Mary/St. Alphonsus Regional School in Glens Falls is looking ahead to next year and "getting ready to distribute tuition assistance to many of our students," said Kathryn Fowler, principal.

For the 2007-'08 academic year, more than $35,000 will be given to 34 families to provide tuition assistance to their 45 children.

The assistance goes "to families that could not, for a good reason, afford tuition for their children," she said.

Resources

The money for the aid comes from a budgeted amount of $30,000 and two separate funds that rely on donations: the Guardian Angel Fund and the Beacon of Hope Scholarship program.

In 2003, "a parent came to me and told me that a boy in his daughter's class was not going to be able to return to school because his parents could no longer afford the tuition," Mrs. Fowler said. "He donated a full year's tuition for this child, and that's when our Guardian Angel Fund was born."

Since then, the fund has raised a total of $60,000.

"This fund has been very successful from the beginning," she continued. "We started publicizing it by word of mouth. I talked about it to our priests at deanery meetings, our school alumni, anyone that would listen. We also have a newsletter, and we started to mention the fund in that."

Beacon

The Beacon of Hope Scholarship Fund was set up through the Albany diocesan Catholic Schools Office. "Money can be donated and directly used for tuition assistance, according to need," the principal explained.

She said that such funds have helped numerous families send their children to Catholic schools.

"Our tuition is currently $3,450 per year," she noted. "We understand the tremendous sacrifice that parents make to send their children to Catholic school. These funds are available for families who desire such an education for their children but cannot afford it."

Selection

Choosing who will get tuition assistance and how much they will get is the work of an independent organization, called FACTS.

"Parents fill in an application for assistance by listing their income, expenses and other circumstances of need," Mrs. Fowler explained. FACTS "reviews each application individually, noting the particular circumstances of each applicant. They recommend how much each family might receive by way of assistance."

Mrs. Fowler believes the school is thriving because "parents recognize the fact that a Catholic school education is a superior education, and they want that for their children. By using tuition assistance, we are making Catholic education affordable to those who desire it, but might not otherwise be able to afford it. We work hard to do everything we can to make that happen for each family that comes to us.

"Our goal is to be the best little school in this area, a place where students come to learn in the light of God's love."

(For information on tuition assistance, call Kathryn Fowler at 792-3178 or the Albany Diocese Catholic Schools Office at 453-6666. Last year, enrollment at SMSA was 271 in pre-K through eighth grade -- plus 48 more children in Noah's Ark, the school's daycare facility.)

(6/14/07)