Alert sent out as Catholic schools battle for state dollars

The New York State Catholic Conference is calling on lawmakers to ensure proper funding for Catholic schools in the new state budget. 

State legislators are poised to finalize the 2020-21 State Budget on March 31, which is expected to include millions more in funding for public education. The Catholic Action Network (CAN), an arm of the NYS Catholic Conference, sent out an email alert on Tuesday, Feb. 25, urging Catholics to “fight for Catholic school funding” and help ensure the new year’s budget meets the needs of Diocesan Catholic schools.

According to its website, the Catholic Conference is calling for “an increase in Health, Safety & Security funding, as well as increased flexibility to use the funds for critical capital needs and remediation of hazardous conditions, for pupil health and mental health services, and for criminal background checks of prospective employees.”

“The families who enroll their children in our Catholic schools shoulder a double burden of paying taxes to fund public education in addition to tuition to support their own children’s education,” said Giovanni Virgiglio, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Albany. “It is our hope that our ongoing advocacy yields dividends for STEM programming and for the health, safety and security needs of our students to name a few. We encourage all members of our school communities and friends of Catholic education to respond to the action alert issued by the Catholic Conference. Let us send a resounding message to lawmakers that our Catholic schools deserve attention and assistance, too.”

The increase in STEM funding would “ensure … a robust curriculum in science, technology, engineering and math,” according to the website.

James D. Cultrara, executive secretary for New York State Council of Catholic School Superintendents, noted that “lawmakers put great emphasis on children in their districts, and we’re so grateful to legislators for already funding health, safety and security, and STEM education,” but to ensure the best education for Catholic school students, “what we’re looking for is increased funding.”

Catholic schools are also calling for an amendment (Mandated Services Aid Technical Amendment) to restore the reimbursement rate to Catholic and other private schools. Because the law — which attempted to clarify the calculation of the aid reimbursement rate for nonpublic schools – hasn’t been implemented, Catholic and private schools have been left with less aid which has had a major impact.

“That’s more in the budget that schools have to make up for, so that’s a direct impact on parents and tuition costs,” Cultrara said. “Any assistance that lawmakers provide, all of that ultimately benefits the children and also assists the families that pay tuition.”

Overall, Cultrara is “optimistic” about the new budget. After CAN released the alert, “it generated around 9,000 emails” to lawmakers, he said. “The response rate is very encouraging that the Catholic community is making their voice heard.”

To write a message to your elected officials about funding for Catholic schools, visit the website for the New York State Catholic Conference and click on the “Take Action” tab.