Supporting all educational options serves the common good

[Geee]

Washington Examiner

The Supreme Court issued an opinion this week in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue that effectively put an end to state bans on students using educational choice programs to attend religious schools. This was a major victory for families and the schools that want to serve them. Unfortunately, our celebration is tempered by an unprecedented crisis that is threatening to cut off access to Catholic schools for thousands of families across the United States. 

 

Over 100 Catholic schools have announced that they are closing next year, and COVID-19 has contributed to the closing of many of these schools. Many more are experiencing a decline in enrollment due to the uncertainty about what the fall will bring. Some schools are facing reported enrollments down as much as 80%. These closures mean thousands of children will be displaced from their schools.

Catholic school tuition almost never covers the full cost of the education provided. Many of our schools serve the poor and an already struggling middle class, and so making up shortfalls through tuition increases is not an option. The loss of jobs and income means many families will simply not have the resources to afford even the modest tuition most Catholic schools charge. The time at which COVID-19 hit also could not have been worse, as the spring and summer is a time when most parishes and schools hold fundraisers. In addition, with parishes temporarily closed due to the virus, parish support will be limited, and parishes and dioceses are unable to make up shortfalls in school budgets. 

Those disproportionately affected by these closures will be the children of the working poor, including thousands of black and Hispanic students whose parents have chosen Catholic schools because of the education they provide and the opportunities that create a better life. According to the Cato Institute, about 40% of the students affected by nongovernment school closures are nonwhite. The vast majority of closures are Catholic schools.