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Apply now for Catholic school tuition assistance

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
(Email Renee)

The 2011 campaign for the Msgr. Lafferty Tuition Foundation reached its goal in record time, raising $1.9 million by Nov. 15.

According to Marilyn Wellman, diocesan accountant, efforts now turn toward the application process which helps determine how those dollars are distributed in the form of tuition grants for Catholic school students.

This is the sixth year that families seeking tuition assistance are asked to complete an application through a third party administrator and is the second year the diocese is using the company Private School Aid Service (PSAS).

Many aspects of the application process remain the same as last year. For instance, the cost remains at $21. This year’s application deadline is April 2.

“We recommend that everyone apply,” Wellman said. “You may think that you won’t qualify, but the $21 fee is not too much to potentially get hundreds of dollars in awards.”

Applications may be submitted online at psas.org or can be filed through traditional mail. If you opt to complete the application online, tax returns and other documentation must still be sent to the PSAS office. Applications are now being accepted.

Dan Ryan, superintendent of Catholic education, pointed out that about one-third of all diocesan Catholic school students receive tuition grants through the Msgr. Lafferty Tuition Foundation.

“Obviously it is touching a very large percentage of our students,” he said.

Ryan said Catholic school financing is shifting. In the past, it was an expectation that parents alone would take on tuition costs. However, with rising tuition costs, he acknowledged that that expectation is no longer there. Just as the majority of college students complete a FAFSA to see what type of financial assistance they qualify for, more people every year are checking out their options for assistance to attend Catholic grade and high schools.

“Not only are Msgr. Lafferty Tuition Foundation awards, which are based on income, available but there are also local tuition assistance awards and we are also researching the possibility of having greater diocesan tuition assistance dollars available in the future,” he said.

When PSAS calculates the grants several factors such as family income, family size, number of students in Catholic schools and the cost of tuition are taken into consideration.

Through this one form, application is made for tuition grants from Msgr. Lafferty Tuition Foundation, the Catherine Birzle Education Trust and even some of the local school assistance programs. In the case of the Msgr. Lafferty Tuition Foundation, the state sets specific income criteria for qualification of the grants.

In the case of Catherine Birzle money, it is awarded to high school students with financial needs who do not receive awards from Msgr. Lafferty. These dollars typically are awarded to students at each high school, with dollars divided up based on school enrollment.

Sometimes students who do not qualify for Msgr. Lafferty or Catherine Birzle money can qualify for other local assistance. Ryan noted, however, that with local school tuition assistance programs, criteria to qualify for an award vary widely.

These tuition assistance programs, he added, help ensure that Catholic education is available to all.

“I would strongly encourage any families that have questions about those awards to contact their school administrator or the office that handles financial assistance and tuition collection to see what steps they need to take,” he said. “Sometimes they need to fill out the same applications and in other cases they need to fill out a separate application for local assistance.”

Wellman pointed out that in the current school year about $1.84 million in awards was distributed to 2,228 student recipients through the Msgr. Lafferty Tuition Foundation alone.

“It is a great program,” she said. “People benefit on both sides – the donors and the award recipients. It’s a win-win situation.”

Thanks to the Msgr. Lafferty tuition program, Ryan said it helps ensure that those who wish to provide a Catholic school education for their children have the option to do so. He called it a matter of “social justice.”

Efforts are already underway to raise about $2.2 million for the 2012 campaign.