By David Kilby | Correspondent

In an effort to help families provide their children with a Catholic education, the Diocesan Tuition Assistance Program has awarded a total of $1.3 million to families with children in Catholic schools for the 2014-15 school year.

Mary Sparks, coordinator of school finances in the diocesan Department of Catholic Schools, said the main source of money is the Diocesan Co-Sponsorship Program in which parishes without schools contribute a percentage of their ordinary income to support tuition assistance.  On average, the Co-Sponsorship Program raises about $1.2 million in tuition assistance for elementary and secondary Catholic schools a year.

On the high school level for 2014-2015, Sparks indicated the Diocese was able to award $526,000 in tuition assistance and $800,000 was awarded to the elementary schools.

Reflecting on the importance of offering financial assistance to those interested in Catholic schools in the Diocese, Sparks said that, “Next year, the average tuition for one child at one of our Catholic schools is over $4,300. Although this number only covers about 75 percent of the total per pupil cost, Catholic schooling may be unattainable for many families due to life circumstances such as unemployment, illness and displacement due to Hurricane Sandy.”

While the tuition assistance that has been awarded will allow many financially-challenged parents to make Catholic school a reality for their children this coming year, there are even more families who will not receive the assistance they need due to the program’s limited funds.  Sparks reports that the program was not able to accommodate $7.4 million of high school student need and $3.7 million of elementary student need, underscoring the broad-based interest that families have in a Catholic-school education for their children. 

According to Sparks, those eligible for tuition assistance are students enrolled in grades kindergarten through 12 in one of the Diocese’s Catholic schools. Awards are made based on financial need. In order to ensure a fair and impartial analysis, Catholic school families apply through the Private School Aid Service, Inc., a third party provider.

Information contained in the application, along with the supporting materials, is used to determine financial need. The formula used has been especially designed for families with children attending Catholic schools. This calculation is based on a moderate standard of living for the geographic area of the applicant, further ensuring a realistic result. This formula allows PSAS to determine the ability of a family to pay for private education. PSAS then initiates a comprehensive review and verification process ensuring the accuracy of the data.

While the funds are already allocated for this school year, parents are encouraged to learn about the process. The next round of applications will become available in January. However, parents are always encouraged to inquire at their school. “Very often our schools have additional funding available locally,” Sparks said.

To apply, applicants are asked to complete the PSAS online application and submit their tax documents to PSAS. Online application fee is $26. Spanish speaking applicants can have their questions answered by calling 1-866-424-6443, ext. 310. To download the online application, visit http://portal.dioceseoftrenton.org/tap2014-15.