Vax policy aside, if it were truly a "right" of all Catholics to send their kids to parochial school, they'd have to cost a lot less, provide special ed, etc. But they don't.
Vax policy aside, if it were truly a "right" of all Catholics to send their kids to parochial school, they'd have to cost a lot less, provide special ed, etc. But they don't.
The only way Catholic education was ever affordable in the past was because you didnтАЩt have to pay nuns brothers separate competitive salaries and benefits packages. DonтАЩt blame the schools today for the fact that thereтАЩs no nuns anymore. тАЬAffordableтАЭ Catholic education is an illusion (except, of course, if you homeschool!)
Exactly! As a father of two toddlers, тАЬmy timeтАЭ has no value. The priority is always towards the service of my family. As it turns out, once you have kids, things are no longer тАЬabout youтАЭ
This is a bigger discussion, but there are choices that can make Catholic education decidedly more affordable -- this is experienced in places in which parishes customarily contribute a large % of offertory to the school, considering it the largest apostolate and the lifeblood of the parish.
I still have my fingers crossed that the ~ 2 packs of second hand cigarettes I smoked working the parish bingo every Wednesday night - for ~ 50% of my Catholic High School tuition ЁЯЩП - wonтАЩt come back to bite me. Either way my Catholic high school experience with the OFMтАЩs deep in the heart of PittsburghтАЩs Steel Valley was a profound life changer for me ЁЯТк ЁЯЩП. Maybe my 1/2 mile time in track would have been better but I could close bingo financials down to the nearest nickel before I graduated high school ЁЯТк
As a man with a severely cognitively disabled brother and as a previous Catholic School teacher: providing special ed is out of reach of Catholic schools as a practical matter. The priest in charge of my school really wanted to start a program (which would have been the first Catholic special ed program in the state) but the costs were just impossible to raise. Several million upfront for the dedicated, specialized facilities and space, plus around $40k per year per student (compared to our tuition of about $4k per year or, in the public schools, $16k per student in state spending per student).
All this to say, yes, it would be wonderful if Catholic schools provided special ed. But half a million per year to educate one classroom of twelve children would rival the cost of a whole 100+ student middle school combined. It's not a matter of will to do it -- many pastors and teachers want to see it happen -- but of the specialized costs that come with serving a highly diverse high-need community.
I'm sure what you write is true. All the more reason to question those who want to abolish the Dept of Ed and the services they provide for disabled students, since it's practically impossible to raise private funds to do the same even when the will is there.
I am heartened to see what seems like a growing desire to accommodate special needs where possible; and I agree with you about the the infeasibility of providing the level of services public schools are legally obligated to provide (barring major restructuring of how schools are financed)
But I have also seen Catholic schools that are so used to thinking "we can't accommodate special needs" that they refuse accommodations that are free and very minor, simply because they don't want to open the door to doing ~anything at all (like, "this kid is still getting used to operating their wheelchair; if they come in quietly and non disruptively, is it okay if they're a few minutes late to class?" --> "No, there's exactly 5 minutes transition time between classes; any kid who is late gets detention; if we start giving exceptions, how could we enforce any school discipline at all??")
Thankfully, our principal was already pretty reasonable for accommodations like that. Part of the purpose (we felt) of having a special education program is to teach the general student body charity towards people with different needs from their own. That has to start from the literal adults in the room saying "they need this, so in the virtue of justice we will give it to them". So yeah, it definitely begins with extra transition time and not making a big deal about absolute, identical conformity from every student on things like that.
I worked as a teacher's aide for handicapped students for years. Other than being wheelchair accessible, having separate bathrooms with tables and showers as well as toilet, and having a higher number of staff than a regular classroom, it wasn't all that different from a regulat classroom. I doubt it was as expensive per student as you claim.
The things you describe are for for physically handicapped students -- which we already served and had accommodations for. We were looking at Down's, Autism, Intellectual Disability, and other groups that require specialists. So that 40k figure is looking at physical therapy, speech therapy, social skills work, and the rest. My own brother cost our school district $55k per year, and that's a figure I know for sure.
Also might be of interest perhaps in a different way as a diocesan model: in the diocese of Pittsburgh, there is something called the St. Anthony's Program and it is wonderful. It's for students with special needs and is an option that allows them to integrate in a typical Catholic school, but with specialized life skill classes, etc. https://stanthonykids.org/
Vax policy aside, if it were truly a "right" of all Catholics to send their kids to parochial school, they'd have to cost a lot less, provide special ed, etc. But they don't.
The only way Catholic education was ever affordable in the past was because you didnтАЩt have to pay nuns brothers separate competitive salaries and benefits packages. DonтАЩt blame the schools today for the fact that thereтАЩs no nuns anymore. тАЬAffordableтАЭ Catholic education is an illusion (except, of course, if you homeschool!)
Homeschooling is only affordable if your time has no value.
Exactly! As a father of two toddlers, тАЬmy timeтАЭ has no value. The priority is always towards the service of my family. As it turns out, once you have kids, things are no longer тАЬabout youтАЭ
Very insightful, thank you!
I also have children.
Ah yes, hence my compliment to your profound point!
Very funny.
I'm going to assume, in that case, that you don't work for a wage or salary. Otherwise, your time literally has value.
I'm certainly not paying you to watch them!
You, internet stranger, do not deserve one.
There are unique sacrifices involved, yes. What do you mean by that remark?
For this exact reason, homeschooling is not "free"
This is a bigger discussion, but there are choices that can make Catholic education decidedly more affordable -- this is experienced in places in which parishes customarily contribute a large % of offertory to the school, considering it the largest apostolate and the lifeblood of the parish.
I'd like to know more about where this idea that Catholic education is a "right" came from, actually
I still have my fingers crossed that the ~ 2 packs of second hand cigarettes I smoked working the parish bingo every Wednesday night - for ~ 50% of my Catholic High School tuition ЁЯЩП - wonтАЩt come back to bite me. Either way my Catholic high school experience with the OFMтАЩs deep in the heart of PittsburghтАЩs Steel Valley was a profound life changer for me ЁЯТк ЁЯЩП. Maybe my 1/2 mile time in track would have been better but I could close bingo financials down to the nearest nickel before I graduated high school ЁЯТк
As a man with a severely cognitively disabled brother and as a previous Catholic School teacher: providing special ed is out of reach of Catholic schools as a practical matter. The priest in charge of my school really wanted to start a program (which would have been the first Catholic special ed program in the state) but the costs were just impossible to raise. Several million upfront for the dedicated, specialized facilities and space, plus around $40k per year per student (compared to our tuition of about $4k per year or, in the public schools, $16k per student in state spending per student).
All this to say, yes, it would be wonderful if Catholic schools provided special ed. But half a million per year to educate one classroom of twelve children would rival the cost of a whole 100+ student middle school combined. It's not a matter of will to do it -- many pastors and teachers want to see it happen -- but of the specialized costs that come with serving a highly diverse high-need community.
I'm sure what you write is true. All the more reason to question those who want to abolish the Dept of Ed and the services they provide for disabled students, since it's practically impossible to raise private funds to do the same even when the will is there.
I am heartened to see what seems like a growing desire to accommodate special needs where possible; and I agree with you about the the infeasibility of providing the level of services public schools are legally obligated to provide (barring major restructuring of how schools are financed)
But I have also seen Catholic schools that are so used to thinking "we can't accommodate special needs" that they refuse accommodations that are free and very minor, simply because they don't want to open the door to doing ~anything at all (like, "this kid is still getting used to operating their wheelchair; if they come in quietly and non disruptively, is it okay if they're a few minutes late to class?" --> "No, there's exactly 5 minutes transition time between classes; any kid who is late gets detention; if we start giving exceptions, how could we enforce any school discipline at all??")
Thankfully, our principal was already pretty reasonable for accommodations like that. Part of the purpose (we felt) of having a special education program is to teach the general student body charity towards people with different needs from their own. That has to start from the literal adults in the room saying "they need this, so in the virtue of justice we will give it to them". So yeah, it definitely begins with extra transition time and not making a big deal about absolute, identical conformity from every student on things like that.
I worked as a teacher's aide for handicapped students for years. Other than being wheelchair accessible, having separate bathrooms with tables and showers as well as toilet, and having a higher number of staff than a regular classroom, it wasn't all that different from a regulat classroom. I doubt it was as expensive per student as you claim.
The things you describe are for for physically handicapped students -- which we already served and had accommodations for. We were looking at Down's, Autism, Intellectual Disability, and other groups that require specialists. So that 40k figure is looking at physical therapy, speech therapy, social skills work, and the rest. My own brother cost our school district $55k per year, and that's a figure I know for sure.
If it's of interest, here's what Mrs. Flynn and I do in our spare time:
https://firefoundationdenver.org/
That is definitely of interest -- I'll be passing this on to a few people, I think.
Also might be of interest perhaps in a different way as a diocesan model: in the diocese of Pittsburgh, there is something called the St. Anthony's Program and it is wonderful. It's for students with special needs and is an option that allows them to integrate in a typical Catholic school, but with specialized life skill classes, etc. https://stanthonykids.org/