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Catholic school tuition organization sets record
Scholarships impact half of enrollment
By J.D. Long-García, The Catholic Sun
November 15, 2007
It’s not always financially viable for parents to put their children through Catholic school.
The Catholic Tuition Organization of the Diocese of Phoenix — which awarded a record 6,517 tuition scholarships this year — is working to lighten the load. The organization is helping one out of every two students enrolled at diocesan schools.
“At every school we start with those in greatest need,” said Paul Mulligan, executive director of the tuition organization. CTODP awards more than two-thirds of its scholarships on the basis of need.
The organization, thanks to state tax credits, works to provide affordable tuition through grants and scholarships. The dollar-for-dollar tax credit is available for up to $500 per individual or $1,000 for a married couple filing a joint tax return. Catholics can designate their donation for a particular school.
A new law implemented last year allows corporations to make contributions to a school tuition organization and receive a tax credit up to the amount of its tax liability.
Individual taxpayer contributions totaled $10.1 million and an additional $2.4 million came from corporations. The corporations’ contributions are designated for children either entering their first year of private school as kindergartners or transferring from a public school.
Mulligan said that after the students with financial needs are taken care of, money is distributed among the remaining students. That’s how four diocesan schools are funding 75 percent of tuition “across the board,” he said.
St. Matthew School, San Francisco de Asís School in Flagstaff, and St. Joseph’s Montessori School in Cottonwood have cut their tuition down to a fourth of the cost. Sacred Heart School in Prescott joins that list and might even issue rebate checks to parents.
So it isn’t just those near the poverty line who benefit from the Catholic Tuition Organizaton, he said. Middle class parents get help, too.
Lisa Amato fits that description. While she was committed to putting her two children through Catholic school, losing her husband 14 years ago made it difficult.
“It gave me a lot fewer worrisome nights,” she said of the tuition organization.
Her daughter, Adrianna, a senior at Seton Catholic High School in Chandler, has received help from the organization for years.
“What I learned here will stick with me,” she said of Seton. “I’ve been able to be more involved in the community, know most of my classmates and feel comfortable with my teachers.”
Her brother goes to Arizona State University and she plans to attend the University of Missouri.
“What’s a comfort to me is their preparation in the faith,” her mother said. “Their morals and values are very well in place.”
Amato believes a Catholic education could help all students, whatever their religion.
“We have to be sure that we’re giving them everything they need to be the decision makers in our future,” she said.
That’s why Amato, who serves on Seton’s advisory board, promotes the Catholic Tuition Organization.
“If we could educate every person in this diocese, it is possible for every child to have a tuition-free Catholic education,” she said. “It’s each of us, at a grass-roots level, that’s responsible for students’ education.”
That’s an idea the tuition organization supports.
“We want to get the parents involved in the program,” Mulligan said. “It’s theirs. They can get out there and explain the process and get their parish involved.”
Mulligan said parishioners are much more likely to heed a call from someone they know. He noted St. Thomas Aquinas School in Avondale.
Thanks to the parent committee, donations earmarked for the school rose from $166,000 to $400,000 in two and a half years, he said.
“Every child at the school who applied got a minimum of $1,600,” Mulligan said.
With less than 8 percent of the diocese participating, Mulligan expects Catholic school to be increasingly affordable in the years to come thanks to “a little bit from everybody.”
“Do you pay taxes in Arizona? If so, why don’t you give to CTODP?” Mulligan said. “Direct your money where you want it to go. You can have it go to Catholic education or you can let the state decide.”
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