|
Pohlad family commits $5 million for urban Catholic schools tuition aid |
|
|
|
By The Catholic Spirit
|
|
Thursday, 31 December 2009 |
The recent announcement by the Pohlad Family Foundation to provide $1 million in tuition assistance each year for the next five years to urban and rural Catholic elementary schools is good news for families, schools and the archdiocese.
“The wonderful thing about this grant is all this money is tuition
assistance and these families whose children are attending these
schools can’t pay very much in tuition,” said Laurie Acker,
archdiocesan urban education director. “It really fills the gap.”
Tuition at Catholic schools is typically $5,000 to $8,000. But many of
the families can only afford a few hundred dollars, Acker said. “That’s
a lot for the parishes or the archdiocese to pick up. So it’s helping
these families to stay in Catholic schools.”
In addition to helping the 12 schools affiliated with the Friends of
the Catholic Urban Schools, the Pohlad grant is helping other schools
in first ring suburbs and rural areas with high numbers of students
living in poverty.
Adding financial stability
FOCUS schools began cooperating with one another in 2004 to improve
teacher recruitment, training, compen-sation, communications and
fundraising.
In June 2008, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis received a
$10 million gift, as part of a legacy grant, that could provide the
archdiocese with an additional $1 million annually to
provide financial stability for Catholic elementary inner-city schools.
The schools in the group include: Risen Christ, Pope John Paul II,
Ascension and San Miguel in Minneapolis; St. Agnes, St. Matthew, St.
Francis/St. James and St. Peter Claver in St. Paul; along with
St. Raphael in Crystal; St. Michael in West St. Paul; Blessed Trinity in Richfield; and Sacred Heart in Robbinsdale.
The first tuition assistance from the Pohlad grant will be distributed
to 19 Catholic schools for use during the 2009-2010 school year through
the Minneapolis Foundation and the Catholic Community Foundation. The
annual $1 million funding is to be provided through the 2013-2014
school year.
A total of $900,000 will be distributed among the 12 FOCUS schools. The
schools will receive approximately $750 for each student currently
enrolled who is eligible to receive free-or-reduced-cost hot lunch
services, a widely recognized measure of family poverty.
Pohlad Family Foundation board member Robert Pohlad said: “A strong
education opens many doors and is the way out of poverty. My family
appreciates the efforts of these schools to reach out to children and
families who are working toward a better future.”
The remaining $100,000 will be given as challenge grants to seven other
Catholic schools. At least 20 percent of the student population is
eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch at each of those schools.
They include: St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center; St. Jerome in
Maplewood; Immaculate Conception in Columbia Heights; Maternity of
Mary in St. Paul; St. Helena in Minneapolis; St. John Vianney in South
St. Paul; and Most Holy Redeemer in Montgomery. Each school will be
challenged to raise a proportional share of $50,000 by Easter 2010 to
be eligible for a two-for-one matching gift.
In an archdiocesan statement, Archbishop John Nienstedt said, “The
Pohlad family’s quiet giving has focused on providing opportunities
that help young people move out of poverty. We are grateful for the
family’s recommitment to Catholic education in neighborhoods where
poverty has been growing.”
The Pohlad grant complements the legacy grant, of which half the money
is used for tuition assistance and half helps schools improve
technology, marketing and professional development, Acker said.
 |
Sign up for our eNewsletter and get
Show/hide comment form