By Amy Cherry
Daily Press Staff

In light of the difficult economic situation affecting so many families in northwest Pennsylvania, the Erie Diocese has announced that it will double the amount of financial aid dollars available to parents enrolling their children in diocesan Catholic elementary schools for the 2009-10 academic year.

“We’ve developed our own stimulus package,” Bishop Donald Trautman said. Trautman inspired by the institutions of higher education including Gannon and Mercyhurst, which are taking measures to help students with tuition.

Approximately $500,000 will be available to help parents enroll or keep their children in Catholic schools.

This sum includes a special $200 incentive for each family enrolling a student in Kindergarten at all but a handful of schools where significant subsidies are already in place.

“These scholarships are available to Catholics and Non-Catholics, parishioners and non-parishioners, who want a faith based education,” St. Boniface Elementary Principal Marie Giazzoni said. “Extra scholarship money will go to schools in the diocese that are in need of extra dollars to help with tuition.”

The deadline to apply for tuition assistance has been extended to Tuesday, March 31. Parents who have already applied using the Tuition Aid Application Form available at schools as well as at www.ErieRCD.org, need to do nothing more.

Scholarship money is available to parents whose income is under $60,000 for a family of three and $70,000 for a family of four.

According to the diocese’s Office of Education, there are approximately 5,800 students enrolled in 31 Catholic elementary schools.

The tuition assistance funds are being assembled from accumulated savings in various education reserves, not by decreasing the diocesan subsidies and tuition assistance to the high schools.

“The St. Marys Catholic Elementary School System and Elk County Catholic High School are currently in discussions regarding the tuition rates and available tuition assistance,” St. Marys Catholic Elementary Principal Mary Beth Schaut said. “No final decisions have been made at this point in time, however the SMCESS and ECCHS will be ready to make a joint announcement very soon.”

Tuition rates for one full-time student in grade K-8 enrolled at SMCE or SMCMS for the 2008-09 school year was $2,170.

 Whereas tuition rates at St. Boniface in Kersey for the 2009-10 school year stand at $2,140 - or $214 per month for 10 months - for one child enrolled in Kindergarten through fifth grade. However, non-Catholics or non-parishioners who do not belong to a church that subsidizes St. Boniface School are charged $125 per family, as suggested by the Erie Diocese Finance Council.

According to Giazzoni, St. Boniface School awarded over $65,000 in scholarships to families to help with tuition costs during the 2008-09 school year.

Each year endowments allow the diocese to provide approximately $250,000 in financial aid for students at diocesan Catholic elementary  schools.

Another $270,000 is available annually through the Bishop’s Tuition Assistance Program for students in secondary schools. In addition, the Erie Diocese established the STAR Foundation which provides over one million dollars each year through Pennsylvania’s EITC, a tax credit program.