FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 11, 2014
CONTACT: Carl Apple
[email protected]
616-475-1240 office, 616-826-9808 cell
BISHOP WALKOWIAK INCREASES TUITION ASSISTANCE
FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS BY FOUR TIMES
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Most Reverend David J. Walkowiak, Bishop of the Diocese of
Grand Rapids, is increasing the amount of available diocesan tuition assistance for Catholic
schools in the diocese from $240,000 to $1 million annually. It’s part of a three-year effort to
make Catholic schools affordable to more families.
“I attended Catholic schools all my life and would like more young people to have the
same opportunities I had,” said Bishop Walkowiak. “More than a top-notch education, Catholic
schools provide the leadership, integrity and moral compass that young people need in today’s
society and I want to do whatever we can to encourage families to take advantage of this
blessing.”
Currently, after all available sources of tuition assistance are distributed there is $1.2
million of unmet need per year according to Private School Aid Service (PSAS), a third party
agency used by diocesan schools to evaluate need. These new tuition dollars are not intended to
replace the funding currently available at the parish and school level, but rather to increase the
amount of assistance to current families and to offer assistance to new families in our Catholic
parishes. This effort is a priority for Bishop Walkowiak, who wants to bridge the gap between
current levels of funding and the identified need and to reach out to new families desiring a
Catholic school education for their children. Sources for this expanded tuition assistance include
the Bishops Scholarship Fund, diocesan funds for education, and the continued generosity of
donors committed to the growth of our Catholic schools.
“We hear all the time that Catholic schools need to be more affordable,” said David
Faber, superintendent of Catholic schools. “We’re so excited to both strengthen our ability retain
our families and welcome new families into our schools.”
The success of this effort will be reviewed on an ongoing basis to address the years
beyond the three-year plan.
Tuition assistance applications for the 2015-2016 school year are available in English and
in Spanish at any Catholic school within the diocese and at CatholicSchools4U.org. The deadline
for applications for the first round of tuition assistance grants has been extended from November
15, to November 22. The first round of grants will be announced in early February with actual
distributions to be made in early fall 2015. PSAS applications will continue to be accepted
throughout the current school year even after the November 22 deadline for new families with a
portion of the funding reserved for qualifying families.
The Diocese of Grand Rapids, which encompasses an 11-county area of West Michigan, serves over
182,000 Catholics and 82 parishes as well as 25 elementary and four high schools. Connect with the
diocese on Facebook (Diocese of Grand Rapids) and Twitter (@GRDiocese). For additional information,
visit the diocesan website, www.dioceseofgrandrapids.org.
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