Thanks to leaders like Assemblywoman Maritza Davila of Assembly District 53 in Brooklyn, families continue to have hope. Yesterday afternoon, Assemblywoman Davila visited Queen of the Rosary Catholic Academy and Saint Frances Cabrini Catholic Academy to assure them of her support in education choice.
In the final days of this legislative session in Albany, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and key legislators are leading the fight to enact the Education Tax Credit. The governor’s plan, called the Parental Choice in Education Act, will help keep Catholic schools affordable.
The Act provides $150 million in education tax credits annually that will provide:
· Tax credits directly to low-income families who send their children to Catholic and other schools
· Scholarships to students from low- and middle-income families to attend a school of their choice
· Donations to public schools for enhanced educational programming
· Tax credits to teachers for their out-of-pocket classroom expenses
But we need your help! Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and some Assembly Democrats are blocking this important bill. They are blocking this bill for one simple reason: the public school teachers’ union lobbyists don’t want parents to get any help with sending their children to a school of their choice. The opposition is doing all they can to defeat this proposal and to keep families from getting the help they need. Don’t let them win!
Take a few moments to demand that your legislators enact the Education Tax Credit before they conclude their work in mid-June. Go to nyscatholic.org to send an email to your lawmakers. You’ll also be prompted to call your lawmaker’s office, which we urge you to do.
Thank you for doing your part in fighting for our families, kids and schools! Please act today – for the sake of our children, families and schools!
Learn more about the Education Tax Credit: The Tablet | NET TV
May 13, 2015 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Mid-May begins the graduation season, first for colleges and universities, and then high schools and eventually for elementary schools. It is always heartwarming to see proud graduates be recognized for the hard work which they put in for being good students. And justly proud they should be for the commitment they have had to using all God’s talents given to them and improve them through the educational process.
It is truly a loss to our society and Church if our young people do not pursue an education to the highest level available to them. The problems today that impede young people from seeking a college education, or even higher education, usually comes in the form of daunting tuitions and interminable loans that need to be taken in order to continue the education process.
Some have even questioned if a college education or professional education is truly worthwhile. From the monetary point of view, research shows that college graduates earn more through a lifetime than those who have not graduated college. It is so much more difficult to calculate, however, the contribution that those educated make to our society.
Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.
For Immediate Release: 5/12/2015
GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO
GOVERNOR CUOMO INTRODUCES PARENTAL CHOICE IN EDUCATION ACT
Governor Joins Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Parents, Students and Local Elected Officials to Call on Legislature to Stand Up for Choice in Education
Last Year, Approximately 44,000 Students Attended 186 Nonpublic Schools on Long Island
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today introduced the Parental Choice in Education Act, which will support and protect alternative school options for parents and students across New York State. The Act provides for $150 million Read more
The students at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Academy recently participated in Zumba for Life, a wonderful fundraiser that benefits the American Cancer Society. The event was led by 7th Grade teacher and Zumba instructor, Ms. Brianne Rogers. Students raised over $3,600!
