May 21, 2010
Our Readers
Comparison costs for Catholic, public education should be comparable
To the editor:
I have followed the strategic planning of the Diocese of Evansville with enthusiasm, participating when asked. Today, I am writing to comment on the article Friday, May 14, “Strategic initiatives, new structure tackle Catholic education in Diocese of Evansville.”
Catholic schools of the Diocese of Evansville perform a tremendous service and for many families are a good partner in passing along faith and values. But planners need to stop comparing costs that are not comparable. Noting that the cost per student for Catholic elementary students in the diocese is $5,500, and then stating the Indiana state average cost per public school student is $9,727 only tells half of the story.
The state average cost per student includes all facility costs, heating, AC, facility insurance, groundskeeping, construction and maintenance. In Catholic elementary schools, those costs are parish costs. Indiana cost per student includes gross athletic costs; whereas to the credit of Catholic school parents, those costs are hidden in Catholic schools by volunteer coaches, and parish or publicly funded facilities.
In staff alone, Indiana state cost per public school student includes therapists, teachers and aides for quadriplegic, blind, deaf or profoundly disabled students. Indiana state cost per student includes teachers, therapists and aides for children with fetal alcohol syndrome, battered and neglected children, English as Second Language students, children who have been incarcerated and more. I spent a lot of time in 2008 trying to figure out the cost per student for an Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation student in the gifted and talented program, versus special education for a profoundly disabled student. It was impossible to separate those costs. It was all lumped together in staffing: whatever was needed, for the students who needed them. No one was assessing the special needs as a burden.
If we look at numbers, they need to correspond. It is no small thing to run a quality school and serve a diverse population. The Diocese seems to be working solidly toward a goal that will address serving needs of the poorest among us – in home, parish and schools. As we move forward, strategic planners should begin to routinely note that Indiana’s cost per public school student includes diverse youth not served by our Catholic Schools. Otherwise funding cannot be evaluated correctly.
- Ann M. Ennis | Evansville