The conversation on the future of Catholic education continues as three more respondents weigh in on Archbishop Dolan’s article, “The Catholic Schools We Need.”

Patrick J. McCloskey, author of The Street Stops Here, argues that Catholic schools could flourish if more institutions and individuals were dedicated to their success:

An abundance of brilliant leadership and expertise is available among top professionals, academics, CEOs, CFOs and so on in dioceses across the country. If ordinary Catholic families increased parish donations by half (from $300 to $450 a year on average, and still less than Protestants) and these funds were dedicated to education, endangered Catholic schools would not want. Affordable housing could be provided to many teachers, bolstering recruitment and retention, which are crucial to improving academic quality and strengthening mission.

Fr. Joseph O’Keefe of Boston College, meanwhile, argues that public subsidies for Catholic schools are the only way for them to survive:

It is important to emphasize that an equitable plan for school choice, in which people from all strata of society have the same opportunity, is the best way to support Catholic schools.  Can philanthropic efforts, however well meaning, provide the sustained financial foundation required by 21st-century schools, especially those that serve the poor?

Finally, Kristina Chew, a professor at St. Peter’s College and mother of a child with autism, writes about what Catholic schools can and cannot do for individuals with special needs:

Catholic school has not been an option for [mys son] Charlie due to the extent of his educational needs. That’s not to say Catholic schools may not be a good option for autistic children. Both [my husband] Jim and I teach at institutions of Jesuit higher education in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. We have both been fortunate to have students with Asperger’s Syndrome in our classrooms, and thereby to witness how an educational and faith community can provide an accepting and stimulating environment for students whose “difference” can make college life particularly challenging.

For more on Archbishop Dolan’s plans for Catholic schools, see this article in today’s Times.

Tim Reidy

 

Tim Reidy is the deputy editor in chief of America Media.