Why does a local Catholic school perform more charity for its wealthy students than its poor students?

Because Ohio's legislators have unconstitutionally forced Ohio taxpayers to subsidize this school's poorer students.

I got some very interesting feedback on my Friday post about the Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Cuyahoga Falls, whose parish priest and principal were showing off their Mustangs on a social media vertical video because the school’s mascot is the Mustangs.

Some of the most interesting feedback I got was pointing out some things I missed. See, I was so angry about Ohio taxpayers now subsidizing more than 80% of the cost of educating students at this private school — where we have no idea how that money’s being spent and that no public school student receives that much of their educational cost from the state — that I missed a couple other very important points.

Point One: Ohio Taxpayers Fully Subsidize the Private School Tuitions of families making $172,575 or less at Immaculate Heart of Mary School

The unconstitutional EdChoice tuition subsidy is only a part of the story. See, each student at the school also gets a so-called “Angel Scholarship”. What is an Angel Scholarship? It’s an official Scholarship Granting Organization. What’s that, you ask? It’s an organization that allows you to contribute to it and get a full tax credit on your state income tax return. Which, once again, denies tax dollars for public school students. The “Angel Scholarship” is the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland’s official SGO. And it most recently raised about $8.1 million — all of which was paid for by reduced income taxes that would have otherwise gone to local public school students.

For a good rundown of this scheme, I recommend this post from Policy Matters’ Madelaine Matej MacQueen.

So the private school tuitions of students whose parents make $172,575 a year or less (that’s 450% of poverty for a family of 5, which is the example the school used in its presentation to parents about EdChoice) at Immaculate Heart of Mary are now fully taxpayer subsidized.

So the state fully pays for private school educations, but won’t even pay for 1/2 the cost of a public school student’s education while committing less of its budget to public school students than it ever has?

Fucking outrageous.

Onward.

Point Two: Immaculate Heart of Mary uses Parish and Diocese money to subsidize only the tuitions adults making $290,100 or more pay

Again, I was so incensed that EdChoice was allowing the school to turn a profit that I overlooked something in the school’s breakdown of how EdChoice and the Angel Scholarship would operate for the millionaires going to the school.

See that? The Parish and Diocese chip in a little more than $4,000 to help the adults who make more than $290,100 a year “afford” their then-$6,300 tuition.

And give them a $1,254 tuition CUT to boot!

How much is the Parish and Diocese helping its “poorest” adults?

Try $0. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

It’s in the school’s own presentation!

This seems at, shall we say … odds(?) with this webpage from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Now, to be fair, families of 5 making $172,450 a year aren’t exactly the kind of poor folks the Church are talking about here.

But it is incredibly telling that this Catholic school is using $4,000 of its and the Diocese’s money to subsidize the tuitions for millionaires while providing nothing for the poorer members of the flock.

Why are they able to do this?

You, Dear Ohio taxpayer. It’s because of you they’re able to redirect their commitment from the poorest of their students to their wealthiest.

It is your charity — unconstitutionally forced upon you by legislative ideologues — that permit this Catholic school to ignore their own call to charity.

I don’t care if you’re pro-tuition subsidy, or believe, as I (and the courts) do, that they’re unconstitutional.

Can we all agree that’s just sick?