Hispanic Catholics in Catholic Schools. Hosffman Ospino, PhD

have is their children. When asked about the American Dream, most Hispanics name a better future for their children as the number one expression of their vision. For Hispanic Catholic families this new future includes a stronger Catholic identity and better opportunities to contribute to the life of society. One of the best resources that the Church in the United States has to partner with Hispanic families and achieve these goals is Catholic schools. Yet the small percentage of Hispanic children attending our Catholic schools is appalling, especially knowing that the majority of school-age Catholics is Hispanic. Catholic schools need to be resources to Hispanic families not because the Church as an institution finds itself compelled to provide a service to them but because these families are also the Church—along with Catholic families from various other cultures—and their children are vital to its future.

      Hispanic Families as Partners and Contributors

      In the history of education in the United States, Catholic schools stand out as institutions that take seriously the conviction that welcoming a child means welcoming a family. Many are the stories of women and men religious, priests, deacons, and lay teachers/principals in Catholic schools who took time, again and again, to engage families, making a memorable difference. We need to continue to do this with renewed commitment in an increasingly Hispanic Church. Engaging Hispanic families requires that all in our schools understand the complexity of the Hispanic experience: not all Hispanics are immigrants, though many are; not all Hispanics are poor, though many are; not all Hispanics speak Spanish, though many do. Hispanic families have much to contribute to our Catholic schools. But such contributions are only possible when schools genuinely create the spaces for these families to truly express their voice—and this happens very often in Spanish. Hispanic families can be instrumental in exposing the Catholic school community to the richness of cultural traditions that today give a new air to American Catholicism. The very presence of these families challenges our educational institutions. They often pose questions that perhaps the majority of families attending our schools until recently had ceased to ask. When Hispanic families see themselves as true partners and contributors to the success of our Catholic schools, they will not hesitate to invest in their growth just as countless Catholic families have done in the past. ■

      Questions for Dialogue and Reflection

      1. Why is it important that everyone in the Catholic school, parish, and diocese takes the time to learn more about the social and cultural realities that shape the lives of Hispanic families and children?

      2. What is your reaction the fact that barely 4% of all Hispanic Catholic school-age children are in Catholic schools? What strategies do you suggest to significantly increase that percentage?

      3. What must change to start treating Hispanic families as partners of Catholic schools and not merely as recipients of a benefit?

       “The greatest failure that an educator can have is to educate ‘within the walls.’ To educate within the walls: walls of a selective culture, the walls of a culture of security, the walls of a social category that is affluent and no longer goes forward.”

      —Pope Francis, Address to Catholic Educators, World Congress on Catholic Education (Nov 21, 2015)

Section III: Stewardship Dynamics

       “If we are to respond to the need for more Catholic schools we must seek innovative ways, including the use of tax free bonds, to finance them and to maintain those that currently exist. These programs will allow our Catholic schools to maintain quality programs, hire quality staff, and attract more students. We need to utilize the collective wisdom of the members of our Church and the society in which we live if we are to be successful in this effort.”

      —USCCB, Renewing our Commitment to Catholic Elementary & Secondary Schools in the Third Millennium (2005), n. 11

      Finances, Tuition Assistance, and Enrollment

      The absence of sufficient financial support is cited as the primary reason for low Hispanic enrollments based on the responses of school leaders across all regions. As one respondent commented, “The Hispanic community with whom I work believes in Catholic education for their children. I have been told…{We want our children to go to Catholic school but it is too expensive. Please help.} I want to do that; I want their children in our school. I don’t know how to provide more funding.”

      The challenge of financing Catholic education is universal, and is ever-present for schools working to serve the 60% of Hispanic Catholic households in the U.S. earning less than $30,000 per year. Increased tuition support is essential. Catholic schools generate revenue based on tuitions, fees, and donations. Many families rely on tuition assistance, and often it is insufficient. Catholic schools must address all costs and sources of revenue to be viable. The study schools have demonstrated, particularly in the West and the South, that this is possible.

      General Operating Costs for Responding Schools

      Catholic schools must account for all operating costs and must manage the generation of sufficient revenue to do so. Taking into consideration total school costs and cost per child among respondents, we see clear regional variations.⁴⁸ (See Table 4)

      It is important to note that these overall costs are lower when compared to average public school costs per pupil: $11,770.⁴⁹ The Northeast and South have similar costs and are higher than the Midwest and West. This is worthy of further investigation.

      Overall, sufficient funding for all Catholic schools requires substantial financial support beyond tuition and fees.⁵⁰ For even an academically rigorous school with strong Catholic identity will not survive without operational vitality.⁵¹

      Tuition