The Catholic Schools Office and the Delaware Alliance of Catholic School Parents are asking for your help to preserve state funding for the pupil transportation subsidy to parents and the school nurse subsidy.

State government is confronting a budget deficit for Fiscal Year 2009, which begins on July 1, 2008. As reported in the media, the Joint Finance Committee voted to reduce the pupil transportation subsidy that parents of nonpublic school students receive from $3 million to $2.25 million; a $750,000 cut.

While we recognize the difficulties of legislators in balancing the budget, the reduction of the few dollars provided to nonpublic school parents is hardly justified or fair. Each year, while serving 12,000 Delaware children, Catholic schools save the State of Delaware and school districts in excess of $144 million in educational costs. The families of those 12,000 students pay taxes which support the capital and operating costs of our public school system. In return, we ask for comparatively little. We ask you to consider signing on to support the petition being circulated by the Delaware Alliance of Catholic School Parents asking legislators to demonstrate their commitment to the education of all Delaware children by preserving the meager funding currently provided for the student transportation and school nursing services.

What you can do to help:

Call, e-mail or write your legislators: If you are not sure who represents you, call the Department of Elections at one of the following numbers: New Castle County: (302) 577-3464, Kent County: (302) 739-4498, Sussex County: (302) 856-5367. Legislators’ e-mail addresses can be found on the General Assembly’s website at http://legis.delaware.gov.

Petition to urge the Delaware General Assembly to preserver funding for the school nurse and student transportation subsidies.

DACSP

Delaware Alliance of Catholic School Parents

What is the DACSP?

• All parents of Catholic School Children are members of this organization

• Individual School Representatives from every school in our Diocese

• A Core Committee reports to the Catholic School Board

• A voice in the State and Federal Legislative proces

 Accomplishments

• State support of funding a nurse in every school

• Preservation of Federal Title V money used mainly for library books

• Preservation of State funding for transportation

• Exempting Catholic Schools from Daycare Regulations

• Created annual “Report Card” of Catholic Schools outlining the impact of our schools

• Identification of the areas that other states fund

Why Seek More Funding?

· Catholic School parents save the state about $9,700 of our tax dollars per year, per student

· Total savings to the state of about $126,000,000 per year

· “The Blaine Amendment”, which is a provision in the constitutions of 37 remaining states including Delaware, prohibits the use of state money for sectarian schools. Our neighboring states have overturned this amendment and secured state funds to provide textbooks, tax credits, school vouchers, teacher benefits, technology and more! Read more at http://blaineamendments.org/ The DACSP is currently studying this amendment.

How can you help? 

· Know that you are a member of DACSP

· Know the DACSP Representative(s) for your school

· Know your State Legislators www.votesmart.org

· Respond timely to calls for action from your school representative to support our Catholic Schools

· Attend regional meetings of DACSP (approximately 2 per year) to insure that you are aware action items that are occurring or are on the horizon that will affect our schools

· Look for further information from your DACSP Representatives and new links on your school’s web page regarding upcoming DACSP actions to be taken to include the School Nursing issue as well as Transportation funding

· For more information contact your DACSP School Representative or Cathy Weaver cweaver@cdow.org