February 8, 2018
COMING UP ON THE SECRETARIAT'S CALENDAR...

March 6-7th - Federal Assistance Advisory Commission (FAAC) Meetings, DC

March 15th - Meeting of the Committee on Catholic Education, USCCB

529 Expansion for K12 Tuition 
in the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017
Effective January 1, 2018 families may use 529 education savings plans for K12 tuition at private schools.  We have created the fact sheet below - please share widely!  It's important to get this news out to all Catholics, not just school parents.  Grandparents, Godparents, Aunts/Uncles all can help fund a 529 and help send a child to Catholic school.  Please post, share, print, email and insert in your parish bulletin!

However, as you can expect, there has been significant push back from parental choice opponents at the state level.  Please see this "Next Steps" document for school and policy leaders with recommendations on how to assess and respond to attacks on the 529 Expansion.  Please use this guide as a tool to create your own state-specific plan!

Finally, to get a feel for how opponents are responding, here is a list of news articles from across the country, I will continue to add more to this list!

Ombudsman update from ONPE 
Learn the latest on the work of Ombudsman across the country, and if you do not know your state's Ombudsman, check the list linked on the newsletter.
FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY

Stay informed! This article spells out some of the school choice proposals floating around Congress.

THE PARENTAL CHOICE BACK AND FORTH

There have been some pretty ridiculous articles circulating in the news lately about parental choice programs.  Let's make sure we know our facts and are ready to respond!  Here are two great places to learn:

AFC: DESTROYING THE MYTHS THAT STAND IN THE WAY OF SCHOOL CHOICE (GUEST: JOHN SCHILLING)

The school choice movement is gaining momentum, but there are still obstacles to be tackled. John Schilling, president of the American Federation for Children, joins the show to discuss recent advances in educational freedom across the nation. Schilling dispels myths spread by the anti-choice establishment, and explains why school choice is good not just for children and families, but for society as a whole. Schilling talks about why only a small percentage of American children have access to school choice, and what parents and voters can do about it to make their voices heard.
 
Jay Greene: Choice Opponent Claims Families Don't Want Choices

Opponents of school choice frequently claim that the sky will fall if a school choice program is enacted. For example, the School Superintendents Association (AASA) claims that choice programs would "'starve' public education of critical funding" because so many students would leave their assigned district school in favor of alternatives.

Proposed Bipartisan Budget 
The proposed bipartisan budget bill in Congress includes relief for public/private schools/students affected by the recent round of hurricanes and wildfires.  The relief program largely mirrors, and explicitly cross-references, a relief program that Congress approved in the wake of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina back in 2005. 

See the 2018 bipartisan budget agreement  (pp. 71-80 for relevant information on education relief.)
 
In short, the bill offers $2.7 billion, for use through September 30, 2022. In terms of tuition to displaced students, the bill provides:
 $8500 for displaced students, 
$9000 for displaced students who are English language learners and 
$10,000 for displaced students with a disability.

As always, please stay in touch with your ideas, suggestions, and experiences!

All the best,
Jennifer

USCCB Secretariat of Catholic Education  | 202-541-3148  | jdaniels @usccb.org | http://tinyurl.com/CatholicEdPolicy


Copyright © 2016. All Rights Reserved.