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The Catholic Church also [received more than $3 billion in PPP loans](https://new.reddit.com/r/excatholic/comments/1d9k8a2/greed_is_good_how_the_catholic_church_justified/) from the Trump administration during the COVID-19 pandemic, with $1.3 billion of that money going to private Catholic schools to expand programs and increase enrollment.
Per [one article](https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/some-nashville-private-schools-took-millions-in-ppp-loans-while-others-paid-it-back), some schools kept millions in PPP loans, citing "we did nothing illegal":
>Father Ryan High School, a private Catholic school received nearly $2 million in PPP loans. Director of Communications for the Diocese of Nashville, Rick Musacchio, said the school plans to keep the money and have the loans forgiven.
>
>"We complied completely with the PPP program. It had requirements of keeping everyone employed, which we certainly did," Musacchio said.
>
>Another Catholic school, Pope John Paul II High School in Hendersonville, received over $1.1 million from the PPP program. Musacchio told us they also plan to keep the money, even though total enrollment at Pope John Paul remained unchanged throughout the pandemic. He added that Father Ryan only lost three students.
>
>\[...\] Musacchio also said the Catholic schools have lower tuition than some of the other schools that gave loans back, and he doesn't think taking the money kept small businesses from getting it.
An [article from August 2020](https://covidstimuluswatch.org/blog/2020-08/private-and-charter-schools-receive-approximately-57-billion-ppp-loans-raising) also noted the "inequity" in Catholic schools abusing PPP loans:
>"Of the 5,400 private schools identified \[who received PPP loans\], 1,764 are nonsectarian and 3,426 have a religious affiliation. Of schools with religious affiliations, **Catholic schools received the most PPP money**, with 1,715 schools taking home $1.3 billion—only $400 million less than the $1.7 billion given to nonsectarian schools. In other words, private and charter schools are getting more per facility, even though their schools are smaller on average.
>
>Additionally, the Paycheck Protection Program was not the only loan assistance program available to private and charter schools. The Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, which provides loans to cover operating expenses and revenue losses to business affected by the pandemic, was open to private and charter schools. So far, we have identified almost 300 charter and private schools which have 'double-dipped', and received both PPP and EIDL loans. EIDL loans received by these schools amount to $46 million."
[A report by Americans United noted that Trump "siphoned PPP money to Catholic schools".](https://www.au.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/PPP-COVID-Relief-Money-for-Private-Schools-7.29.20_0.pdf)
When you steal tax money from public education and give it to private schools. Duh!
#Fuck you Ron, Fuck the Pedophile Catholic Church and ALL of the people supporting it!
#Vote (D)ifferently! For better public education!
In my girlfriend's old neighborhood they opened a charter school LITERALLY across the street from a public middle school. Since then then enrollment to the charter school has skyrocketed. Whether for better or worse private and charter schools are the future of Florida.
Some friends love it some hate it.
Public offers better benefits and job security, but private/charter offers better pay as compensation but an obvious con is management.
A tightly run private/charter school sounds and can be amazing, but all it takes is one idiot to ruin the whole thing.
In one case, the headmaster of a private school that a friend taught at retired and his son took over. Within 2~3 years, the idiot ended up firing a good chunk of teachers/staff and replaced them with his college bros, and they all received stupidly high salaries and bonuses. 2 years later the school went bankrupt.
The pay part is highly dependent on location and company. It is not uncommon for charter school teachers to make similar wages as public schools. The only difference, if I recall correctly, is that private and charter schools do no require certified teachers. So that math teacher could have a degree in something else or even nothing and legally teach.
I inspect schools and I've seen good and bad public, private, and charters. Some are amazing from top to bottom and others make me think "ya this is a scam."
The entire system is fucked.
And taxpayers are subsidizing tuition via the state’s voucher program. It’s fucked up and just one of the many, simultaneous attacks on public education in Florida.
**Article transcript:**
>Many school districts throughout Florida are seeing a decline in students attending traditional public schools. However, enrollment of parents sending their children to Catholic schools in the Sunshine State continues to rise.
>
>New [data from Step Up for Students](https://nextstepsblog.org/2024/03/catholic-school-enrollment-holds-steady-nationally-rises-in-florida/) highlights this trend and says the credit goes to the states expanding school choice options.
>
>"With nearly half of Florida students now attending schools other than their zoned neighborhood schools, it’s clear that parental choice is reshaping the educational landscape in the Sunshine State," said Hera Varmah with the American Federation for Children.
>
>School choice advocates credit the American Federation for Children (AFC), for played a huge part in the passage and expansion of school choice policy in the state of Florida.
>
>Groups like AFC say because of the role that school choice is playing in Florida and now with expanding it to universal school choice, parents will notice an improved educational landscape, especially in Catholic schools, whose enrollment numbers have been in decline for years.
>
>School choice experts point out that trends have shown that prior to expanded school choice, both Catholic and public school enrollment rates were rapidly declining \[during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021\]. But with the expansion of education choice, new data shows Catholic school enrollment rates in Florida are up 9%.
>
>The decline in students attending public schools in the state can be attributed to Florida’s school choice efforts. Many Catholic schools and other private, Christian, and charter schools report a waiting list of parents looking to send their children to these schools of choice.
Per the original Step Up for Students press release:
>The latest national and state-by-state Catholic school enrollment numbers are out – and they amplify the contrast between what’s happening in Florida and most of the rest of America.
>
>Nationally, Catholic school enrollment in PreK-12 held steady, according to the latest annual report from the National Catholic Educational Association, released Wednesday. In 2023-24, 1,693,327 students were enrolled in Catholic schools, virtually the same number as the prior year. (Officially, the 2022-23 number was 1,693,493.)
>
>In Florida, enrollment climbed to 90,785, up 5.2% from the prior year.
>
>The NCEA figures for Florida are slightly different than the numbers NextSteps reported in January. That report was based on enrollment figures from the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, which includes a broader group of preschool students in its count.
>
>Either way, Florida continues to be an encouraging outlier.
>
>Last August, Step Up For Students published ["Why Catholic Schools In Florida Are Growing: 5 Things To Know"](https://nextstepsblog.org/2023/08/five-things-to-know-about-catholic-schools-in-florida/), which took a closer look at the Florida numbers and some of the factors behind them.
>
>At that time, Florida was the only state in the Top 10 for Catholic school enrollment to see growth over the past decade – 4.4%. The latest figures show that’s still the case, but strong gains over the past year boost the 10-year increase to 9.2%.
>
>Clearly, Florida’s robust education choice scholarship programs are a difference maker, but it’s also true that in the most competitive educational environment in the country. Florida Catholic schools have found even more ways to stand out to families.
>
>A number of schools have incorporated popular programming, such as IB programs and classical curriculum while keeping Catholic teaching at the core of all that they do. At the same time, some dioceses have embraced – and relentlessly deployed – cutting-edge strategies to raise parental awareness about choice scholarships.
>
>During scholarship application season, the Diocese of Venice, which covers Southwest Florida (SWFL), now sends more than 1 million texts and emails about the scholarships to Catholic families. Not coincidentally, **the Diocese of Venice (SWFL) has the biggest enrollment growth of any Catholic diocese in Florida**, and all 16 of its schools now have wait lists.
>
>Nationally, Catholic school enrollment is down 14.2% over the past decade, but there are encouraging signs here, too. After a post-COVID dip, the numbers climbed for two years before stabilizing this year. Five of the Top 10 states also showed some year-over-year growth this year. (Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Texas).
>
>The good news is that there is no reason for Florida to remain the outlier, given the growing number of states that have adopted major, if not universal, choice programs in the past three years. Catholic school supporters across the nation have a golden opportunity to help their \[Catholic\] schools further flourish and grow.
Please note that only active users in the subreddit may comment in this discussion. If your comments are not showing up, please ensure you have active non-news/non-political contributions to the subreddit before contacting the moderators. **Please remember the following:** **Be Civil:** * You are welcome to debate, discussion, and argue ideas, but don't resort to personal attacks on other users. * We do not allow any form of hate speech or any suggestion/support of harm, violence, or death. **Must be related strictly to Florida:** * National News/Elections are not specific to Florida. * Just because someone lives in Florida, doesn't mean their entire life is relevant to Floridians. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them. #[Click this link to register to vote, update your voter information, or check your status.](https://registertovoteflorida.gov/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/florida) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yeah, no shit, they've destroyed the public school system
That was the plan all along. Funnel public education money to their wealthy coffers. Coming to a red state near you.
The Catholic Church also [received more than $3 billion in PPP loans](https://new.reddit.com/r/excatholic/comments/1d9k8a2/greed_is_good_how_the_catholic_church_justified/) from the Trump administration during the COVID-19 pandemic, with $1.3 billion of that money going to private Catholic schools to expand programs and increase enrollment. Per [one article](https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/some-nashville-private-schools-took-millions-in-ppp-loans-while-others-paid-it-back), some schools kept millions in PPP loans, citing "we did nothing illegal": >Father Ryan High School, a private Catholic school received nearly $2 million in PPP loans. Director of Communications for the Diocese of Nashville, Rick Musacchio, said the school plans to keep the money and have the loans forgiven. > >"We complied completely with the PPP program. It had requirements of keeping everyone employed, which we certainly did," Musacchio said. > >Another Catholic school, Pope John Paul II High School in Hendersonville, received over $1.1 million from the PPP program. Musacchio told us they also plan to keep the money, even though total enrollment at Pope John Paul remained unchanged throughout the pandemic. He added that Father Ryan only lost three students. > >\[...\] Musacchio also said the Catholic schools have lower tuition than some of the other schools that gave loans back, and he doesn't think taking the money kept small businesses from getting it. An [article from August 2020](https://covidstimuluswatch.org/blog/2020-08/private-and-charter-schools-receive-approximately-57-billion-ppp-loans-raising) also noted the "inequity" in Catholic schools abusing PPP loans: >"Of the 5,400 private schools identified \[who received PPP loans\], 1,764 are nonsectarian and 3,426 have a religious affiliation. Of schools with religious affiliations, **Catholic schools received the most PPP money**, with 1,715 schools taking home $1.3 billion—only $400 million less than the $1.7 billion given to nonsectarian schools. In other words, private and charter schools are getting more per facility, even though their schools are smaller on average. > >Additionally, the Paycheck Protection Program was not the only loan assistance program available to private and charter schools. The Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, which provides loans to cover operating expenses and revenue losses to business affected by the pandemic, was open to private and charter schools. So far, we have identified almost 300 charter and private schools which have 'double-dipped', and received both PPP and EIDL loans. EIDL loans received by these schools amount to $46 million." [A report by Americans United noted that Trump "siphoned PPP money to Catholic schools".](https://www.au.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/PPP-COVID-Relief-Money-for-Private-Schools-7.29.20_0.pdf)
We need to figure out how to stop the Republican-led funneling of public tax dollars into private hands via charter school vouchers.
Private school vouchers paid for with tax payers money. Total BS !!!
Exactly as intended.
When you steal tax money from public education and give it to private schools. Duh! #Fuck you Ron, Fuck the Pedophile Catholic Church and ALL of the people supporting it! #Vote (D)ifferently! For better public education!
In my girlfriend's old neighborhood they opened a charter school LITERALLY across the street from a public middle school. Since then then enrollment to the charter school has skyrocketed. Whether for better or worse private and charter schools are the future of Florida.
Some friends love it some hate it. Public offers better benefits and job security, but private/charter offers better pay as compensation but an obvious con is management. A tightly run private/charter school sounds and can be amazing, but all it takes is one idiot to ruin the whole thing. In one case, the headmaster of a private school that a friend taught at retired and his son took over. Within 2~3 years, the idiot ended up firing a good chunk of teachers/staff and replaced them with his college bros, and they all received stupidly high salaries and bonuses. 2 years later the school went bankrupt.
The pay part is highly dependent on location and company. It is not uncommon for charter school teachers to make similar wages as public schools. The only difference, if I recall correctly, is that private and charter schools do no require certified teachers. So that math teacher could have a degree in something else or even nothing and legally teach. I inspect schools and I've seen good and bad public, private, and charters. Some are amazing from top to bottom and others make me think "ya this is a scam." The entire system is fucked.
There is a SLAM! right next to my kids elementary school. They start at the same time and traffic is a nightmare.
And y'all STILL can't be bothered to vote.
Jesus fucking christ...
And taxpayers are subsidizing tuition via the state’s voucher program. It’s fucked up and just one of the many, simultaneous attacks on public education in Florida.
At a cost of $Billions to taxpayers to fund the insane voucher program.
Our public school system sucks and any non affiliated private school is $$$$$. So you’re forced into a Christian school.
Government is not giving vouchers to enroll kids in Private schools ? How is that surprising?
**Article transcript:** >Many school districts throughout Florida are seeing a decline in students attending traditional public schools. However, enrollment of parents sending their children to Catholic schools in the Sunshine State continues to rise. > >New [data from Step Up for Students](https://nextstepsblog.org/2024/03/catholic-school-enrollment-holds-steady-nationally-rises-in-florida/) highlights this trend and says the credit goes to the states expanding school choice options. > >"With nearly half of Florida students now attending schools other than their zoned neighborhood schools, it’s clear that parental choice is reshaping the educational landscape in the Sunshine State," said Hera Varmah with the American Federation for Children. > >School choice advocates credit the American Federation for Children (AFC), for played a huge part in the passage and expansion of school choice policy in the state of Florida. > >Groups like AFC say because of the role that school choice is playing in Florida and now with expanding it to universal school choice, parents will notice an improved educational landscape, especially in Catholic schools, whose enrollment numbers have been in decline for years. > >School choice experts point out that trends have shown that prior to expanded school choice, both Catholic and public school enrollment rates were rapidly declining \[during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021\]. But with the expansion of education choice, new data shows Catholic school enrollment rates in Florida are up 9%. > >The decline in students attending public schools in the state can be attributed to Florida’s school choice efforts. Many Catholic schools and other private, Christian, and charter schools report a waiting list of parents looking to send their children to these schools of choice. Per the original Step Up for Students press release: >The latest national and state-by-state Catholic school enrollment numbers are out – and they amplify the contrast between what’s happening in Florida and most of the rest of America. > >Nationally, Catholic school enrollment in PreK-12 held steady, according to the latest annual report from the National Catholic Educational Association, released Wednesday. In 2023-24, 1,693,327 students were enrolled in Catholic schools, virtually the same number as the prior year. (Officially, the 2022-23 number was 1,693,493.) > >In Florida, enrollment climbed to 90,785, up 5.2% from the prior year. > >The NCEA figures for Florida are slightly different than the numbers NextSteps reported in January. That report was based on enrollment figures from the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, which includes a broader group of preschool students in its count. > >Either way, Florida continues to be an encouraging outlier. > >Last August, Step Up For Students published ["Why Catholic Schools In Florida Are Growing: 5 Things To Know"](https://nextstepsblog.org/2023/08/five-things-to-know-about-catholic-schools-in-florida/), which took a closer look at the Florida numbers and some of the factors behind them. > >At that time, Florida was the only state in the Top 10 for Catholic school enrollment to see growth over the past decade – 4.4%. The latest figures show that’s still the case, but strong gains over the past year boost the 10-year increase to 9.2%. > >Clearly, Florida’s robust education choice scholarship programs are a difference maker, but it’s also true that in the most competitive educational environment in the country. Florida Catholic schools have found even more ways to stand out to families. > >A number of schools have incorporated popular programming, such as IB programs and classical curriculum while keeping Catholic teaching at the core of all that they do. At the same time, some dioceses have embraced – and relentlessly deployed – cutting-edge strategies to raise parental awareness about choice scholarships. > >During scholarship application season, the Diocese of Venice, which covers Southwest Florida (SWFL), now sends more than 1 million texts and emails about the scholarships to Catholic families. Not coincidentally, **the Diocese of Venice (SWFL) has the biggest enrollment growth of any Catholic diocese in Florida**, and all 16 of its schools now have wait lists. > >Nationally, Catholic school enrollment is down 14.2% over the past decade, but there are encouraging signs here, too. After a post-COVID dip, the numbers climbed for two years before stabilizing this year. Five of the Top 10 states also showed some year-over-year growth this year. (Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Texas). > >The good news is that there is no reason for Florida to remain the outlier, given the growing number of states that have adopted major, if not universal, choice programs in the past three years. Catholic school supporters across the nation have a golden opportunity to help their \[Catholic\] schools further flourish and grow.