Catholic schools in US hit by unprecedented enrollment drop; despite trial, Dems moving on relief
NEW YORK (AP) — Enrollment in Roman Catholic schools in the United States dropped 6.4% from the previous academic year amid the pandemic and economic stresses — the largest single-year decline in at least five decades, Catholic education officials reported Monday.
Among the factors were the closure or consolidation of more than 200 schools and the difficulty for many parents of paying tuition fees that average more than $5,000 for grades K-8 and more than $10,000 for secondary schools, according to the National Catholic Educational Association.
John Reyes, the NCEA’s executive director for operational vitality, said the pandemic has been an “accelerant” for longstanding challenges facing Catholic education.
Between the 2019-2020 school year and the current year, nationwide enrollment dropped by 110,000 to about 1.6 million students. Back in the 1960s, enrollment was more than 5 million. Read more:
Here’s an update on all developments. Scroll or swipe further for in-depth coverage.
- The House Ways and Means Committee could unveil a summary of their portion of the Covid relief bill on Monday. That would include their new proposal to boost the child tax credit to at least $3,000 per child.
- While a recent dip in Covid-19 infections may seem encouraging, experts warn now is not the time for Americans to let their guard down. That’s largely because of new variants circulating in the US, putting the country once again in the “eye of the hurricane,” according to one expert.
- Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday the country was still in a “deep hole” with millions of lost jobs but that President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief plan could generate enough growth to restore full employment by next year.
- A group of budding young writers is about to publish a book with some help from Maine’s most famous writer. Stephen King’s foundation covered the $6,500 cost of publishing a 290-page manuscript by students participating in Farwell Elementary School’s Author Studies Program.
- South Africa is considering giving a COVID-19 vaccine that is still in the testing phase to health workers, after suspending the rollout of another shot that preliminary data indicated is not effective at preventing mild to moderate illness from the variant dominant in the country.
For more summaries and full reports, please select from the articles below. Scroll further for the latest virus numbers.
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Takeaways from AP’s investigation of Catholic Church, US aid
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