North Dakota Catholic bishops urge parishioners to advocate for Education Savings Accounts
Bishops from the Catholic dioceses of Bismarck and Fargo signed a joint letter Sunday urging parishioners across the state to contact their legislators and advocate for Education Savings Accounts.
Senate Bill 2400 and House Bill 1540 both passed their respective chambers during the first half of the legislative session and would allocate state tax dollars to student Education Savings Accounts that could be spent on a variety of services, including paying tuition for private schools.
The letter, signed by Bishop David Kagan of Bismarck and Bishop John Folda of Fargo, states the church teaches that parents are the primary educators for their children and they should have the freedom and resources to choose the best educational setting for their kids.
'They do not divert money from public schools, do not hurt rural schools and would be a great help to many families across the state of North Dakota,' the letter stated.
Bills look to expand North Dakota student opportunities through savings accounts
The letter was read from the pulpit at Catholic churches across the state, said David Tamisiea, executive director of the North Dakota Catholic Conference.
'It should've been read by everybody,' Tamisiea said.
He said it is the job of bishops as teachers of the faith to educate the faithful.
'People of faith have a voice to be heard in the public sphere,' Tamisiea said. 'It's OK for our faith leaders to encourage the people to exercise that voice and that's what they are doing.'
He also said public-private partnerships are a staple of state government in North Dakota and the education system should not be any different.
'There are all kinds of public-private partnerships where we use public funds to pay private organizations to carry out important tasks,' Tamisiea said.
The Catholic dioceses of Fargo and Bismarck encompass about 220 churches across North Dakota, according to their websites. The state also has more than 35 private Catholic schools, including pre-K.
Nick Archuleta, president of North Dakota United, which represents public school educators and opposes the bills, said the call to action by the Catholic diocese was not unexpected.
'What we are preparing for is to defeat these bills in each of the two chambers,' Archuleta said. 'We've never been a fan of using public dollars to support private school tuition and we're not going to start now.'
He added North Dakota United conducted polling in December that showed 68% of respondents were somewhat or strongly opposed to using tax dollars to pay for private tuition.
Both bills are scheduled for committee work on Tuesday in the Senate and House Education Committees, which are expected to make recommendations in the coming days.
bishop letter
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
7 hours ago
- Boston Globe
New Hampshire is expanding school choice. Will Massachusetts follow?
Advertisement This surge in school choice is part of a broader national trend. Enrollment in such programs has more than doubled since 2020 — from roughly 540,000 to more than Massachusetts, home to some of the nation's strongest private, parochial, charter, and vocational-technical schools, is increasingly being left behind, politically unwilling and legally constrained from offering families access to private options. The catalyst for this wave of private options was the US Supreme Court's 2020 decision in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. The court Advertisement Her story resonated nationwide, particularly during the pandemic. The move to online learning by public schools, union resistance to returning students to the classroom, and a seeming disregard for students' mental health and learning loss drove many families toward private and homeschool options. Even in Massachusetts, Massachusetts may remain among the top-performing states nationally, but that status masks a troubling decline. On the National Assessment of Educational Progress (the nation's report card), average eighth-grade The pandemic and student distraction due to cellphones are partially to blame, but the decline is Clearly there is a hunger for options other than traditional public school. Advertisement New Hampshire's latest choice expansion is relevant to Massachusetts because, in addition to the two states' cultural and demographic similarities, they post nearly identical academic performance. On the 2024 NAEP, New Hampshire eighth-graders scored averages of 280 in As student performance declines, Massachusetts lawmakers remain committed to a top-down, monopolistic education system. They refuse to consider private school choice, hiding behind 19th-century anti-Catholic amendments in the state constitution that prohibit public funds from flowing to religious schools, even indirectly. At the same time, lawmakers have stood by as the pillars of the Commonwealth's landmark 1993 education reforms — strong academic standards, accountability through testing, and choice through charter schools — have steadily eroded. New Hampshire is taking a more pragmatic approach: It is steadily expanding school choice with thoughtful fiscal safeguards and a clear focus on helping the students most in need. As a result, many more New Hampshire parents will now be able to narrow class- and race-based achievement gaps — whether through public or private schools, the small learning groups called The recently passed 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' President Trump's massive tax and spending plan, enacts the first national school choice program, offering scholarships funded through tax credits to all but the wealthiest families. Starting in 2027, taxpayers nationwide will be able to redirect up to $1,700 in federal taxes to approved scholarship organizations. Advertisement The program could benefit many of the 120,000 families in Massachusetts paying a private school tuition, or using homeschool and microschool options, which grew enormously during the pandemic. Expanding its appeal further, the program benefits families paying for after-school supplemental learning, including tutoring. The catch? States must opt in. For now, Massachusetts officials say they are For the dozens of states with school choice programs, including New Hampshire, the pathway forward is clear: Private school choice has broad public support and expands equality of educational opportunity. What will Massachusetts do?
17 hours ago
Pope Leo XIV renews call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy -- CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AP) — Pope Leo XIV renewed his call on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, asking the international community to respect international laws and the obligation to protect civilians. 'I once again call for an immediate end to the barbarity of this war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict,' the pontiff said at the end of his Sunday Angelus prayer from his summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo. Leo also expressed his 'deep sorrow' for the Israeli attack on the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, which killed three people and wounded 10 others, including the parish priest. 'I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations,' the pope added. The shelling of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza also damaged the church compound, where hundreds of Palestinians have been sheltering from the Israel-Hamas war, now in its 21st month. Israel expressed regret over what it described as an accident and said it was investigating. 'We need to dialogue and abandon weapons,' the pope said earlier Sunday, after presiding over Mass at the nearby Cathedral of Albano. 'The world no longer tolerates war,' Leo told reporters waiting for him outside the cathedral. Asked about his phone conversation on Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Leo said, 'We insisted on the need to protect the sacred places of all religions.' The pope will remain in Castel Gandolfo until Tuesday evening, when he returns to his Vatican residence, a Vatican spokesman said Sunday.
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Pope Leo XIV calls for end of ‘barbarity' after Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church
Pope Leo called for an end to the 'barbarity of war' on Sunday as he spoke of his profound pain over an Israeli strike on the sole Catholic church in Gaza. Three people died and several were injured, including the parish priest, in the strike on the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City on Thursday. Photos show its roof has been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and shattering windows. Advertisement 3 Pope Leo XIV called for an end to the 'barbarity of war' after an Israeli strike on the only Catholic church in Gaza. AP 3 The flag of Vatican City seen near the damage at the Holy Family Church, which was hit in an Israeli strike, in Gaza City on July 18. REUTERS 3 Leo read out the names of those killed in the incident after his Angelus prayer. REUTERS Advertisement Speaking after his Angelus prayer, Leo read out the names of those killed in the incident. 'I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, of indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of the population,' he said.
