RIVERVIEW – Rosa Salom Garcia’s car was reinforced to withstand bullets because the threat of being kidnapped was a part of everyday life in Venezuela.

She was a leading eye surgeon in her native Caracas with a practice spread over multiple locations in the city. Her daughter, Maria Castillo Salom, attended private school.

Life was great until it wasn’t.

Until the political climate became volatile in the mid-2010s, with the government confiscating some of Rosa’s offices. Until kidnappings of citizens who could pay huge ransoms were commonplace. Rosa feared for her safety as well as Maria’s.

“All I wanted to do in life I did,” Rosa said. “My life became Maria’s life.”

So, in the summer of 2017, mother and daughter moved to Riverview, east of Tampa. Rosa gave up her medical practice and left her family for a safer, better future for Maria.

“She never said, ‘I did this all for you,’ but I knew,” Maria said. “I knew all the sacrifices she had made. She left her whole life behind, and my main goal was to make her proud.”

Maria, who arrived in time for the seventh grade, continued her private school education with the help of a Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, which is funded by corporate donations to Step Up For Students.

Maria finished elementary school at nearby St. Stephens Catholic School, then attended Tampa Catholic High School, where she graduated in 2023 third in her class with a 4.0 GPA and an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

“We’re forever grateful for Step Up,” said Gabriel Casas Diaz, Rosa’s husband and Maria’s stepfather. “Without Step Up’s help, Maria won’t be where she is right now.”

That first year at St. Stephens was not easy for Maria, now 20. An honor roll student in Caracas, Maria had little trouble in science and math, because two plus two equals four in any language. But her English was limited, and she struggled with American History. The smaller classes at her new school provided the right educational setting, because teachers could take the time to work with Maria. They knew she was a bright student, and they were determined to help her succeed.

They explained assignments during class and tutored her afterwards.

“I had teachers who were truly devoted to me,” Maria said. “Honestly, I took up a lot of their time.”

Attending a Catholic school in her new home offered some much-needed familiarity with her faith as she adjusted to the move to a new country.

“It was really good to be connected to my faith,” she said. “It was a difficult move. My father is still in Venezuela. So is my extended family.”

n the eighth grade, Maria wrote an essay about the life she left behind. She didn’t leave anything out. She wrote about the violence, the poverty, the never-ending fear for her family’s safety. The essay was for a contest where the winner received a $10,000 scholarship toward high school. Maria finished second.

But her essay was forwarded to the administration at Tampa Catholic. Maria was asked to apply and was accepted. The essay earned her a Mary Neary Scholarship from her new school. That coupled with a scholarship from the Diocese of St. Petersburg for her grades and the FTC scholarship enabled Rosa to afford Tampa Catholic.

“I am eternally grateful for the (Florida Tax Credit) scholarship, for allowing me to make it through,” Maria said.

Maria found the teachers at Tampa Catholic as helpful and encouraging as those at St. Stephens. It wasn’t long before she was taking AP classes. She studied French and became president of the French National Honor Society. She took six math classes and continued her education during the summer though Florida Virtual School.

She recorded more than 200 community service hours from volunteering at Feeding Tampa Bay and the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. She played three years of soccer, stopping as a senior only because her courseload was too demanding.

When asked during her junior year by Tampa Catholic’s college counselor about her college plans, Maria answered with the three words: The Naval Academy.

Somewhat stunned, the counselor suggested the University of Notre Dame as a safe school, where she could join its Navy ROTC. But Maria had her eyes set on the Naval Academy, which could lead to a career in the Marines or the FBI.

Gabriel retired after nearly 29 years as a Marine, and Maria likes the camaraderie he has with fellow Marines, those he’s known for a long time and those he just met. It’s “Oorah” and an instant bond.

Maria, who became a U.S. citizen in 2020 along with Rosa, received the acceptance email from the Academy on March 31 of her senior year. She already had been accepted to Notre Dame and the University of Florida.

She had just finished taking an AP biology exam when she noticed the email alert on her Apple Watch. She was excused from class and called her mom with the news. They both cried.

“My mother, she’s my role model,” Maria said. “I had to make her sacrifice worth it.”

Rosa has changed careers since moving to the United States. She earned a liberal arts degree at Hillsborough Community College and is a certified mental health counselor, working with immigrants.

“I really appreciate all that this country made for Maria, for us in general,” Rosa said. “She has a great opportunity. Maria’s future would be different if she remained in Venezuela. Totally different worlds.”

Maria loves her new world.

“I feel like the United States opened its heart and to us and I've just been so grateful,” she said. “It certainly is amazing. I don't think it could be a better place in the world, and that's kind of the reason I'm serving the country, to show I’m so grateful to it.”

 

 

The story: A federal judge’s ruling means that Maine can continue to bar religious schools from a state school choice program, despite a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down an outright ban.

Setting the stage: As the U.S. Supreme Court weighed the landmark Carson v. Makin, Maine extended its anti-discrimination law to private schools participating in its town tuition program.

The other Makin case: A Catholic school and a rural family sued, arguing the law forces religious schools to set aside their beliefs if they want to access public tuition subsidies. That, they contend, conflicts with the 2022 Carson ruling, which cleared the way for public funding of religious private schools.

U.S. District Judge U.S. John Woodcock Jr. denied the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction, saying the case was unlikely to succeed. However, his ruling said he expects a higher court to have the final say.

“The plaintiffs are free to practice their religion, including the teaching of their religion as they see fit, but cannot require the state to subsidize their religious teachings if they conflict with state anti-discrimination law,” Woodcock wrote in a 75-page ruling.

Why it matters: The case, St. Dominic v. Makin, along with a similar lawsuit filed by other Maine families, raises a key question that echoes other education choice cases: Can states require religious schools to adopt policies that conflict with their beliefs to accept public money?

• The same question has also arisen in the debate over the Oklahoma state government’s approval of St. Isidore Catholic charter school.  School supporters appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court after Oklahoma’s high court struck down the program. Some legal experts warn that if Oklahoma wins, it could open the door to religious charter schools while slamming it shut on their ability to uphold church teachings.

Yes, but: A 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling said teachers at religious schools are not covered by federal employment discrimination laws if their roles are “ministerial.” Whether that line of reasoning could play a role in Maine and Oklahoma has yet to be determined.

Catch up quick: Maine is one of a handful of northeastern states that allows students in areas without public high schools to receive “town tuition” funds to attend nearby private schools. Maine banned religious schools from participating in 1982 after including them for nearly a century. Three families sued the state in 2018 on the grounds of religious discrimination, resulting in the 6-3 Carson decision.

Adèle Keim, senior counsel at Becket Law, representing St. Dominic Academy and a Catholic family, accused the state of making an end run around Carson. She also said the state allows out-of-state schools to participate and admits it does not police their policies. “St. Dominic is just asking for the same treatment Maine already gives to other private schools."

The state’s response: The state attorney general did not comment on the federal judge’s ruling. However, in a statement shortly after the Carson ruling, he said he was “terribly disappointed and disheartened” by the decision and called the education offered by certain religious schools “inimical to public education.”

To be continued: The plaintiffs have already appealed to the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.

 

 

TAMPA – The night ended with a set of Latin music, one of Victor Peña’s favorites, and everyone inside the theater on the campus of Jesuit High School was standing and moving something – arms, legs, hips.

It was the final set of a two-hour concert to raise money for a scholarship to honor Victor, Jesuit Class of 2016, who died along with a close friend, Sean Shearman, in a car accident in Tallahassee in October 2020.

Carlos Lamoutte was the bandleader and ringleader. He’s Jesuit Class of ’25. He attends the private, all-male, Catholic high school in Tampa with the help of Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO), managed by Step Up For Students.

His family and the Peña family are close. They attend the same Catholic church near their homes – the Peñas in Brandon and the Lamouttes in Plant City. The children attended the same Catholic elementary school. They’ve vacationed together. Spent days together at the beach.

The scholarship to honor Victor’s memory was Carlos’ idea.

“I can’t imagine who I would be without Jesuit,” Carlos said. “They truly are shaping me into becoming the man I am, and the same exact experience I’m having, I want for others to have, and I know how expensive it is for some families to send their sons here.”

The Victor Pena ’16 Benefit Concert raised $18,000, which will go toward the Victor Pena '16 Annual Financial Aid Scholarship to Jesuit.

“As Victor’s parents, we are super pleased at this beautiful gesture of the school and Carlito, because if it wasn't for his spark, and his idea and his organizing, pushing and making the case to school administration officials, it never would have happened,” Victor Peña Sr., said. “He was the linchpin.”

Carlos, 17, is a talented musician who plays the guitar and piano. He’s also the lead singer of his rock band, The Jesuit Boys, which he formed two years ago with some classmates. They play at Catholic events around Tampa.

Victor was a close friend of Caroline Lamoutte, Carlos’ older sister who is now in medical school at the University of Florida. Carlos saw Victor as an older brother.

“He had a huge, positive impact on my life,” Carlos said. “There is this heaviness in my heart.”

Since Victor’s passing, Carlos had wanted to honor him in some way. It was this past December while having dinner with his parents – Ana and Carlos – that Ana mentioned his music.

“My Mom said, ‘You have this talent, and the Lord has asked you to use this gift for something great because this gift wasn't given to you just to have fun. It is to make an impact on the world,’ ” Carlos said. “So, I thought, ‘Well, shoot. I've always wanted to do something for Victor. This could be it. I can raise money in his name.’ ”

“The light bulb went on,” Ana said, “and from that point on, he was nonstop.”

The Rev. Richard C. Hermes, S.J., president of Jesuit High, didn’t hesitate to say yes when Carlos approached him with the idea of a benefit concert. With guidance from Nick Suszynski, Jesuit’s director of development, and help from other members of the Jesuit staff and a few alumni, Carlos put together a silent auction, food, and musicians for the event.

The crowd of 200 that gathered at the Antinori Center for the Arts included members of the Peña family from Georgia and Miami and former classmates of Victor’s from as far back as grade school. Victor’s brother, Gabriel (Jesuit class of ’17), was the emcee. His sister, Angie, read a poem.

At one point, Lidia Peña, Victor’s mom, joined the band on stage and played a duet of several Cuban dances on the piano with her sister, Lisette Garcia.

“It was right,” Ana said. “It was music. It was dancing. It was food. It was Victor.”

“Victor was definitely there,” said his father. “Victor was a fun-loving guy. He just loved to have fun. We believe in an afterlife, so we really feel that he was a happy camper that night.”

Victor’s family and friends remember him for his larger-than-life personality, his levelheadedness, his strong Catholic faith, his smarts, his ability to bring friends and family together, and his high energy, which everyone agrees was contagious.

Family and friends say the same thing about Carlos.

“I see Victor every time I interact with Carlito,” Victor Sr. said.

Carlos is an honor roll student who is interested in a music career. He’d like to attend Vanderbilt University in Nashville and major in finance or economics with a double major in music business.

Though he is a natural at leading a band on stage and interacting with the audience, organizing the benefit concert has led him to think his future might be on that side of the business -- marketing and promotion. Also, working with Suszynski on the concert provided an introduction to the world of fundraising.

“Maybe creating a nonprofit would be something that I'd like to do,” Carlos said. “This has been a super cool experience in that perspective, as well.”

And there is always the medical profession. His other sister, Lauren, is in dental school at the University of Florida.

“Having the (FES-EO) scholarship is a huge blessing,” Carlos said. “With a sister in medical school, a sister in dental school, and me at a private school, my parents didn’t know how they were going to make ends meet. The scholarship came along and it has helped. It’s been such a blessing in my own life.”

Carlos plans to visit Vanderbilt this summer during a trip to Nashville. He knows his senior year will pass quickly, and it will include the big decision of where to go to college and what to study.

He also knows his senior year will include another Victor Pena ’16 Benefit Concert to raise more money for the scholarship fund. In fact, it’s Carlos’ plan that the concert became a yearly staple on the Jesuit social scene, whether he’s involved or not.

“It felt amazing to know that we were all in it together,” Carlos said. “The school wanted to help. The people in the audience wanted to help. And we were making a huge impact to honor Victor and for all these future kids who are going to come to Jesuit in need of financial aid.”

 

 

Originally, all Raymond Rodriguez-Torres was expecting was a public service announcement honoring his late daughter.

He – and his daughter’s memory – received more. Much more.

Rodriguez-Torres hoped the multi-media club at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, his alma mater, could produce a PSA about Live Like Bella, the nonprofit that battles childhood cancer in honor of his daughter Bella, who died in 2013 when she was 10.

Omar Delgado, the teacher who oversees the club at Christopher Columbus, thought Bella’s story warranted more.

“I said, ‘This is a documentary, and I have the perfect guy to do it,’” Delgado said.

That would be Sebastian Broche, who recently graduated from the private Catholic high school after attending on Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship for Equal Opportunities (FES-EO) managed by Step Up For Students.

Sebastian led a team of 18 Columbus students that included his brother Alejandro and produced a moving 30-minute documentary. The project earned Sebastian a Suncoast Student Production Award (SSPA) from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for best director and an SSPA for Alejandro for best graphics.

It was also named the best documentary in the nation by Student Television Network.

It is expected to be released on Amazon Prime Video.

“What they put together is beyond what we could have ever been able to conceive, which was telling Bella’s story in the appropriate way. I think it was extremely touching,” Rodriguez-Torres said. “I’m so proud of these kids. It’s difficult for me to put it into words.”

“Live Like Bella” tells Bella’s story from when she was first diagnosed with Stage Four Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, through her six-year fight and ends with her legacy, which is a nonprofit that has raised more than $37 million and provided more than $6.5 million in financial support for families in 49 states and 37 countries since its inception in 2013.

There are interviews with Bella’s family and doctors, videos and pictures of Bella, a clip of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat, who wrote #LiveLikeBella on their sneakers during the 2013 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, and pictures of Bella that turned into sketches through the magic of editing. The documentary received a standing ovation from the overflow crowd at the Miracle Theater in Coral Cables after its premiere in March.

“It’s pretty powerful,” Sebastian said. “And that was the goal.”

***

Sebastian and Alejandro, who has attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attends Columbus on a Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA), are Miami natives but lived most of their lives in Costa Rica. The boys returned to Florida during their middle school years. By then, their parents had divorced and their dad, Alejandro Sr., had moved to Miami. He wanted Sebastian to attend Columbus. Their mom, Aimée Uriarte, agreed and moved with the boys to Miami.

The FES-EO made attending the private Catholic high school affordable.

Two years later, Aimée Uriarte wanted the same high-level academic opportunity for the youngest of her two sons, knowing that’s what Alejandro needed to develop his talents and self-confidence. As a single mother, Aimée was able to achieve that with the FES-UA scholarship.

“I think every family deserves the scholarships, regardless of income or their child’s conditions,” said Aimée Uriarte, the boys’ mother. “I think the whole country should emulate Florida.”

Sebastian admitted that the all-male student body, the strict dress code, and the challenging classes at Columbus took some getting used to.

“God works in mysterious ways,” he said. “The fact that I ended up here is probably one of my biggest blessings. It was definitely the school for me. I feel it has given me so many opportunities. It was something that I didn't know I needed at the time, but now looking back, I can’t see myself going anywhere else.

“They make you a man and a man of principles, especially.”

Sebastian will attend Santa Fe College in Gainesville in the fall with the goal of transferring across town to the University of Florida, where he plans on majoring in journalism. His goal is to own a digital media company.

That’s a different career than what he expected when he entered Columbus as a freshman. Back then, Sebastian was interested in art and architecture. But a friend suggested he join Christopher Columbus News Network (CCNN), the student-run broadcast news program. Sebastian did and soon realized his talents included directing and producing programs and videos.

“I found out I was better at broadcasting than drawing,” he said.

Alejandro, 16, followed his brother to Columbus and joined CCNN, as well.

“I think they were both just trying to find their way and they were able to tap into a side of themselves they didn’t know they had,” Delgado said. “As a teacher that's what you want to see. You want to see kids reach their full potential, and I really think that Sebastian and Ale are doing that.”

Alejandro’s plan is to attend Florida State University and pursue a career in film.

“Getting to see the level of national recognitions and not only academic, but also the human quality of teachers and mentors that Sebas and Ale have had access to at Columbus, is something I never imagined in my wildest dreams. Never” Aimée said. “I’m simply in awe and beyond proud of the men my sons are becoming.”

The brothers have combined to win more than 60 awards for directing and graphics. Sebastian earned a $4,500 per semester scholarship from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, received a $7,500 grant from Media for Minorities, and received the Mike Wallace Memorial Scholarship, worth $10,000, funded by CBS News.

***

Raymond Rodriguez-Torres and his wife, Shannah, were approached by several groups, including Netflix, about a documentary on Bella after the clips aired of NBA superstars paying tribute to their daughter. But the couple was uncomfortable with strangers coming to the house and taking videos of Bella’s bedroom.

Rodriguez-Torres is a 1994 graduate of Columbus and was a part of CCNN during its early years. The network of Columbus alumni in South Florida is very tight. It threw its support behind Bella’s fight against cancer and later behind the nonprofit. Word spread through the alumni circle and Rodriguez-Torres found himself meeting with school officials interested in working on his original plan of a PSA. Eventually, he met with Delgado, and Delgado sold him on his vision of a documentary produced by CCNN.

 

“I knew we had one shot at this,” Rodriguez-Torres said. “Ultimately, I said, ‘This is the way God and Bella wanted it. They want a bunch of high school kids doing something nobody expects.’ Little did I know what was coming.”

Delgado did. Sebastian was the producer and editor. He made the storyboards and came up with the questions to be asked during the interviews. Alejandro worked on graphics and animation.

“He’s a really creative kid,” Sebastian said of his brother. “He’s a lot more creative than I am. Give him a camera and give him an idea, and that kid will blow your mind.”

Sebastian learned of Bella’s powerful story during a meeting with Shannah and Raymond Rodriguez-Torres. Sebastian, who already produced two documentaries for CCNN, knew it would be his biggest challenge. But he said he wasn’t intimidated.

“I knew how strong of a story it was,” Sebastian said, “and during the whole meeting I was thinking, ‘OK, here’s how I want to tell it.’ ”

Nearly six months later, the documentary was ready. Nearly everyone who saw the finished product was amazed that it was produced by a high school senior directing a team of fellow classmates.

Nearly everyone, because Delgado was not amazed.

“Sebastian impresses me every single day,” Delgado said. “To see who he has become in the last four years is something that I am eternally proud and grateful for.

“But to tell you I was surprised, I wish I could because I missed that feeling of being surprised by Sebastian. I don't have it anymore because it’s something I expect from him, because he's such an amazing human being and he just keeps on producing.”

 

JACKSONVILLE, Florida - Math class at Holy Family Catholic School begins with two polls, one in which students share their snack preferences and the other in which they name their favorite animals. 

Second-grade teacher Alicia Revels divides the room into two groups of students and assigns each a survey to give the class.  The two groups count the votes. 

Revels writes the results on the whiteboard. In the snack poll, cookies edged out popcorn six to five, while only one student chose chips. In the animal group, tigers received the most love with six votes. Monkeys got four, while two students preferred elephants. 

Revels’ goal when she designed the lesson: teach students how to display and interpret data. “I love it when students can have input when it comes to data, so it makes it more relevant to them,” she said. 

After the fun, Revels asks the students to design a bar graph for their poll results and create related equations.  

As the students begin work, three girls who were in the animals group break away and head to a small table at the right side of the classroom. Amy Galloway hands each student two worksheets and connecting blocks in red, blue and yellow.  

“What do you put first in a bar graph?” Galloway asks. After creating the graph with the blocks, they draw and color it with markers on a graph sheet. They then fill in the numbers 0 through 10 in the left column and the names of each animal in the columns along the bottom row. 

Though the casual observer might not notice, the three students are receiving stealth tutoring. It’s one example of Holy Family’s Differentiation, Enrichment and Needed Support or D.E.N.S. program in action.  

It's also another example of how Florida Catholic schools are increasingly trying new approaches to better meet the needs of more diverse students and fuel their growth in the Sunshine State. 

“D.E.N.S started as a way to give teachers additional support and create smaller groups in the class to meet student needs,” explained assistant principal Amanda Robison.  

The program also includes enrichment for students identified as high achievers to dig deep into non-academic subjects, including religious education. Down the hall from Revels’ class, a small group of third graders in the enrichment program makes small tombs with paper plates and pebbles to expand the lessons taught during the Christian holy week. About 30 to 40 students participate in the enrichment component. A third part of the program, led by the school guidance counselor, offers help dealing with life events and is open to all the K-8 school’s 408 students. 

Robison, who joined the staff in August as part of a new administrative team, worked to revitalize the program, which had been scaled back during the pandemic. 

Her background in special education and educational leadership helped her transform the program to zero in on specific learning needs and support students who needed targeted help. 

The staff started analyzing test scores to see which students were below grade level in certain areas, for example, phonics or math. 

The students take the Renaissance Star reading and math assessment for progress monitoring quarterly throughout the school year. This is used for determining which students may need intervention or enrichment. Educators use the results to determine which students have mastered a specific skill on the Florida math standards, such as "Add or subtract multi-digit numbers including using a standard algorithm with procedural fluency."  

Those who have fallen behind are assigned to D.E.N.S. for extra help to get them back on track in those specific areas. Students who are in D.E.N.S. take the assessments every six to eight weeks to measure progress and determine whether intervention is still necessary. 

The school also uses iXL, a website that delivers personalized learning and diagnostic tests, to verify Star scores and help ensure students get the intervention that best meets their needs.  Teachers also use iXL lessons as practice exercises following an in-class lesson. 

One advantage of D.E.N.S. is that it infuses differentiated support and enrichment into the school day, so families’ before or after-school schedules are not disrupted. The learning support teachers “push in” to the regular classroom and work with the smaller group at the same time their classmates are learning the same lesson. It also makes receiving extra support seem routine and discourages labeling.  

Sessions last for six to eight weeks, and students leave D.E.N.S. when the data show they have mastered the targeted skills. For those who require additional help, temporary pullout programs and one-on-one instruction are also provided.  

 “It’s really beautiful because the students aren’t having to live in this intervention world,” Robison said. “They are visiting it.” 

School data shows the program is working. Of those receiving help in reading, 93% have made progress, and 85% percent getting help have progressed in math. Robison said the program had delivered 100 services in the prior week, though not necessarily to 100 students as some receive multiple services.  

The program also benefits more than just those students receiving help by allowing teachers to instruct a diverse group of students while allowing those who don’t need extra support to move forward. 

“When my team goes in and works with this targeted group, it gives the teachers in the class the ability to really focus on what the other students need,” Robison said. “It’s really meant to keep the pace of the class instruction continuous and high-achieving and make sure education is getting scaffolded along the way to ensure nobody is left behind.” 

After the three D.E.N.S. students finish their math graphs, they grab their electronic tablets and seamlessly rejoin the rest of the class, where all the students are taking their diagnostic tests to measure their skills. An algorithm targets areas are each student needs more practice. It also acts as a D.E.N.S. screener. If some areas stand out as off track, teachers can offer extra practice and do further testing to see if they could benefit from D.E.N.S. 

“We can swoop in,” Robison said. “It’s designed in a way to take the stress off the teachers and not have them have to differentiate among several grade levels in their instruction.”  

 

An attorney defending the Oklahoma’s charter school board wasted no time identifying the primary issue before the Oklahoma Supreme Court.  

“This is whether the operation of a charter school violates the establishment clause,” said Philip Sechler, representing the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board.  

The board’s approval of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School last year catalyzed a controversy in the Sooner State that could pave the way for the nation’s first religiously affiliated charter school. That means the case has national ramifications and could reach the U.S. Supreme Court.  

The high court sidestepped the issue when it declined last year to review a 2022 appellate court decision that said charter schools were state actors. Other federal circuits have issued conflicting decisions. 

Experts have said Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s lawsuit to stop St. Isidore could bring the issue of public schools operated by religious groups back to the nation’s high court to settle.  

On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Supreme Court took center stage for a case that has split the state’s top Republicans and frayed relationships within the diverse national charter school movement. 

Drummond argued that St. Isidore is a public school and is subject to the same rules as the state’s other charter schools, which include being non-sectarian and tuition-free for families.  

Yet in its application to open a new school, it “promises to   be “Catholic in every way, Catholic in teaching and Catholic in employment.” Drummond added that the school requires the principal to be a practicing Catholic, while the state’s public schools cannot limit hires to members of one faith. 

The Oklahoma Catholic Church and the state, he said, “have formed an actual union” that “eviscerates the separation of church and state” and violates Oklahoma’s constitution and charter school laws. While the U.S. Supreme Court may very well decide someday that public schools can be religious, the state court is limited in this case to a decision based on state law. 

Attorneys for the statewide charter authorizer and for St. Isidore, which is intervening in the case, argued that the state does not control charter schools, as Drummond argued. Charter schools are public schools designed to be run by private organizations given autonomy to foster innovation. 

“It has its own facilities, its own bank account, its own ability to raise funds and enter contracts in its own name,” Sechler said. “Being a public school does not make St. Isidore a state actor.” 

Sechler also pointed out that charter schools hire their own staff, design their own mission statements and academic programs, and determine their own teaching methods. He added that no student is required to attend charter schools. 

 He said that operating under a state contract said, “does not make it a part of the government.” 

Justices peppered the attorneys with questions throughout the arguments, including why using government funds to pay religious hospitals and allowing state scholarships to be used for religious colleges were constitutional.  

When justices asked about the recent trilogy of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that struck down bans on religious schools’ participation in state school choice programs, Drummond said those organizations were private, with funding going to families who could choose where to spend it. Justice Dana Kuehn asked if public religious schools should be allowed as counterweights to secular public schools that “expound [ideologies] outside ABC and 123.” 

“Does that open the door for a charter school to have a religious component if the public school has an anti-religious component?” she asked. 

Justice Yvonne Kauger expressed concern that a U.S. Supreme Court decision in favor of religious charter schools would open the door to many religious organizations seeking to open publicly funded schools. 

“When this all comes down – Katie bar the door – everybody would be affected,” she said. “Are we being used as a test case? It sure looks like it.” 

 St. Isidore attorney Michael McGinley assured the court that St. Isidore was not intended to be a test case but instead was an effort to meet the needs of families. He said many students in rural areas live too far away from in-person Catholic schools.  

The state’s existing school choice scholarships, he added, won’t cover the entire cost of education, leaving low-income families to make up the difference. A charter school would solve that problem. 

“Voucher programs are wonderful,” he said, “but they’re not perfect.” 

 

The story: All eyes will be on Oklahoma on Tuesday as the state’s highest court hears arguments about the constitutionality of what could be the nation’s first faith-based charter school. The case, which observers say will likely end up in the U.S. Supreme Court, pits top Republicans against each other and threatens to divide the national school choice movement. 

 State of play: State Attorney General Gentner Drummond sued the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board in October to stop the opening of St. Isidore of Seville, a Catholic virtual charter school approved to open in August 2024. Separately, a group of parents and faith leaders and a nonprofit education organization sued in a lower court. Drummond’s lawsuit reverses his predecessor, also a Republican, who issued an opinion stating that recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions nullified the state constitution’s ban on religiously affiliated public schools. Gov. Kevin Stitt, a longtime school choice advocate, sided with the board to back the school. Drummond filed his petition directly with the state Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear arguments at 10 a.m. CDT Tuesday. The hearing will be live streamed here.  

Why it matters: Charter schools are public schools run by private organizations. Many charter school supporters believe their status as public schools requires them to be non-sectarian and comply with anti-discrimination policies. If St. Isidore is allowed to open, it would be the nation’s first religious charter school. It would also throw the doors wide open to efforts in other states to allow religious organizations to operate public schools. 

Yes, but: Catholic leaders, who are now accepting applications for next school year at St. Isidore, say it’s needed to reach students in rural areas that lack in-person Catholic schools. Most of the state’s Catholic schools are concentrated near cities. They also want to help brick-and-mortar Catholic schools by providing access to courses that schools typically can’t offer in-person.  

Charter allegiances fraying: Besides stirring controversy among state GOP leaders, the issue has divided the charter school movement.  Great Hearts Academies, a network of 40 classical charter schools in Texas and Arizona, took a position opposite the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools in a related case. Great Hearts argued that government funding does not make charter schools state actors. It urged the U.S. Supreme Court to settle the question. The high court declined.  

“By design and definition, charter schools are run by independent entities that provide an alternative to government-run education. That independence frees charter schools from bureaucratic and governmental constraints and allows them to offer innovative curricula and environments that government-run schools do not. If charter schools are deemed state actors, that innovation will be stifled,” Great Hearts’ brief said. 

 The national alliance took the opposite position: “We support preserving the original intent and legal status of public charter schools to protect the constitutional rights of the students and teachers who choose these unique public schools. Charter schools are public schools and are state actors for the purposes of protecting students’ federal constitutional rights,” the group’s recent statement said. The group added that it “vehemently” opposes the Oklahoma board’s approval of the school and pledged to work with partners and advocates to “ensure that all students who wish to attend a high-quality, public school continue to have that option.”  

Catholic school enrollment in Florida grew more in the past year than in the previous 10 years combined, while Catholic school enrollment nationally held steady, according to the latest figures from the National Catholic Educational Association.

The longer-term trend lines now show Florida Catholic school enrollment up 9% over the past decade, while it’s down 14% nationally.

In light of the new data, we thought it appropriate to issue this brief update to our paper from August.

“Why Catholic Schools In Florida Are Growing: 5 Things To Know” took a closer look at Florida's upward trends and the leading factors behind them.

Our new brief is meant to supplement that paper. We updated a handful of key charts and graphs using new data from the NCEA and the Florida Catholic Conference, including a year-by-year breakdown of Catholic school enrollment for all 50 states.

We also added a couple of new charts. One highlights the number of students using special needs scholarships in Florida Catholic schools. The other does the same for non-Catholic students. Both are on the rise.

As with the paper, we hope our brief can inspire and inform, and perhaps point to lessons from Florida that might be especially useful to Catholic education supporters in states with new choice programs. Challenges remain, but now the wind is at your back.

Editor's note: Some of the figures in Appendix A in the original update brief were incorrect. The correct version here was put in its place on May 9, 2024.

By Ron Matus and Lauren May

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.

Bishop Barbarito of the Diocese of Palm Beach poses with Reverand Delvard, pastor and students from St. Ann Catholic School in West Palm Beach.

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,” 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, now sends more than 1 million texts and emails about the scholarships to Catholic families. Not coincidentally, the diocese has the biggest enrollment growth of any 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 schools further flourish and grow.

Ron Matus is Director of Research and Special Projects and Lauren May is Advocacy Director at Step Up For Students, which publishes this blog and administers education choice scholarship programs in Florida.

School is back in session for Catholic schools across all seven dioceses in Florida.

This year, each of them is seeing another enrollment increase.

This broad, widespread enrollment growth is part of a longer-term trend that makes Florida stand out on the national landscape.

In a recent report published by Step Up For Students, only 10 states showed growth in Catholic school enrollment over the past decade. Of those 10, Florida is the only state with a significant number of students enrolled in Catholic schools.

These numbers may continue to change as some schools are still enrolling new students, but here is a preliminary look at year-over-year enrollment growth by diocese.

Diocese of Venice – 8%

Diocese of Palm Beach – 6%

Diocese of St. Augustine – 5%

Archdiocese of Miami – 3.5%

Diocese of St. Petersburg – 3.5%

Diocese of Orlando – 3%

Diocese of Pensacola/Tallahassee – 2%

Katie Kervi, Assistant Superintendent for the Diocese of Palm Beach, said that over the last three years enrollment in the diocese’s schools has grown by at least 6%.

“We are excited to see our schools flourishing and look forward to welcoming new students and families into our community,” she said. “Our Catholic schools provide a faith-based education paired with high academic standards.  I believe the consistent increases in enrollment can be attributed to these strong foundations and because all families now have the opportunity to choose the educational environment that is best for their children.”

Legislation that went into effect on July 1 made the state’s Family Empowerment Scholarships available to all students who are eligible for K-12 public education.

Alina Mychka’s daughter was awarded a scholarship for the 2023-24 school year by Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog.

Her child started the year at Holy Family Catholic School in Jacksonville, and she says she is thankful she can send her child to a safe environment with a rigorous curriculum that reinforces her values.

Mychka immigrated to America from Ukraine eight years ago. She sends any extra dollars her family can spare back to her relatives in their war-ravaged home country.

Without the scholarship, she says, Catholic school would likely not be an option for her family.