g r ow i n g G o d’s fa mily
A NEW DAY FOR OUR SCHOOLS: School choice comes to Missouri and our diocese By Jeremy Lillig
B
ob Dylan once said “times they are a changin.” Change can sometimes bring about a negative perception but in the case of the new MOScholars program it’s anything but. In
my 11 years at the diocese we have been involved in discussions with various groups about how to overcome the restrictions of the Blaine Amendments — a series of amendments to state constitutions in the late 19th century aimed at preventing the use of public funds to support parochial schools. There have been many attempts but no immediate success … until now.
HB 349, a bill for school choice in Missouri, was signed into law in 2021. Since then, Bright Futures Fund has been at the forefront of discussions with the State Treasurer’s office learning about implementation of this new program. Much to our excitement, Bright Futures Fund was recently approved for a minimum of $2.5 million in tax credit scholarships for the 2022-2023 school year. As one of six newly certified Educational Assistance Organizations, Bright Futures Fund will offer state income tax credits to Missourians and award scholarships to students and families in two categories:
1.
Students with an IEP or ISP (new or currently enrolled) under the Individual Education Disabilities Act. (No income restriction)
2.
New students (having been enrolled in public school 12 months prior) whose families earn no more than 200% of the Free and Reduced Lunch income maximum. (a family of 4 earning less than $102,676 per year.)
Learn mo re about •A pplying for the MOScholars program • Contributing to the MOScholars fund through Missouri income tax designation beginning July 1, 2022
Visit *Both categories must live in Kansas City, Missouri; Jackson County or a city with a population of more than 30,000.
brightfuturesfund.org/ moscholars
Eligible families who meet one of these two requirements and live in an approved area will qualify for $6,375 in scholarship money per year to attend a Catholic school in our diocese.
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Catholic Key • June/July 2022 • catholickey.org
Un nuevo día para nuestras escuelas: Escoger una Escuela viene a Missouri y a nuestra Diócesis Por Jeremy Lillig
B
ob Dylan una vez dijo "los tiempos son un cambio". Los cambios pueden traer consigo una percepción negativa, pero en el caso
del nuevo programa MOScholars es todo menos eso. En mis 11 años en la diócesis nos hemos involucrado en discusiones con varios grupos acerca de cómo superar las restricciones de las Enmiendas Blaine — una serie de enmiendas a las constituciones estatales a finales del siglo XIX dirigidas a prevenir el uso de los fondos públicos para apoyar las escuelas parroquiales. Se han hecho muchos intentos sin éxito...hasta ahora. El Proyecto de ley HB 349 para la escogencia de una escuela en Missouri, se convirtió en ley en 2021. Desde entonces, la organización Bright Futures Fund ha estado al frente de las discusiones con la oficina del Tesoro del Estado para aprender acerca de la implementación de este
