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Private School Aid Service
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Tuition Assistance Programs
February
15, 2011
Re: Important News Concerning Tuition Assistance Programs
Dear Saint Bernard School Family,
As you know, the cost of education – both public and private – is increasing throughout the United States. Unfortunately, despite our hard work to control costs and to manage expenses, our Catholic Schools – including Saint Bernard School – are not immune from this trend.
Therefore, as we are already well into 2011, I wanted to take this opportunity to share some information about the Tuition Assistance Programs that are available for qualifying families throughout the Diocese of Pittsburgh, as well as the Saint Bernard Angel Fund. Be sure to act quickly, though, as the application process (outlined below) has a deadline of March 15, 2011! (This information is also available on the St. Bernard School’s award-winning website at www.stbschool.com! Please click on the ‘Tuition/Financial Aid’ section on the main page.)
Is it worth taking the time to learn about the Tuition Assistance Programs? Yes!! More than 2,100 elementary and high school grants were made for 2010-2011 school year through the Bishop’s Education Fund, with more than 6,000 additional grants being made from the Scholastic Opportunity Scholarship (S.O.S.) program. Some students were, in fact, eligible for aid from both programs. Last year, a large percentage of applicants received some type of assistance! Read below to learn more!
1. Bishop’s Education Fund
The Bishop's Education Fund (BEF), which was founded fifteen years ago and which has awarded millions of dollars in grants to Catholic school students in our Diocese, is awarded on the basis of financial need. To be eligible, applicants must (1) be practicing Catholics registered in a parish in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, (2) attend one of the diocesan, parish, or regional schools and (3) have demonstrated financial need. In general, grants from the BEF have ranged from $150 to $250 for elementary students and from $250 to $350 for high school students, with the largest grants going to the most needy.
How do I apply? To be considered for the BEF, simply fill out and submit the Private School Aid Service (PSAS) form by March 15, 2011, as described below!
2. Scholastic Opportunity Scholarship (S.O.S. Fund)
The Scholastic Opportunity Scholarship (S.O.S.) Tuition Assistance Program was developed when the Pennsylvania legislature established Act 4 in May of 2001. This law established the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) to be administered by the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). Act 4 authorized the award of tax credits to businesses that make contributions to certain scholarship organizations. (To learn more about how you can help the EITC program, please visit www.stbschool.com!)
As a result of the EITC program, the Diocese of Pittsburgh formed the S.O.S. Program to receive and distribute tax credit gifts. The funds available through the S.O.S. Program are awarded to families based solely on economic eligibility requirements. Students who are PA residents enrolled in any Catholic school in the Diocese of Pittsburgh are eligible. Applicants can be Catholic or non- Catholic in grades PK to 12. The funds are sent in the student’s name to the school where the child is enrolled. In general, families with one dependent are eligible if the family income is $72,000; those with two dependents are eligible with an income of $84,000 and so on. The eligibility levels have increased this year. In general, grants from the S.O.S. Program have ranged from $100 to $1,800 per student.
In this year’s packet there is also a ‘Pre-School SOS Supplemental Application’ for you to complete if you have a child in our 3-year or 4-year preschool program. Please mention this to the office so we can fill out this part before giving the packet to you to complete and mail.
How do I apply? To be considered for the S.O.S. Tuition Assistance Program, simply fill out and submit the Private School Aid Service (PSAS) form by March 15, 2011, as described below!
3. The Saint Bernard Angel Fund
Thanks to the continued generosity of parishioners and supporters of St. Bernard School, for many years now the St. Bernard Pastor and Angel Fund Committee has administered the St. Bernard Angel Fund, which has been designed as an additional safety-net to assist qualifying school families who may be in financial need. To be eligible for tuition assistance from the St. Bernard Angel Fund, you must first submit the Private School Aid Service (PSAS) form (see below), which will then provide a confidential “needs assessment” to Saint Bernard School. In general, if funds are available, the St. Bernard Angel Fund will serve to supplement grants from the S.O.S. Program and/or the Bishop's Education Fund to help qualifying families with their financial needs. (To learn how to contribute to the St. Bernard Angel Fund, please contact the St. Bernard Rectory at (412) 561-3300 or school office at (412) 341-5444.Thank you!)
How do I apply? To be considered for the St. Bernard Angel Fund, simply fill out and submit the Private School Aid Service (PSAS) form by March 15, 2011, as described below!
Apply for Tuition Assistance by March 15, 2011 to Private School Aid Service (PSAS)
All parents applying for assistance from (1) the BEF, (2) the S.O.S. Fund and/or (3) the St. Bernard’s Angel Fund must first have their needs assessed by Private School Aid Service (PSAS), a company from Lakewood, Ohio, which specializes in evaluating need for families attending private elementary or secondary schools.
To apply, families simply submit: (1) a copy of their federal tax return (and state tax return if applying for Scholastic Opportunity Scholarship (SOS) Program); (2) a completed 2011 - 2012 "Student Aid Form" (The Pastor's signature is required if you are applying to the Bishop's Education Fund). NOTE: The “Student Aid Forms” are due to PSAS no later than March 15, 2011. Incomplete forms will be returned. The signed "Student Aid Form" must be sent directly to PSAS as indicated in the instructions on the form itself. The 2011-2012 Private School Aid Service – PSAS- Form is available to download on our school web site at www.stbschool.com under the ‘Tuition/Financial Aid’ section. You can complete, save and print out your completed form and then submit the hard signed hard copy. You may also contact Mrs. Dillon in the St. Bernard School office at (412) 341-5444 for a PSAS Student Aid Form; and (3) a $23 administrative fee.
Do I need to be concerned about sharing my family’s financial information? No.
Please note that while the PSAS Student Aid Forms request financial information and also require a signature from the St. Bernard Pastor, please know that the Pastor will sign the PSAS Student Aid Forms without reviewing the detailed financial information requested by the form. Only the first page of the PSAS Student Aid Form needs to be completed by the applicant before the Pastor will sign it! Please remember that non-parishioners need to submit the form to their pastor for parish verification. (Remember to plan ahead so that the Pastor has enough time to sign the form so you can complete the application and submit it to PSAS before the deadline of March 15, 2011!)
Father David Bonnar will be signing page 4 of the application for Saint Bernard Parish verification. Please complete at least the first page and take the form to the rectory to be signed for parish verification. This will need to be done in advance so that Father Dave can sign the form. You may then pick up the form and complete and mail the PSAS Student Aid Form before the March 15, 2011 deadline. The parish rectory will not be mailing in completed forms.
God bless you,
Daniel J. Wagner
Saint Bernard Principal