DC Catholic Schools Seek Transition to Publicly Funded Charter Status
Faced with a growing budget deficit in its schools, Washington's Roman Catholic Diocese is considering a move that would save 8 institutions by changing them into secular, publicly-funded, charter schools. Education Week has more:
If the conversions were to take place, the schools would likely be closely watched to ensure no church-state lines were crossed.“If the archdiocese is simply turning these into secular schools without any religious content, there shouldn’t be any problem,” said Robert Boston, a spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington-based group. “But anything that’s sort of halfway or in between is going to be problematic.”
Ms. Weitzel-O’Neill, the archdiocesan superintendent, said all religious elements would be removed from the schools.
“Certainly, they will not be Catholic schools, and that’s the bitter pill,” she said.