By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
February 15, 2012

As Kansas City Public Schools continues to struggle with state accreditation, the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph are ready to accept KCPS students with “open arms.”

“We’re hoping to make sure children in the Kansas City (Missouri) School District have a quality education. We know we can provide that for them,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel Peters told Northeast News. Peters added that Kansas City metro area Catholic Schools have room for 1,000 additional students.

During a Jan. 31 press conference at Holy Cross Catholic School, 121 N. Quincy Ave., Catholic leaders announced their support of the Turner Fix, also known as SB 706.

Currently, unaccredited school districts must pay the out-of-district tuition for students who choose to attend a public school in the same or adjoining county. SB 706 takes that a step further by offering tax credits to promote the option of attending private and charter schools. Those who donate to qualifying educational scholarship funds for private and charter schools would receive a tax credit for 60 percent of the contribution amount.

Offering those tax credits would save the state money, Peters said.

“We can educate kids at a lot lower cost than public schools can,” he explained.

The Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph is also supporting a proposal to repeal Missouri’s Blaine Amendment, which denies tax dollars to private religious schools.

“For generations, the Blaine Amendment has been a roadblock for religious-based schools to provide the necessary services to children – special needs resources, textbooks and transportation,” Peters said.

Jude Huntz, chief of staff for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, added that repealing the amendment create a level playing field for both public and private schools in terms of special needs resources.

A number of Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph leaders visited the capital Jan. 31 to testify in support of SB 706.

One of those testifying was Holy Cross eighth grader Yak Nak, a native of Wau, Sudan. Nak’s mother wanted to give him and his siblings the education she never had. Due to the civil war in Sudan, his mother was forced to drop out of boarding school. His mother’s parents died in the war and the family continued to face persecution for their Christian beliefs. Nak said they survived persecution on the “most brutal level.”

“We are a family of six children living in this country,” Nak said in his testimony. “The goal of our family is to achieve the highest possible education to help our country in Sudan.

“Even though it was a struggle for my family, my older brother and sisters were enrolled in Holy Cross School because the reputation of the (Kansas City) public schools in my area was not as good as my parents would have hoped.”

While his father is helping to rebuild Sudan, his mother is living in the U.S., braiding hair as a means to put her children through Catholic schools, said Jean Ferrara, principal at Holy Cross.

During his testimony, Nak talked about the value of education and how his friends are jealous of the education he’s receiving at Holy Cross.

“Every teacher knows your name and they do anything to help you succeed. That doesn’t happen in public schools,” Nak told Northeast News. “I really love the environment here (at Holy Cross). Everyone’s really kind and everyone treats you like brothers and sisters.”

As Nak testified in front of the state legislators, Ferrara said the room came to a hush, taking a break from the Blackberries and iPads.

“Listening to him speak and watching the reaction of the people crowded in the room is probably one of the most moving moments for me as an educator,” Ferrara said.

Ferrara also testified in Jefferson City, detailing the success of Catholic schools, including how 98 percent of the Kansas City-St. Joseph students go on to college. The national rate for college-bound high school students is 68.1 percent and for Missouri, 66.9 percent.

“Students who are with us for at least six of their early educational years leave Holy Cross at least a year above the grade level while many test more than two years above grade level,” she said.

Ferrara’s KCPS experience

In the 1980s, Ferrara experienced the life of the Kansas City Public Schools first-hand during the magnet school era. Wanting to save money, she and her husband enrolled three of their children into the public schools system. After only 1 1/2 years in the district, she pulled her two youngest children from their schools.

“My son was in fourth grade when we transferred him. He was making straight A’s in the school and he couldn’t multiply. How can you make straight A’s in math and not know how to multiply?” Ferrara said.

Her son also struggled with reading, and unbeknownst to teachers, he was being beaten up in the bathroom. She kept her oldest daughter enrolled in Lincoln Prep, which had “wonderful teachers,” but a less than stellar social situation. Her daughter was one of the few caucasians and faced discrimination, she said.

“To say there aren’t good teachers in public schools is incorrect,” she said. “One of the best teachers I have here (at Holy Cross) is from Northeast Junior High who decided to become a Catholic teacher.”

It comes down to the learning atmosphere and encouragement students are given, she said. Each teacher at Holy Cross works to meet the needs of individual students, she said. Catholic schools have strict codes of conduct and enforce them, she said. In addition, at Holy Cross there’s 100 percent parent participation in parent-teacher conferences. Teachers and staff at Holy Cross know each family, each student’s name and keep a watchful eye on students.

“At Southwest (Early College Campus) there were students setting bathrooms on fire. It’s not that it couldn’t happen here, it’s I know who’s in the bathroom,” Ferrara said.

Ferrara admitted finding a solution for KCPS isn’t simple and that comparing Catholic schools to KCPS is like comparing apples to oranges. But, students of KCPS can’t wait any longer, she said.

“The other district’s are very concerned (about accepting KCPS transfer students) and I understand why, but the Catholic schools are standing here like this,” she said, stretching out her arms. “We can make a difference today, right now.”