2021 Year In Review

The year 2021 saw many positive developments for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Cleveland thanks to your support. Despite many and ongoing challenges, we saw great advocacy for school choice, including expansion of who can access school choice scholarships and how much support they receive. Truly, we’ve never seen a legislative budget session quite like the one that took place in 2021. It is arguably the most beneficial for nonpublic schools ever in Ohio (and beneficial to public schools, which enabled these successes). Changes include…


  • Increases the maximum Cleveland and Traditional EdChoice scholarship amounts to $5,500 (grades K-8) and $7,500 (grades 9-12). Also increases the Jon Peterson and Autism scholarship amounts.

  • EdChoice eligibility for students entering Kindergarten and allows private school students entering ninth grade in 21-22 to be eligible for EdChoice. Phases out public school attendance requirement.

  • Alters funding mechanism for scholarships to no longer be capped; direct funding by state (no longer a deduct from public districts).

  • Restores sibling eligibility for EdChoice and expands where Cleveland scholarship may be used for elementary (like high school currently can).

  • Protections for transportation

  • Flexibility in administration of Auxiliary Funding

  • Establishes program for educational savings accounts (ESA) for low income students

  • Establishes tax credit scholarship program


For a detailed summary of the provisions in Ohio’s budget bill, H.B. 110 that impact non-public schools, see this report from the Catholic Conference of Ohio.


In addition, nonpublic schools received hundreds of millions of dollars statewide in federal aid to nonpublic schools through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) and federal Emergency Assistance for Nonpublic Schools (EANS), which are much needed as the challenges of COVID-19 will clearly be with us for some time.


Such growth in support of Catholic Schools (and all nonpublic schools) would not be possible without your tireless advocacy! We appreciate your support and your prayers this year, especially, another challenging pandemic school year.



Innovation Continues


We have a system worth investing in, and we continue to innovate for the good of the children we serve. Here in the Diocese of Cleveland 2021 saw continued innovation for our Catholic Schools, including:



These innovations persisted all while school leaders tangled with changing COVID-19 guidance and expectations from vaccines to masks to quarantines and all manner of health regulations, and individual schools continued their tradition of excellence, including Seton Catholic School’s National Blue Ribbon!.



Looking Ahead to 2022


We are excited about Ohio's new tax credit scholarship law passed last summer and going into action now. Beginning in the 2022 tax year, individual taxpayers are eligible for a credit of up to $750 per state tax return, dollar-for-dollar when they donate to a scholarship granting organization (an SGO) to use for K-12 nonpublic school tuition scholarships. The credit means they can receive up to the full $750 back when they complete their state tax return in Spring of 2023.


The Diocese of Cleveland has filed his paperwork to become a scholarship granting organization -- an SGO. Look for more information in the new year, once Ohio's rules from the Attorney General become official. At that time we will have to do a lot of donor education to make sure every Ohioan knows the potential impact they can have on young people, their families, and the Catholic schools they choose. The potential upside is massive considering the hundreds of thousands of Catholics in this Diocese, and more throughout the state.



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