By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – With the state opening up the voucher program beyond the boundaries of Orleans Parish last week, private and parochial schools in the River Parishes have been receiving a steady influx of applications from those who would like to attend the schools next year.

“We have been pretty busy getting applications in from the very first day,” said Stephanie Aubert, principal of Our Lady of Grace Catholic School in Reserve, which, with 150 spaces open, has the largest potential for growth as a result of the voucher program out of any school in the area.

“I knew we needed an avenue to increase our enrollment,” said Aubert. “The program is very helpful to us in accomplishing that goal. If it continues at this rate, I’m pretty sure we’ll get all of our spots filled.”

Other schools participating in the voucher program do not have as many spaces to fill, but most said they have received interest from the community since the opening of the program.

Sacred Heart of Jesus in Norco’s Principal Cheryl Orillion said, “We’re getting some. We’re small. It’s all relative.”

One of the main goals, beyond increasing enrollment, however, seems to be widening the reach of Catholic education in the region. Most of the participating schools in St. John the Baptist and St. Charles parishes fall under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

“We opened an additional 979 seats in the Archdiocese of New Orleans,” said Archdiocese Director of Communications Sarah Comiskey McDonald. “When the idea came about, the Catholic bishops were very supportive. For us, it’s a way to be of service to the community.”

Toni Ruiz, principal of Ascension of Our Lord Catholic School in LaPlace, said the school is using the opportunity to reach out to its parishioners who could not afford to send their children to Catholic schools previously.

“Our intent is to focus on our parishioners that are prep families,” said Ruiz, referring to the religious education program for children who do not attend Catholic school. “Our goal is to target them and some of our preschoolers who will be coming into kindergarten for the first time.”

She also applauded the ease with which potential students can apply.

“The state has made it very easy,” she said. “It’s a smooth process. Many come in with their applications already filled out.”

Not everything has been easy for the schools from the outset, however. A “fluid” timeline and progressive webinars that let school administrators in on the specifics of the program piece by piece have produced some gray areas.

“It’s a work in progress because there are a lot of unknowns,” said Jane Clement, finance director at St. Peter School in Reserve.

Despite these uncertainties, Clement said she is pleased with the state’s decision to open up the program.

“It was the fair thing to do,” she said. “It needed to be statewide.”

Although the timeline is fluid, as described by McDonald, the general feeling is the application process will continue through the end of June, and schools will have until about the first week of July to input information regarding potential students.

At that point, a lottery will be held if the number of applicants exceeds the numbers of spaces available. Applicants are allowed to choose up to five schools, ranked in order of preference.

Successful applicants will be notified near the end of July.

Vouchers cover registration fees and tuition, but additional costs such as for books and uniforms must be paid for by the student. Most successful applicants will also qualify for the free lunch program, but that program must be applied for separately.

The following River Parishes schools are participating in the voucher program:

St. John Parish

• St. Joan of Arc – 40 spots

• Ascension of Our Lord – 18 spots

• Our Lady of Grace – 150 spots

• St. Peter School – 30 spots

• St. Charles Catholic – 9 spots

• Steps to Success Learning Center – 15 spots

St. Charles Parish

• Sacred Heart of Jesus – 24 spots

• Boutte Christian Academy – 56 spots

St. James Parish

• St. Peter Chanel – 2 spots

More information, including the application form, can be found on the Louisiana Department of Education’s website, www.doe. state.la.us.

Click on the “Louisiana Scholarship Program” link on the right side of the page.