Free Tuition – With a Catch

Lindsay A. Lazarski, City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism

Abstract

A Catholic church in Bushwick that serves many immigrant families is opening a new elementary school with a price that can’t be beat: the tuition is free. The new Pope John Paul II Family Academy, to be part of St. Barbara’s parish, is being funded by a wealthy Brooklyn-born businessman who insists on remaining anonymous. He also is insisting on some conditions: families must attend Mass every Sunday. Students have to provide baptismal certificates from a Catholic church, and parents must sign an agreement promising to keep the faith.