The Opportunity to Choose a Catholic School – From the President

The Aim Higher Foundation is proud to be the largest provider of privately-funded, at-scale, K-8 Catholic school choice in the Twin Cities metro area. While Minnesota might not have a publicly-funded school choice policy in place, we’ve been hard at work to give as many parents as possible the option to choose a Catholic school for their children. Our 2,152 Aim Higher Scholars this year attend 81 Catholic schools serving grades K-8 in this Archdiocese. Over the last 10 years, we have awarded more than 14,000 scholarships, each one providing a child important educational opportunities and a values-infused environment.

Ricky Austin is the president of the Aim Higher Foundation

Thanks to our donors, partners, and friends, we’re just getting started.

At the heart of our mission, we believe that every family should have the choice to enroll their children in a Catholic school if they desire to do so. And in particular, we believe a family’s financial circumstances should not be the determining factor between parents sending their child to the first day of classes at a Catholic school—plaid uniform and all—and not being able to do so. Yet, the reality of the situation is that more families with demonstrated financial need are seeking a Catholic education than we can currently support. Our mission and the children we serve need us to continue growing.

And so we will. We have to!

The Aim Higher Foundation Board recently spent time with one of the most nationally-respected voices of the school and parental choice movement, John Schoenig, from the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at the University of Notre Dame. John shared his insights about the extraordinary progress made on the publicly-funded school choice front these last 18 months: More states have passed school choice legislation than in any other time in history.

While we should celebrate the recent momentum, John reminded us that we must also recognize that implementation of school choice policies is hard work. It requires a firm commitment to the children who need it most and an understanding of the meaning of the preferential option for the poor. It requires nuanced strategy and coalition-building. And it requires a specific focus and an unwavering will to commit and see this work through for every child.

John’s reminder brought to mind the important challenge issued by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops in 2005. They said, “It is the responsibility of the entire Catholic community—bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and laity—to continue to strive towards the goal of making our Catholic elementary and secondary schools available, accessible, and affordable to all Catholic parents and their children, including those who are poor and middle class.”

There is no doubt in my mind that the Aim Higher Foundation’s donors and friends have answered and continue to answer that call with fervor as we’ve grown our effort to create choice for families seeking a Catholic school.

Children need our help. And we won’t rest until they all have the choice they deserve.

Ricky Austin is the President of the Aim Higher Foundation. He has served the Foundation in a variety of roles since 2017.