Catholic schools call on families to raise $125,000 for Theodore court appeal

The Regina Catholic School Division is asking its students’ families to donate money to support the Theodore court case appeal.

“Donating is a tangible way for you to support Catholic education,” reads a letter dated June 29 that was emailed to parents.

“To put this in perspective, a $3 donation for each of the approximately 40,000 students who attend Catholic schools in the province would achieve our initial target.”

“If you were to ask each kid for three bucks, we would pay the legal bill. Saskatoon has talked about that possibility,” said Regina Catholic director of education Domenic Scuglia.

“At this point we’re soliciting voluntary support. We have some people in the Catholic community that are in positions to donate more than others, so we’re hoping that we’ll get to that number.”

A similar letter was sent to RCSD staff.

The appeal is expected to cost Catholic school divisions $125,000, of which Regina Catholic is committed to paying $30,000.

A further $125,000 would be needed if the case progresses to the Supreme Court of Canada, as is expected.

“Are we encouraging people to donate? Yes we are,” said Ken Loehndorf, executive director of the Saskatchewan Catholic School Boards Association, also known as the Catholic section of the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA).

“Really for this to be successful, correspondence needs to be sent out by the eight Catholic boards within their own school divisions, and that’s what’s happening.”

The Theodore court case began with the previously public St. Theodore School in spring 2003. When the then-Yorkdale public school division decided to close the school and bus students to nearby Springside, parents in Theodore petitioned the government to form the Theodore Roman Catholic School Division. It became part of Christ the Teacher in 2010.

In the years since the school reopened, a minority of its students have been Catholic.

In his April 20 Court of Queen’s Bench decision, Justice Donald Layh determined that non-Catholic students should not be funded to attend Catholic schools.

The provincial government is joining the Catholic schools in their appeal. A further appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada is expected.

Larry Huber, executive director of the SSBA Public Section, emphasized that his group is not against Catholic education. It agrees with Layh that only Catholic students should receive government funding to attend Catholic schools.

Huber recently asked Education Minister Don Morgan to pay the cost of the appeal — the government’s portion, as well as those of the public and Catholic school divisions.

“The minister has been saying he didn’t want to use any more taxpayer money on the litigation, but in fact as soon as he launched the appeal, (the Ministry of ) Justice is involved so there obviously is a cost there,” said Huber.

“I think we need to look at it as a significant government policy issue and we should expect the government to take a lead role in it.

“We think it’s a matter of significant importance to education in the province.”

The government estimates close to $5 million has been spent on the case since 2004.

The public side has paid about $3 million in legal fees; the Catholic side has paid about $1.36 million.

Huber is not sure whether the public section will begin a fundraising campaign. To this point, boards have funded the court costs through their individual budgets.

Since the fundraiser launched in late May, Scuglia says $17,000 has been raised across Saskatchewan’s eight Catholic school divisions.

“This is about trying to ensure that we’re not funding this appeal from money that can be spent in classrooms,” said Loehndorf.

“I think that there are enough people in the province of Saskatchewan who feel very strongly about the opportunity we have to deliver Catholic education in Saskatchewan, that they’re going to fight for it,” said Scuglia. “I think we will get the money provincewide.”

The Catholic Church and the Ontario Catholic school community have indicated they will help fund the appeal, said Scuglia.

As the Catholic Church is a nonprofit, donors are eligible for an income tax receipt.

RCSD’s letter is copied almost verbatim from a letter that originated with the Christ the Teacher School Division and shared by the SCSBA on the fundraiser website, catholicedspirit.ca.