When Apryl and James Dolgas enrolled their sons, Brady and Alec, in Catholic schools, they anticipated financial hardship. Though tuition at Johnstown’s Divine Mercy Academy and Bishop McCort High School is less than half what their local school district spends per pupil, it was still costly.
But Apryl and James believed the financial sacrifice was worth it—especially since the Greater Johnstown School District, Apryl’s alma mater, consistently ranks near the bottom of districts statewide. The COVID-19 pandemic proved the wisdom of their decision. In March, when Gov. Tom Wolf mandated in-person school closures, Divine Mercy and Bishop McCort immediately pivoted to remote instruction. According to Tom Smith, chief academic officer at Divine Mercy and principal of Bishop McCort, those schools missed just one day of classes for teacher in-service.
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