Buckeye Scholarship
HISTORY
St. Barnabas Parish funded The Buckeye Scholarship to assist active Catholic parishioner families with the payment of tuition for Catholic education at St. Barnabas School.
FUNDING
The Buckeye Scholarship is funded by Education Fund contributions made via yellow envelopes during the regular Sunday offertory, as well as other contributions to the parish. To sustain the scholarship’s ongoing purpose, no more than 5% of the scholarship’s principal balance can be factored annually into scholarship awards.
FUND FORMULA
The Buckeye Scholarship fund for each school year is based on a five-year average of income to the scholarship’s balance plus/minus change in market value. The Buckeye Scholarship Committee will compute the annual scholarship fund figure in April of each fiscal year based on the March fund balance. The Buckeye Scholarship Committee will award scholarships based on available funds and the number of requests. The Buckeye Scholarship Committee accords priority to families of currently enrolled students before families of new students. Scholarship awards are applied only to tuition costs at St. Barnabas for the upcoming school year.
SCHOLARSHIP & GUIDELINES
The Buckeye Scholarship Committee will consider the following guidelines in awarding annual scholarships to active
St. Barnabas families:
- The family’s total tuition costs for St. Barnabas and Catholic high school tuition is 10% or more of the family’s total adjusted gross income as determined by the prior year’s Federal tax return.
- The applicant family is Catholic and is a registered and active parishioner of St. Barnabas parish. Mass attendance is a necessary component of active membership. Applicant family also actively participates as a volunteer in both parish and school events.
- The Buckeye Scholarship Committee will give priority to St. Barnabas families who contribute regularly to the offertory.
The Buckeye Scholarship Committee will also consider awarding a one-time scholarship to St. Barnabas families based on the following guidelines:
- An unanticipated change in family circumstances (i.e. serious medical condition or unexpected employment loss) that causes a temporary loss of income or creates an increase in the applicant family’s expenses such that the total cost for St. Barnabas school and Catholic high school tuition are a significant portion of the applicant family’s total adjusted gross income as determined by the prior year’s Federal tax return.
- The applicant family is Catholic and family members are registered and active parishioners of St. Barnabas parish with required sacramental documentation on file with the rectory. Mass attendance is a necessary component of active membership. Applicant family also actively participates as a volunteer in parish and school events.
- The Buckeye Scholarship Committee will give priority to St. Barnabas families who contribute regularly to the offertory.
THE BUCKEYE SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE
The Buckeye Scholarship Committee awards the Buckeye Scholarship. The Buckeye Scholarship Committee is a three-member panel that serves a three-year term. Two members of the Buckeye Scholarship Committee are appointed by the parish’s Finance Board. One member of the Buckeye Scholarship Committee is appointed by the parish’s School Board. The Pastor approves all three appointments. At the end of the three-year term, the Buckeye Scholarship Committee members shall be newly appointed, re-appointed, and approved by each of the appointing parties/boards.
The Buckeye Scholarship Committee may consult with the Principal and/or the Pastor to verify the applicant’s eligibility and to glean ideas about participation opportunities.
St. Barnabas Parish pledges complete confidentiality for applicant families.
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS
The timeline for the application process is as follows:
Applications for the Buckeye Scholarship must be submitted annually. In the case of the one-time scholarship award, the application must be led when the unexpected change in family circumstances occurs.