Property taxes also hurt Catholic schools

Newsday reported the closing of another Catholic school ["Valley Stream Catholic school to close in June," News, Jan. 12]. In my view, the real reason wasn't mentioned. Public school taxes are now so high that many families can no longer afford spending an additional $5,000 a year or more, for each child in a private school. Increasingly, Catholic schools are now reserved for the well-to-do elite who can afford to pay for two school systems.

In Europe, religious schools receive government subsidies, but this is strongly opposed here. Rather than subsidize religious schools, at say $5,000 per child, we are shuttering these schools and moving the kids to public schools, at a cost of as much as $20,000.

This doesn't make tremendous sense.

James E. Stubenrauch

Massapequa