Bose Clodfelter

“We’re a family of four: myself, my husband, Andre, and our boys, Aiden and Jordan. Jordan was in public school for four years, and it wasn’t really a good experience for him. There was a lot of bullying going on and a lot of overcrowding in the classroom. Because of the larger-sized classroom, he wasn’t given a lot of attention, and he didn’t excel really well.”

“That was a unique situation for me to handle because I really wasn’t familiar with it. While I grew up in the inner city of Chicago, I went to Catholic schools.”

“Some parents told me I didn’t have to send my children to private school because they would still get the same education in public schools, but that was not accurate.”

“I told my husband: ‘I’m not going to [keep them in public school]. This is too important.’ So we pulled him out and decided on private school. And immediately we saw the change in my son: his grades, his personality, just everything improved.”

“When Jordan went to St. Paul, he was given more attention because he was in a smaller class, and he was given that foundation of spirituality, which was very important for our family. Aiden, our youngest, he started out with that foundation which was really great, and we were able to kind of continue that culture and foundation at home. So, it was helpful for our family and our family bond to carry over the same values at home and in school.”

“My husband went to public school, so this was something new for him to kind of learn about the meaning and the importance of religion and its usefulness when implemented into the school environment, as well as the benefits of the small classroom environment for our children.”

“There was a lot of growth within our family and for my husband, also, through being able to experience that unique family system that was brought about with a family-integrated school system. Because of the small classroom sizes and family community, everyone is kind of familiar with everyone, and everyone does their best to kind of help everyone. So, that kind of system really helped my husband, too. “

“Andre was laid off a few years ago and the same year my father was murdered. We went through a rough patch, and we were awarded the scholarship that year. That was the first year that we were awarded our scholarship. So, it actually came at the perfect time.”

“Then we were recipients again the following year, which was really a blessing. We didn’t really think that we were going to be able to get it. My son was nervous. We were all nervous, and we got on the computer and we were waiting in line. We prayed, and we were in shock when we managed to get it. [My son] said, ‘Wow, we got it,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, we got it.’”

“With the scholarship, Jordan was able to attend high school at Joliet Catholic, which was his first choice. And that is something that he is looking forward to for his sophomore year, so we have applied again. But of course, high school is expensive. It’s an expensive school to attend. Private school is very expensive, so we need all the help and support that we can get.”

“I always say, we pay property taxes, but we don’t attend the schools in our district and that’s kind of unfair because I believe our money should go to wherever our kids go.”

“We are investing in our children’s education, and that money should be allocated where we choose for them to get the education that we would like for them to receive.”

“I think that it’s very important for people to have the ability to donate to the tax credit scholarship program because they care about the educational needs of the community and that people have the choice and a right to get the education that they want for their children. These schools need to remain in existence to allow families the freedom to select the best education for their child.”

“It’s very important that politicians allow this tax credit to continue so my family can have the opportunity to be a part of a school system where our children and my family as a unit thrives.”

Bose Clodfelter
Physical therapist
Joliet, Illinois