Sustainability, growth amoung goals of Catholic elementary schools

Feb. 1, 2018 | Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com

Bisphop Mitchell Rozanski conducted a mass at Pope Francis High School to denote Catholic Schools Week.
Reminder Publications submitted photo

GREATER SPRINGFIELD – Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 is Catholic Schools Week in Western Massachusetts, a time when the 12 elementary and two high schools in the diocese celebrate the moral values, founding faith and academic excellence that have always been the hallmarks of a Catholic school education.

It also marks the start of a new initiative for the diocese, one that will entail a critical look at the state of Catholic elementary education in the Valley.

Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski announced the initiative during a visit to St. Joan of Arc Elementary School in Chicopee on Jan. 23. During his remarks the bishop invited the public to “take advantage of the many Catholic school open houses” occurring during the coming week, where they would “find in our 2,600 students and 240 faculty and staff, schools which are dedicated to excellence, all within a nurturing environment.”

He also acknowledged that despite their great legacy, Catholic elementary schools in Western Massachusetts now face “great challenges,” among them shifting demographics and financial concerns that “represent a dark cloud over our future.”

To meet these challenges head on – and preserve Catholic education in the Valley for the future – Rozanski announced the diocese would be undertaking a “comprehensive review of our Catholic elementary schools, to see how we might strengthen and preserve them.”

He went on to name Dr. Amy Gelinas, former head of St. Joseph Central High School in Pittsfield, Dr. Paul Gagliarducci, current head of the construction project for Pope Francis High School, and Ellen Dzuira, director of Special Projects for the Pope Francis High School Project, as the individuals charged with conducting and overseeing the upcoming review process.

Reminder Publications spoke with Rozanski a few days after the announcement to ask about his vision for this review, and what he hopes it will achieve.

“This is the first part of the plan and I think what we really need to do is look at what we have, and what we offer,” Rozanski said. “What I envision the study to be is a comprehensive look at the total system of our Catholic schools  [including] curriculum, funding, demographic base, business partnerships, marketing, grant writing, funding sources and those sort of issues.”

He added determining how Catholic schools can best differentiate themselves and what they have to offer from other education choices would also be part of the study.

The bishop also acknowledged that the cost of a Catholic school education, even at the elementary level, often represents a stumbling block for parents, and that the diocese must consider “what are some alternative sources for funding other than tuition” to sustain the schools.

According to Mark Dupont, director of Communications for the Diocese of Springfield, though all schools except St. Stanislaus Kostka in Adams, St. Michael’s Academy in Springfield and Pope Francis High School, currently housed in the former Holyoke Catholic High School building in Chicopee are considered parish schools, the diocese does provide several forms of financial aid to them. This aid comes in the form of tuition assistance for parents, Future of Hope endowment grants to help with capital expenses and other school program expenses, and a 20 percent subsidy to help defray the cost of teacher health insurance. The diocese school office also provides assistance in hiring and in developing curriculums that meet all requirements.

Dr. Amy Gelinas also spoke with Reminder Publications about the initiative. She said she sees this review as a kind of “brainstorming” session for the future of Catholic education in Western Massachusetts.

“Right now this is just an initial investigation. We need to look at what our diocese has, our strengths and weaknesses, and look at other places around the country” to see how they have approached these same issues.

She said Catholic education has some shining success stories around the country, including a diocese in the Chicago area and Philadelphia, which is a “role model” that has done extensive work with a Catholic private school management company.

Gelinas said the review committee is currently working on a survey that would be distributed to parents, members of the diocese and staff and teachers at the schools.

The committee, she added, would take its first step in this process by hosting a meeting with the Catholic elementary school principals on Feb. 8, where “we can set a timeframe for everybody who is working on the surveys.”

Bottom line, she hopes parents, teachers and members of the diocese will see this process as a positive step.

“Right now our goal is sustainability and growth, before we start planning to move forward,” she said.

Rozanski stressed though the committee may glean ideas from other Catholic school systems during this review process, they have to consider “how would those ideas apply to the four counties of Western Massachusetts.”

Overall he said the goal of Catholic education in Western Massachusetts is “forming disciples of Jesus in our world, because that is the reason Catholic schools exist.”

Gelinas invites individuals with input on this review process to email her at amygelinas@hotmail.com.

Share this: