Archdiocesan plan for struggling schools
Two to four Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco are likely to be closed at the end of this school year, but a new strategic plan is being implemented to help another dozen schools that are struggling, Department of Catholic Schools Superintendent Maureen Huntington said.
The Archdiocese has 53 elementary schools – more than it needs, as the demographics of the area have changed from the population boom of the 1960s, Huntington said.
“San Francisco is ninth in Catholic population out of 12 dioceses (in California) and yet it is second only to Los Angeles in the number of elementary schools it operates – meaning that there are dioceses in California with two or three times as many Catholics as we have who operate fewer elementary schools,” Archbishop George H. Niederauer told Catholic San Francisco.
Catholic elementary school enrollment in 12 urban dioceses in the United States has dropped by a third since 2000. The San Francisco Archdiocese has not been immune from the trend, and the latest enrollment figures show a decline of more than 2 percent from last year. By county, there are 250 fewer students in San Francisco, 25 fewer in Marin and 125 fewer in San Mateo County.
High school enrollment throughout the Archdiocese is down by about 100 students, the schools department said.
In addition to the long-term demographic shift, the fallout from the 2008 economic crisis continues to hurt families who would choose Catholic school but are not confident enough financially to make that commitment, Huntington said.
“This policy is targeted at schools that are save-able,” Huntington said. Two to four parish schools appear beyond rescue, she said, but declined to provide more detail.
The policy was adopted by the Archdiocese effective Sept. 3. Called the “Strategic Plan in Support of Catholic Parish Grammar Schools,” it provides a framework to guide the archdiocesan schools team in helping struggling schools. The team can help in areas such as marketing, building parent advisory boards and improving financial management, Huntington said.
“That’s the main thing: how to support the schools, rather than waiting and letting a school go under without any assistance,” said Mercy Sister Pauline Borghello, principal of St. Gabriel School in San Francisco and a member of an advisory group that brainstormed ideas.
The policy will not serve to keep every school open but will help to ensure that those assisted by it have the best chance of success, according to the plan, which was signed Aug. 3 by the archbishop and distributed to the Archdiocesan Board of Education, school principals and the Council of Priests in September.
Schools with declining enrollment and those operating at a deficit are most at risk. They fall into two major categories: schools in areas with a lot of children but where the parents can’t afford Catholic school tuition, and those in neighborhoods where the actual number of children has declined, Huntington said.
The Basic Fund and the Archdiocese offer limited financial aid to some Catholic school students, but it is not enough to provide complete tuition assistance or to keep schools solvent. “It is a shame,” Huntington said.
The plan sets four benchmarks to identity and monitor struggling schools: Declining enrollment; physical plant in need of repair without adequate funds to do the repairs; leadership issues including a poor relationship between pastor and principal and lack of parent and parish advisory boards; and inadequate financial management and/or operating at a financial loss.
The grade-school enrollment benchmark has three separate guidelines within it: enrollment falling below 225; a trend of three years of declining enrollment; and a decrease of 15 or more students from previous years.
“Pastors and principals who currently face serious challenges should not fear but should gladly welcome the new assistance offered through the Department of Catholic Schools,” said Father Ken Weare, pastor of St. Rita Parish in Fairfax and a member of the Archdiocesan Board of Education.
“Challenges can be met. Solutions can be found,” he said. “Such a working relationship with professional advisors should greatly enhance the possibility that no schools will face closure next year.
“We are not in the business of closing schools,” Father Weare said. “It is our mission not just to survive but to thrive. After all, the students are our top priority. Catholic education is a moral obligation.”
The strategic plan is the product of more than a year’s work by an Ad Hoc Strategic Planning Committee operating on suggestions from another brainstorming Think Tank committee. Both committees included school principals, administrators, pastors, and other experts. The process was recommended in an October 2008 report from Catholic Education Consulting Services after the consultant conducted a study assessing the status of every archdiocesan elementary school.
Those involved in drafting the schools plan:
Think Tank members: Archbishop George H. Niederauer, Msgr. James Tarantino, Rev. James MacDonald, Dr. Lisa Harris, Sister Pauline Borghello, Dr. Anthony Ramirez, Patrick Bailey and Schools Superintendent Maureen Huntington. The Think Tank met every three weeks for six months.
Ad Hoc Strategic Planning Committee: Father Vincent Ring, Father Ken Weare, Dr. Ramirez, Deacon Jim Shea, Patrick Bailey, Evalynna Ho, Annette Brown, Kathy Hutchson, Anne Kearny, Barry Gremban, Ken Willers, Paul Hance, and Superintendent Huntington. The Ad Hoc Committee met monthly from September 2009 through June 2010.
By Valerie Schmalz
From October 8, 2010 issue of Catholic San Francisco.
