Archdiocese of Philadelphia
ANNOUNCEMENT OF CLOSURE OF THREE PARISH ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND ESTABLISHMENT OF AREA CATHOLIC SCHOOL
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
January 13, 2003
Contact:
Rev. Msgr. Francis Beach
Regional Vicar, Philadelphia-North
215-508-4250
| Rev. Robert Bazzoli, OSFS Pastor, Saint Joachim Parish 215-535-0580 |
Rev. Charles Engelhardt, OSFS Pastor, Mater Dolorosa Parish 215-535-4036 |
Rev. Edward Bell Pastor, Saint Joan of Arc 215-535-4641 |
Rev. Daniel Sullivan Parish Pastor, Holy Innocents Parish 215-743-2600 |
The pastors of Saint Joachim Parish, Saint Joan of Arc Parish and Mater Dolorosa Parish in Philadelphia announce that Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia, has accepted the recommendation from the General Steering Committee to close Saint Joachim, Saint Joan of Arc and Mater Dolorosa Parish Elementary Schools in June 2003 and that Holy Innocents, St. Joachim, St. Joan of Arc and Mater Dolorosa Parishes form Holy Innocents Area Catholic School, which will provide quality affordable Catholic education for the parishioners of these four parishes. The General Steering Committee was made up of the pastor, school principal and a lay representative from each parish in addition to the Regional Vicar and representatives from several Archdiocesan offices.
Background:
In June 2002, the Pastors of the four parishes requested and received permission from Cardinal Bevilacqua to begin a feasibility study for the restructuring of their schools. This followed a review of parish self-studies conducted in 2001 that indicated significant enrollment decline and a projected steady decrease in enrollment. Enrollment in all four schools decreased from 2174 in 1990 to 902 in 2002. Infant baptisms at all four parishes declined from 217 in 1997 to 91 in 2001. Educational programs have been eliminated in some of the schools and the need for increasing parish support (subsidies) to the schools is seriously impacting parish finances. Because of dropping enrollment, the cost to educate each student is increasing. Average tuition only covers about half of the actual cost per student.
Feasibility Study:
A broad consultation process with the families of school children and parishioners was initiated in fall 2002. Meetings at each of the four parishes were held (two on September 30 and two on October 1, 2002) to solicit input and observations from families and parishioners as to how the parishes could continue to provide affordable, quality Catholic education for their children.
At the same time, the Archdiocesan Office for Research and Planning provided expertise in the construction and analysis of a survey used for consultation. The survey asked for reactions to three options: closure, consolidation and establishment of an area school.
Options:
Closure meant that St. Joachim, St. Joan of Arc and Mater Dolorosa schools closed and families who chose a Catholic education would have had the option of choosing any nearby parish school. Consolidation meant that the parish schools of St. Joachim, St. Joan of Arc and Mater Dolorosa would close and a "new school" with a new name would be established at one of the three existing school sites.
Establishment of an Area School meant that St. Joachim, St. Joan of Arc and Mater Dolorosa would close and Holy Innocents Area Catholic School would be established at the present location of Holy Innocents Parish Elementary School.
The survey also asked for any other suggestions and for future household plans. An additional shorter survey was
distributed to the families of St. Joachim, St. Joan of Arc and Mater Dolorosa Schools to clarify whether they
would be open to a consolidation model if the consolidated school was not in their parish. In early November 2002,
an update, addressing the most commonly asked questions, regarding issues such as transportation
and class size, was sent to the parents of the school children. Transportation will be provided. Class size will
not exceed Archdiocese of Philadelphia Office for Catholic Education recommendations:
< kindergarten = maximum of 20 students
< grades one through three = maximum of 30 students
< grades four through eight =35 students.
Survey Results:
89% of the families of school students responded to the surveys. The results indicated that 32 percent of respondents intend to move out of their parishes in less than four years. In addition, only a small number of those who supported consolidation would continue to do so if the consolidated school was not at their parish. The surveys also asked families to rank services offered by schools. Some of the services rated as very important by families such as computer education, counseling and fine arts are not currently available at some of the schools because of limited resources.
Recommendation:
On November 26, 2002, the General Steering Committee met for three-and-a-half hours to listen to the observations of the parish councils and the parish steering committees to discuss the findings of the surveys used during the consultation. In light of the information gathered, the General Steering Committee recommended to Cardinal Bevilacqua that an area Catholic school be established at the present location of Holy Innocents Parish Elementary School. On December 6, 2002, the four pastors sent an update to families and parishioners informing them of the recommendation. It is the hope and belief of the Committee that Holy Innocents Area Catholic School will be able to strengthen the quality of Catholic education for the children of the four parishes.
Holy Innocents Area Catholic School:
< Holy Innocents Area Catholic School is to be established at the current location of Holy Innocents Parish Elementary School at L Street and Hunting Park Avenue in Philadelphia. Four parishes are to participate: Holy Innocents, Saint Joachim, St. Joan of Arc and Mater Dolorosa. Participating parishes are to financially support the school through the payment of a subsidy. Tuition is yet to be determined. Currently, 408 students attend Holy Innocents Parish Elementary School. Based on survey results, it is projected that a total of approximately 600 students in grades kindergarten through eighth will attend Holy Innocents Area Catholic School beginning in September 2003.
FACT SHEET
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St. Joachim Parish Elementary School Founded: 1864 |
St. Joan of Arc Parish Elementary School Founded: 1920 |
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Holy Innocents Parish Elementary School Founded: 1927 |
Mater Dolorosa Parish Elementary School Founded: 1926 |