News

GRACE subcommittees form

By Renae Bauer
Assistant Director of Communications

Work on the proposed plan for the future of Catholic education in the Greater Green Bay area moved forward Aug. 18. That was when representatives of the Green Bay Regional Association of Catholic Education - GRACE - reviewed the current proposal and laid the groundwork for 13 key subcommittees that will further develop the plan.

	More GRACE For more on GRACE - the Green Bay Regional Association of Catholic Education - and other elements in the Green Bay Diocese's school planning process, follow the clickable links on the diocesan web page at www.gbdioc.org/pg/ educationSchoolPlanning.tpl.

The committees and their chairpersons are:

• Athletics - Gary Rotherham

• Curriculum - Mary VandenBusch

• Delivery System - Rosemary Baloun

• Finance - Art Olson

• Financial Development - Eric Blumreich

• Financial Systems - to be named

• Governance - Elyse Stackhouse

• Marketing - to be named

• Parish Representatives - Mark Mogilka

• Parish Subsidy Formulation - Lois Schumacher

• Pastoral Connections/Parish Relations - Fr. Dave Pleier

• Personnel - Jo Ellen Thompson

• Technology - Keith Kaufman

"We have significant leaders in the positions as chairs of the committees," Bp. David Zubik said. "We are on track to pump energy into each of the areas."

The committee leaders also serve on the GRACE Steering Committee, whose members also includes Fr. Dane Radecki, O.Praem., Jeannine Leege-Jankowski and Eric Dellamater.

To further ensure the success of GRACE, Dr. Thomas Joynt, retired superintendent for Green Bay Area Public Schools, has agreed to facilitate the planning process. "His talents and years of experience are sure to be excellent resources for the project," said Mark Mogilka, diocesan director of Stewardship and Pastoral Services and overseer of diocesan parish and school planning.

"This is very exciting and critical for the future of Catholic education in the greater Green Bay area," Bp. Zubik said. "The Steering Committee and the parishes will be engaged in this discernment process to recommend whether all parish schools in the area should be part of one, unified system or whether the parish schools should continue to operate independently, as they do now."

In June, the school planning committee submitted an initial recommendation for all schools to be consolidated into one system.

The planning for Green Bay area Catholic schools is being done in conjunction with all other Catholic schools as part of the Diocese's School Planning Process. Outcomes from the process are to be implemented for the 2006-07 school year. GRACE is receiving particular attention because of the number of students, instructional personnel, and facilities it will influence.

GRACE is composed of 13 schools and 22 parishes. According to the 2004-05 Diocesan Education Directory, 3,400 students were enrolled and 262 instructional personnel were employed at the schools in the GRACE plan.

The schools are Resurrection and St. Matthew, both in Allouez; Holy Cross, Bay Settlement; Our Lady of Lourdes and Notre Dame, both in De Pere; St. John the Baptist, Howard; and Holy Family, Prince of Peace, St. Bernard, St. Joseph, St. Philip, St. Thomas More, and Trinity Catholic, all in Green Bay.

The Steering Committee's next meeting is Sept. 1. The final proposal is due to the parishes by Nov. 1, with feedback to the Steering Committee due by Dec. 1. In conjunction with the parish input, the Steering Committee will make its final recommendation to the diocese by Jan. 1, 2006.