News

Plan released for unified Green Bay system

By Renae Bauer
Assistant Director of Communications

Green Bay school proposal Here is the proposal for Green Bay area Catholic schools released last week by the diocese: • Continuing pre-school through grade 8 at St. Thomas More, St. Bernard, Holy Family, and Trinity, all in Green Bay; St. John the Baptist in Howard; and Our Lady of Lourdes and Notre Dame, both in De Pere. • Consolidating Resurrection and St. Matthew in Allouez to form one school with two locations. St. Matthew would serve 3-year-olds to grade 4, and Resurrection would serve grades 5-8. • Continuing Prince of Peace as a 4-year-old to grade 4 school. • Closing Holy Cross in Bay Settlement and St. Joseph and St. Philip in Green Bay. The arts program at St. Joseph could be moved to Trinity.

Forming a single Green Bay area K-8 Catholic school system, consolidating two Allouez schools and closing three schools are among the highlights of a proposal distributed last week by the Green Bay Diocese.

Parents, school administrators and pastors in the greater Green Bay area received the first official proposal for the future of Catholic grade school education Nov. 17-18.

Information Supporting documents and related information, including the proposal and feedback questionnaire, are on the Green Bay Diocese's website: www.gbdioc.org/pg/ educationSchoolPlanning.tpl. Past Compass articles: from Nov. 4, 2005 issue: • Release delayed on school planning report     Proposal for consolidating the     Green Bay area schools into a     system due after Thanksgiving from Sept. 2, 2005 issue: • GRACE subcommittees form     Proposed plan for a unified     Green Bay Catholic school     system continues to advance from July 8, 2005 issue: • Unified Green Bay Catholic school system under study     No decisions have been made from June 24, 2005 issue: • Groups ponder schools' future     Proposal considers ways to     guarantee the financial     solvency of Catholic schools

The four-page summary, developed by the Green Bay Regional Association of Catholic Education (GRACE), was sent to the leaders and parents with ties to the 13 schools and 23 parishes.

Catholics who do not have children enrolled in Green Bay area Catholic schools will receive copies of the proposal the weekend of Dec. 3-4.

In the meantime, the proposal and feedback questionnaire are available at the diocese's website, www.gbdioc.org, under the "School Planning" link.

Diocesan officials said the two guiding principles of the proposal are to strengthen the quality of Catholic education and to create a more advantageous pay structure for educators.

If the proposal is approved, parents will be free to enroll their children in whatever GRACE school they choose.

"Overall, I think we have a pretty solid proposal that addresses the guiding principles," said Mark Mogilka, diocesan director of Stewardship and Pastoral Services and resource person for the project.

"We identified the need for a common core curriculum for all the schools, an improved salary structure, and through the sharing of resources - such as administration, buildings and buying power - there will be an estimated savings of approximately $750,000 in the first year alone," Mogilka said.

"With that being said, the 100 or so people who have worked on this proposal along with Bp. David Zubik and myself know that this proposal suggests some big changes for some people. We know there are families who have sent their children and their children's children to the same school for generations," Mogilka said. "That alone is an amazing affirmation for Catholic grade school education. But we also know that the cost of education - both public and private - has increased dramatically over the last 10 years. It was time to consider options that allow for a more equitable distribution of costs and a plan to pursue third-source funding."

Mogilka said 2,775 students are enrolled in K-8 in Green Bay area schools, including 316 in the three schools recommended for closure. The committee is projecting an enrollment of 2,500 in a merged system.

A consolidation also would mean contracts of 22 teachers - two at each school - would not be renewed, Mogilka said, so the system would keep only the best teachers in each school.

The School Planning Process began nearly a year ago for the entire diocese. When initial plans were submitted in June, it became apparent that Catholic schools in the Green Bay area might benefit from forming a Catholic system similar to those in Appleton, Oshkosh, Manitowoc, Kaukauna, Neenah/Menasha and Marinette/Peshtigo.

Schedule for action December • Parishes discuss the proposal with parishioners. • Each pastor and pastoral council then sends their response to the diocese for review by the GRACE Steering Committee where adjustments may be made. January • The revised proposal will be reviewed by three consultative bodies, who will forward a final proposal with their comments and recommendations to Bp. Zubik. The bodies are: • The Presbyteral Council (a canonical consultative body to the bishop comprised of a priest elected from each of the 12 vicariates and 12 appointed members and ex-officio members); • The Diocesan Pastoral Council (a canonical consultative body to the bishop comprised of the 12 regional vicars, 12 lay representatives each of whom represents a vicariate, and some appointed members); • The Diocesan Board of Education. • Bp. Zubik decides whether to implement the proposal.

The GRACE Steering Committee and 14 subcommittees were formed in August to develop a plan that could take effect in the 2006-07 school year.

The group developed a 62-page summary document, a four-page question-and-answer guide, and two feedback forms - one for parish leaders and one for parishioners, parents and all interested parties.

"There's no doubt in my mind that the people who volunteered for the work of GRACE are extremely dedicated to finding effective solutions that help further Catholic schools," Bp. Zubik said. "I commend each and every person who has given of their time and talents to make this enormous project come to fruition, and I want to extend a special thanks to Dr. Thomas Joynt, the retired superintendent of schools for the Green Bay area, who served as the facilitator to the Steering Committee."

The fruits of the committee's work now rest with parishes, which have been asked to discuss the proposal with parishioners during December, Mogilka said.

After that, each pastor and pastoral council will send their feedback to the diocese, where it will be reviewed by the GRACE Steering Committee and adjustments may be made.

In January, the revised proposal will be reviewed by three consultative bodies, the Presbyteral Council, the Diocesan Pastoral Council and the Diocesan Board of Education, who will submit their recommendations to Bp. Zubik, who is expected by January to decide whether to implement the proposal.

GRACE is composed of 13 schools and 23 parishes. 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. They enroll more than 2,700 students in kindergarten through grade 8.

(Tony Staley contributed to this story.)