ST. LOUIS PARISH

 QUESTIONS ASKED ABOUT THE RETURN OF THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL
TO THE SUPERVISION AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PARISH.

 

  1. Where did this idea come from?

 The Diocese of Rochester has recommended that several of the Catholic Schools (CS) in Monroe County be returned to the local parishes. This is a cost saving step which allows the local parish to have better management and control of the school. The plan has been modified from its original start date of July 2010 for St. Louis and St. Rita’s, Webster to July 2011.

 

  1. How will this plan be implemented by the St. Louis community?

A Steering Committee will guide the parish in establishing an infra-structure for this development. This committee will consider the various implications of this transition and will work to deal with issues as they become known. The first major issue is to work with the Diocese of Rochester to establish a financial plan that assures stability and sustainability for the school.

 

  1. Who is serving on this Steering Committee?

William Quinn is Chairing this committee; Fr. Kevin Murphy, as Pastor, Ms. Kathleen Carroll, our Principal, are ex officio members; and Michael Moore, President of the Parish Council, Cyndi Mollenkopf, a SAC representative, James Schnell, representing the Parish Finance Council, Fran Barr, a former School Principal, Dr. James Maxwell and school parents, Seana Mancini, and Brian DeJoy.

 

  1. When will a final decision be made on the return and how will it be communicated?

Our hope is that by late fall or early next year a final decision will be made by the Diocese and the Parish Council of St. Louis. It is our intention to keep the parish and school communities aware of the progress and to offer opportunities for input and information sharing. This Q/A page on the school and parish web site will be updated as time goes on. Our hope will be that we will be able to inform people through school letters and the parish bulletin. We will also sponsor an open meeting for the school community as well as the larger parish community. The parish will play an important part in the future plan.

 

  1. What support will the Diocese provide once the transition is made?

The Diocese will provide the educational guidance for the administrator and the teacher updates. They will support our needs at that level.

 

  1. Will the school remain open for the foreseeable future?

If we only had a crystal ball…Yes, we approach this opportunity believing that we can establish a school plan that has a vision into the future. While there is no absolute formula, we have two key ingredients that are essential for success: parental participation and support and an ever-growing enrollment. If we work together to use our resources and the talents of the community, we will be able to address the issues about the future.

 

  1. Who has the final authority on whether or not the parish maintains a school/decides to close?

The theory for the return of the school to local control is that the people at the local level will be the decision makers: Pastor, Principal, Parish and Finance Councils working with the school community. Since we belong to the Diocese of Rochester, any decision will need to be ratified by the Bishop and his advisors. This would be true of any major decision about ministry.

 

  1. Will families be required to become members of St. Louis parish to have children in the school?

We are approaching this process looking at St. Louis as a regional school that other Catholic parishes will chose to support. Our expectation is that families with children in the CS system will remain in their respective parishes. We believe we need families in those parishes to ‘tell the story’ of Catholic school education.

 

  1. Questions about tuition, per pupil costs, fees, multi-child discount, etc.?

    This will be addressed by the Steering Committee but cannot be immediately answered. Our plan is to develop a business plan that assures stability and sustainability for the CS.

 

  1. Will the current teachers and staff remain?

Again we are more than a year out from the implementation of this plan. The Committee needs your patience and understanding as we go forward. We hope to continue the fine programs with a very dedicated staff.

 

  1. What about the governance of the school? Will there be a School Board?

Again a question that will be addressed but we do not have an answer at this juncture. The School will become one of the ministries of the parish and so will have the guidance of the Parish Council.

 

  1. What is Fr. Kevin’s experience with operating a parish school? 

It was only in the early 90’s that the schools in Monroe County became Diocesan run. Fr. Kevin was pastor at St. Patrick’s in Elmira (1977-79) and at St. John the Evangelist in the City of Rochester (1981-95). These two parishes had parish run schools. So he has had over 15 years experience.

 

  1. Will there be collaboration with St. Joseph’s and St. Rita’s as we go forward?

The three pastors of the ‘returned’ schools have committed themselves to work with each other as this plan goes forward. We see our future somewhat linked one with another.