Week of June 18, 2003

Educator Betsy H. Boyle resigns after 33 years in Denver Catholic schools

Laurie Dunklee and Roxanne King

After spending 33 years in Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Denver, Betsy H. Boyle, secretary and superintendent of Catholic Schools, is leaving to resume a consulting business she founded seven years ago.

Boyle is the first person to have held the title Secretary for Catholic Schools in the archdiocese. Her resignation preceded the May 9 layoffs at the Pastoral Center, home to the administrative offices of the archdiocese. Her last day at the Office of Catholic Schools is June 19.

An administrator in the Office of Catholic Schools since 1986 and a principal and teacher in Denver Catholic schools since 1970, Boyle said she has achieved the goals she set for her office when assuming her position four years ago, making the time right for her to leave the work she has enjoyed to return to her first love — school law. She added that the slowed economy creates a need for the services she plans to offer through her consulting enterprise, Catholic Education Consulting Services. She described the upcoming change as her "semi-retirement job."

"The best thing to do when you want to semi-retire is to go back to what you really love — to continue to serve the Church with your experience and expertise in an entirely different way," Boyle said. "I'm not leaving ministry; there's a ministry out there in helping understaffed offices. I want to be there to support them."

With a cadre of five other education consultants, Boyle will be helping Catholic schools across the United States with issues such as private school law, policy and procedure, professional development, school assessment and personnel.

"Dioceses across the country are in a financial crunch and cutting back on school personnel," she said. "With my expertise in many areas, I can provide the services they need more cost-effectively for them."

Her own office lost a support person and an associate superintendent when the archdiocese made a 12 percent reduction in staff last month.

Before heading the Office of Catholic Schools, Boyle served as a teacher at St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Francis de Sales and St. John the Baptist schools, and as principal at Presentation of Our Lady School. She earned a doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado in educational administration with an emphasis in policy, personnel and private school law.

When Boyle assumed leadership of Catholic schools in 1998, she told the Register her five goals for the Catholic Schools Office were:

l To maintain a strong workforce of educators steeped in the tradition and mission of Catholic education;

l To deliver a solid curriculum permeated with the mission of Catholic education;

l To support that curriculum through the use of technology;

l To develop accurate budgets that would support the long-term growth of the schools and enable educators to earn a just wage;

l And to work with the Seeds of Hope Charitable Trust to expand tuition assistance programs, providing greater access to more families wanting a Catholic education for their children.

On the first point, Boyle said: "I really believe we have strengthened the committed leadership and the credentials and Catholic identity of our teachers. We've developed very thorough induction programs embedded with Catholic traditions and teachings."

The current curriculum, too, is "embedded with references to the catechism," the teachings of the Church and "an understanding of how Catholics view the world," she said.

During Boyle's tenure the Office of Catholic Schools has increased its use of technology and has incorporated a plan that provides for the continuing update of technology.

"We're not teaching technology as its own curriculum," she said. "We are supporting the curriculum with technology. We're also supporting the administration of the schools with technology."

As far as educators are concerned, Boyle's greatest success may be in her work getting them a just wage.

"We've accomplished 80-84 percent of public school salaries," Boyle said, adding that is up from a low of 56 percent four years ago.

"We've worked closely with the Parish Finance Office to support schools in the budgeting process and in their financial stability," she said. "That's always a work in progress. The economy has hurt everyone but I think the people in that office have worked hard to get the schools on solid financial ground."

Tuition assistance also has increased over the last four years. Seeds of Hope, a partnership between the Archdiocese of Denver and business and community leaders, currently provides aid to 33 of the 39 Catholic elementary schools in the diocese via tuition assistance, operating support, and program and technology grants. Since the 1999-2000 school year the organization has assisted more than 800 students a year to the tune of $1 million a year. That's up from the half-million dollars given to 724 students during the 1998-99 school year.

"Seeds of Hope is giving away more money than ever," Boyle said. "I just have been very impressed with the board and the staff of Seeds of Hope who work to try to find ways for every student who wants a Catholic education to attend one of our schools."

The school voucher law passed earlier this year is another option the Office of Catholic Schools is hopeful will make Catholic education available to poor families. Effective 2004, the voucher program will enable low-income children in failing schools to use public funds to attend private or parochial schools.

"We're not exactly certain to what extent this will be assisting our families because the state is trying to determine how they're going to administer the (program)," Boyle said, adding that the Office of Catholic Schools will be participating on the state committee developing that process.

Boyle stressed that voucher assistance will only be available to "new students" and emphasized that the good news about vouchers and Seeds of Hope funding doesn't mean Catholic schools' financial worries are over.

"We cannot let up on development efforts," she said. "(They) need to continue at the same rate or greater for the kids who are in our schools who don't qualify for vouchers and for those who want to come in who won't qualify for vouchers. We can't back off because there will always be a need."

Father Phil Meredith, pastor of All Souls Parish and school in Englewood, praised Boyle's leadership.

"Betsy has been a great asset to our schools," he said. "She forged good relationships with pastors and principals and was well liked and respected. Also, she worked hard to make sure the schools retained their Catholic identity. It can be tempting to water down our `Catholic-ness' in the face of struggles for enrollment and the presence of many non-Catholic students. But she emphasized the basics, like Mass and devotions, that keep our Catholic identity clear."

When Boyle accepted the head job in the Office of Catholic Schools, she planned to dedicate three to five years to it. Five seemed just right, she said.

"We made progress on all the goals and things seemed like they were in place for me to do this," Boyle said. "I think I may have one more adventure left in me before I totally retire ... (And that is) to go back to the things I love to do and serve others in Catholic education."