August 11, 2010

Needy schools get aid from archdiocese

By Roxanne King

Just over a year ago, five elementary schools of the Denver Archdiocese received word they would be losing their archdiocesan funding—two of them immediately, three within a year.

In a happy turn of events, all of those schools will receive some type of archdiocesan aid for the upcoming academic year.

“The bottom line is, all five schools are remaining open and all five have received various forms and levels of direct and indirect assistance,” said Richard Thompson, superintendent of the Denver Archdiocese’s 39 Catholic schools.

“I consider this good news, but I remain very guarded,” he added. “We have to be realistic—we don’t know how this will all shake out. We can’t take a big sigh of relief yet.”

The situation
Declining enrollments and lower charitable contributions forced the original cuts in funding, Thompson said. Efforts the five schools have made to boost enrollment and to become financially self-sufficient showed enough promise that the archdiocese determined to help them bridge one more year.

“All five are feeling they need a little more time to make their plans work,” he said. “We have fewer resources but are trying to help them get through this next year.”

The Denver Archdiocese operates 37 elementary schools and two high schools. It last closed a school in 2003.

The archdiocese has allocated $4.3 million in grants to the schools, with 74 percent of the money ($3.2 million) going to 21 schools with the greatest need, Thompson said. Those monies include tuition assistance from the Seeds of Hope Charitable Trust, salary grants and other funding from The Catholic Foundation, aid from the parish-subsidized Catholic Schools Assistance Fund and from the archdiocese itself through the generosity of donors to the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal.

“The archdiocese remains very invested in schools that are serving populations of need,” Thompson said.

St. Catherine of Siena
Thompson’s cautious optimism is also the sentiment of leaders at two of those schools.

“The toughest part is behind us,” said Father Nathanael Pujos, a Community of the Beatitudes priest who serves as chaplain of St. Catherine of Siena School in northwest Denver.

In April 2009 the school on the corner of 42nd Avenue and Federal Boulevard was told it would no longer be getting some $250,000 a year from the archdiocese. Then-pastor Father Sebastien Pelletier quickly set criteria—and a two-month deadline—the school needed to meet to remain open: raise the lost funds, stabilize the enrollment and keep the faculty.

The school met its goals and was open for the 2009-2010 academic year.

“The enrollment actually increased a little,” Father Pujos said. “We hired three new teachers so the faculty predominantly stayed the same—we didn’t have a panic-driven mass exodus. And we raised the $250,000.”

With a capacity enrollment of 200 students, the school had 119 children in kindergarten through eighth grade and another 30 in its preschool programs last year.

When students enter the school Aug. 23 for the new academic year, they’ll see $40,000 worth of improvements in new carpet, paint and renovated bathrooms—all donated. In addition, the computer lab has some new PCs and the parking lot will have been repaved.

Quality academics and faith formation
But what school officials are most proud of is St. Catherine’s record of quality academics and its faith formation. Despite a high-minority (62 percent), low-income (65 percent) enrollment deemed high-risk for student success, the school has boasted a 100 percent high school graduation rate among its alumni for the past 10 years. And over its 89-year history, the school has turned out numerous priests and religious sisters, as well as upstanding laypeople.

“I want these kids to meet the person of Christ,” Father Pujos said. “Not just to learn about him, but to meet him. They need to know where their shelter and strength are. If they have Christ, they will be strong enough to face the world.

“Maybe they’ll forget some of their mathematics,” he added, “but Christ they will not forget.”

The school also offers a wide variety of extracurricular activities ranging from music and Junior Great Books to speech and athletics, said principal Suzanne Scheck, who is beginning her 42nd year at the school.

“We are open, we are vibrant, we are energetic,” Scheck declared. “And we are dedicated to the education of the whole student.”

Presentation of Our Lady
Presentation of Our Lady School at W. Sixth Avenue and Julian Street in Denver was one of the schools set to lose its archdiocesan funding at the end of the last academic year. School officials were elated to learn that while they won’t receive what they had in the past, they are getting some assistance for one more year.

“We’re very grateful for the opportunity to have this help and time to get our fundraising well grounded,” said Sandra Howard, the school principal. “It means a lot to us to have this support from the archdiocese and the Office of Catholic Schools.”

“In the meantime,” said Presentation pastor Father Ed Poehlmann, “we’re trying to raise as much money as we can; we’ve been pretty successful.”

The school has to raise $250,000, he said.

With a needy student enrollment—95 percent is minority and 85 percent qualify for free and reduced lunch—every student gets some type of tuition assistance, said Sandra Howard, the school principal.

“It’s an extremely poor neighborhood,” Father Poehlmann said.

Mobilization
Like St. Catherine’s, when the school community learned it would be losing archdiocesan funding, it mobilized. A meeting this spring to gauge parental support drew nearly 100 percent attendance, Howard said, and subsequent fundraisers drew greater involvement as well. The school stepped up its fundraising and increased its collaboration with the parish. It also grew its enrollment through its pre-school. With a capacity enrollment of 240, last year the school had 172 students, including its preschool population.

Currently, Presentation is undergoing a grant-funded, self-evaluation process offered through the Office of Catholic Schools called Pollinate Ventures to discover how to stand out from the crowd to draw new students and funding.

“It’s been valuable to look critically at ourselves and what we can do,” Howard said.

The new academic year will be a decisive one for the troubled schools, Thompson said.

“As hard as this is, being put on notice for reduced funding helped because it got everybody’s attention and they focused more clearly on working to preserve their schools,” he said. “This will be a very telling year as the schools put their plans in place.”

PRESENTATION SCHOOL INAUGURAL GOLF TOURNAMENT
The first golf tournament to benefit Presentation of Our Lady School in Denver is set for Aug. 16 at Inverness Golf Course, 200 Inverness Drive West in Englewood. Registration is at noon with a 1 p.m. shotgun tee off. Cost for golf and dinner is $125 (includes goodie bag). Sponsorships are also available. Contact Sandy Howard at 303-669-0591 or e-mail presentationdenver@hotmail.com.

ST. CATHERINE SCHOL OPEN HOUSE
An open house to tour St. Catherine of Siena School, 4200 Federal Blvd., Denver, is set for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 22. Late registrations will be accepted for the upcoming school year. Scholarship money to help with registration costs is available in memory of Roy Rouse, longtime former coach at the school. For information, call 303-477-8035.