Along with these changes, a new governance model will go into effect, with an Executive Board of Education chaired by an auxiliary bishop. Individual boards will be formed to oversee elementary schools, secondary schools, religious education and special education.
Steps will also be taken to strengthen the Catholic identity of schools – which the report said was the “very reason for (their) existence” – and to address parents' concerns about tuition through a new fundraising foundation.
Members of the Blue Ribbon Commission acknowledged that the school mergers and closings “will cause significant pain and change in the lives of children, families and alumni.”
Rita Schwartz, president of the Association of Catholic Teachers in the archdiocese, told the Associated Press that the news was “extremely sad” and had sparked a “grieving process” in elementary and high schools.
But the commission members said that closing and merging schools was “not a decision that was made easily or in a vacuum.”
Rather, they said, it took into account “the best interest of all the students and parents who are committed to ensuring that Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia remains
strong and vibrant.”
Archbishop Chaput praised the commission members for their willingness to acknowledge hard realities and develop a forward-looking response.
“Over the next 18 months, in the spirit of the report, we should examine all our education efforts and structures for their effectiveness,” he told them in his letter.
The archbishop also noted that “any serious proposal” from donors or community leaders should receive consideration going forward, “so long as we serve our Catholic identity and mission” in the process.
Archbishop Chaput also expressed his closeness to families affected by the closings and mergers, in a separate Jan. 6 letter.
“Please be sure of my understanding and support in what may come as difficult news for your family," he told parents and guardians in the letter. “We are dedicated to assisting you and your family during this time of transition.”
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