Any update on St. Bart's?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there any talk among the parish about removing the pastor in seeking better management?

Not being a parish family, it's hard to say, but loyalty to the parish priest and the principal (who was allegedly hired to prevent this exact situation) is strangely strong. Frank English has been at St. Bart's for two years, so there was knowledge of a possible closing as far back as that. They knew they needed more kids and more money. Instead, they lost kids and lost money, and never seemed to grasp the necessity of marketing or alumni in this type of situation.

It took giving this news to the school families for ANY action to be taken in terms of actually managing how the school is run regarding management, finances, and marketing. To their extreme credit, the *families* have worked HARD to try and meet the ADW's terms for staying open. The school community is incredibly strong, diverse, and accepting. It really is a very special place. But the pastor and the principal (and the admissions/marketing person) remain in place, though as invisible as possible. All Mr. English had to say to the families at Halloween was "I'm sorry." He then bowed out of the picture entirely.

We're a member of St Barts parish, but our kids dont' attend the school. Is the pastor really to blame here? My impression is he took a hands-off approach to the school.

It's hard to avoid concluding that. If you're at all interested in the school, happy to give you a parent's perspective if you post an email address.

The Father poured $2 million into infrastructure improvements for the school. Now the school needs to cough up $100K by Monday, after the families shouldered the burden of raising money and increasing enrollment over the holiday season. Make your own conclusions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there any talk among the parish about removing the pastor in seeking better management?

Not being a parish family, it's hard to say, but loyalty to the parish priest and the principal (who was allegedly hired to prevent this exact situation) is strangely strong. Frank English has been at St. Bart's for two years, so there was knowledge of a possible closing as far back as that. They knew they needed more kids and more money. Instead, they lost kids and lost money, and never seemed to grasp the necessity of marketing or alumni in this type of situation.

It took giving this news to the school families for ANY action to be taken in terms of actually managing how the school is run regarding management, finances, and marketing. To their extreme credit, the *families* have worked HARD to try and meet the ADW's terms for staying open. The school community is incredibly strong, diverse, and accepting. It really is a very special place. But the pastor and the principal (and the admissions/marketing person) remain in place, though as invisible as possible. All Mr. English had to say to the families at Halloween was "I'm sorry." He then bowed out of the picture entirely.

We're a member of St Barts parish, but our kids dont' attend the school. Is the pastor really to blame here? My impression is he took a hands-off approach to the school.

It's hard to avoid concluding that. If you're at all interested in the school, happy to give you a parent's perspective if you post an email address.

The Father poured $2 million into infrastructure improvements for the school. Now the school needs to cough up $100K by Monday, after the families shouldered the burden of raising money and increasing enrollment over the holiday season. Make your own conclusions.

Exactly. And to be clear, thats an additional $100k. Already raised over $500k in the last 2 months.

[Anonymous]

A multi-year closure isn’t feasible. Families in younger grades would leave in droves and then you’d be running the place even further into the red by having the same expenses going out yet less and less tuition coming in.

And unless a parish school has some magic money coming in from somewhere or is doing without any specials/technology/etc, none of them are operating viably with classes of 15-17. It’s just not possible.

St. Bart’s is surrounded by other good parish schools. The area is almost saturated in fact with Mercy, Lourdes, Little Flower, and Blessed Sacrament just minutes away and deChantal, Holy Cross, St. Raphael’s, St. Elizabeth’s, Victory, and Annunciation just slightly further. Just as all the St. Ann’s families who wanted to stay in Catholic school were accommodated, so too will these families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A multi-year closure isn’t feasible. Families in younger grades would leave in droves and then you’d be running the place even further into the red by having the same expenses going out yet less and less tuition coming in.

And unless a parish school has some magic money coming in from somewhere or is doing without any specials/technology/etc, none of them are operating viably with classes of 15-17. It’s just not possible.

St. Bart’s is surrounded by other good parish schools. The area is almost saturated in fact with Mercy, Lourdes, Little Flower, and Blessed Sacrament just minutes away and deChantal, Holy Cross, St. Raphael’s, St. Elizabeth’s, Victory, and Annunciation just slightly further. Just as all the St. Ann’s families who wanted to stay in Catholic school were accommodated, so too will these families.

You're being completely obtuse to the specific population of this school. Only Holy Cross is at all comparable in character. And schools can and do operate with those numbers, so it is indeed possible.
Further, a multi-year closure when families have agreed to tuition increases and raised funds is certainly possible. Also, what does it mean to be a viable school? None of them are paying for themselves, really. They're all subsidized. So why can't a school with a very significant LD inclusion program be subsidized more? We all know the church has the money. It's a choice to spend it on a fancy facility rather than the families/students. And with all the church has done with its money for far, far worse purposes, making this a dollars and cents decision with no consideration for the community is absurd.

[Anonymous]

Well said

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there any talk among the parish about removing the pastor in seeking better management?

Not being a parish family, it's hard to say, but loyalty to the parish priest and the principal (who was allegedly hired to prevent this exact situation) is strangely strong. Frank English has been at St. Bart's for two years, so there was knowledge of a possible closing as far back as that. They knew they needed more kids and more money. Instead, they lost kids and lost money, and never seemed to grasp the necessity of marketing or alumni in this type of situation.

It took giving this news to the school families for ANY action to be taken in terms of actually managing how the school is run regarding management, finances, and marketing. To their extreme credit, the *families* have worked HARD to try and meet the ADW's terms for staying open. The school community is incredibly strong, diverse, and accepting. It really is a very special place. But the pastor and the principal (and the admissions/marketing person) remain in place, though as invisible as possible. All Mr. English had to say to the families at Halloween was "I'm sorry." He then bowed out of the picture entirely.

We're a member of St Barts parish, but our kids dont' attend the school. Is the pastor really to blame here? My impression is he took a hands-off approach to the school.

It's hard to avoid concluding that. If you're at all interested in the school, happy to give you a parent's perspective if you post an email address.

The Father poured $2 million into infrastructure improvements for the school. Now the school needs to cough up $100K by Monday, after the families shouldered the burden of raising money and increasing enrollment over the holiday season. Make your own conclusions.

I'm in the school every week, but for CCD since our children attend public school. The school facilities to me seem.. fine. Nothing amazing, but not falling apart either. Where did the money go? Was it just to modernize what they had?

I wouldn't expect a pastor to know much about how to run a school -- isn't that what the head of school is for?

[Anonymous]

If your kids are going to public and paying remarkably little for CDC, you are part of the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your kids are going to public and paying remarkably little for CDC, you are part of the problem.

I don't set the prices for CCD. I think it's $150/year and I pay promptly. I do donate plenty to the church though.

[Anonymous]

You get that it is subsidized by the school right?

[Anonymous]

Maybe make a donation to cover what is ridiculously, embarrassing low cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A multi-year closure isn’t feasible. Families in younger grades would leave in droves and then you’d be running the place even further into the red by having the same expenses going out yet less and less tuition coming in.

And unless a parish school has some magic money coming in from somewhere or is doing without any specials/technology/etc, none of them are operating viably with classes of 15-17. It’s just not possible.

St. Bart’s is surrounded by other good parish schools. The area is almost saturated in fact with Mercy, Lourdes, Little Flower, and Blessed Sacrament just minutes away and deChantal, Holy Cross, St. Raphael’s, St. Elizabeth’s, Victory, and Annunciation just slightly further. Just as all the St. Ann’s families who wanted to stay in Catholic school were accommodated, so too will these families.

You're being completely obtuse to the specific population of this school. Only Holy Cross is at all comparable in character. And schools can and do operate with those numbers, so it is indeed possible.
Further, a multi-year closure when families have agreed to tuition increases and raised funds is certainly possible. Also, what does it mean to be a viable school? None of them are paying for themselves, really. They're all subsidized. So why can't a school with a very significant LD inclusion program be subsidized more? We all know the church has the money. It's a choice to spend it on a fancy facility rather than the families/students. And with all the church has done with its money for far, far worse purposes, making this a dollars and cents decision with no consideration for the community is absurd.

I’m looking at the class sizes in the Strategic Data report for the ADW and I don’t see any other school operating with low class numbers like that across the board. In fact, two schools I know to be in consultation with the Catholic Schools Office because of enrollment decline (because yes, it is a multi-year process of consultation before it gets to closure) have higher numbers per grade. When St. Ann’s was in trouble there were parents out on the church steps week after week pitching for their school but it’s really, really hard to overcome a downward enrollment slide without a big change (like adding the early nursery. That’s a smart move.) They hopefully have looked into the reasons why more parishioners are not putting their kids in the school and tried to address that. Is it cost? Is it the quality of the academics/teaching/facility? Is it the character of the school? It has to be something. And just as important to why people are staying out is why people are coming in. You have to find what makes the school special and sell it. It would be great if an inclusion program could be subsided more but that’s not going to happen with declining finances in the parish. The less a school needs to be subsidized, the more viable it is. Everyone know Sunday collections are down everywhere so I’m sure St. Bart’s is feeling it too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A multi-year closure isn’t feasible. Families in younger grades would leave in droves and then you’d be running the place even further into the red by having the same expenses going out yet less and less tuition coming in.

And unless a parish school has some magic money coming in from somewhere or is doing without any specials/technology/etc, none of them are operating viably with classes of 15-17. It’s just not possible.

St. Bart’s is surrounded by other good parish schools. The area is almost saturated in fact with Mercy, Lourdes, Little Flower, and Blessed Sacrament just minutes away and deChantal, Holy Cross, St. Raphael’s, St. Elizabeth’s, Victory, and Annunciation just slightly further. Just as all the St. Ann’s families who wanted to stay in Catholic school were accommodated, so too will these families.

You're being completely obtuse to the specific population of this school. Only Holy Cross is at all comparable in character. And schools can and do operate with those numbers, so it is indeed possible.
Further, a multi-year closure when families have agreed to tuition increases and raised funds is certainly possible. Also, what does it mean to be a viable school? None of them are paying for themselves, really. They're all subsidized. So why can't a school with a very significant LD inclusion program be subsidized more? We all know the church has the money. It's a choice to spend it on a fancy facility rather than the families/students. And with all the church has done with its money for far, far worse purposes, making this a dollars and cents decision with no consideration for the community is absurd.

I’m looking at the class sizes in the Strategic Data report for the ADW and I don’t see any other school operating with low class numbers like that across the board. In fact, two schools I know to be in consultation with the Catholic Schools Office because of enrollment decline (because yes, it is a multi-year process of consultation before it gets to closure) have higher numbers per grade. When St. Ann’s was in trouble there were parents out on the church steps week after week pitching for their school but it’s really, really hard to overcome a downward enrollment slide without a big change (like adding the early nursery. That’s a smart move.) They hopefully have looked into the reasons why more parishioners are not putting their kids in the school and tried to address that. Is it cost? Is it the quality of the academics/teaching/facility? Is it the character of the school? It has to be something. And just as important to why people are staying out is why people are coming in. You have to find what makes the school special and sell it. It would be great if an inclusion program could be subsided more but that’s not going to happen with declining finances in the parish. The less a school needs to be subsidized, the more viable it is. Everyone know Sunday collections are down everywhere so I’m sure St. Bart’s is feeling it too.

Those are really good points. We're CCD parents because the public schools in the area (Bannockburn, Burning, Tree, Bradley Hills -- Whitman district) are very good, and have the kind of resources you can only have at a larger school. Is it true some classes at St Barts were less than 10 kids?

Still, I'm not sure the pastor is at fault here. I wouldn't expect a priest to understand the parochial school field -- isn't that what the head of school is for?

[Anonymous]

It is his job to understand. He is the head of school. The principal is the principal, an employee of the pastor. 1st is simple economics. Ccd is basically free. Public school...free. You get the community for free. Stupid when the school graduated 12 of the top 15 in ADW HSPT last year. That should be a header on every church bulletin. Yank the ccd prices way up and increase the commitment requirement and presto...more school enrollment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is his job to understand. He is the head of school. The principal is the principal, an employee of the pastor. 1st is simple economics. Ccd is basically free. Public school...free. You get the community for free. Stupid when the school graduated 12 of the top 15 in ADW HSPT last year. That should be a header on every church bulletin. Yank the ccd prices way up and increase the commitment requirement and presto...more school enrollment.

So you think if they changed CCD from $150 to $1,000, that some parents would just yank their kids from public school and choose to pay $8k (or whatever it costs) for full-time school there instead? I doubt it -- I think they'd just send their kids to CCD at Little Flower or Jane de Chantal instead. How much do they charge for CCD?

[Anonymous]

Clearly since all ADW schools are in decline...ccd needs to be universally more expensive.