Schools planning five-year strategy

The Catholic School Office and the Diocesan School Board have released "Centered in Faith, Focused on the Future," a five-year strategic plan for schools.

It addresses six topics: Catholic identity, educational programs, enrollment, faculty and staff, leadership, and resources. Each of the schools in the Diocese will create its own strategic plans that incorporate those areas, explained Sister Mary Jane Herb, IHM, superintendent of schools for the Diocese. The plans will be completed by the end of the current school year.

The schools are receiving support from the Catholic School Office in creating their plans. A two-day workshop has already been held for teams of three people from each school. In addition, the School Office will offer an evening of training for each of the six goals.

In process

Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady began its strategic planning process last year. Sister Jane has been impressed with the enthusiasm of that school's board toward planning.

ND-BG has been working with Sister Mary Tracy, SNJM, associate executive director for the secondary schools department of the National Catholic Education Association.

She noted that strategic plans are somewhat new in academic settings, but common in the business world. While educators may not be comfortable with the process, it is something they need to get used to, she said.

"With planning, we can choose our future," she said. "Planning also builds confidence among those we serve. Planning ensures stability."

Enrollment

Ensuring stability is important to Sister Jane, who noted that enrollment in diocesan schools is down two percent this year. "Something has to happen to reverse this trend," she said.

The diocesan strategic plan for schools calls for increased marketing efforts, an in-depth enrollment study and minimum enrollment targets. One challenge is reaching a generation of parents who aren't familiar with Catholic education.

"We're facing an age where more parents didn't go to Catholic school," she said.

In the diocesan strategic plan, Catholic identity is the first priority. "This is what sets us apart," the superintendent said. "It's our trademark. This is a good time for our schools to take a look at that and affirm what they're doing."

Accreditation

Also important is the education program offered by the schools, Sister Jane said. The strategic plan calls for all schools to be accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. That certifies that a school has met prescribed educational standards and provides a quality education. Currently, the four diocesan high schools and St. Pius X School in Loudonville have this accreditation.

The schools will also look at how they are meeting special learning needs of students, such as those in need of special education, gifted and talented programs, and remediation efforts.

"When we look at the mission of Catholic schools, we're about serving all of God's children," Sister Jane said. "We need to take a look at creative ways to address these needs."

Salaries

Just compensation for faculty and staff are called for in the strategic plan. The Diocesan School Board will look at creative benefits that can be offered to Catholic school teachers. For example, Sister Jane said, the schools might extend tuition benefits to employees or provide daycare options. Currently, she said, the Diocese offers teachers a wide range of professional development opportunities.

"Not all of the benefits are in the paycheck," she said. "Some teachers have talked about the importance of teaching in a value-centered environment."

One challenge facing the Diocesan School Board, Sister Jane said, is keeping the salary scale for teachers competitive with public schools. As Catholic schools move their scale up, local public school salaries experience even larger increases, making it difficult to keep up. A realistic goal, Sister Jane said, is to reduce the differential between the two pay scales.

(10-11-01)