April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
Support CSAANYS marking 30 years of aiding Catholic schools
The Catholic School Administrators Association of New York State (CSAANYS) is in its 30th year of assisting Catholic schools in the state.
The only organization of its kind in the United States, CSAANYS interfaces with national and state groups in order to promote and support Catholic schools.
Successes
"We have been very active in advocating for assistance for students in our schools," said Sister Catharine Ryan, CSJ, director of CSAANYS.Some of the successes the organization has seen over the past 30 years include securing state aid for textbooks, transportation and libraries for students in Catholic schools.
"We haven't gotten everything we're trying for," Sister Catharine noted. "Sometimes, advocates give up. We keep going."
Mandated services
The organization was founded to secure mandated services for students in Catholic schools. Mandated services are those that schools must provide according to state law. Schools are reimbursed by the state for providing the services.The first attempt to pass legislation that would provide Catholic and other nonpublic schools with aid for mandated services failed. However, the second attempt succeeded when CSAANYS united with the New York State Catholic Conference and the Council of Catholic School Superintendents.
After that victory, the organization broadened its mission to include providing support, workshops and retreats for Catholic educators, in addition to serving as advocates in the legislative arena. CSAANYS's executive director, Sister Carol Cimino, SSJ, travels throughout the state and country to offer workshops on special education, supervision, classroom management, the Church's social teaching and school law.
Changing times
CSAANYS has witnessed changes in Catholic education over the past 30 years. Most notable, Sister Catharine said, is the shift from administrators who were predominately women religious to lay people. While some people believe that a Catholic school isn't truly Catholic without nuns on staff, Sister Catharine strongly disagreed."Catholic identity is more than someone with a religious habit," she said. "Catholic identity stems from creating an atmosphere throughout the whole school. Many lay principals can do that beautifully."
Sister Catharine would also like people to know that Catholic schools are an asset to the Church and the state. "We have many Catholic schools in New York State that are centers for high-level academics. We also do well with children in poverty."
Importance of schools
Given the current world climate, Sister Catharine said it is more important than ever to have a strong Catholic school system."At a time when they are needed so much, we see Catholic schools around the country closing," she said. "Catholic schools are needed. We need to keep them alive and well."
(CSAANYS will mark its 30th anniversary with a lecture in the fall. For more information, visit www.csaanys.org.)
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