Great Falls Catholic Schools. A Review and Forecast

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1 Great Falls Catholic Schools Great Falls Central Catholic High School Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Elementary School Holy Spirit Parish Elementary School A Review and Forecast Based on: Catholic School Enrollment Data Public School Enrollment Data City Population Data Comments and Questions from members of the Parish Communities Holy Spirit Our Lady of Lourdes St. Ann Co-Cathedral Corpus Christi September 22, 2014 Page 1 of 19

2 Beginning late in 2013 and extending through the spring of 2014, I met with each Catholic community, (Holy Spirit, Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Ann, and Corpus Christi) parish council members, parish staff, school staff (where applicable) and concerned parishioners regarding the state of Great Falls Catholic Schools. The audiences varied in size, from more than 100 at Our Lady of Lourdes to 4 at Corpus Christi. The agenda for each meeting was the same: 1) Provide demographic data for Great Falls Catholic Schools 2) Provide information of peer Catholic school communities 3) Solicit and record the responses and opinions 4) Present the findings and recommendation to Bishop Warfel Catholic School Enrollment Data History For the last 50 years, Catholic Schools in Great Falls have realized a steady decline in school enrollment. This has included school closures, consolidations, and mergers, as well as the closure and re-opening of the Central High School. In the last fifteen years, the student enrollment in Great Falls Catholic schools appears to have stabilized. However, the stability is the result of the growing high school enrollment. Of concern is the continual but slight declining elementary school enrollment. Great Falls Catholic Schools History includes: Elementary Schools St. Mary s Institute (closed in 1970) St. Peter and Paul (merged with St. Joseph in 1984) St. Gerard (merged with Blessed Trinity in 1985) St. Joseph (merged with Blessed Trinity in 1987) Holy Spirit (AKA Holy Family [1985] / Blessed Trinity [1999]) Our Lady of Lourdes (No change in name or location since founding) High Schools St. Thomas (closed in 1966) Ursuline Academy (closed in 1966) Great Falls Central (closed in 1973 / re-opened in 1999 Great Falls Catholic Schools Enrollment Data: PK 8 1,538 1, , Total 2,974 1, Great Falls Elem Great Falls HS 0 Page 2 of 19

3 Catholic School Enrollment Projection: In order to project Catholic school enrollment in Great Falls, I used three references 1) Great Falls Catholic schools enrollment history 2) Great Falls public school enrollment history 3) The City of Great Falls population history 1) Great Falls Catholic schools history: Known Enrollment Catholic Schools Enrollment Projection Using a LINEAR TREND LINE DATA PROJECTION: Projected Catholic School Enrollment based on CATHOLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT history Elementary = 345 (loss of 69 students) Secondary = 185 (gain of 72 students) Total = 530 students (gain of 3 students) Page 3 of 19

4 ) Great Falls Public School Enrollment and City Population Data: Known Public School Enrollment GF Public School Enrollment 19,523 17,112 13,214 12,159 12,576 13,127 11,840 10,795 10,153 GF Catholic School Enrollment GF Catholic Enrollment Percentage of PS 2, % 5.43% 5.94% 4.51% 3.29% 4.44% 4.90% 4.91% 5.36% Great Falls Public School Enrollment and Great Falls Catholic School Enrollment History 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 Public Schools Catholic Schools Great Falls Public School 2025 Enrollment Projection Using a LINEAR TREND LINE DATA PROJECTION: 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 - Page 4 of 19

5 Great Falls Catholic School enrollment projection as a percentage of the Public School enrollment Using a LINEAR TREND LINE DATA PROJECTION: 7.00% 6.00% 5.00% 4.00% 3.00% 2.00% 1.00% 0.00% Projected Catholic School Enrollment based on PUBLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT Projected Public School Enrollment = 8,600 (loss of 1,553 students) Catholic school projected percentage of public school enrollment = 6.1% (increase of 0.81%) Total = 524 students (loss of 3 students) Page 5 of 19

6 ) Great Falls City Population Data: Known Great Falls City Population GF Catholic School Enrollment 2, GF City Population 60,091 58,516 56,884 55,974 55,126 55,879 56,690 59,217 58,505 GF Catholic Enrollment Percentage of City Pop% 3.40% 1.59% 1.38% 0.98% 0.75% 1.04% 1.02% 0.90% 0.93% Great Falls Population 2025 Projection Using a LINEAR TREND LINE DATA PROJECTION: 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 - Catholic Schools Enrollment Projection - Percentage of City Population Using a LINEAR TREND LINE DATA PROJECTION: 1.20% 1.00% 0.80% 0.60% 0.40% 0.20% 0.00% Projected Catholic School Enrollment based on GREAT FALLS CITY POPULATION Projected Public School Enrollment = 60,100 Catholic school projected percentage of public school enrollment = 0.93% Total = 558 students (add 24 students) Page 6 of 19

7 2025 Enrollment Forecast Based on Catholic School Enrollment 530 Based on the enrollment percentage of Great Falls Public Schools 524 Based on the percentage of Great Falls City Population 558 AVERAGE 537 Enrollment Summary: If Great Falls Catholic Schools can anticipate a total student enrollment of 537 in the year 2025, this would equal approximately 41.3 students per grade level. For grades 9-12, the projected enrollment will be 165 students, which will be an increase of approximately 52 students in the next 11 years. For the grades PK 8, the projected enrollment would be 371 students, which will be a decrease of approximately 41 students. It will also mean that the elementary schools will have approximately 20 students per grade, should they continue with two sections of each grade level. Page 7 of 19

8 Peer Community Comparison In reviewing peer communities to Great Falls, I reviewed and gathered data from communities similar to Great Falls that did not exceed a distance from Great Falls of more than approximately 600 miles, and that had more than one Catholic school. The community also had to be similar in size to Great Falls, which negated a few, such as Spokane, WA and Boise, ID. Although there is no community like Great Falls, there are qualities of each peer community and/or the average of the peer communities that are closely associated with Great Falls where the community has more than one Catholic school. These include the Montana communities of Missoula, Butte, and Billings, the North Dakota communities of Bismarck and Dickinson, and the South Dakota community of Rapid City. Coincidentally, each of these peer communities has a long and storied history of Catholic education that changed from its original organization (mostly parish elementary schools with one central high school) to a centralized Catholic school system. Missoula The city of Missoula has one Catholic high school (Loyola Sacred Heart) and one Catholic elementary school (St. Joseph), with a 2013 total student enrollment of 486 students (180 high school students and 306 elementary students). The 2010 Missoula demographics: City Population = 66,788 Average Income / Household = $32,880 Public School District Enrollment = 8,514 Non Catholic Private Schools = 8 (688 students) Butte The city of Butte has one Catholic high school (Butte Central 9-12) and one Catholic elementary school (Butte Central Elementary PK-8) with a 2013 total student enrollment of 389 students (140 high school students and 249 elementary students) The 2010 Butte demographics: City Population = 33,695 Average Income / Household = $38,688 Public School District Enrollment = 4,447 Non Catholic Private Schools = 3 (63 students) Billings The city of Billings has one Catholic high school (Billings Central 9-12) and three Catholic elementary schools (St. Francis Upper / St. Francis Intermediate / St. Francis Primary) with a 2013 total student enrollment of 998 students (325 high school students and 673 elementary students) The 2010 Billings demographics: City Population = 104,170 Average Income / Household = $39,095 Public School District Enrollment = 15,694 Non Catholic Private Schools = 10 (811 students) Page 8 of 19

9 Bismarck, ND The city of Bismarck has one Catholic high school (St. Mary s Central High School) and four Catholic elementary schools (Light of Christ 7 th & 8 th Academy / St. Mary s Elementary / Cathedral of the Holy Spirit Elementary / St. Anne Elementary) with a 2013 total student enrollment of 1,050 students (341 high school students and 709 elementary students) The 2010 Bismarck demographics: City Population = 61,272 Average Income / Household = $49,848 Public School District Enrollment = 11,370 Non Catholic Private Schools = 4 (751 students) Dickinson, ND * The city of Dickinson has one Catholic high school (Trinity High School) and two Catholic elementary schools (Trinity East [formerly St. Wenceslaus Parish School] and Trinity West [formerly St. Patrick Parish School]) with a 2013 total student enrollment of 529 students (256 Grades 7-12 school students and 273 PK 6 students) The 2010 Dickinson demographics: City Population = 20,000 Average Income / Household = $60,829 Public School District Enrollment = 4,011 Non Catholic Private Schools = 1 (48 students) Rapid City, SD * The city of Dickinson has one Catholic high school (St. Thomas More High School) and two Catholic elementary schools (St. Thomas More Middle School and St. Elizabeth Anne Seton Elementary) with a 2013 total student enrollment of 878 students (259 high school students and 619 PK 8 students) The 2010 Rapid City demographics: City Population = 69,854 Average Income / Household = $44,626 Public School District Enrollment = 7,109 Non Catholic Private Schools = 5 (470 students) * Information from Dickinson, ND and Rapid City, SD was not available at the time I managed to put together the parish presentations and was NOT included in the parish discussions. However, given their applicability to the Great Falls Catholic Schools review, I am including them in this report. Page 9 of 19

10 Butte Bismarck Missoula Billings Dickinson Rapid City Average Great Falls Peer Communities City Population 33,695 61,272 66, ,170 20,000 69,854 59,297 58,505 Average Household Income $38,688 $ 49,848 $ 32,880 $ 39,095 $ 60,823 $ 44,626 $ 44,327 $ 35,476 Public School District 4,447 11,370 8,514 15,694 2,649 13,382 8,524 10,228 Catholic Schools Catholic School Enrollment (2013) Percent of Public School District 8.70% 9.20% 5.70% 6.40% 19.9% 6.5% 9.3% 5.00% Other Private Schools Other Private School Enrollment Page 10 of 19

11 Parish Communities Responses Following the presentation of the Enrollment data and Peer communities data, members of each parish were asked to break into smaller groups of five or less and answer the following six questions. 1. What is the purpose of Great Falls Catholic Schools? 2. What do you see as challenges for Great Falls Catholic Schools? 3. What do you see as opportunities for Great Falls Catholic Schools? 4. How do Msla, Butte, Billings, and Bismarck compare to Great Falls Catholic Schools? 5. What is sets Great Falls Catholic Schools apart from the local Public Schools? 6. What does the Great Falls community think of Great Falls Catholic Schools? The answers from each group of each parish gathering were recorded. Below is the summary of answers that each community provided during their respective gatherings. Answers from each parish community: What is the purpose of Great Falls Catholic Schools? Corpus Christi To provide quality education for its students To provide a clean education one with good morals and traditions To promote the Catholic faith St. Ann Co-Cathedral To provide a quality structured education with academic rigor, faith, and morals To expose students to the vocational life To convey the Catholic vision of life To be distinctly different from the public schools To support young men and women as leaders of the Catholic faith They are an extension of support for the Catholic family. They are responsible for teaching the faith keeping in mind that the family is the domestic church and parents are the primary educators A Catholic school is a support system / extension of the family, especially in times of need To help maintain Catholic tradition Our Lady of Lourdes To provide education in a Catholic tradition, with academic excellence The school should be the model of consistency between the home and Catholic faith values To provide an environment where like-minded thinking abounds To offer parents a choice The school should build on parish identity as the center of faith for the Catholic family Holy Spirit To help build a Catholic foundation in its students that will last their life. To provide a strong academic program To assure that students receive a faith based education To evangelize the Catholic faith Page 11 of 19

12 What do you see as challenges for Great Falls Catholic Schools? Corpus Christi To increase the number of students that attend Catholic schools The stability of Catholic school finances The secular lifestyle s influence in the children in Catholic schools Making certain that Catholic schools are Catholic Catholic children attending home-school Public school students who transfer to the Catholic school making certain they adapt to the school s Catholic identity Assuring that Catholic education is not watered-down A growing animosity toward religious education St. Ann Co-Cathedral The contemporary culture secularism of the society and its influence on the Catholic faith There is a lack of tolerance in education that needs to be addressed Catholic schools have to keep the rigor of the Catholic faith the Catholic doctrine as a center piece of their instruction To prepare children to be leaders of the faith Public schools and their influence The course offerings in the Catholic high school should be more and more diverse Increasing tuition is making it difficult for families to afford a Catholic education Parental involvement or lack of Our Lady of Lourdes Financial pressures for keeping Catholic schools accessible to families Increasing / maintaining enrollment Competing with public school and their diverse offerings Providing a safe environment for students of all ages To have support from the greater Catholic community from all priests we lack priests who support Catholic schools Keeping younger families (old and new) as well as alumni involved in Catholic schools Maintaining the local and individual parish identities To maintain the current K-8 structure Holy Spirit Great Falls is duplicating Catholic schools services, at a great expense Great Falls has cross town rivalries with its grade schools. Is competition good? The expense and finances impact of operating Catholic schools Great Falls has different tuitions for its schools, as well as different fundraisers, programs, pay scales, etc. Great Falls has excellent public schools and another large Christian schools (Foothills Christian) Recruiting and retaining employees is a challenge Much of the instructional equipment is outdated Great Falls has a shrinking PK 8 enrollment Faith -based challenges in a secular world Great Falls has different K-8 Cultures for its Catholic schools Marketing Catholic school products What do you see as opportunities for Great Falls Catholic Schools? Corpus Christi There is less government interference in Catholic schools than in public schools Our Catholic schools are smaller We have more opportunities for evangelization of the faith Catholic schools provide educate the whole child Page 12 of 19

13 St. Ann Co-Cathedral Smaller class sizes Better academic rigor A safer environment for children We have investments (of all kinds) in the education of a child Catholic moral teachings are the tenor of the school system Catholic school graduates have greater access to higher education Great Falls Catholic Schools could share their resources leverage their expertise Great Falls Catholic Schools continuity they could work closely together to improve the transition times Our Lady of Lourdes A Catholic K-12 education provides opportunities for Catholic colleges There is a strong sense of family and community We have a safe learning environment If left alone, the current Catholic schools in Great Falls can succeed To keep the parish identity a priority for the Catholic school Catholic school / education competition is healthy - choices make us better Being able to provide Catholic identity and academic excellence for children Great Falls Catholic schools have the opportunity to share their resources Educate kids efficiently in a loving manner / community Catholic school provide a great moral and education foundation for children Students are educated as a whole person / held to moral responsibilities Great Falls Catholic schools have an opportunity to grow there is discontent in the public school environment structure Holy Spirit Great Falls Catholic Schools are changing, enrollment is declining. We have to do something Catholic schools educate the whole child If Great Falls Catholic schools addressed their future correctly, we could have waiting lists to get in We have the opportunity for consistency / solidarity in the Catholic education system Great Falls Catholic schools have the opportunity for solid financial footing Changes would provide and need community embracement Include UGF. A Catholic K-16 is part of the bigger community We have the opportunity to include the Air Force Base the military community / market to the children at the AFB How do Missoula, Butte, Billings, and Bismarck compare? Corpus Christi There is no comparison Their high schools have longevity Great Falls Catholic Schools have newer facilities Peer communities have consolidated systems, as opposed to Great Falls independent system St. Ann Co-Cathedral Great Falls is a better town! Great Falls is a more stable community than Bismarck, Butte, Billings, or Missoula Is a comparison necessary? Great Falls is Great Falls. It is difficult to compare each town to each town Great Falls has a strong military presence Billings has a large Hispanic population A comparison should include the parish / school relationship for each city (not available) Page 13 of 19

14 Our Lady of Lourdes They each have one Catholic school system Great Falls would prefer not to be compared to anyone else we are unique Great Falls does what it can to support its schools, like the other cities. Great Falls does not compare well to the others If necessary, we are only interested in Bismarck s model of Catholic school governance Not interested in comparisons Concerned that their schools are not directly connected with their parishes Holy Spirit Vastly different cultures GFCC high School is much younger and still building its identity What is sets Great Falls Catholic Schools apart from the local Public Schools? Corpus Christi We offer religion classes, better academics, a higher chance of student participation in activities, and a safer environment Vocations are more prevalent in Catholic schools We have competition between our Catholic schools AND with our public schools. St. Ann Co-Cathedral Great Falls Catholic Schools teach religion in the classroom Our Lady of Lourdes We have more committed teachers and staff We are able to provide Catholic identity and academic excellence Our Catholic schools have the ability to pray together We are K-8 programs (as opposed to primary school and middle school) We have higher parent involvement and support in our schools. The elementary schools are parish schools owned and operated by the parish with a direct connection to spiritual leader There is a more dedicated family/community culture in the Catholic schools Catholic schools have daily moral and value lessons Holy Spirit We have to charge tuition to operate our schools Our student / teacher ratio is lower Our personnel wages are lower There is a greater sense of community / parental involvement in the Catholic schools Students in the Catholic schools are more disciplined and expected to be The academic success of our Catholic schools (many valedictorians of public schools are Catholic school graduates) Catholic school students learn better study habits they learn how to learn What does the Great Falls community think of Great Falls Catholic Schools? Corpus Christi The community is generally supportive There is a perception that our schools are elitist because of price of our tuition There is growing support for school choice The better question is, How aware is Great Falls of the Catholic schools? There are those who hang on to the baggage of closing Central in 73. We are looked at as separate entities we are definitely not a Catholic school system We are economically good for the community. Page 14 of 19

15 St. Ann Co-Cathedral The community hears good things regarding Catholic school students There is a perception that Great Falls Catholic Schools are expensive and exclusive In re-establishing Central Catholic, there is knowledge that former parish support was diverted to the HS. Do people know that all of the parishes indirectly support the high school Rarely, if ever is anything negative reported about the Catholic schools Public schools offer more diverse learning environment Our Lady of Lourdes The community often states that Catholic school students stand above others Our schools are respected by community, including public school teachers Community thinks highly of our Catholic schools but lacks the financial support for them (public schools are fundraising too community donor fatigue is an issue) Catholic schools are pleased with the level of local support they receive Students are well respected and well prepared. Catholic schools are too expensive Local parish ownership is great but we would like to have broader support of Catholic community Highly regarded in community Holy Spirit Donor fatigue is an issue in our community There is a perception that Catholic schools are private school for the elite and rich The community likes having the Catholic school option There is not a lot of corporate support from non-catholic community members Our schools need to be better educators to the community regarding the importance of the Catholic schools Public school teachers love the Catholic school kids and often send their own children to Catholic schools We have a nice working relationship with the community and with peer public schools Other Comments / Questions Corpus Christi Catholic schools place too much emphasis on sports, e.g., the new billboard on 10 th Ave Catholic school students could be more involved in the parish Our schools should take on the motto of Make Them Saints Our schools should be more Catholic Is there an opportunity to have actual religious back teaching in our schools? The high school should explore the foreign student housing option It is critically important that tuition is affordable for everyone Can our Catholic schools start a for profit business to help with their finances? St. Ann Co-Cathedral What is the essential ministry of the Church? To teach and to preach and that is what our schools do If we were being faithful to original mandate we should prioritize the teaching. With the secularization of the culture, we should be aggressive in this. It should not be an extra it should be an essential to our faith / church. The resources should be for schools teaching What is the vision of our schools? There is a mission / money balance they have yet to achieve Can we explore the Wichita Diocese funding model? We need to continue the K-12 integration process We have advanced good work toward a common religion curriculum. Is more on the way? The schools should spend more time together There is a real enjoyment with the connection the schools have to their parish (from OLL parish member) Be careful of the perceived competition between schools it may or may not be real The economies of scale are concerning different tuitions, different pay scales Could we leverage our development offices / needs? Be careful of the financial impact on the parishes Page 15 of 19

16 Our Lady of Lourdes There is a definite need to educate community regarding Catholic schools The presented linear trend data could be wrong. Employment opportunities seem to be more positive for more families. There is a concern regarding elementary school competition, especially with athletics Catholic families are shrinking in size. There are less children to educate Economics. Parents are obligated to have a college education savings AND Catholic K-12 education savings. Economics. Schools are obligated to spend more on people and less on instructional materials A Catholic elementary school belongs to its parish since the beginning and should not change Holy Spirit Why is Great Falls not all one Catholic school system? There is a fear of loss of parish control How supportive are the parishes without a school attached? (St. Ann and Corpus Christi) If the elementary schools were together in extra-curricular activities, it would be helpful Can we look more closely at the Billings model, with grade level buildings? There is space available at Central to grow If we consolidated grades 6-8, it could enhance instruction and raise the bar Our schools need to pay teachers better and a standard pay scale would be advantageous We need to build a Catholic school endowment We would like to know the financial condition of the other schools and the Diocese If we merge schools, how will this be financially handled? There is huge potential for joint fundraising / marketing / endowment Keep Catholic schools alive don t go the way of Helena or Anaconda, who closed schools Page 16 of 19

17 Executive Summary: Enrollment Data: The Great Falls Catholic schools enrollment is shifting. In 1999, the elementary school enrollment was 577 students. In 2013, it was 414 students. At the same time, the high school enrollment has steadily increased from 22 to 113 in the same time frame. Based on the linear trend analysis of the known enrollment date, Great Falls can expect a slight decrease in total student enrollment but a large shift in elementary and high school enrollment. In the next decade, Great Falls Central Catholic High School should be home to approximately 165 students a net gain of approximately 50 students. The additional students will require a capital investment in the existing high school facilities, as the school was not designed to educate this number of students. In the next decade, Great Falls Catholic Elementary Schools will have a combined PK-8 enrollment of approximately 370. This is a loss of approximately 40 students. This will require a serious review and feasibility study of maintaining two parish schools. If individual classes for each grade level is approximately 20 students, the economic challenges will increase. According to a study conducted by Missoula Catholic schools in 2001, a Catholic elementary school requires at least 20 students per K-8 classroom to pay for its teacher, its instructional materials, and basic administrative overhead. Less than 20 students in a classroom is a financial loss that requires significant parish contribution and/or fundraising efforts. It is a definite reality that the enrollment for Holy Spirit and Our Lady of Lourdes is reaching a critical state. The schools have duplicated development offices, administrative overhead, some instructional services, and a few specialty teaching assignments. In addition, they have different economies of scale by offering different tuition schedules for families and salary scales for employees. Sustaining one parish elementary school in a community the size of Great Falls is a difficult endeavor, let alone two competing parish schools. Moreover, the inherent competition that results between two competing Catholic elementary school produces a winner and a loser in an era when a Catholic school loses, all Catholic schools lose. It would benefit the long term sustainability of the PK-8 Catholic school programs in Great Falls to collaborate, consolidate, merge, or unite into a more unified school system rather than to maintain two individual campuses, independent of each other. Peer Communities: Peer communities within 600 miles of Great Falls that have more than one Catholic school include Missoula, MT; Butte, MT; Billings, MT; Bismarck, ND; Dickinson, ND; and Rapid City, SD. When reviewing these communities and their Catholic schools history each reached a point where they could not or chose to no longer support the parish elementary school model. Instead of maintaining a system of schools, the respective Catholic communities decided to support a Catholic school system, with one governing body, one development / advancement office, and one administrative office along with one tuition system for all families and one pay scale for all Catholic school employees. Missoula and Butte merged multiple Catholic elementary schools into one PK-8 Catholic school and maintained one high school. Billings divided their parish elementary schools into three schools based on grade levels (St. Francis Primary [Grades PK-2], St. Francis Intermediate [Grades 3 5] and St. Francis Upper [Grades 6-8]). Bismarck Catholic Schools established the Our Light of Christ Catholic Schools a system owned and governed by the parishes of Bismarck. They have one high school, one 7 th and 8 th grade academy, and three PK 6 schools. Dickinson Catholic schools have one school dedicated to grades 7-12 and two PK-6 schools. And Rapid City Catholic Schools has one PK 5 school, one 6-8 school, and one high school. Page 17 of 19

18 It is not due to coincidence or accident that these communities abandoned the individual parish elementary schools and independent high school programs for a consolidated Catholic school system. The advantages for the local Catholic community to share in the obligation as well as the benefits of a strong Catholic school system are numerous. There is a unified parental support system. There is a unified alumni support system. There is a PK-12 consistency for all families and all employees. There is a wider awareness by the local community. And in some communities, the change not only saved their Catholic schools from closure, it eventually provided the foundation for a stronger and more viable Catholic school identity to the local community. Certainly, each of the peer communities changed their Catholic school system out of need but each would attest to the benefits of having one Catholic school system and the positive impact it had on their sustainability of their schools. When I asked administrators if they would ever consider returning to parish elementary schools, I did not receive one supportive response. It needs noting that communities within the 600 mile region that have retained the parish elementary school model, but were not included in this review include Spokane, WA and Boise, ID. With their respective urban populations that exceed 200,000, it eliminated them from a comparison to the rural-based population of Great Falls and the other communities, which range from 35,000 to 100,000. Parish Community Responses: There is a common perception from all parish communities that Catholic identity, finances, and enrollment are integral to the future of Catholic schools in Great Falls. Members of each parish understood the purpose of Catholic education, as well as had a realistic understanding of the challenges and opportunities that face our Catholic schools. They highly value and have a strong sense of pride in the tradition and history of Great Falls Catholic Schools, especially in light of having an excellent public school system in the same community. When exposed to their peer communities, many of the responses included the concept that Great Falls is different and should not be compared to others. However, there was also an acknowledgement of a pressure to change the existing structure of the system in the city, for the peer communities are not that different from Great Falls. The strongest comments regarding any change were heard from the community of Our Lady of Lourdes, where their commitment to the parish school priority was clear and undeviating. It was overly apparent that Our Lady of Lourdes was focused on Our Lady of Lourdes to the point that one might be concerned that there is a Congregationalist philosophy in a Catholic community. Statements such as a Catholic school belongs to its parish since the beginning and should not change or it is a priority to maintain the local and individual parish identity as well as If left alone, the current Catholic schools in Great Falls can succeed were routinely heard in the meeting. The good people of Our Lady of Lourdes had good reason to be proud of their school but seemed unwilling to see the potential impact that the decreasing enrollment was having on Holy Spirit, let alone the entire PK-12 Catholic school system in Great Falls. Amazingly, while in Billings several months later, I met a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish who took time to explain why the parish school would be fine if the Diocese stayed away from it and any silly talk of consolidation. Conversely, the community of Holy Spirit has a strong bent toward merging elementary schools into one system due to the financial challenge facing the parish and its declining enrollment. Holy Spirit members acknowledge their tuition was higher than Our Lady of Lourdes and the total parish contribution to the school is significantly less than the total parish contribution Our Lady of Lourdes receives. The members of Holy Spirit often commented that the Catholic schools were duplicating services. They questioned competition between schools in this economic environment. Quite possibly, the comments from Holy Spirit are best summed up by one member of the audience that said, Great Falls Catholic Schools are changing. Our enrollment is declining. We have to do something. Members of St. Ann Co-Cathedral and Corpus Christi were much fewer in number and their comments were more universal in approach rather than focused on a particular school. The Pastor of St. Ann, Fr. Oliver has several very astute comments regarding the teaching mission of the Church. His ability with words and his insight was a remarkable gift. And finally, it should be noted that one member of the St. Ann meeting is actually a parish member of Our Lady of Lourdes. Hence, some of the St. Anne comments read like comments from Our Lady of Lourdes, which in fact, they were. Page 18 of 19

19 Executive Recommendations: Based on the historic and projected enrollment data, the effective Catholic school systems of peer communities, and the parish input to the Great Falls Catholic Schools, I recommend that: By January 2015, a separate public juridic person known as Great Falls Catholic Schools A PK-12 Catholic school system shall be established Great Falls Catholic Parishes (Our Lady of Lourdes, Holy Spirit, St. Ann Co-Cathedral, and Corpus Christi) shall own and operate Great Falls Catholic Schools for the benefit of the Catholic community. By June 2015, Great Falls Catholic Schools will establish one (1) Board of Directors, and dissolve the current School Advisory Councils for Great Falls Central, Our Lady of Lourdes, and Holy Spirit Each parish will have three (3) representatives on the Board of Directors. Each pastor of the Great Falls parishes shall occupy one of the 3 designated parish seats The Chair of the Board shall always be one of the Great Falls Parish Pastors. The Great Falls Catholic Schools Board shall be a policy making board with the authority to operate Great Falls Catholic Schools, as approved and directed by the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese By January 2016, the Great Falls Catholic Schools Board shall present to the Bishop, a comprehensive plan outlining the operational details of Great Falls Catholic Schools The plan will require a significant review of the existing Great Falls PK 12 Catholic school demographics, facilities, and operations, as well as a comprehensive review of the peer community s (Missoula, Butte, Billings, Bismarck, Dickinson, and Rapid City) Catholic school systems. The plan will address and establish parish financial contributions to the Great Falls Catholic School system The plan will address transitioning the school tuitions modes into one (1) common tuition system as well as transition the Catholic school employees pay scale into two (2) pay scales for all employees (support staff/faculty) The plan will address the best way to maximize school facility use per grade level assignment The plan will address the transition to one (1) PK-12 administrative structure and one (1) Great Falls Catholic Schools Development/Advancement Office By August 2016, Great Falls Catholic Schools will begin the school year as one (1) Catholic PK-12 school system established and operated for the long term benefit of the Great Falls Catholic Community. In addition, I recommend that Diocese consider writing off the Great Falls Central Catholic debt. It is neither practical nor realistic to assume that a school community of students will ever repay the debt load accumulated by establishing and building Great Falls Central Catholic High School. The decision of our predecessors to loan the school that level of funding was bad business decision and at this time should be considered bad debt. To straddle the newly established Great Falls Catholic Schools with a debt incurred by Great Falls Central could potentially end the city-wide school system philosophy before it begins. Respectfully submitted: Patrick Haggarty, Ed.D. Former Superintendent of Catholic Schools Page 19 of 19