By Rayanne Bennett | Associate Publisher
and Rose O’Connor | Correspondent

The broad consultation process that is informing the diocese’s School Sustainability Study is in full swing with input collected from hundreds of parish and school representatives, and survey results coming in from the public by the thousands.

The study is being conducted by a commission of pastors, diocesan officials, school administrators and community leaders appointed by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. early in 2012. He charged the 24-member group with the responsibilities of investigating the viability and vibrancy of Catholic elementary schools in the diocese; developing clear and consistent criteria for evaluating the schools’ sustainability; identifying those schools which are sustainable and those which appear to be at risk, and submitting a “sustainability plan” by May 2013.

Under the direction of Dr. John Convey, consultant and professor at The Catholic University of America, the commission has met monthly since the spring, and has split up into six task forces to focus on specific critical areas of school sustainability:  Catholic identity, academics, finance, development, governance and leadership, and marketing and public relations.

Dr. Convey, a St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Professor of Education, and former provost of The Catholic University of America, Washington, is described by JoAnn Tier, diocesan superintendent of schools, as both a “statistician and researcher and expert in strategic planning for Catholic schools, who has conducted 20 similar diocesan sustainability and planning studies throughout the country for the past 30 years.”

Offering his idea of a sustainable Catholic school, based on his many years in school planning, Dr. Convey described one that “offers a quality academic program in the context of a vibrant faith community with sufficient enrollment and financial resources to ensure its long-term viability.”

Serving as a second consultant in the process is Dr. Leonard DeFiore, former president of the National Catholic Educational Association and current professor of education in The Catholic University of America.  Having been the superintendent of schools in the Diocese of Metuchen during the early 1990s, Dr. DeFiore has experience with the Catholic school culture and climate in New Jersey.

Through a series of listening sessions with pastors and principals, and working group meetings including several hundred school and parish representatives, the study has identified elements considered to be priority challenges.  They include the need to keep tuition affordable; build enrollment; increase teachers’ salaries to attract and retain top teachers; reduce operating costs; ease the financial burden on parishes for the operation of the schools; enhance the curriculum and provide for the best technology; strengthen support within the parish community, and preserve the Catholic identity of the school.  

Adding to that input are responses to a survey that was distributed throughout the diocesan community over the past few months. Thus far, 3,700 respondents have taken the brief online survey, which is available in English and Spanish.  The original deadline to take the survey of Nov. 30 has been extended due to the time lost from Hurricane Sandy; responses will continue to be accepted through December. 

Dr. Convey explained that all survey responses would be kept confidential and only reported to the commission in an aggregated form. Among the answers that survey respondents were asked to give were the reputation of the area Catholic schools in the community, assessment of the quality of teachers and administrators in local Catholic schools, and respondents’ willingness to contribute to a fund for Catholic school needs over and above their existing donations to their parish.

Anyone who has not yet taken the survey and wishes to do so may access it at the following sites:

In English – http://cua.trenton.sgizmo.com/s3

In Spanish – http://cua.TrentonSpanish.sgizmo.com/s3/

The hundreds participating in the working group meetings will come together again in December to formulate possible solutions for the identified challenges. The parish and school representatives will consider, among other issues, ways to boost enrollment; raise funds; build greater support within the parish and school community, and reduce costs.

Using input from these meetings, demographic data and statistical analysis, and benchmarks that reflect healthy schools, the commission will develop preliminary recommendations for the sustainability plan that will be submitted to Bishop O’Connell in May.  Members of the public will have an opportunity to review those recommendations and offer feedback by attending “town hall meetings” that will be held in several locations throughout the diocese in late April.

Further information on the School Sustainability Study will be reported in the parishes, schools and The Monitor as it becomes available.