Preliminary Plan for Catholic Schools

in the Catholic Diocese of Erie

Key Components of the Plan

Mission and Catholic Identity

Goals and strategies include:
1. The teaching of the Catholic faith with a focus on Jesus Christ and the integration of
faith with daily living will be a hallmark of every Catholic school in the diocese.
Principals and teachers will now have more assistance with integrating Catholic values
and principles into the entire school curriculum. Schools will provide opportunities for
daily prayer, liturgy, reconciliation, retreats and other practices for students and staff.
2. All parishes in the diocese will recognize and fulfill their responsibility to help carry
out the ministry of Catholic schools, and schools, in turn, will work closely with
parishes in the work of evangelization. Best practices for establishing and strengthening
connections between schools and area parishes will be identified. Schools will
communicate the expectation that parents will be actively involved in the religious
formation of their children and participating members of their parish or faith community.
In addition, the bishop and the vicars general will regularly promote the importance of
Catholic education for the church in general and the Diocese of Erie in particular.

Governance and Leadership

Goals and strategies include:
1. The Catholic Schools Office will be given a leadership role for Catholic schools in the
diocese. This will involve the office more deeply in everything from principal selection
and the creation of system boards to developing new positions including superintendent
of schools, as well as in the areas of advancement and marketing and recruitment.
2. School systems, both existing and new, will function within a uniform set of
guidelines. The plan addresses system governance, school connection to parishes, fiscal
operation and advancement.

3. Parish schools and multi-parish schools will consistently function within a uniform set
of guidelines. A series of strategies are in place to help provide more consistency across
the diocese for everything from parish school advisory councils to orientation and inservice days.
4. Parish school advisory councils will be delegated responsibilities by the pastor in
limited areas. Principals and pastors will be trained in establishing and using school
advisory councils for parish schools. Schools currently differ in this area; the goal is to
establish consistently effective advisory councils.
5. School system boards will follow best practices. For example, boards will operate with a
strong committee structure utilizing non-board local community persons in addition to
board members. Committees should minimally include Executive, Mission, Academic,
Finance, Facilities, Personnel, Advancement and Marketing.
6. Each principal or head administrator will be a well-qualified and competent leader. The
Catholic Schools Office will develop a clear set of criteria and expectations for the Catholic
school principal or head administrator; it will also create a principal selection procedure.
7. Every school will have a comprehensive, multi-year strategic plan. Every school will be
guided by its plan, using it to inform all decision making. The plan will follow a
diocesan template designed by the Catholic Schools Office that is organized around
national standards and aligned with Middle States accreditation. The process to develop
and update the plan will engage local school board or advisory council, parents, principal
and pastor team, faculty, sponsoring parishes, and current/future donors.
8. Within Governance and Leadership fall the key components of the Organization of
Structure of Schools. They are included as a separate attachment called School by School
Listing.

Academic Excellence
Parents want to know that the tuition dollars spent on their childs Catholic education
will be worth the investment, not only in terms of Catholic identity, but also in terms of
academic excellence.

Goals and strategies include:

1. Every Catholic school in the Diocese of Erie will effectively combine Catholic identity
and academic excellence, which will distinguish it from other schools in the community.
For example, the Catholic Schools Office will ensure that opportunities exist for individual
schools to share their unique and successful academic programs with other diocesan
schools. Schools with these programs will be encouraged to provide advice and assistance
to other schools interested in developing similar programs. All schools will now offer a
complete academic program, including instruction in the arts, and will provide ageappropriate co-curricular activities.
2. The eleven schools in the diocese not connected to a school system, will now form a
consortium in order to improve academic quality and operational efficiency. Examples
of opportunities for consortium members include group purchasing options to reduce
individual school costs, professional development, distance learning options for specialty
courses, and common marketing and advancement activities.
The schools in the consortium include:
Immaculate Conception School, Clarion
Seton Catholic School, Meadville
Ss. Cosmas and Damian School, Punxsutawney
St. Bernard School, Bradford
St. Francis School, Clearfield
St. Gregory School, North East
St. Joseph School, Lucinda
St. Joseph School, Warren
St. Michael School, Greenville
St. Patrick School, Franklin
St. Stephen School, Oil City
3.

Catholic school administrators and teachers will engage in ongoing professional

development that enhances professional knowledge and skills. Each school will provide
opportunities for teachers and administrators to participate in local, regional and national
conferences and workshops as well as opportunities to visit schools with exemplary

programs. Teacher contracts will be amended to include ten days of professional

development each year.
4.

Technology will support the instructional goals of each school and provide students
with a solid technology foundation for their future. Ongoing training will be provided
for faculty in the practical use of technology in their specific content area. Expectations
will be established for teachers to use instructional approaches that integrate technology
into the classroom and provide opportunities for students to engage in technologyenhanced projects that extend beyond research and word processing.

5.

Each school will emphasize the mastery of school-wide academic goals and coursespecific objectives. The Catholic Schools Office will provide assistance to schools on
effective data collection and its management, analysis, and application to developing
curriculum and improving student performance. Student progress will be included as
one of the factors in the ongoing supervision and evaluation of principals and teachers.
Professional development programs for staff will be tied to student learning objectives
and success in achieving the learning outcomes.

6.

Each elementary school will maintain a high-quality pre-school. Each pre-school will
use an evidence-based curriculum and promote its role in academic preparation.

Operational Vitality
Goals and strategies include:
1. ENROLLMENT
A. Catholic schools will be marketed effectively to publicize the value and benefits of
Catholic schools, support advancement efforts and increase enrollment. A
comprehensive, long-term diocesan-wide marketing/recruitment/retention plan will be
researched and developed to market Catholic schools. Integrating best practices and
ideas from around the country, the program will promote the mission and value of
Catholic schools, and distinguish them from other educational options.
B. Individual schools will implement focused marketing programs. Every school board
and advisory council will have a marketing committee and every school will have a

marketing plan. The Catholic Schools Office will serve as a resource for developing
local school marketing plans and will provide leadership, direction and assistance to
administrators and school boards in developing their plans.
2. FINANCES
Fundamental changes in the budgeting and financial planning process are critical to
the health and growth of Catholic schools. The most successful Catholic schools are those
which have made, and continue to make, investments in human capital (competitive
teacher salaries), technology, program improvements, professional development,
recruitment, and modern, up-to-date, physical facilities.
Lack of adequate funding is preventing schools from maintaining and improving their
competitive edge. In short, there must be a recognition of, and a commitment to, investing
for the future. The budgeting process cannot be driven solely by currently available levels
of revenue.
The financial problems facing Catholic schools did not develop overnight, and neither
will the solutions appear overnight. A systemic change is the only way to achieve a new
outcome. Leadership is the single most important factor in maintaining the viability of a
school. This statement is even truer for implementing the system-wide changes necessary
to place Catholic schools on a sound and sustainable financial footing.
Substantially greater revenues will be needed if Catholic schools are to thrive. There are
four components to this equation: tuition, EITC/OSTC and other third party sources,
parish subsidies, and advancement.
i.

The tuition model must be changed from one which seeks to minimize tuition to
one which seeks to maximize revenues.

ii.

EITC/OSTC and other external tuition assistance sources need to be pursued

even more vigorously, so as to offset the impact of increased tuition levels on
enrollment through need-based financial assistance.

iii.

Parish subsidies are unevenly spread throughout the diocese. Ideally, substantial
subsidies from parishes would not be necessary if tuition structure, third party
sources and advancement were fully successful.

iv.

Each school needs to conceive and carry out an advancement strategy. The most
successful schools have demonstrated that substantial advancement funding, both
on an annual basis and for large capital projects, can be achieved. The strategy must
be both short term (annual funds) and long term (endowments) in nature.
Goals and strategies include:

A. Transition to a new tuition model in all schools. Actual revenue from tuition and fees
will be 50 percent of school revenue within 5 years. Schools close to 50 percent and
above will strive for a goal in the range of 60 to 70 percent. With the guidance of the
Catholic Schools Office, every school will form a plan and timeline to make the
transition. The Catholic/non-Catholic tuition differential will be eliminated, especially
where schools are drawing enrollment from the wider community beyond the parish.
In addition, the multi-child discount will be phased out over five years. In place of the
multi-child discount, tuition assistance will be provided specifically for families with
multiple children and special preference will be given for multiple children when
analyzing need.
B. Employ a new model of financial assistance. Financial assistance must be directed
beyond only families in the lowest income group. An adaptable strategy which
includes middle-income families, multi-child families, etc., will be developed. Financial
assistance scholarships that go beyond financial need will be considered. This
approach will help achieve enrollment goals, recruit students from targeted
populations, and attract donor-specific scholarships.
C. Operate schools with efficient staffing levels and determine the number of sections
per grade as needed to maintain full classrooms. Schools should not split a grade into
multiple sections unless the split is financially viable. A full class is understood to be 25
to 28 students with the caveat this might include a teacher and an aide in some lower
grades.
D. All schools will comply with the diocesan salary scale by 2019-20. The diocesan
teacher salary scale will be reviewed by the Catholic Schools Office and a new scale
will be published with timelines to move from approximately 50 percent of public
schools salaries to 60 percent and then to 70 percent. The scale will be flexible to

reference public school districts in the particular area where a school is located. The
scale is to be considered a minimum which schools are encouraged to exceed.
E. Update accounting and budgeting processes to support the new model. The Catholic
Schools Office will establish a dashboard of key metrics to monitor progress in Catholic
school finances and other indicators of school health. These metrics will be constructed
using established benchmarks, recommendations in the plan, and indicators of a
healthy school.
Every school will develop a five-year financial plan for implementing the
schools strategic plan and the Strategic Plan for Catholic Schools. The projection must
include the steps necessary to achieve and maintain compliance with salary guidelines.
It must be based upon realistic and credible enrollment assumptions and efficient
staffing levels.
Principals and school boards (through their finance committees) will be involved
in the budgeting process. Principals will receive timely financial reports on a monthly
or regular basis. Principals will have a part in, if not be fully responsible for,
monitoring expenditures and maintaining a balanced budget.
F. Parish subsidy will not exceed 40 percent of parish income. Parish subsidy will be
kept at a level that allows the parish to operate a vibrant parish ministry. Ideally,
subsidy for parishes with schools will be in the range of 25 to 40 percent, calculated as
a percentage of parish ordinary income.
G. All parishes will support Catholic schools and encourage families to consider
Catholic school education.
3. ADVANCEMENT
Goals and strategies include:
A. The diocese will establish a comprehensive diocesan advancement program for
Catholic school education to help develop and strengthen advancement programs in
schools throughout the diocese and build a culture of philanthropy among all
constituents. The diocese will establish a school-specific diocesan Advancement Office
to provide assistance to schools for third-source funding and philanthropy and serve as

a diocesan ambassador for Catholic education among its constituents. A diocesan case
statement will be developed with related materials and documents to create a strong
coordinated diocesan approach to Catholic education. Diocesan training will provide
assistance to schools/systems.
B. Every school will develop a strategic approach for solicitation of EITC/OSTC funds
and maintain donor relationships.
C. Every school will create and maintain a permanent endowment.
D. Schools will anticipate a diocesan capital campaign which will include a Catholic
schools component. The Catholic Schools Office will develop a list of needs and
opportunities that could be funded through a diocesan capital campaign.
4. FACILITIES
Goals and strategies include:
A. Each school will prioritize its long-term capital needs and projects in order to
develop a facility master plan. The plan will be updated on a regular basis. The master
plan will be funded by a capital improvement allocation in the annual operating
budget, and resources obtained by the school or parish advancement efforts through
regular donations and/or a major capital campaign. Each school also will formulate a
capital budget for the next five years. The diocese will give technical support to schools
that need to develop and prioritize a master facility plan.