Bishop George J. Lucas has invited parents, faculty and supporters of Catholic education in Springfield to respond by Oct. 16 to a strategic planning committee's recommendation for "right sizing" enrollment at the city's seven parish elementary schools.

The recommendations were made Oct. 9 at a city-wide meeting at St. Agnes, where over 600 school parents and faculty members packed the church. Bishop Lucas asked that comments be sent through the school principals so that a decision for the 2008-2009 academic year could be made by Nov. 9 at the latest.

E-mail addresses for the principals are: Kathy Wear, Blessed Sacrament, ; Michele Watson, Cathedral, ; Jeanine Kolb, Christ the King, ; Carissa Cantrell, Little Flower, ; Sister Mary Joan Sorge, OP, St. Agnes, ; Jean Kennedy, St. Aloysius, ; and Jennifer Burke, St. Joseph, .

At the meeting, Bishop Lucas presented a report from the strategic planning group that recommended four Springfield area schools be consolidated into two. According to the plan, Cathedral School would combine with Little Flower School, located on the city's south side, at the Little Flower site. St. Aloysius and St. Joseph on the city's north side would combine at the St. Joseph site.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Bishop George J. Lucas commended the strategic planning group for what he called their "unprecedented collaboration" during the strategic planning process.

"I couldn't be more proud of all the work you have done and continue to do and for your concern for all the students in our Catholic schools," he said.

The Strategic Planning Committee for Springfield Catholic Elementary Schools was composed of pastors, principals and lay representatives of the seven Catholic parish schools in Springfield. Also included were representatives of the independent St. Patrick Catholic School, Sacred Heart-Griffin High School and Ursuline Academy. The committee was co-chaired by Jennifer Burke, principal of St. Joseph School, and Sister Mary Joan Sorge, OP, principal of St. Agnes School.

In March, the group released a five-year plan that dealt with academic goals, enrollment, school and parish finances, and marketing goals. One of the objectives for Year One of the plan was to "form a committee to reconfigure or ‘right size' our schools by May 2007."

That group, made up of pastors, principals and lay representatives of the seven parish schools in the city, met in May and July with a facilitator, Claire M. Helm, Ph.D., vice president and director of the Office of Leadership Development of the National Catholic Education Association in Washington, D.C. Their results were presented to the school parents and faculty at the Oct. 9 meeting.

Among the factors considered by the group was enrollment, which has fallen by more than 25 percent over the last nine years. Enrollment for the 1999-2000 school year for the Springfield schools was 2,679 students in K-8. That number has fallen to 2,011 students for the 2007-2008 academic year.

ccording to the report, the group also found that many parishes pledge more than 50 percent of their ordinary annual income to support the schools, which they saw as a "tremendous vote of confidence in Catholic education." However they noted that "many parishes have used or are exhausting their savings to subsidize schools" and said such a level of support could not be sustained over without doing "irreparable harm" to parish finances.

The report also said that parish populations and shifts in demographics have "negatively impacted the parishes and Catholic schools in this area."

The committee concluded that no readjustment was needed in the southwest portion of Springfield, which includes Blessed Sacrament, Christ the King and St. Agnes.

The committee recommended combining the two parishes in the central and southern areas, Cathedral and Little Flower, at the Little Flower site. They noted that Cathedral Grade School was perceived as "vulnerable" and that Little Flower already has programs in place to serve the special needs students now attending Cathedral.

For Springfield's north side, the committee recommended combining St. Aloysius and St. Joseph school at the St. Joseph site. They said that although St. Aloysius had the larger facility, both St. Joseph school and parish are in a good financial position and the school has the ability to expand in the future.

In her final report as facilitator for the group, Helm said the committee concluded that "worst thing" that could happen to Catholic education in Springfield would be to do nothing.

The report concluded that the recommendations are for the 2008-2009 academic year, which would allow parents and student of affected schools to make decisions about the future.

n a 45-minute question and answer session that ended the meeting, over 30 people took the opportunity to comment on the plan. Many spoke emotionally about the importance of Catholic schools in their children's lives and pleaded for the schools to remain open.