DIOCESE—When St. Ignatius understood that God did not wish him to remain at
Jerusalem, he began to consider what he should do. The plan he approved and adopted was to enter upon a course of study in order to be better fitted to save souls.

The key to success for both St. Ignatius and any long-term good is always to have a plan.

The Rockford Diocese unveiled its path to a strategic plan for Catholic schools this week in two meetings — one in Rockford Nov. 4 for the Freeport, McHenry, Rockford and Sterling deaneries and one in Aurora Nov. 5 for the Aurora, DeKalb and Elgin deaneries.

Principals, pastors and members of all Catholic school boards and commissions attended the sessions.
Details of developing the plan were presented by the diocesan Department of Educational Services and representatives of Meitler, a professional strategic planning firm from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Meitler specializes in consulting with Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools, religious communities and church agencies.

Rockford Diocese officials decided about a year ago to address some of the challenges facing its Catholic schools. Like so many across the country, the Rockford Diocese faces challenges in enrollment, funding and Catholic identity.

The diocesan education office will  take a proactive approach to help ensure that Catholic education will be available, accessible and affordable to parents desiring quality Catholic education for their children for generations to come. The strategic planning process is part of that proactivity.

The diocese has 40 elementary and eight secondary schools (six diocesan and two private) in its 11-county area.

All of the schools face challenges in one form or another and according to information from Meitler,  “the proven and effective way to respond to the challenges is through a comprehensive plan that will address the issues at both the diocesan level and the local level. Some issues are larger than individual schools and require a collective response. Other issues require individual schools to take appropriate actions in a disciplined strategic manner and follow that course over a number of years. This planning process will facilitate planning at all levels. By undertaking this effort as a diocese, these initiatives will be aligned with one another working toward common goals with adaptation to local communities.”

While many of the major challenges facing diocesan schools have been identified, others may also surface during the process. Some of the major challenges identified so far include:

•    Individual schools are not always tied to a common diocesan vision for Catholic education

•    While parish support is strong in many areas, the relationship between parishes and schools needs continuing affirmation and definition for the long term.

•    Kindergarten through eighth grade enrollment has declined by 20 percent from 2005-06 to 2014-2015. Enrollment trends raise concerns about school viability, competitiveness and sustainability.

•    Families enrolled in schools may not always participate in parish life, attend Mass or be living the Catholic faith at home. This poses a challenge for the Church and an opportunity for evangelization.

•    Financial issues relate to parents paying tuition and valuing Catholic education, successfully developing third source funding, costs left to parish and the diocese, and the lack of funding to sustain equitable quality of education across all schools. The number of schools not benchmarks for viability is gradually increasing.

•    A high level of parish investment is placing stress on the capacity of parishes to maintain funding with the current model. How much support should parishes give to schools? What is the right philosophy and approach for parish support?

•    Compensation of teachers and administrators in the long term needs to be at a competitive level to attract and retain the quality desired for strong leadership and outstanding educational programs.

•    Developing new sources of funds through institutional advancement may have significant potential but changes in approach are needed. Few schools have a high level of success with advancement programs.

•    Paying tuition is often cited as a barrier for parents to enroll their children. The tuition model needs to be examined in light of market competition, the true value of a Catholic education and financial viability that sustains a healthy school.

•    The attitudes about education and formation are different for new generations of parents, so the priority and value of Catholic school education must be continually clarified and renewed within the Church to ensure the continuation of Catholic schools in the future.

•    Some schools are operating in survival mode or slowly reaching a point of being unsustainable. Can and how should these situations be turned around? Is there a need to redesign the approach to making a Catholic school education available in some communities? There is a need to address critical situations but also to be proactive with school that could become critical if trends continue.

•    How can parishes and schools collaborate more effectively in working toward a shared solution?

•    Current and future leadership in parishes and schools must be developed and given assistance to make these complex institutions thrive in a competitive environment.

To help address these and any other challenges that may surface, the strategic planning process will have 12 objectives to help guide the diocese toward sustaining the mission of Catholic school education and growing that mission where opportunities are present. At the end of the process, local schools will be able to use the diocesan plan as a blue print for developing their local strategic plan and proceed in harmony with the larger diocesan vision.