Our Lady of Lourdes and Little Flower partner to create new school |
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Tuesday, 26 January 2010 00:00 |
TOLEDO—In an effort to secure and strengthen the opportunity for Catholic education in the Reynolds Corners area of west Toledo, Bishop Leonard P. Blair has granted permission for the creation of a new Catholic elementary school on the Little Flower campus beginning in the academic year 2010-2011.
The new school is the result of collaboration between Our Lady of Lourdes and Little Flower elementary schools, and will offer preschool through eighth grade Catholic education. The current school building at Our Lady of Lourdes is to close at the end of the current academic year.
The pastors of both parishes presented a plan for the collaboration formulated by a joint school task force and the pastoral and finance councils of each parish for the bishop’s approval in December. Discussions for the collaboration began in 2007.
Significant declines in school enrollment have stressed parish budgets to a point where the viability of each school is no longer sustainable in its present operating model beyond the 2009-10 academic year. Over the 11-year period 1998 to 2009 both schools combined have lost half of their enrollment.
Current enrollment for Our Lady of Lourdes is 117 students and for Little Flower is 146 students.
All school parents, teachers, staff and parishioners were advised of the potential change in November 2009. School principals have made themselves available to parents and have discussed the collaboration.
“We have had positive feedback from parents of children in both schools, as well as grandparents and parishioners who no longer have children in school. The students also realize the opportunity to create new friendships,” says Father Joseph Steinbauer, pastor of Little Flower.
Father James E. Brown, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes adds, “The preschool option at the new school will offer a new opportunity for Our Lady of Lourdes families.”
According to Fr. Steinbauer, potentially 18 to 23 faculty and staff members at both schools could be affected with the collaboration. A new principal is to be hired for the yet unnamed school, and educators and staff are to be the best candidates selected in accordance with the process established by the joint task force and its facilitator.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 26 January 2010 00:00 |
