Bishop Zubik takes steps for regional sustainability of Catholic schools

As part of the ongoing regionalization of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, four schools will merge – using two of their campuses – and two others will close at the end of the 2019-2020 school year.  Bishop David Zubik made the decisions based on recommendations from regional school leaders.

•  Saint Maria Goretti School in Bloomfield and East Catholic School in Forest Hills will close following the 2019-2020 school year.
• Saint Anne School in Castle Shannon, St. Bernard School in Mount Lebanon, Our Lady of Grace School in Scott Township and St. Thomas More School in Bethel Park will merge to form one unified school program in 2020-21.  The program will have two preschool through 8 ^th grade sites: one at St. Thomas More and one at St. Bernard.

 Bishop Zubik acknowledged the sadness that comes with any merger or closure and praised the efforts of school leaders, parents and the parish communities supporting the schools.
 
“As hard as it is to lose a beloved school, these steps will help Catholic education remain affordable, accessible and sustainable for a new generation,” Bishop Zubik said. “Every student will continue to have a place in one of our Catholic schools. Our children are our future, and we feel a deep responsibility to them to be good stewards of Catholic education programs in our diocese so that we can provide a legacy of faith that our world so desperately needs.”
 
Bishop Zubik approved the closure of Saint Maria Goretti and East Catholic based upon the recommendation of the board of directors of the Pittsburgh-East Regional Catholic Elementary Schools, Inc. Among the reasons:

• Enrollment in grades K-8 at Saint Maria Goretti has fallen from 172 in 2016-17 to 131 students in 2019-20.  School debt grew to $355,000 through the 2017-18 fiscal year but was retired by the end of 2018-19 due to the sale of parish property.  However, the school will again begin to incur debt estimated at $250,000 annually. In addition, the parish reported debt of about $800,000 at the end of the 2018-19 fiscal year.
• Enrollment in grades K-8 at East Catholic has fallen from 255 in 2016-17 to 172 students in 2019-20.  School debt grew to more than $400,000 through the 2018-19 fiscal year and is projected to increase to more than $600,000 by June 2020.

 
The Pittsburgh-East regional administrator, Joseph Rosi, will facilitate meetings of Saint Maria Goretti and East Catholic parents with principals from nearby Catholic elementary schools.  "We want to assure our school families of the opportunities to continue Catholic education for their children," said Father Kris Stubna, chair of the Pittsburgh-East board.
 
After prayerful study, and based on a formal recommendation from the South Regional Catholic Elementary Schools Advisory Board, Bishop Zubik approved the merger of Saint Anne, Saint Bernard, Our Lady of Grace and Saint Thomas More schools. The merged school will have two sites: St. Thomas More and St. Bernard. Each campus will house Pre-K through Grade 8. 
 
"The Regional Advisory Board looks forward to helping principals, teachers, and families bring the best of each of the four schools into the newly emergent school over the coming months,” said Father David Poecking, member of the South Regional Advisory Board.  “We are especially eager to sustain support for children of special needs or from low-income or immigrant households, and we also hope to incorporate the excellent features of each school's curriculum and programming."
 
These steps are part of a broader effort to strengthen Catholic schools for the long term in the Diocese of Pittsburgh through regional governance.  Instead of one parish supporting one school, all of the parishes in a geographic region will support all of the schools in that region.  In 2017, this model was launched in the North Hills, where it has stabilized enrollment and finances.
 
“The Pittsburgh East board of directors and South Regional advisory board, along with the regional administration, principals, faculty, staff and school communities are working together so that all families in those regions will have access to a Catholic school,” said Michelle Peduto, Director of Catholic Schools.  “Our goal is to provide families with spiritually vibrant, academically excellent, and financially sustainable Catholic schools for generations to come.”