JAMAICA — Catholic academies in the Diocese of Brooklyn will soon begin collecting data on all aspects of their operations and success to develop plans for the future, diocesan officials announced at a conference on Oct. 22.
The Office of the Superintendent for the diocese is asking each of the academies to organize committees to start taking a deep dive into such factors as marketing and enrollment numbers, finance and development, leadership, and academic excellence before developing plans to improve, said John O’Brien, an associate superintendent for Catholic academies.
“The goal is to figure out who we are and where we need to be going,” O’Brien told the Catholic academy principals and assistant principals attending the “Framework & Fuel for the Future” conference at St. John’s University in Jamaica.
According to a timeline presented at the conference, schools will create committees in November, complete reports by the spring, and post their findings on their websites and social media in June or July.
“This is a big task but one that’s not impossible,” O’Brien said, urging the educators to “not be afraid of this process.”
The conference featured a presentation from Superintendent Deacon Kevin McCormack on the state of Catholic schools in the diocese and the possible steps that schools could take to secure their futures.
“We lost four schools this year. … We took a hit,” he said, referring to the closures of Salve Regina Catholic Academy in East New York, St, Matthias Catholic Academy in Ridgewood, St. Catherine of Genoa-St. Thérèse Lisieux Catholic Academy in Flatbush and Visitation Academy in Bay Ridge.
Deacon McCormack also pointed out that the diocese has lost two-thirds of its elementary schools over the past 60 years. According to the Office of the Superintendent, there were 198 schools in the diocese in the mid-1960s. Today, there are 65.
There are various factors behind the decline, including changing demographics in neighborhoods, tuition costs, and teacher salaries that can’t compete with those of public schools, according to Deacon McCormack.
Despite the decline, Deacon McCormack urged educators to be undaunted. He also urged them to think outside of the box to find resolutions.
“We have problems, but we also have solutions,” he said.
For example, Deacon McCormack highlighted that while Catholic schools are no longer populated by large numbers of students of European descent — such as Italians and Irish — there are other nationalities that could provide a pool of potential students, citing Latinos and Asians as the two biggest groups.
The dozens of principals and assistant principals from across the diocese who attended the conference took part in discussions and workshops.
Gina Auricchio, assistant principal of St. Athanasius Catholic Academy in Bensonhurst, said she was happy to be there.
“I’m looking for new ideas,” Auricchio said. “I’m looking to collaborate with teachers and principals from other schools so we can just try to implement best practices and make ourselves more marketable so we can get our numbers up.”
Ted Havelka, director of enrollment management and financial assistance, told the educators that, above all, they must keep in mind the “why” of what they do — namely, that their schools teach the word of Jesus Christ.
“Christ is at the core of all Catholic schools, and that differentiates them from their public school counterparts,” Havelka said. “We believe God loves and has a plan for our children.”
Bishop Robert Brennan, who also addressed the conference attendees, said schools play an important role — not just in education.
“You are the only contact many people have with our Church,” he explained. “It gives us a chance to extend that invitation to Christ.”
