Bishop Donald Kettler convened a steering committee to design a single Catholic school system — named Catholic Community Schools — for the St. Cloud metro area and surrounding communities. To keep the public apprised of its work and address general questions people may have, the group provides regular updates in The Visitor and on the diocesan website (www.stclouddiocese.org; click on “St. Cloud-area Catholic schools initiative.”) The following are highlights from the committee’s Oct. 30 meeting.
- The steering committee reviewed feedback it received since its last meeting. Representatives from the committee reported a positive meeting with leadership at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School. Meetings will be planned in the near future with representatives from Immaculate Conception Parish in Rice, Annunciation Parish in Mayhew Lake and St. Stephen in St. Stephen.
- The steering committee continued to finalize a draft budget for Bishop Kettler’s review. The budget will include the investment amount needed from parishes to sustain CCS as a percentage of their ordinary income, suggested tuition rates and a salary matrix. For the 2016-2017 transition year, schools will use the same budgeting process as in past years but budget documents will share a common chart of accounts.
- The committee continued to review and discuss a draft job description for the new position of superintendent of Catholic Community Schools.
Feedback and next meeting
Questions or comments?
Email: CatholicSchoolsSC@gmail.com.