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. 2 meeting.

  • The steering committee reviewed feedback since its last meeting. Feedback from a second round of meetings with school boards, parish councils and school staff has been mostly positive. Meetings are planned in upcoming weeks with St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School in St. Cloud, St. Wendelin School in Luxemburg and Holy Cross in Pearl Lake.
  • The finance subcommittee has assembled an approximately $15 million draft budget for the 2016-2017 transitional year. The draft budget was to be shared with priests involved in CCS at an Oct. 2 meeting; representatives from the steering committee also will meet with any pastor who was not able to attend the meeting. The draft budget will be shared with school principals Oct. 12.
  • At its next meeting, the steering committee will examine a draft for CCS’ bylaws, the current contracts that exist between parishes and schools, and review possible models for facility management. The steering committee also will review feedback from the meetings with priests and principals, and discuss a job descriptions for the CCS superintendent position.

Feedback and next meeting
Questions or comments?
Email: CatholicSchoolsSC@gmail.com.
Next meeting: Oct. 16.

Catholic Community Schools Q&A

As Catholic Community Schools (CCS) takes shape, we will keep you informed of the latest news and respond to frequently asked questions on a regular basis.
Question: What is the timeline for this?

Answer: Bishop Donald Kettler appointed a steering committee to create the overall structure for CCS. He directed the committee to provide him with a plan for his review by December 2015. The 2016-2017 school year will be a “year of transition” during which schools will begin more collaborative efforts. CCS is slated to launch in fall 2017.