Two Catholic elementary schools to remain open

WEST GROVE » Both Sacred Heart Catholic Elementary School in Oxford and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Elementary School in West Grove will remain open, the Office of Catholic Education announced Wednesday.

The decision to keep the two schools open was made after an analysis of data collected locally by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from parents, parishioners and other key stakeholders. Using this information, the Southern Chester County Steering Committee, formed last year to examine the best way to deliver Catholic Education to students in the area, considered how it could best keep Catholic education alive.

Through additional surveys and analysis results related to possible options to consolidate, members of the steering committee realized that families wanted to attend their local school and did not support consolidation and traveling to a new single school location. The focus of the steering committee then turned to how each school could be made sustainable.

When St. Patrick’s Elementary School closed in 2011, enrollment at Assumption BVM Elementary School in West Grove shot up 30 percent.

Beginning with the 2018-19 school year, several new initiatives will be rolled out to support the sustainability and increased enrollment of Sacred Heart and Assumption BVM Catholic Elementary schools, the Archdioceses reported, including:

• A Strategic Planning Assistance Team comprised of the pastor; principal; business manager; a senior administrator from OCE; a senior administrator from the Archdiocesan Office for Parish Service and Support, and representatives from the Foundation for Catholic Education will work with ABVM and Sacred Heart for over 12 months to maximize finances, academics, and marketing.

• The Foundation for Catholic Education will provide both schools with financial support to move each school toward self-sustainability.

• School and parish leadership will look to enhance curriculum offerings as well as co-curricular offerings with a particularly strong focus on STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, and Math) to help meet the expectations of the school community.

• A Board of Limited Jurisdiction will be developed at each

school to seek community support.

Already rolled out in dozens

of schools throughout the Archdiocese, a Board of Limited Jurisdiction is a policy-making body made up of lay volunteers from various professional backgrounds representing a broad demographic crosssection

of the schools and parishes they serve. This board is committee-driven and will oversee budgeting, development, and marketing. It will not be involved in curriculum, personnel, or student-based matters.