Prior to the boisterous chanting of protestors that filled the atmosphere on a particular night last month, it was evident that this community meeting was far from ordinary. Traffic came to a standstill half a mile away from Bishop Egan High School, located in a serene suburb of Philadelphia, as police redirected vehicles away from the main parking lot, which was already full 45 minutes before the event. Parents, students, teachers, alumni, and concerned citizens flocked to the high school, one of 25 in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and filled the 1,200-seat auditorium to capacity. Those who arrived late had no choice but to watch the meeting on closed-circuit television in classrooms.
However, it was the raucous crowd outside on the sidewalk that caught the attention of television news cameras and embodied the emotions that permeated this meeting, as well as similar ones held in the weeks following the archdiocese’s announcement to close or consolidate several high schools. Approximately 150 students from Bishop Conwell High School, an all-girls’ school in nearby Levittown, donning their uniform gray skirts and navy-blue sweaters, shouted spirited cheers and displayed homemade placards with the vigor and volume only teenagers could muster. They had come to the sixth and final community meeting to make it known to Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua, the Archbishop of Philadelphia, that they vehemently opposed the merger of their cherished school with Bishop Egan. "They don’t understand what Conwell has," expressed Theresa Pirollo, a 17-year-old senior and one of the protestors. "What we have is a family."
The proposed merger is part of a controversial long-term plan for archdiocesan high schools that was unveiled in October. According to the proposal, six high schools would be permanently closed the following fall, and four single-sex schools, including Egan and Conwell, would be consolidated into two coeducational institutions. While this situation has arisen in other Catholic school systems across the country, experts believe it has never occurred on such a large scale. If all six schools were to close, approximately 4,800 students would be displaced, as outlined in the plan. In addition, around 225 of the archdiocese’s 900 lay teachers would be directly impacted, potentially resulting in a net loss of 100 jobs across the archdiocese due to more experienced teachers displacing those with less seniority. Rita C. Schwartz, president of Local 1776 of the Association of Catholic Teachers, provided this information. Cardinal Bevilacqua is expected to make a decision on the plan in the upcoming week, although insiders and outsiders alike do not believe he will order the closures or mergers as proposed. During the meeting at Bishop Egan, the Archbishop expressed that having to make this decision is "very painful" for him, emphasizing that he does not wish to cause anyone sorrow.
Decreased enrollment, underutilized school buildings, and a growing deficit are challenges faced by the Philadelphia Catholic school system, which had 129,387 students enrolled during the previous academic year, making it the second-largest system after Chicago. These issues are common among urban Catholic systems. In the current year, the archdiocesan secondary schools have a budget deficit of $10.4 million. A report by management-consulting firm Coopers & Lybrand in October projected that this debt will reach $86.4 million by the 1999-2000 school year unless action is taken. However, opposition to the plan was fierce from the start and has only intensified. Critics have primarily focused on the high number of single-sex schools targeted for closure or consolidation, considering that the archdiocese’s long-term plan emphasizes the preservation of such schools whenever possible. They also question the proposal to close three schools and merge two others that serve as a safe haven for disadvantaged youths in Philadelphia’s impoverished inner-city neighborhoods.
Some observers have criticized the archdiocese for poor planning and lack of leadership. They argue that the Catholic Church, and specifically the archdiocese, has a responsibility to provide education to all without placing excessive emphasis on financial considerations. Maureen Bendig, the parent spokesperson for St. James High School, an all-boys’ school in Chester that is slated for closure, stated, "You can’t run schools like a business instead of caring for the ‘sheep’."
This situation in Philadelphia’s Catholic community has awoken what some call a "sleeping giant."
A coalition called the Save Our Schools group has gathered more than 200 parents, teachers, and alumni to attend its meetings. According to Ms. Schwartz, a member of the teachers’ union and the coalition, the group brings everyone together and strengthens their influence. To promote the coalition’s message, the union has spent $10,000 to rent billboards displaying the message "Save Taxes, Save Catholic Schools" for a month. The district’s need for stable enrollment and finances has also sparked interest in a plan for government-funded education vouchers that was unsuccessful in the state legislature last year. Officials from the Archdiocese admit they were surprised by the intensity of the response from the schools. Cardinal Bevilacqua expressed his astonishment at the Bishop Egan meeting.
Support and interest have come from various sources, including the Taco Bell restaurant near Northeast Catholic, which displayed a banner in support of the parents. Additionally, 20 CEOs of local corporations met with the Cardinal to offer their assistance. Jay Devine, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese, believes that there was a need for a strong call to support these schools.
The challenges faced by the Philadelphia Archdiocese, such as changing demographics, a declining birth rate, and rising costs, are not unique to them but are also affecting many other diocesan school systems across the country. However, the scale of these challenges is larger in Philadelphia compared to other dioceses. John Convey, an education professor at the Catholic University of America, states that no other diocese has considered such a significant school closure all at once. The Boston archdiocese, for example, only closed six of its 44 high schools, impacting a much smaller number of students compared to Philadelphia. Convey suggests that the centralized funding of the schools in Philadelphia may have contributed to an untenable situation, especially because tuition fees across all archdiocesan high schools are fixed at a single rate.
Coopers & Lybrand’s report to the archdiocese recommends creating a decentralized federation of schools where each school becomes financially independent and sets its own tuition fees. The report also suggests improving academic and extracurricular offerings and reducing the pupil-teacher ratio. The objective of the long-range planning project is to reverse the trend of declining secondary school student numbers over the past 20 years. One potential solution to strengthen the archdiocesan schools is implementing state-funded vouchers, although this proposition was rejected last year. However, the bill may be brought up again in the future. Joseph Parker, the president of the Fathers and Mothers Association at Northeast Catholic High School, believes that vouchers are a positive idea that could save the school.
While some focus on the possibility of vouchers, others are taking immediate action to prevent school closures.
Dolly Brophy, the leader of the alumnae association at Little Flower, a girls-only school set to close, has stated that the graduates are committed to raising $100,000 every year to ensure the school’s financial stability. In recent weeks, the group has already raised $50,000, surpassing the total funds raised last year which amounted to $44,000. Similarly, the all-boys’ school St. James in Chester has raised an astonishing $418,000 from its alumni during a three-week telephone pledge drive. Maureen Bendig, the spokesperson for the parents at the school, revealed this information. Both Little Flower and St. James have presented plans to keep their doors open, which includes the possibility of admitting girls or pursuing independence as a school, potentially partnering with Widener University in Chester.
As the Cardinal’s final decision hangs in the balance, parents and others in the archdiocese have been finding different ways to deal with the uncertainties of the future. Many have expressed concerns about transportation and costs associated with transitioning to a new school, as well as the emotional impact on current juniors who may have to start over without the opportunity to hold leadership positions. The proposal has even resulted in some individuals questioning their Catholic faith. Jane Garbacz, whose son attends one of the suburban schools facing closure while her husband teaches at another, shared that she has seen devout Catholics considering public school for their children. These individuals, who are crucial supporters of the parish, now feel that the Cardinal has mishandled the issue by refusing to directly address questions during community meetings. Mr. Parker, a parent living in close proximity to Northeast Catholic and Little Flower, shared his fear that school closures could negatively impact property values, potentially leading to a mass exodus from the neighborhood. Ms. Bendig, the parent at St. James, also expressed concerns about the future of her 11th-grade son and his football teammates. She believes that they will never be accepted on the varsity teams at any Catholic high school, making athletic scholarships unattainable. Despite the options available, including Cardinal O’Hara High School in nearby Springfield or a Catholic school in the Wilmington diocese, her son and his teammates strongly refuse to set foot on the O’Hara campus due to their rivalry. Therefore, it is highly likely that her 16-year-old will end up attending a public high school or a Catholic school in the Wilmington diocese. However, the uncertainty surrounding the situation leaves her unsure of what lies ahead.