Conwell-Egan to stay open; students 'couldn't be happier'
Conwell-Egan and three other Catholic high schools slated for closure by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are staying open.
Church officials said Friday that people have come forward with donations large and small to keep the endangered high schools open for several years. Conwell-Egan raised $3 million.
Tori Wilcox, a 16-year-old Conwell-Egan junior, was ecstatic knowing she'll get to finish her high school career at the school she calls home.
"I couldn't be happier," she said as students cheered behind her. "I get to do everything I wanted to do in my school as a senior next year. This is my family. I'm here more than I'm at home and I couldn't imagine graduating with anybody else but these kids.
"Nothing felt as at home as when I was here. Now that I know I get to stay here, it's the greatest feeling in the world."
School President Janet Dollard said the students are the greatest in the area and with their help and that of alumni and donors, they'll be able to move forward.
"They're the best students around and they're worth fighting for," she said while the teens chanted her name. "We're a staple in Lower Bucks and we're going to stay that way."
In addition to Conwell-Egan, Saint Hubert Catholic High School for Girls; Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School; and West Philadelphia Catholic High School will stay open.
Last month, church officials recommended the closures of the four high schools and 45 elementary schools in response to rising costs and declining enrollment. But last week archdiocesan officials granted appeals to 18 of the elementary schools on the closure list.
Students and staff at Conwell-Egan in Fairless Hills gathered to watch the archdiocese press conference in which they will learned the news officially.
School students were released at 2:06 p.m. but those who wanted to stay to watch the press conference with employees were being allowed to do so.
Various media were at the school to report the decision to keep the school open and reaction from parents, students and staff at the high school.
A blue ribbon commission of the Philadelphia Archdiocese had recommended closure. However, since then, the school has raised at least $3 million to cover any deficits over the next five years. As a result, the archdiocese has been reconsidering its decision.
Church officials said Friday that people have come forward with donations large and small to keep the endangered high schools open for several years. Conwell-Egan raised $3 million.
Tori Wilcox, a 16-year-old Conwell-Egan junior, was ecstatic knowing she'll get to finish her high school career at the school she calls home.
"I couldn't be happier," she said as students cheered behind her. "I get to do everything I wanted to do in my school as a senior next year. This is my family. I'm here more than I'm at home and I couldn't imagine graduating with anybody else but these kids.
"Nothing felt as at home as when I was here. Now that I know I get to stay here, it's the greatest feeling in the world."
School President Janet Dollard said the students are the greatest in the area and with their help and that of alumni and donors, they'll be able to move forward.
"They're the best students around and they're worth fighting for," she said while the teens chanted her name. "We're a staple in Lower Bucks and we're going to stay that way."
In addition to Conwell-Egan, Saint Hubert Catholic High School for Girls; Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School; and West Philadelphia Catholic High School will stay open.
Last month, church officials recommended the closures of the four high schools and 45 elementary schools in response to rising costs and declining enrollment. But last week archdiocesan officials granted appeals to 18 of the elementary schools on the closure list.
Students and staff at Conwell-Egan in Fairless Hills gathered to watch the archdiocese press conference in which they will learned the news officially.
School students were released at 2:06 p.m. but those who wanted to stay to watch the press conference with employees were being allowed to do so.
Various media were at the school to report the decision to keep the school open and reaction from parents, students and staff at the high school.
A blue ribbon commission of the Philadelphia Archdiocese had recommended closure. However, since then, the school has raised at least $3 million to cover any deficits over the next five years. As a result, the archdiocese has been reconsidering its decision.
9 comments:
Was this just a big show to make rich people donate more money?
A cynical part of me thinks so, yes.
That's why they support the taxpayer bailout of vouchers so strongly.
To force rich, poor and in-between to kick in to keep private religious schools afloat.
That's not true.
You're right. My bad.
Pennsylvania bishops praise governor's school voucher plan
By Marianne Medlin
Harrisburg, Pa., Oct 12, 2011 / 05:28 am (CNA).- The Catholic bishops of Pennsylvania are applauding Gov. Tom Corbett for approving school vouchers within the state and increasing the local Educational Improvement Tax Credit program.
“School choice is the right choice for Pennsylvania,” Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia said in reaction to the news.
“It will give families the freedom to educate their children as they see fit, and it offers real alternatives for underprivileged families who seek to give their children a chance to succeed.”
On Oct. 11, Corbett announced his new tuition voucher program which will help low-income students who rank academically in the bottom 5 percent of public schools transfer to the school of their choice.
Additionally, students from households with incomes at or under 130 percent of the federal poverty level would be allowed to take the individual state subsidy their district receives for them and apply it to another public or private school.
The plan will also enable the state to grant charters to charter schools, a power that was reserved for local school districts.
“I recognize that there are many good schools in Pennsylvania,” Corbett said during his announcement at the Lincoln Charter School in York, Pa.
“But there are also failing schools, and we have to recognize this,” Corbett said. “We can not run from that.”
Although Gov. Corbett's plan is already being criticized by the Pennsylvania State Education Association—the state's largest teacher's union that has long opposed voucher programs—Archbishop Chaput called the decision “a clarion call to the people of Pennsylvania.”
“As citizens, we face a pivotal opportunity to improve the lives and enrich the minds of our children,” he underscored.
Some Catholic schools in the U.S. have seen a spike in enrollment this year as the school choice movement gains traction. As of August 2011, 18 states as well as the District of Columbia have enacted policies that support school vouchers.
Sr. Dale McDonald, director of Public Policy and Educational Research at the National Catholic Educational Association, told EWTN News on Aug. 30 that voucher programs have “gained momentum” due to parental as well as political support.
The Pennsylvania bishops called for legislative action in their state in an Oct. 4 statement last week, arguing that school choice “is not a public versus non-public school issue; it is a family and child issue.”
They also outlined the financial benefits of voucher programs for the local government.
“With fewer students in public school, some of the financial pressure will be lessened on state and local budgets,” they said, noting that the state's 500 Catholic schools are “the largest provider of non-public education in the Commonwealth.”
“These schools educate both Catholics and non-Catholics in an academically excellent and nurturing environment,” the bishops added. “This essential service not only helps to create new generations of productive and engaged citizens, but also by saves over $4 billion tax dollars annually.”
I'm glad some schools were able to remain open through grassroots private donors. But if a private religious school needs vouchers for continued survival, I'm not down with that either. That goes for private non-religious schools too, especially if they can use admissions criteria of their own choosing.
Excerpt from article from today's Phila. Inquirer. See the full article here:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120225_Four
_Philly-area_Catholic_high_schools_to_stay_open.html?cmpid=124488469
Four Philly-area Catholic high schools to stay open
By Martha Woodall and Kristen A. Graham
Inquirer Staff Writers
After weeks of fevered fund-raising, rallies, and anxiety, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput announced Friday that thanks to millions of dollars in donations and pledges, all four archdiocesan high schools set to close in June would remain open.
The archbishop said "close to 20,000 financial donations have come in from everyday working lay people," and that an independent foundation would be established to raise $100 million in the next five years to help Catholic schools.
But he said their continued survival depended on the expansion of the state's educational tax credit program and the passage of voucher legislation in Harrisburg.
Say no to Government intrusion, but say yes to Government (cash) infusion.
how many high elected officials were against the auto bail-out but were ok with the bail-out for the rich banks? coming next are the vouchers that are the bail-out for the private schools
Like how many irrational hypocrites are out there?
Lots.
Post a Comment