Benefactor's offer might ease Catholic school pinch

La Crosse Tribune, Jan 04, 2002 by Hollnagel, Gayda

An anonymous benefactor has come forward to help ease the financial crunch faced by Coulee Catholic Schools. But several parishioners attending a meeting Thursday night at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Onalaska wondered whether the unified system should be scrapped rather than saved.

The Rev. Roger Scheckel, dean of La Crosse area parishes, told the parishioners that the benefactor has agreed to match every dollar raised this year to help erase the system's $1.3 million deficit. The same benefactor also has offered to pay for an addition to St. Patrick's to house a preschool and kindergarten program, Scheckel said.

"That is hopefully what we need to get things going again," Scheckel said of the money raised through the matching fund campaign. Ideally, the system needs a $20-million endowment to ensure that further operating deficits do not occur, he said.

Other measures being considered to trim the deficit include closing Holy Trinity School in La Crosse and merging it with Cathedral School, a larger facility seven blocks away, and discontinuing the middle school at St. Patrick's, which this year has only 25 students. St. Patrick's could still house seventh and eighth grades, and the students could still participate in music, athletics and other activities at the Aquinas Middle School campus in La Crosse, Scheckel said. A savings would result because only one building principal would be needed.

School officials said earlier they also plan to move the Mary, Mother of the Church preschool and kindergarten programs in La Crosse from the St. Thomas More building to the parish's main school site at Holy Cross Diocesan Center.

The deficit resulted from the system's decision two years ago to equalize the pay schedule for teachers at all the schools, Scheckel said. The increase, which was paid for by private donations totaling nearly $1 million the first year, was to have been funded by the $20 million endowment, but fund-raisers decided to delay the campaign because of ill feelings created in the Catholic community by the unification process, he said.

Despite the glimmer of hope created by the temporary bail-out plan, several parishioners said they wonder whether something more concrete should occur, including scrapping the unified system.

The idea behind unifying local Catholic schools had merit, but so much damage has occurred - including the systemwide loss of more than 100 students - that the current operating plan needs a total revamping, said Val Chilsen, a St. Patrick's parishioner who has a grandchild at St. Patrick's.

"They need to look at something totally new, they need to redo this. The organization they have now can't rectify this," said Chilsen, who spoke at Thursday's meeting.

Chilsen, who handed out a written proposal to the several hundred people who attended the nearly twohour session, said he'd like to see the operating of the schools returned to the parishes while a committee reviews options for revitalizing the troubled system.

"There is a narrow window of opportunity to rectify the chaos created by Coulee Catholic Schools and save Catholic education in La Crosse and Onalaska," he said.

He and several other speakers criticized the way the unification was initiated, complaining that the plan excluded parishes and parents from any decision making. They also said budgets were set without any regard for the parishes' ability to pay.

Scheckel admitted mistakes were made, but he said several options have been returned to parishes, including the right to raise money to pay for things within their own schools. Parishes also have parent advisory groups, he said.

Returning schools to parish control isn't feasible because the parishes would not be able to afford the higher teacher salaries, Scheckel said.

Scheckel said no decisions have been reached and input from the parents and parishioners will be considered. He said the final decision, which must be approved by Bishop Raymond Burke, will be made by Jan. 30.