Philadelphia Archdiocese Agrees to New Independently Managed Catholic School System
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
August 21, 2012
(Philadelphia, August 21, 2012)- The Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Faith and the Future Foundation, today announced that an agreement-in-principle has been reached to create an independently managed Catholic school system that would encompass the 17 high schools within the Archdiocese as well as its four schools of special education. The Foundation will assume strategic and operational management of these 21 Archdiocesan schools effective September 1, focusing upon major fundraising, enrollment management, marketing and cultivating best practices in leadership and education. Although this agreement specifically addresses the Archdiocesan high schools and the schools of special education, the Foundation, which will work in close partnership with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, will also seek to provide support to the Archdiocesan grade schools and the newly formed Mission Schools.
A new executive management team is currently being created for the Faith in the Future Foundation. H. Edward Hanway, Chairman of the Faith in the Future Foundation and former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CIGNA Corporation, is serving as the Foundation's interim CEO. However, an extensive search is underway for a Foundation CEO. Mr. Hanway will remain as Foundation Chairman upon the appointment of the new CEO. Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Fitzgerald, who oversees Catholic education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, will serve on the Foundation's Board of Directors, whose inaugural appointments will be announced this fall.
"Today's agreement between the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Faith in the Future Foundation is unlike any agreement that a Diocese has achieved with its lay leadership," said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. "The willingness of lay leaders with a love for Catholic education to step forward is encouraging. The commitment made by the Foundation-a commitment to professional excellence in management, guided by a strong and faithful Catholic identity-will serve our high schools and schools of special education well. We have seen the momentum that the Foundation has been able to generate, and we are confident that this agreement will lead to an even stronger school system for the children of the Philadelphia region."
The Office of Catholic Education (OCE), which is vital to the academic, co-curricular and extracurricular success of students within the secondary schools and schools of special education, will become a division of the Faith in the Future Foundation, reporting directly to the Foundation's CEO. The responsibilities of OCE remain focused upon curriculum and standards, academic and spiritual development of students, co-curricular and extra-curricular programming, and the professional development of teachers. The Presidents and Principals of the 17 Archdiocesan High Schools and four schools of special education will continue to report to OCE. All facilities will continue to be owned and operated by the Archdiocese.
"The independence of the Catholic secondary system, with the schools of special education, was critical to our ability to more fully address the fundraising and enrollment needs of our schools," said Mr. Hanway. "With capacity available to educate an additional 15,000 students, we fully intend to grow. This is a ground-breaking approach to educating our children and I am deeply pleased that Archbishop Chaput and Archdiocesan leadership were willing to make such a bold decision in reaching this agreement with the Foundation. I am confident that the Foundation can-and will-serve as a model for Catholic education across the nation as we infuse and employ an entrepreneurial approach to managing these 21 schools."
For more information about the Faith in the Future Foundation and its leadership of the 17 high schools and four schools of special education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, please visit www.FaithintheFuture.com. For additional information about Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, specifically a listing of all schools, please visit www.catholicschools-phl.org/.
The following schools will now be managed by the Faith in the Future Foundation:
High Schools:
- Archbishop John Carroll High School
- Archbishop Ryan High School
- Archbishop Wood High School
- Bishop McDevitt High School
- Bishop Shanahan High School
- Cardinal O'Hara High School
- Conwell-Egan Catholic High School
- Father Judge High School for Boys
- St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls
- SS. John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School
- John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls' High School
- Lansdale Catholic High School
- Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls
- Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School
- Pope John Paul II High School
- Roman Catholic High School for Boys
- West Philadelphia Catholic High School
Schools of Special Education:
- Archbishop Ryan School for the Deaf
- St. Katherine Day School
- St. Lucy School for Children with Visual Impairments
- Our Lady of Confidence Day School