Catholic School Merger Meeting Set For Thursday

Addressing Catholic school mergers, a forum will be presented Thursday, which allows parents, students and parishioners to have their first public chance to speak locally.

For the first time since the in Manayunk will merge with St. Bridget's in East Falls, an organized meeting will be held for Manayunk parshioners to weigh in on plans, according to an announcement on Holy Child's website. 

"The GOAL of the Implementation Committee is to brainstorm what is needed to bring a positive outcome for the regionalization plan," the annoucement read. The joint committee will be comprised of parents, pastors, principals, business managers and those who set tuition at both schools.

A meeting took place at St. Bridget's Tuesday night. The Jan. 18 committee session starts at 7 p.m., as will another St. Bridget's meeting Jan. 23. 

Local meetings are the first step in a series of events that will lead to an open house for the combined regional school March 25—the Catholic feast of the Annunciation.

At the first round of local meetings, committee members are asked to outline a timeline, how to involve parents, ways to use merging schools' strengths, and the best facilities available, among other tasks. One significant request is to chose a new name, which the public can help in by making suggestions on this website.

In addition to the public meetings, representatives from both schools will meet with the archdiocese Thursday to discuss the site of the new regional school.

With inevitable layoffs to occur with two schools combining, the archdiocese cancelled class at Holy Child and St. Bridget's for students Jan. 24. That day, faculty members from all effected will attend a full-day meeting with the Office of Catholic Education.

Starting Jan. 31, implementation committees from all impacted schools will meet monthly at Father Judge High School, prior to the inaugural open houses.

Empowered by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the 16-member Blue Ribbon Commission, appointed in December 2010, .

Four high schools and 44 out of the 156 elementary schools in the archdiocese were recommend to close or merge at the end of the school year.

To read the complete report, click here.