Representatives from four of the eight D.C. Catholic schools that could be converted to public charter schools said they plan to strongly oppose going the charter route.
One plan would have St. Augustine Catholic designated as a parish-run, religious campus with the same values and educational pursuits, only with added outreach and funding to pull the school out of hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of financial deficiencies, said those pushing that idea.
Another proposal would combine Nativity Catholic Academy and St. Gabriel’s so that both sites can stay open as Catholic schools while also becoming financially viable.
And parents and congregants at St. Francis de Sales are enlisting the help of local businesses and alumni so the school can come out of debt and stay Catholic, parents told The Examiner.
The plans come in the wake of an announcement by the Archdiocese of Washington in August that it was strongly considering turning eight of its schools into charters to escape long-running financial woes.
Last month, archdiocese leadership told parishioners the deadline for them to turn in plans of action for avoiding the shift to charter school status was Oct. 20.
That necessitated a rushed proposal that is still being finalized combining Nativity and St. Gabriel’s into a single school, parent Joe McKenzie said Wednesday.
“To make a profitable situation that might get accepted, this was the best strategy,” he said. “We could probably come up with something more appealing to everyone if we had more time, but we don’t.”
For St. Augustine, the plan that’s in the final stages revolves around making up the approximately $300,000 needed largely through donations.
Parishioners started setting aside money from the parish in 2002, accordingto S. Kathryn Allen, who has led the effort.
“We never were comfortable not being a parish-run school,” she said.
