St. Patrick School Parent Link       December 10, 2009

The Most Dreaded Words in the English Language

I think the most difficult of all questions is: "Why didn't someone tell me about this?" If it's not the toughest, it's pretty high on the list. Think of your own frustration and anger when you've been denied access to information which could have altered an outcome or allowed you to intervene in an important situation.

I mention this because I don't want any of our parents asking that question of me or feeling they've been left in the dark regarding the future of St. Patrick School - especially when Bishop Sartain renders a decision on that future early in 2010. You deserve no less than to be on the cutting edge when it comes to the well-being of your school.

So let me begin with a couple of realities (intertwined with some conjecture on my part):

We are one of three, maybe four, Joliet Catholic schools which are "on the bubble," so to speak. Only St. Ray's and St. Paul's appear to be on terra firma. At the present time, the written word from the Diocese is no decision has been made to close any of these schools. I take that as Gospel because of the old adage, if you can't trust the Bishop, who can you trust?

So we and the other schools are presently sitting between the devil and the deep-blue sea. Our predicament can be traced to two reasons: 1. Money, 2. Money. I've listed them in their order of importance. Now some will tell you declining enrollment is a factor. I say declining enrollment is simply a euphemism for money because that's the context in which the Diocese treats it - especially in regard to St. Pat's. We've been told our declining enrollment has cost us a great deal of tuition revenue, which in turn has caused us a great deal of indebtedness. These issues are real, but they sound like a money problem to me.

I've often said it's better to have problems which can be fixed by throwing money at them than to have problems which money won't resolve. As you might expect, I've been around long enough to experience the loss of loved ones, some of whom were victims of terrible illnesses such as that which recently took Frank Domenico from us. Money couldn't do a darn thing to salvage those situations. I know you'll agree when I say there's no reason in the world why St. Patrick School should be forced to close its doors. There's no reason in the world why the storied history of this beacon of educational excellence should come to an end - no reason, that is, except the school's inability to pay its bills.

A few weeks ago I spoke to you of an ad hoc committee of St. Patrick parents and staff who rejected diocesan proposals which would drastically alter our School. This committee, in my opinion, contains the kernel of hope which is needed to withstand the challenge we face. More details will be forthcoming, but in the meantime, your prayers are greatly appreciated. And remember, you won't have to ask: "Why didn't someone tell me about this?

Dr. Lonnie L. Hughes,
Principal

ROV

One of Mr. Domenico's pet projects at St. Pat's was the ROV program which he developed with assistance from the Shedd Aquarium. There could hardly be a better tribute to Frank than for us to keep that very successful program going in his memory. I am very pleased to announce that Dave and Joyce Schroeder have volunteered to step in and continue the ROV program. We are very appreciative of their help.