NEWS RELEASE – After reviewing the recommendations of the Episcopal Commission, that was received on Dec. 30, 2011, Bishop William P. Callahan has decided that no school of the Regis Catholic School System in Eau Claire will be closed.

Shortly after his installation as the bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse on Aug. 11, 2010, Bishop Callahan received a recommendation from Regis Catholic Schools to close either St. Mary School in Altoona or St. James School in Eau Claire. The closing of a school was projected to save $300,000 annually. The recommendation was based on research and reports by the School Study Committee of the Eau Claire Deanery.

Bishop Callahan reviewed the reports along with other correspondence received from parishioners and students, and said that he was reluctant to sacrifice a grade school without further study; and in January of 2011, created an Episcopal Commission to study the issue.

The Episcopal Commission consisted of four committees: Catholic Identity, Growth and Statistics, Perception, and Finance and Financial Support. Each committee consisted of three people from around the diocese with expertise in their area. There were priests and religious, lawyers, retired principals, current administrators from public and private schools, along with other professionals on the committees.

The Episcopal Commission’s report presented three options to Bishop Callahan, who selected the first option; the only option that did not propose the closing of a school.

The Episcopal Commission proposed and Bishop Callahan accepted the recommendation that will maintain the Regis Catholic School System “as is” for the 2012 – 2013 school year, while making preparations for structural changes to take effect during the 2013 – 2014 school year that will provide additional efficiencies.

Starting in the 2013 -2014 school year, Regis Catholic Schools will look like this:

Immaculate Conception Parish

• Immaculate Conception School will receive grade six moved from Regis Middle School.
• Immaculate Conception will have three sections each of grades three to six.
• Before and after school onsite child care will be added.
• The gym will be used for middle school athletics and club type activities for grades five and six.

St. Mary Parish

• Will have two sections each of kindergarten, first grade, second grade and preschool.
• Before and after school onsite child care will be added.
• Will have one section of four-year-old kindergarten.

St. James the Greater Parish

• Will have a pre-school, and one section each of kindergarten, first and second grades.
• Before and after school child care will be provided.
• Will explore the possibility of day care or extended day options.

Regis Middle School

• Grade six will move to Immaculate Conception School, leaving grades seven and eight.

Regis High School

• Will remain as is; with grades 9, 10, 11 and 12.
Regis Catholic School Central Offices
• The Regis Central Offices will move to the currently empty school facilities at St. Olaf Parish. This will provide a savings of the rental costs that are paid for their current offices.
• Locating the central offices at St. Olaf will provide additional visibility for Catholic Schools, encouraging other parents to consider a Catholic education for their children.

Elementary School name changes

The Regis Catholic Schools name will be applied to the elementary schools and they will be noted by their location:

• Regis Catholic School at Immaculate Conception
• Regis Catholic School at St. Mary
• Regis Catholic School at St. James
Cost Savings
• Reorganization of the elementary schools will require approximately six fewer teaching positions, which will be a cost savings to the Regis Catholic School System.

Bishop Callahan believes that keeping all of the current schools open will enhance our Catholic identity in Eau Claire. “Catholic identity is everything. This is what brought the Commission about,” Bishop Callahan said in a previous statement. “We look at things through the view and lens of Jesus Christ. That’s the value of Catholic education. It’s not that we just provide a school system. I can’t stress that enough. Catholic education teaches the importance of God’s presence in all areas of human endeavor. That’s the key – that’s what’s driving all this.”

Bishop Callahan believes Catholic education needs to be reviewed throughout the Diocese of La Crosse, and the perfect place to start was with Regis Catholic Schools. “If I’m a parent, I’d like to see my kids excel in track and everything else. But, if I’m a Catholic parent, I’d also like to see my kids excel in their faith.” he said.
The goal of Catholic schools is to provide the best education, so students can go out into the world and succeed and “bring their Catholic faith with them – because they don’t just learn how to count or put sentences together in a Catholic school,” Bishop Callahan said. “They learn the meaning, the value and the mystery of life because they understand the relationship of all things in God’s plan. Catholic education helps them understand this. When we talk about Catholic identity, this is what we’re talking about.”
-30-