INDIVIDUALIZED HELP — Sixth grade teacher Heather Reineck helps Anna Klotz during a computer lab at St. Gabriel Elementary School, Hubertus. Small class sizes allow teachers to get to know students’ abilities better, according to fourth-grade teacher, Linda Markovich. (Catholic Herald photo by Allen Fredrickson)

Back to Parenting front page

Catherine Pohl remembered her disbelief when her daughter — then a student at Our Lady of the Lakes Elementary School in Random Lake, where Pohl is now principal — wanted to call a teacher one evening about a homework question. As a former teacher at a larger elementary school in Wauwatosa, Pohl had been told never to give out her phone number, much less encourage students to call her at home.

“ I asked my daughter, ‘You have the teacher’s home phone number? She wants you to call?’” Pohl recalled. “It turned out that she did.”

A close-knit atmosphere is common at Catholic elementary schools with small enrollments, such as Our Lady of the Lakes with 103 students, said Pohl, whose two children are graduates of the school. “I think it’s a really big benefit,” she added.

A smaller student body means each student gets more opportunities to participate in everything from school liturgies to time on the court during basketball games, said Mary Kopp, principal of St. Bernard Elementary School, Wauwatosa. It also means class trips can include the whole school.

“ During Catholic Schools Week, the whole student body (185 students this year) is going bowling,” Kopp said. “It will take three buses, but in a small school you can do things like that.”

Small schools offer more opportunities for people to get to know each other. This year, Linda Markovich had 12 students in her fourth-grade class at St. Gabriel Elementary School, Hubertus, before one student moved from the area. The total school enrollment for 2004-2005 is 123.

“ We have one class per grade level, so you can imagine if these children start out together in kindergarten or first grade, they really know each other by the time they get to eighth grade,” she said.

Markovich, the mother of two graduates, conceded her students probably don’t have a chance to develop as many friendships as they would in bigger schools, but she sees advantages for them at St. Gabriel.

Now in her fifth year at the school, where her husband is a volunteer technology coordinator, Markovich has witnessed families, teachers and classmates rally around students whose parents have been ill by bringing meals and offering support.

Thanks to small class sizes — especially compared to public schools — teachers also get to know students’ abilities much better, and St. Gabriel’s low teacher-student ratio lets children who need more attention get it, she said.

“ If you have a child with a problem, you can certainly key in on that child and check his or her work a lot more often than you could with a class of 25 or 30 kids,” Markovich said. “(The class size) has allowed a child who might be struggling with some subjects to be right next to me, and that was OK because I had the time and the energy. As a teacher, I can sit right at their desks with them for a while, or if I need to, I can have them come up and sit at my desk.”

Little schools, big expectations

Smaller Catholic schools, however, can suffer an image problem, said Kal Stumpf, a member of St. Gabriel’s school board who has three children attending the school.

“ It’s deceiving. Folks think that because it’s a Catholic school, it’s not going to have the funds or it’s not going to have the teaching staff that’s up to par. There is always a misconception about that kind of thing,” Stumpf said. “I have a master’s degree in education and I think the academic program here is really a diamond in the rough.”

A recent St. Gabriel school newsletter noted that the school’s third graders taking the Iowa basic skills tests administered in 2004 received an average composite score higher than 78 percent of the third grade average composite scores at tested schools across the country.

Judith Mortell, principal of St. Gabriel, said three recent graduates of the school are in the top 5 percent of their class at Hartford High School, and she believes that kind of achievement is possible in part because of course offerings such as advanced algebra for eighth-graders.

“ The director of curriculum and instruction of the Hartford school district told me, ‘We love St. Gabriel students because they have self-discipline and get an excellent education. They just shine,’” Mortell said. “We get a lot of that kind of feedback.”

“ We raise the bar for our kids here,” said Bonnie Schoofs, a graduate of St. Gabriel and current eighth-grade homeroom, music and art teacher.

“ Students are used to homework, used to studying, so they have the tools they need once they reach high school.”

At Holy Trinity Elementary School in Kewaskum — which boasts a 180-year history — eighth-graders graduate with a proficiency in Web page design, word processing, data base entry and spreadsheets, said June Gavin, principal, adding, “Even as a smaller school, we are able to offer classes in technology, physical education, music, Spanish, art and band.”

Though the schools may be small, they still get students involved in faith-based activities, too.

“ The Catholic faith and traditions are an integral part of the school, and service to others is part of the Catholic focus,” said Roselyn Baker, principal of Shepherd of the Hills Elementary School in rural Fond du Lac County. “Students have the opportunity monthly to do some form of service to others, be it preparing a Thanksgiving luncheon for those in the parish who live alone, collecting soda can tabs for Ronald McDonald’s house or having a bake sale to raise money.”

“ The moral values that I know they’re going to be teaching, the charity work, even the collecting of the peanut butter and jelly drive — it’s the little things that make kids realize there are others in the community who are less fortunate,” said Cindy Miles, mother of a first-grader at St. Mary Elementary School, Belgium, which has 52 students.

Miles’ comments don’t surprise Julie Pach, associate director of parish stewardship and school development for the Milwaukee Archdiocese. Pach said research shows that primary reasons parents send their children to Catholic schools include academic excellence, an emphasis on values, and a supportive environment that includes faith not only as part of the curriculum, but in all daily activities.

Stretching the budget

Yet over the years, some Catholic elementary schools have been forced to close, their dwindling enrollments affected by demographic shifts, open enrollment options, a shaky economy, even changing parental attitudes about Catholic education. Because of their size, smaller Catholic schools are especially vulnerable when student numbers drop.

When Pohl became principal at Our Lady of the Lakes four years ago, the school had 150 students. A recent parish merger and no neighboring Catholic grade schools in the rural Sheboygan County area have helped keep the enrollment fairly steady, she believes. Yet the pastor plans to retire soon, and some wonder if the future holds more changes for the parish.

Unlike tax-funded public schools, many Catholic schools depend primarily on tuition and parish support for their operating budgets. For smaller schools, the process of balancing the budget is a challenge. Dips in enrollment may mean a program has to be sacrificed or a teaching position pared from an already small staff.

Our Lady of the Lakes has seven full-time teachers and a part-time technology teacher. Because of budget constraints, the administration was considering eliminating physical education classes. When the phy-ed teacher resigned, the remaining staff members took on additional duties, and the program was kept.

“ The teachers have to double their roles,” Pohl said. “They have to step up and do phy-ed or substitute when needed, and they do that willingly.”

At St. Gabriel, the third-grade teacher also doubles as a supportive consultant who works with students needing additional help. Her third-graders sometimes join Markovich’s fourth-graders for a computer lab class.

Flexibility extends to administrators as well; at St. Mary in Belgium, JoAnn Karpin is a principal who teaches third- and fourth-grades.

Many small schools employ part-time personnel. At St. Agnes Elementary School in Butler, the staff of nine full-time teachers is supplemented with six part-time people, including a phy-ed teacher, a computer instructor and a librarian. Principal Jayme Hartmann said the school shares a music teacher with another Catholic school.

Other schools even depend on volunteers to staff positions such as librarian or technology coordinator.

Principals at small Catholic schools repeatedly praised teachers for their dedication, enthusiasm, and creativity. Many administrators recognized that their staffs worked under conditions constrained by smaller budgets.

“ We’re trying to pay our teachers 80 percent of what public school teachers are getting, but we’re not there yet,” said Gerald Malueg, principal of Rosemary School, Fredonia.

Dealing with tuition

Rosemary has an enrollment of 95 students — down from 100 last year. Shortly before Malueg arrived five years ago, however, Rosemary’s future was in jeopardy. In 1998, the school had 52 students in its kindergarten through sixth-grade classes, and people were debating closing its doors. Malueg said someone suggested an after-school care program, and its popularity with parents sparked before-school and summer school programs for students. All three programs have added a little revenue, but the school has still had to increase its tuition, from $945 in 1998 to $1,460 this year.

Rosemary isn’t alone in raising tuition to meet expenses, and administrators say they do their best to keep fees affordable. But they acknowledge tuition is a factor parents consider when deciding on a school, making tuition-free public education an appealing alternative.

Catholic parents who send their children to public school with the belief that weekly religious education classes are “good enough,” should rethink their decision, said Jeff Klotz, parent of a fourth- and a sixth-grader at St. Gabriel — the third generation in the family to attend Catholic grade schools.

“ What parents need to remember is it’s that values-based education that makes a big difference,” said Klotz. “It’s important for us to convince parents that that should be a higher priority on their list of what they want their kids to be learning in school.”

Stumpf agreed that priorities color decisions about Catholic education. “People say, ‘Oh, the tuition is too high,’ but they went to Disney World for a week with the kids, and that $1,000, or whatever it cost, was their tuition payment. I don’t buy that the tuition is astronomical in relation to the other things people in society (pay for) today.”

Still, she believes that schools need help, and applauds archdiocesan plans suggesting parish collaboration in operating schools.

Meanwhile, smaller schools look for creative ways of raising revenue that help meet the gap between parish support and tuition. Market Day (food sales) and Scrip (merchandise certificates) programs are two popular venues, but schools use a variety of activities, including recycling computer ink cartridges, selling hot dogs or hot lunches, promoting lottery calendars, and servings fish fries. Some schools use candy, wrapping paper or magazine sales, while others try larger projects, like dinner auctions — or in the case of St. Gabriel, raising money through the Hubertus Haunted House each fall.

When working with schools on development programs, Pach discourages associations with fund-raising companies in favor of a more direct approach.

“ The middle-man is getting so much of a percent of what you’re giving,” she said. “Rather than 3 or 5 percent, we’d like to tell people 100 percent of their $25 donation is going to support the education of these children.”

She also suggests schools keep one or two large events that are good community-builders, but stay away from multiple fund-raisers aimed at “nickel-and-diming” parents who are already paying tuition. Instead, she tells them to focus on the graduates, reminding alumni of the friendships and value they obtained from their Catholic education.

Other budget boosters

Still, parents at many smaller schools take the lead in raising revenue. Home and School Associations frequently play an essential role in smaller schools; some schools require specific revenue goals — up to five-figure amounts — from the associations as part of their operating budgets.

Schools also rely on parents to serve in volunteer positions in order to keep costs down. “At Shepherd of the Hills, parents are asked to pay a fee or volunteer, and we have close to 100 percent participation in volunteers for noon lunch and playground duty,” said Baker.

At St. Gabriel, Stumpf and her husband have coached boys’ basketball and girls’ volleyball. “I have to laugh when I hear public schools talk about budget cuts meaning they’ll have to cut back on coaches,” she said. “Here, all the coaches are volunteers.”

Schools recognize their parish communities have to be partners as well. Principal Hartmann appreciates the pastor’s involvement at St. Agnes, from greeting students during announcements to cheering the team on at basketball games. “Education is important, and when your leadership recognizes that, others do, too,” she said.

Fr. Tim Bickel agreed. “It’s one of the responsibilities of a parish to provide Catholic education to children and to assist parents in their responsibility of instilling the Catholic faith to their children,” he said.

Tapping both parents and parishioners, small schools have found good resources, such as the parishioner who got reduced rates on textbooks through her connection with a textbook publisher, or the parent who found free refurbished computers for his school through a deal with a state government program.

“ Generosity is what makes it work, and everything in this parish is a team effort,” Kopp said of the financial support St. Bernard receives. She cited examples of a parish scholarship fund, a tuition partnership appeal, and even a volunteer group dubbed the “Tuesday Night Crew,” which has tackled such projects as renovating classrooms; the group offers its labor and asks parishioners for material or donations.

Like a growing number of small schools, St. Bernard also compiles an annual “wish list” of items that teachers and staff could use, but are not covered in the budget. The list is sent to all parishioners, and over the years requests have been filled for playground equipment, a refrigerator for science classes, even paint for school walls.

Looking for ways to grow

Small schools recognize the future requires long-term plans as much as annual goals.

“ At some point, you’ve got to address the revenue issue by increasing your enrollment,” said Klotz, school board president at St. Gabriel. “We’ve stuck approximately 75 percent of our energies as a school board this year toward that end because we feel it’s just that important right now.”

“ Development and recruitment are not ‘quick-fix’ kinds of things,” Pach said. “It’s about building relationships and that is why it takes a while because part of the plan is developing relationships with people.”

Pach encourages schools to get acquainted with businesses such as realtors or daycare centers, who have contact with new people coming into a community to build new relationships, but she reminds them their best promoters are parents themselves.

Malueg agreed. “Word of mouth is probably the best way to communicate, and what’s best, I think, are parents talking to parents across the street or over the back fence.”