Diocese of Covington - Education at PO Box 15550, Covington, KY 41015-0550 US - March 19, 2009

Members Present:Rev. Mr. James Bayne, Mr. John Lonneman, Sr. Judith Niewahner, S.N.D. Mr. Dennis Scanlon, Ms. Ann Ulbricht

Staff: Dr. Lawrence Bowman

Excused Absences: Ms. Kim Halbauer, Mr. Peter Laterza, Rev. Thomas Robbins, Mr. Paul Scheper, Mr. Michael Ward

Dr. Bowman led the opening prayer. In attendance were members of the St. Augustine, Augusta, Board of Education: Ms. Dionne Laycock and Mr. Jason Snapp (P.T.O. president).

It was moved (Mr. Scanlon—Mr. Lonneman) to accept the minutes of the February 26, 2009, meeting. All in favor.

Mr. Michael Ruf, principal of St. Augustine, Augusta, reported that Reverend Daniel Saner, V.F., pastor of St. Augustine in Augusta has been ill. Reverend Verne Hogan, pastor of St. Charles in Flemingsburg, comes on Fridays to celebrate Mass with the students. The deacon is the Reverend Mr. Frank Estill; Ms. Deborah Bartlett assists with religious instruction. Religion teachers are in full compliance with the standards of the diocese and continue to update their knowledge of religion with the classes offered by the diocese. The school was founded in 1874 with the Sisters of Notre Dame teaching. In 1905 a new school building was built. Two new modular classroom buildings were purchased in recent years. Through the federal Title I program, math tutoring is offered twice a week after school. Students attend Mass twice a week. Student-led morning prayer is held daily over the intercom. Pre-school and kindergarten were added in 1999 (children sometimes cry because it is time to leave). There are many teacher aides. The parish is committed to making a grade school Catholic education available to every Catholic child whose parents wish him or her to attend. There are donations, grants, fund raisers, and parish subsidies. A newly formed Development Committee is pursuing additional assistance through an alumni association and other activities. To Mr. Lonneman’s questions, Mr. Ruf responded that there are about 200 families in St. Augustine parish. Before last year no eighth graders went from St. Augustine to St. Patrick High School in Maysville, but last year there were five. There was a transportation problem compounded by after-school activities. Bracken County High School is about nine miles away from St. Augustine School; Augusta High School is one mile away from St. Augustine School. Tuition costs are a consideration.

Ms. Jennifer Griffith, principal of St. Patrick, reported that the grade school was founded about 150 years ago; the high school in 1930. An addition was put on in 2000. Families attending go back three and four generations. The staff is very experienced. The school's band director who came from Bracken County has worked very well with the ensemble band which has won several awards. The Music Department is currently rehearsing for the production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers on April 24 and 25. In sports the school is small, but mighty. This year the freshman girls’ basketball team did well, winning the Tenth Region Tournament. Students are receiving scholarships; four have received full scholarships. Every Thursday the students attend Mass. In October and May the rosary is said; during Lent, the Stations of the Cross. St. Patrick runs a school bus into Ohio (Aberdeen and Ripley) which brings in about forty students. (It is a 45-60 minute drive to the nearest Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.) Ms. Griffith has been working with the Mason County School District to be sure that St. Patrick gets its fair share of federal benefits. There will be an open house tomorrow. To Mr. Lonneman’s question, Ms Griffith responded that the school has grades K-12.

Mr. Lonneman read for the second time the resolution on implementation of Catholic Identity. After discussion it was moved (Mr. Scanlon—Rev. Mr. Baynes) to vote on the resolution. All in favor.

Mr. Lonneman read for the second time the resolution on implementation of the Cost of Catholic Schools. After discussion it was moved (Mr. Scanlon—Deacon Baynes) to vote on the resolution. All in favor.

Mr. Lonneman read for the first time the amended policy (P3220) on high school tuition:

1. In-Diocese Tuition--A base tuition is to be established for students who are registered and participating members of parishes in the Diocese of Covington.
2. Out-of-Diocese Tuition—Students who are not registered and participating members of parishes in the Diocese of Covington shall be charged a tuition rate that is higher than the In-Diocese base rate. This rate shall approximate the actual cost per student in the school.

Tuition rate schedules may make allowance for multiple children in the same family attending the school.

It was moved (Deacon Baynes and Mr. Scanlon) to discuss the proposed amendment. When Ms. Ulbricht wondered about the possible need of a clarification for the word "participating" in section 2 of the proposal, Dr. Bowman said that might be a possibility. Deacon Bayne hoped that the meaning of “participating” would be somewhat the same at each parish. Dr. Bowman stated that since 1984 there has been a three-tiered tuition: in-district, out-of-district, and other. Under the new proposal any students from Ohio or Indiana would be in the "Other" category. To Ms. Ulbricht’s comment, Dr. Bowman replied that Covington Catholic, Holy Cross (HCHS), Notre Dame, and St. Henry are the only high schools charging the surcharge for out out-of-district students. In the past the surcharge was waived for any student from a Campbell County parish who wanted to go to either Bishop Brossart or Newport Central Catholic; Covington Latin and Villa Madonna Academy are considered in-district for students from all parishes in Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties. Dr. Bowman noted that the surcharge has been removed. Except for the tuition structure districting regulations are still in place, for example, districting boundaries, recruiting restrictions, and scholarships. To Mr. Lonneman’s comment, Dr. Bowman answered that the surcharge did not keep students at their district school. When Mr. Lonneman noted that HCHS's special education program has attracted students, Dr. Bowman stated that in earlier years the board approved an amendment to P3220 which waived the surcharge for out-of-district students attending schools which offer special education programs in need of them. Pastors, principals, board chairs, and DRE's can give their input to the proposal.

Mr. Lonneman read for the first time the proposed new policy (P1328) on Catholic Identity:

Each school shall implement the Diocesan Catholic Identity Process and shall conduct the annual Catholic

Identity Review Survey to highlight areas of strength and to identify appropriate themes for the school year.

It was moved (Mr. Lonneman—Deacon Bayne) to discuss the proposal. To Mr. Scanlon's question, Dr. Bowman answered that the Department wants to establish a timeline and identify appropriate items that need to be worked on.

Mr. Lonneman read for the first time the proposed new policy (P1331) on the Annual Reporting of the Cost of Catholic Schools:

Each school shall annually report on the approved forms its cost of Catholic school education.

It was moved (Mr. Lonneman—Mr. Scanlon) to discuss the proposal.

Dr. Bowman reported that high schools of the diocese have twelve National Merit Finalists. On Friday, March 27, Bishop Foys and Covington Catholic will dedicate the new Marian grotto and the Schott Sports Center. On August 23 Bishop Foys and Notre Dame Academy will dedicate the new theater complex and updated and renovated classroom building. Members are invited to both dedications. Dr. Bowman will attend the convention of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) during Easter week. He is a regional representative on the Schools Advisory Committee of the Chief Administrators of Catholic Education (CACE) and is a member of the planning committee for Selected Programs for Improving Catholic Education (SPICE). He is treasurer of the National Council for Private School Accreditation (NCPSA) and serves on NCPSA as the representative of the Kentucky Non-Public Schools Commission.

The executive committee will meet on April 8 at 7:30 a.m.; the next regular meeting is on Thursday, April 30, at Covington Catholic High School. It was moved (Mr. Scanlon—Ms. Ulbricht) to adjourn the meeting which ended at 9:00.

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