On Sunday, parishes around northwest Ohio received a solemn message from Bishop Blair, pointing to an uncertain future. "This trend, if it continues, threatens the very existence of many of our schools," said Blair in a video message. "The Catholic school doesn't always have the priority it once had."
It's a shrinking feeling being felt in Catholic classrooms all over northwest Ohio. This year, enrollment dropped 6%. Toledo area Catholic schools have lost roughly 7,000 students over the last 10 years
The message in Bishop Blair's video has not been reaching area Catholic families. "I'm part of a Parish where most don't attend Catholic schools," says Father David Reinhart. Father Reinhart is the president of the Kateri schools, a district within the diocese that includes Cardinal Stritch. "It's a problem in the Midwest primarily," says Reinhart.
Father Reinhart partially blames the economy. It's hard to get big donations. Recently, Stritch started some less expensive fundraising events to get more people involved.
"[The] economy is playing a huge part, because we are a tuition-based school," explained Little Flower Principal Carol Huss. Tuition is $2,400 a year at Little Flower, a heavy price tag for some. "People are having a difficult time choosing between a Catholic education and being able to pay their bills," said Little Flower parishioner Lori Kertesz.
It's a problem with no one solution, and raising money could be difficult. Bishop Blair never explicitly asks for money in his video. He points out Catholic school teachers make much less than public school teachers and says it's up to more than just Catholic school parents to solve the problem.
