Town Hall Forum
Board Members: Chair - John Prozinski Vice-Chair – Liesa Thill Secretary – Jennifer Ranweiler Rachel Hoelz Mary Lossow Mark Lelwica
CHARACTER. COMPASSION. VALUES. These three attributes should be the
hallmark of any disciple of Jesus. Most especially, we in our Catholic schools are called not only to exhibit these attributes to one another, but also to bring them to
the world in the way that Jesus did.
St. Francis of the Lakes Catholic School, in cooperation with family,
is committed to challenging students to grow spiritually,
academically, and socially within a Catholic centered environment.
Heather Erickson – Board Chair Chad Knudson – Vice Chair Tommy Woog – Secretary Ray Charpentier Phil Laube Lisa Pehrson Mike Brusseau John Prozinski – Home and School ex-officio
member
MWF Preschool – 20 T TH Preschool - 20 Kindergarten - 32 First grade – 30 Second grade – 31 Third grade – 23 Fourth Grade - 24 5th grade - 14 6th grade - 16 7th grade - 11 8th grade - 8
The school works really hard at maintaining consistency and continuity among the teachers and classes.
Sometimes class sizes fluctuate from year to year, and that can impact staffing. We may address these changes by:◦ moving staff into grades that have a higher demand or◦ by adding educational assistants when there aren’t
quite enough students to warrant a second teacher. Of course, we would love to have many, many
more children attend St Francis, and we would certainly add teachers to handle the increased population!
Current Context and Reality Unacceptable Means Results Parameters
The following realities necessitate potential changes for our school …
In making decisions regarding our school’s future we will not …
Plans/changes for the school will support our efforts to …
Current ContextLarge changes/flux in enrollmentMiddle school enrollment/program subsidized by lower grades/studentsUnstable financial support in the region (economic factors at parishes)False perception that there are fewer academic/extracurricular opportunitiesPerception that students don’t perform as well here.Perception the kids “pray all day”Preschool enrollment limits feeder opportunitiesThere is no 9-12 Catholic school in the areaPerception that small # of students in grades 5-8 limits social opportunities for kidsTransportation may be challenging for some families, especially outside of Brainerd districtThere is a financial cost to families and a commitment to raise money
Unacceptable meansSacrificing our Catholic identityHiring unlicensed teachersLowering education standardsClose the schoolViolating lawsRaising tuition beyond what the average Catholic family in the area can affordMaking our school uninviting or difficult for families with limited financial meansKeep our stakeholders in the darkSacrifice sense of family/community
Results parametersFinancial stabilityThe premier elementary/middle school in the Brainerd Lakes areaThat Catholic families consider St. Francis as the FIRST educational option for their kidsWe will have full waiting lists for families wanting to enrollStaff paid well for their workMore stable tuition assistance fund to help families be hereStable teaching staff-less turnover in staff – keep our great teachers in placeIncreased academic opportunities, such as language arts ( other languages ), technology and learning through technology, advanced science coursesHigh level of family satisfaction (annually) as evidenced in surveys.
To gather parent perceptions about St. Francis of the Lakes School as well as to include
parent input as the School Board embarks upon a new strategic
planning process that will set the course for our school for the
coming years.
Why survey parents this year?
140 surveys completed 72% of parents who completed the survey reported being
very satisfied with the direction of the school, and 28% reported they were somewhat satisfied.
99% of parents said they would recommend our school to other families.
69% of parents reported the quality of education was excellent, 31% that is was good and less than 1% reported it is fair.
Areas of Strength:
1.Catholic Education
2.Small school setting
3.Our staff
4.Safe environment
5.Sense of Community
1. E-mail messages (by far)2. Letters/notes/agenda book3. School reach4. Personal phone call
1. Staff Respect for Children – 83% agree strongly, 17% agree somewhat, none disagree
2. Staff Encouragement of Students - 81% agree strongly, 19% agree somewhat, none disagree
3. School is Welcoming - 81% agree strongly, 16% agree somewhat, 2% disagree somewhat, and 1% disagrees strongly
4. School Communicates Well – 78% agree strongly, 18% agree somewhat, 3% disagree somewhat, and 1% disagrees strongly
5. Staff Respect for Parents – 76% agree strongly, 22% agree somewhat, 2% disagree somewhat, none disagree strongly
6. High Quality of Education - 75% agree strongly, 24% agree somewhat, 1% disagrees somewhat
7. Responsiveness to Concerns - 73% agree strongly, 24% agree somewhat, 1% disagree somewhat, and 2% had no opinion
8. Stronger Education Than Other Schools – 68% agree strongly, 25% agree somewhat, 4% disagree somewhat,1% disagrees strongly, and 2% had no opinion
Thank you for keeping our
school a special place.
God bless you and your families.