Philadelphia, PA (February 4, 2016) – The Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Faith in the Future Foundation, today announced that their management agreement, which was first signed in August 2012 to ensure the independent oversight and strategic management of the 17 high schools within the Archdiocese as well as its four schools of special education, has been extended through 2022.
The extension of the formal relationship between the Archdiocese and the Foundation occurs a full 18 months before the expiration of the initial agreement, affirming the continued growth and innovation in Catholic schools being prompted by the work of the Foundation. As in 2012, the agreement was signed by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. and H. Edward Hanway, Chairman of Faith in the Future Foundation.
“Extending the management agreement between the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Faith in the Future Foundation underscores the importance of lay leadership in the Church,” said Archbishop Chaput. “I’m deeply grateful for the willingness of lay leaders – all of whom love Catholic education and its value for the wider public – to step up and support our students in such generous ways.
The Foundation’s zeal for excellence in management, guided by a strong Catholic identity, has served our high schools and schools of special education exceptionally well. I’m confident the Foundation will continue to strengthen our educational system for the benefit of the region’s children.”
Mr. Hanway echoed Archbishop Chaput’s comments saying, “When we launched Faith in the Future in 2012, our guiding principle was, ‘Individually excellent but better together.’ This remains true today. The Foundation provides a focus on sound business practices, which allows our school leadership to focus on what they do best – providing outstanding teaching and learning experiences in a rich Catholic environment. In turn, this provides our Presidents and Principals with new opportunities to reengage their local communities, work with institutions of higher education and develop so many other partnerships, which support this great mission. Now as we project a growing enrollment and have this important agreement extended, we can look toward the future with an even greater focus on innovation.”
As established in the initial management agreement, all facilities continue to be owned by the Archdiocese. The Office of Catholic Education (OCE) will continue to be overseen by Faith in the Future Foundation, reporting directly to the Foundation’s CEO, Samuel Casey Carter. Its responsibilities remain focused upon curriculum and standards, academic and spiritual development of students, co-curricular and extra-curricular programming, and the professional development of teachers – Kindergarten through 12th grade.
“What is so striking about the achievements of this partnership with the Archdiocese thus far is the strength of its outcomes,” said Mr. Carter. “Working closely with OCE – and truly, with all of our outstanding Catholic schools – has proven to be reinvigorating and inspiring for all of us. We have stabilized enrollment, increased local fundraising and strengthened the financial footing of the entire system. Now, we focus our attention on further enhancing our educational offerings and increasing access to so many more families who deserve this quality of education. Today, more than 90 percent of our graduates enter 2- and 4- year colleges and universities and nearly 60 percent are offered college scholarships. These outcomes are what the Foundation can build upon as we continue to develop this new model for growing Catholic education –a model from which others can learn.”
Under the extended agreement, the following schools will continue to be managed by Faith in the Future Foundation through 2022:
High Schools:
- Archbishop John Carroll High School
- Archbishop Ryan High School
- Archbishop Wood High School
- Bishop McDevitt High School
- Bishop Shanahan High School
- Cardinal O’Hara High School
- Conwell-Egan Catholic High School
- Father Judge High School for Boys
- St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls
- SS. John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School
- John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School
- Lansdale Catholic High School
- Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls
- Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School
- Pope John Paul II High School
- Roman Catholic High School for Boys
- West Philadelphia Preparatory High School
Schools of Special Education:
- Archbishop Ryan School for the Deaf
- St. Katherine Day School
- St. Lucy School for Children with Visual Impairments
- Our Lady of Confidence Day School
For more information about the schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, please visit http://www.aopcatholicschools.org/. For more information regarding Faith in the Future Foundation, please visit http://faithinthefuture.com
About the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Founded in 1808, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is comprised of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia County in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the spiritual home for over 1.4 million Catholics in the region in 219 parishes. Through its parish elementary schools, high schools, and schools of special education, the Archdiocese molds tomorrow’s leaders through innovative 21st century learning programs. Through the ministries of Catholic Social Services, it provides care for over 200,000 members of the community who are most in need each year who come from a broad array of faith backgrounds.
About Faith in the Future Foundation
By a management agreement with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Faith in the Future has operational responsibility for 17 high schools and 4 schools of special education, as well as operational oversight over the Office of Catholic Education. Faith in the Future (1) assumes responsibility for funding any operational deficits (2) reinvests surpluses to fund new growth and new educational programs and (3) improves operations and provides marketing and enrollment strategy to expand schools.
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Contact:Bonnie Olinger
Communications Specialist
215-587-3747 (office)