Numbers going up at many private schools
Some of Butler's parochial schools will be providing an alternative education to more students this fall than in past years.
Butler Catholic School has about 30 more students than last year; His Kids Christian School, albeit a small school with about 55 students in preschool through sixth grade last year, is increasing by nearly one-third; and St. Wendelin School has about 20 more students enrolled than last year.
“There's been a greater increase this year than there has been in the past,” said Sister John Ann Mulhern, principal at Butler Catholic. “I think a lot of it has to do with the reconfiguration with what Butler (School District) is doing, and people are looking for an alternative.”
Butler School District closed five of its 11 elementary schools in June and will be reconfiguring grades at all of the remaining schools in September.
Not all parents were supportive of the consolidation plan, so some opted to look for educational options elsewhere.
At Butler Catholic, there were 203 students from kindergarten through eighth grade as of the last day of school. Mulhern expects there to be around 230 students enrolled by the time school starts.
An additional kindergarten teacher was hired to accommodate new students, and there are about 15 new students from first through eighth grade who will be attending in the fall.
“We have two (classes) of every grade so far,” Mulhern said. “And the teacher can get to meet with each student every day on a one-on-one basis. And that can't always happen with our public school colleagues.”
Parents who are looking to enroll their children in a private school typically want to know about class size, technology, faith-based learning and cost. Butler Catholic averages about 15 students per class.
Holy Sepulcher Catholic School and His Kids Christian School also boast small class sizes, with an average of about 13 students in each classroom.Those schools haven't been as affected as Butler Catholic, but have received more inquiries during the past several months from Butler School District parents.His Kids Christian School had about 55 students from preschool through sixth grade. This year, they expect at least 15 more students, which they attribute to broader marketing goals and, in a few cases, because of parents in protest of Butler's consolidation plan.“I think we're an extension of the home, really. And we have great parents who are involved, and that's one success of Christian schools, Catholic schools,” said Debora Dawson, principal at His Kids Christian School on Saxonburg Road.In regards to technology, smart boards, Chromebooks and computer labs are utilized at many of the schools. All students at Holy Sepulcher in grades three through eight have their own Chromebooks.“I find parents very procedural, very discriminating about the kinds of things they really want to see,” said Sister Anna Marie Gaglia, who's principal there. “Where everyone seems to end up at is the environment at a small Catholic school.“Respect and care is shown through student-to-student, student-to-teacher relationships. We encourage the older students to have relationships with the younger students.”Dawson added there are many good private and public schools in Butler County.“Parents have a lot of options. So we just want to be a good alternative for parents looking for something different,” she said.Admittedly, the most difficult aspect of enrollment is tuition, which ranges between $3,000 and $4,000 per child per year at the schools.
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