Catholic Middle School Consolidation Update

Friends, peace be with you.

In last week’s bulletin, I talked about one of two task forces dealing with the Catholic Schools and I promised that this week I would update you on the second one. Last weeks was all about whether we want to create a more formal Xavier School System in the Cedar Rapids area. This week, I want to update you about the middle school consolidation committee, of which I am a part. For the rest of this column, I will be quoting a communication from that committee.

Thank you for your attentiveness to the wealth of information that has been shared with you over the course of the last few months. Your support of our Catholic schools is monumental as we work together to cultivate the entire person by engaging students for the purpose of physical, mental, social, and spiritual nourishment.

Over the course of the last year, a committee of 27 individuals throughout the Cedar Rapids metro Catholic communities, also known as the middle school exploratory study committee, have reviewed the current educational processes, governance structures, and practices within our metro area Catholic middle schools and parishes. This was in an effort to enter into discussion and dialogue about the vision of the future for the Cedar Rapids metro Catholic middle schools and ensuring that in the next five to twenty-five years the middle schools are positioned to be successful, while continuing to fulfill the mission of the Catholic Church.

The work of the middle school exploratory study committee was extensive and has all been shared on the Xavier Catholic Schools webpage (https://crxaviercatholicschools.org/ms-committee) for your further review. A number of data elements were analyzed and discussed to ensure clarity of the current educational middle school landscape within the Cedar Rapids metro area, while also working to define the future of education and the necessary components required in middle schools specifically for viability.

As a faith community, we are seeking your input on this important decision. We ask that you take some time to review the materials on the Xavier Catholic Schools webpage. After which, please complete the survey included here by October 13, 2023. After extensive efforts and discernment, coupled with an invitation of the Holy Spirit, the conclusion of the middle school exploratory study committee is that it is in the long-term best interest of the Catholic middle schools in the metro area to become consolidated. We appreciate your engagement in this conversation as we look to ensure the viability of our parishes and middle schools in the years to come. We also encourage you to invite the Holy Spirit into your discernment of this recommendation.