Long Range Planning Announced for Bismarck Catholic Schools Posted on 5/9/2010
BISMARCK CATHOLIC SCHOOLS LAUNCH LONG RANGE PLANNING PROCESS BISMARCK, N.D. - The pastors of the five parishes in Bismarck have begun a long-range planning process for St. Mary's Central High School and the three parish elementary schools in Bismarck. Catholic Education Consulting Services (CECS) of Denver, CO has been hired to assist in the process. Mary Catherine Keating, CEO of CECS, will be the lead consultant. Sr. Thomas Welder and Greg Vetter have been named co-chairs of the planning process.
The development of a long-range plan is in response to Bishop Paul Zipfel's directive that all entities of the Bismarck Diocese conduct long range planning to ensure they continue to serve the needs of the faithful in this region. "We want to ensure that our local parishes of Bismarck continue to provide a high quality, financially viable educational experience rooted in Catholic values for the children of preschool, primary and secondary school age in the Bismarck area," said Sr. Welder. CECS has proposed a comprehensive project with four phases designed to lead, guide and assist the Bismarck parishes, schools and other designated stakeholders in assessing and analyzing the position of each school; establishing a vision, strategic plan and action plan; guiding implementation; and creating accountability. As part of the information gathering for Phase 1, CECS will be conducting surveys of parents, parishioners, educators and the community at large.
The project is scheduled to be completed by October 31, 2011.
