ST. LOUIS — The Archdiocese of St. Louis said it will begin the consultation process next month with some Catholic elementary schools as part of the "All Things New" restructuring plan.
In a press release, the archdiocese said about one-third of its elementary schools will go through a consultation process to discuss the current and future status of the school. The release said some schools will be recommended to close while others will enter a "feasibility analysis phase."
"These meetings will be consultative in nature, and pastors will share and consider this information with parish and school leadership," the release said.
The meetings will be between pastors, the Office of Catholic Education and Formation and archdiocesan Episcopal Vicars.
After the consultation meetings, pastors will share that information with parish leaders and provide feedback to Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski. Pastors who think their schools should remain open will be asked to review the school's processes and create a plan for the future.
The schools were chosen for the consultation process based on enrollment numbers, demographic trends, parish and school financial strength and proximity to neighboring schools, the archdiocese said.
The consultation process will continue into November. The archdiocese said it expects to announce school changes in early December, but the timeline could change because of ongoing changes in the "All Things New" plan.
According to the archdiocese, there is no idea yet exactly how many schools will be impacted by this consultation process.
The school changes will take effect for the 2024-25 school year.
Right now, there are more than 80 elementary schools serving more than 19,000 students in kindergarten through 8th grade in the archdiocese.
According to the Archdiocese, its existing building structures are currently at about 65% capacity.
Due to its large footprint, the Archdiocese said in a release, "Many of our schools are facing increased costs that are affecting tuition, declining enrollment often based on geography, increased building maintenance needs, and parishes that are unable to subsidize the cost of a school."
The All Things New restructuring plan went into effect in August, consolidating nearly 180 parishes down to less than 140. The plan includes merging 35 parishes into neighboring parishes and merging 15 parishes to create five new parishes.
In the weeks after the plan was set to take effect, it was suspended for several parishes until the Dicastery for the Clergy makes a decision, which the archdiocese said will likely take months.