Every new school year brings with it some change, and that’s especially true this year for parents and students at Catholic elementary schools in Butler County.

Starting July 1, the schools moved from individual parish control to being under the direction of North Hills Regional Catholic Elementary Schools.

The Butler County schools are Butler Catholic, Holy Sepulcher School, St. Kilian Catholic School, St. Gregory Catholic School and St. Wendelin Catholic School, which joined Holy Cross Academy, Blessed Trinity Academy and Blessed Francis Seelos Academy under the new administration.

Changes like this can be daunting for parents, students and teachers. The model of individual parish schools has long been part of Catholic education in the area.

But, as Leigh Zuccher, regional advancement director with the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, pointed out, the move is in response to a changing situation across the region.

“When a parish is fully supporting a school … it’s no secret that numbers at Catholic parishes are declining, attendance at Mass is declining, which in turn means people at Catholic schools are declining,” she said.

Zuccher said despite the new regional model, much about the schools will stay the same, including their names and logos.

“We’re not trying to take anything away from (the schools’) identities, or their culture other than on the operations side and giving them more resources,” she said.

John Hazur, principal at Butler Catholic School, said leadership will be important this year.

“During this transition, it’s likely that unforeseen challenges will arise, and as principal you have to have the ability to adapt, and that will be a big key to successful implementation of this regionalization process,” Hazur said.

A new way of managing Catholic schools is likely to face some challenges as the first year goes on, but it’s worth giving it a chance to see if it will mean more resources and better education for students.

— JK