|
Today St Bernard's, in conjunction with at least some of the other Voluntary Aided schools in the Diocese, received a letter about the School Fund. The letter explained that with the departure of the Sisters in 2006, there have been additional demands on the school to fund the 10% contribution of Voluntary Aided schools to Capital Projects and the general work that the Sisters had generously funded in their time as Trustees. A leaflet that accompanies the school fund, Building their future, points out some unpalatable truths.
The "sad fact", according to the leaflet, is that "many of the parents who send their children to Catholic schools are not attending parish Mass regularly and so not contributing to the costs of the schools". So there you have it. If more of us attended Mass regularly and donated to the Church, the funding crisis would not be so severe. However, in the case of St Bernard's it's not so straightforward. The leaflet contains a map of the Diocese. Here's what it looks like: 
As you can see, Slough is at the Southern tip. What's immediately noticable is that Slough is the only part of Berkshire included - clearly the boundaries were drawn up when Slough was in Bucks. Many of the areas where the children at St Bernard's live are not included - for example, the rest of Berkshire, Middlesex and Greater London. So presumably, if you live in any of these areas then the money you put in the collection box does not fund St Bernard's. It wouldn't suprise me if the Diocese was less than happy about funding St Bernard's, given it is in effect funding the education of children from other Dioceses. This is not the case with St Joseph's and would probably not be the case with an Academy. The Diocese has made it clear they don't feel they can fund both St Bernard's and St Joseph's the required 10% for capital works etc. The obvious solution is for the parents at St Bernard's to contribute more. Without knowing what the 10% represents in cash terms, it's impossible to say whether parental contribution could make up a significant proportion of this 10% but we need to find out. The Diocese could then concentrate on funding St Joseph's. To comment on this article, go to our dedicated message board. |
