Plans for Catholic school proceed

Columbia Catholics are planning the construction of a school that could open as soon as fall 2008 on 22.6 acres of land within the former Phillips farm, now known as the Bristol Lake Development.

A tri-parish committee, created by Sacred Heart, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Thomas More Newman Center, recommended last month that the building serve as an interim facility for grades six through eight, and that higher grades be added over three successive years.

The interim school design would alleviate crowding and avert waiting lists, said John Stansfield, a member of the planning committee and professor of finance at MU. The committee tried to balance what was feasible with community demand to come up with the recommendation, he said.

A study last fall by the InterParish Study Committee showed that 73 percent of Catholics would send their children to Catholic high school if Columbia had one. The study also showed 57 percent supported expanding elementary school openings, and 45 percent would support the opening of a second elementary school.

Stansfield said he is proud of what the committee has accomplished thus far.

“I think we’ve come farther than a lot of people thought we’d come in two years,” he said.

The diocese is expected to announce its decision on the recommendation in June.

Monsignor Michael Flanagan of Our Lady of Lourdes said that by creating an interim school, Columbia Catholic School could dramatically increase its enrollment in kindergarten through fifth grade. The school has a waiting list of would-be students.

“We would drop sixth, seventh and eighth and integrate them into the (new) campus,” he said.

Flanagan said enrollment at the interim school could reach 300 to 400 students, though he emphasized that more study is necessary before final decisions are made. The committee’s recommendation also notes that more research is needed on the new school’s potential start-up and operational costs before a capital campaign is initiated to raise funds.

The committee recommended that once the interim school includes 12th grade, a third Catholic school should open as a permanent site for grades 9-12. At this time, the interim building would become a permanent K-8 grade school.

Meanwhile, Columbia Catholic would return to its original K-8 status, funneling some of its younger students in grades K-5 into the newer building. In its recommendation, the committee projects that this arrangement would even out the enrollment between the two schools.

Columbia Catholic School Principal Patrick Darcy said he understands the need to separate the students for a period of time, but he appreciates having the K-8 arrangement.

“It would relieve some of the pressure on the campus here,” he said, “but it would be a different atmosphere for the school.”

In the school’s current set-up, he said, older students have a chance to mentor the younger children.

Darcy added that with the interim idea, the same sixth- through eighth-grade teachers from Columbia Catholic would transfer to the new building.

Darcy said he has spoken with plenty of parents about their desire for a Catholic high school in the area.

“Many people have said they want secondary education,” he said. “I hope they’ll be able to put their money where their mouth is.”