11/9/2010
Ursuline in the News
Urgent message regarding Ursuline High School
Parents,
Please know that I would much prefer to deliver such difficult and upsetting news in person. However, email is the only way I have of communicating with all of you at once. The Ursuline Sisters have chosen to close the school at the end of this school year. They have asked me to pass on their statement below. I will be holding parent meetings tomorrow night and Thursday night at five in Brescia Hall. I have chosen to send this news to you and have you communicate it with your daughters because I think this will be better than hearing it at school. I know this will be heartbreaking for them as it is for the Sisters, me, the faculty and staff. We will be setting up forums for the students as well.
The Ursuline Sisters of Santa Rosa have long questioned how we could better serve the increasingly diverse population of Sonoma County. With the continuing decline in the economy and the number of families unable to pay for the cost of private Catholic education, we have reached the point that running Ursuline High School is no longer financially feasible. In order to subsidize the 2010-2011 school year, already the Ursuline Sisters have had to commit 1.2 million dollars taken from their restricted funds for ministry in other locations as well as from their retirement funds. This is something that we can not continue financially. Therefore, at the end of the 2010-2011 school year Ursuline High School will close. We are working closely with Cardinal Newman to provide a transitional plan for our students and faculty.
Although this door is closing, a new door will open. We are looking at this as an opportunity to begin a new educational venture here at our Santa Rosa campus. As Ursuline Sisters we have a tradition of looking at the signs of the times and responding to those needs. We will spend the 2011-2012 school year planning the opening of a charter school based on social justice and serving a much more diverse population of Sonoma County. Young women of all economic backgrounds will have the opportunity to learn in an environment committed to service. Our Ursuline motto has always been SERVIAM (I will serve) and that will be the driving force of our new educational endeavor. Our hope is that our 130 years of Ursuline Alumnae and donors will support us in this new direction of service to the wider community of Sonoma County.
We are proud of our 130 years of educational excellence here in Santa Rosa. Our deepest thanks extend to all the families, alumnae, teachers, staff, and donors who have supported us and made Ursuline High School available to young women. We realize that many of our present families, alumnae and donors will be saddened as we are by this ending of Ursuline High School, but our commitment of service to the local community remains strong.
We are committed to making this year a positive one for your daughters and helping them and you through this incredibly difficult situation.
Sincerely,
Julie Carver
President/Principal
Ursuline High School
Courtesy Ursuline
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