St. Francis Xavier to close 2 elementary schools

Two Catholic elementary schools in Appleton will close in the 2014-15 school year.

Deacon Ray DuBois, president of the St. Francis Xavier Catholic School System, announced that the system's Board of Directors voted unanimously Feb. 1 to consolidate the current four elementary campuses into two.

Under the new plan, there will be a single elementary school, St. Francis Xavier Elementary School with two campuses. Those campuses are St. Pius X Elementary on Marquette Street and St. Thomas More Elementary on North McDonald Street.

The campuses at Catholic Central Elementary on State Street and St. Bernadette Elementary on Lourdes Drive will teach Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5 for the 2013-14 school year. The following year, those students will attend either the Marquette Street or McDonald Street school.

"Through the consolidation of four campuses into two, we are confident that we are offering the most educationally appropriate, efficient, and economically sustainable structure for the future," said Deacon DuBois. "Our planning committee, which represented all Appleton parishes and schools; the board of trustees; and now the board of directors, affirm the need for all of us to step up in times of transition and change to adapt our Catholic schools in ways that will meet the educational, spiritual, and financial needs of the times."

This announcement is the final segment of the school system's directional plan, which was released in December. At that time, leaders said St. Francis Xavier Middle School would be restructured in 2014-15 to include Grades 5  through 8.

Parent/teacher committees are being set up to help the transition both the elementary and middle schools.

Representatives from the Appleton parish and school communities will also look for alternative uses for the to-be-closed schools during the transitional period.

A question and answer session on the new initiative for interested members of the St. Francis Xavier community will take place Feb. 5 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Grand Meridian at 2621 N. Oneida St., Appleton. Child care will be available.