ACES to close Catholic Central

APPLETON - Economic challenges are causing Catholic schools in Appleton to consolidate. ACES Xavier announced late Tuesday night it will be closing Catholic Central, one of its four elementary schools, next year.

The announcement came after weeks of waiting and wondering for system families.

"The teachers don't know, the parents don't know, the principals don't know," parent Rebecca Barfknecht said before dual meetings at Catholic Central and St. Thomas More.

ACES Xavier held the two 5:30 sessions to inform parents the system will close Catholic Central, displacing 170 students and 20 teachers, in an effort to cut costs.

"It's just disappointing cause it's a good school," Catholic Central parent Rory Collins said after learning the news. "But, the main thing is it's a great system. The ACES system is a wonderful system."

ACES Xavier President Tony Abts says with declining enrollment, the system needs to use resources wisely to stay in the black. Closing Catholic Central will save an estimated $450,000 next year, but it's not a decision ACES is taking lightly.

"I know the board made a difficult decision, Tony Abts made a difficult decision and he takes it personally," Collins said. "(Abts) has kids that went through school here."

Abts says ACES corporate board looked at 16 different criteria, including location, enrollment trends and the condition of facilities, before narrowing the list of possibilities to two, St. Thomas More on Appleton's east side, and Catholic Central downtown.

"We looked at it geographically and particularly as it pertains to the growth that is projected in Appleton, a lot of that growth is around 41/441 corridor," Abts said.

He says given the building's age and location, the board believes closing Catholic Central makes the most sense. The school's students and parents will be invited to get to know the other ACES schools, before ranking their first and second choice for next year.

Parents at St. Thomas More hope Catholic Central families will consider their school.

"We're happy that it's going to stay open, however it's a bittersweet moment because of the fact that now people at Catholic Central are losing their school and we feel bad about that," St. Thomas More parent Mary Felton said.

Some Catholic Central teachers will be absorbed into other locations. System-wide, Abts expects 8-12 positions will be cut, but he stresses that these tough decisions will make ACES stronger.

Parents had a voice, but no vote in the consolidation. ACES Xavier held nine listening sessions to gather input and ideas, but the final decision came from the system's corporate board.