Driving toward survival

A proposed municipal program that would provide college scholarships to city children is not fair to thousands of students, according to Councilman-at-Large James Kenney.

The budget Mayor John Street will introduce next month will include plans for the city to contribute $4 million to a fund that will spend $40 million during the next four years on scholarships for public school students.

The scholarships will be considered supplemental grants not exceeding $3,000.

Kenney sent a letter to the mayor last week asking why parochial and private school students will not be eligible for these rewards. As of Tuesday, he said he hadn’t received a response.

The councilman called the notion of excluding non-public school students "absolutely ridiculous," noting that residents who send their children to the city’s parochial schools have paid taxes that will help fund the scholarships.

Mayoral spokesperson Barbara Grant said U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, who obtained the federal money for the program, would meet with archdiocesan officials next week about their possible participation. However, she said, participation would require the archdiocese to contribute money to the fund.

"Everybody is putting up some money. The city is putting up some money. The school district is putting up some money," Grant said. "As we look towards expanding this, we would also look for other people to bring resources to the table."

Kenney responded that the archdiocese is not in a position to make such a contribution, nor should it have to.

"The money that the school district is putting in is not the school district’s money, it’s the taxpayers’ money," Kenney said. "The money that the federal government is putting is in the taxpayers’ money. The money that the city is putting in is paid for by the taxpayers."

He said it’s a myth that the families of students in parochial and private schools do not need financial assistance, adding that other city-sponsored scholarships do not exclude these students.

Kenney said he is most angered about what he describes as ingratitude toward families who remained in the city instead of fleeing to the suburbs, where public schools considerably outperform those in the city.

"Not only were they loyal to the city by not moving, now they’re being told their tax dollars can’t be used to help support their kids’ education."

Council will vote on the issue. Kenney promised to take the matter to the courts if it isn’t resolved to his satisfaction.

Good Annunciation

Generous parishioners have answered the call from Annunciation BVM Church.

Since going public with its financial problems — which threaten to close the church’s grade school at 1148 Wharton St. — its members have rallied.

"I’m really excited," said the Rev. Gary Pacitti, pastor of the church at 1501 S. 10th St. "A lot of people are coming forward."

In December, Father Pacitti told the Review that Annunciation School was in danger of closing. The news came shortly after the priest distributed a financial statement to parishioners that detailed the church’s money problems. It predicted that Annunciation would be broke by this fall.

Between July 2002 and June 2003, the church’s income from collections, school tuition and other sources totaled more than $200,000 less than its expenses. To cover the difference, Annunciation officials drew from a parish trust account.

The church has supplemented its income with money from the trust each year since at least 1996, according to the financial statement. That first year, the trust had a year-end balance of $977,873. Last year the balance was $249,331.

At the same time, enrollment had declined at the school. This year, only 166 students are enrolled in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

Parishioners have responded to the financial crisis, Pacitti said. Sales of raffle tickets for a new car donated to the church have been brisk at Annunciation and the 11 other local churches. On Saturday, Pacitti was in front of The Home Depot on Columbus Boulevard selling tickets with the car and children from the school.

The participating churches will split the proceeds based on the number of tickets they sell, and the money will benefit the parish schools. The drawing will take place at Annunciation’s church hall Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Tickets will be available at the church until then.

Meanwhile, a parishioner is helping the church by offering to host an all-expenses-paid fundraiser to celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25. (The event will take place Sunday, March 21.) Proceeds from tickets sold to the dinner also will benefit the school.

Another parishioner who works as a fundraiser for a city charity has volunteered to be the church’s development director, Pacitti said.

The parish also is nearing the goal of its Save Our Steeple campaign that began in August to raise money for the reconstruction of the church tower. Annunciation needs to raise $45,000 for the repairs, said the pastor, so the church is selling bricks at $50 apiece. More than 600 have been sold, and the goal is to sell about 100 more.

Last but not least, Father Pacitti is encouraging parishioners to display blue bows on their front doors throughout March — not to raise funds, but to "rebuild the spirit and pride of Annunciation."

Montessori moving on

If the school district grants a new charter to a group looking to open a Montessori-style school in the city, it will not be located in South Philadelphia.

The organizers of the Montessori Initiative for Education met with the former pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church in May about possibly using the church’s recently vacated school building at 20th and Montrose.

But before a firm agreement could be finalized between MIE officials and the church, St. Charles’ pastor, the Rev. George A. Majoros, was reassigned. The new pastor, the Rev. Joseph G. Watson, found a different tenant for the building, said the MIE’s Colleen Mele.

The archdiocese’s Office for the Vicar for Philadelphia South could not confirm the future use of the St. Charles building, and calls to Father Watson were not returned by press time.

But Mele said there are no bad feelings, adding she understands that St. Charles did not want to keep its building empty pending MIE’s approval — the school district’s decision is expected to come mid-March. In addition, the group has secured a location in Southwest Philly, at 72nd Street and Paschall Avenue, in the former St. Clement School.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced last month its plans to close St. Clement Church and School in July and merge the parish with two other Southwest parishes at another site.