Schools board works behind the scenes

By Bill Doyle | CFP Correspondent

Marc Tumeinski, new chairman of the Catholic Schools Board in the Worcester Diocese, said he wouldn’t be surprised if some people didn’t even know that the board existed.
But rest assured that it does and the group of dedicated volunteers offers advice and support to Bishop McManus and David Perda, diocesan superintendent of schools. The board was especially helpful during the pandemic and leading up to the merger of the diocesan high schools.
“I think everybody is happy to do it because we know how important this work is,” Mr. Tumeinski said.
Mr. Perda is assisted by only three staffers: William Mulford, associate superintendent; Susan Saucier, director of student financial services; and Jeannie MacDonough, who recently became director of school support. Mr. Mulford and Mrs. MacDonough work part time. So Mr. Perda relies heavily upon the board for support.
“They’re really important,” Mr. Perda said. “It wouldn’t be possible for me to have all that expertise as the superintendent or to have a staff with that level of expertise. So you’re able to tap into the experiences and perspectives of these individuals who are off in their different areas, whether it’s real estate or business.”
As chief of police in Fitchburg, Ernest Martineau brought a unique background to the board last year.
The bylaws call for 14-21 members, but the current board has fallen short of that number. In recent years, new members have joined the board and brought new perspectives, but recruiting qualified board members is a constant effort. Candidates must be recommended by current board members and approved by Bishop McManus.
“It’s a massive challenge to recruit board members,” said Marty Green, the past chairman, who recently completed his term on the board. “It’s very, very difficult to do.”
Mr. Green brought his experience as a real estate broker and property manager. He had also been a selectman in Northbridge and he had spent a decade as executive director of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s not a huge commitment,” Mr. Green said of serving on the board. “It’s very rewarding. There’s a need for more people in education to be involved. A retired principal would be a great person to be on the board or someone in marketing.”
Board members also serve on such sub-committees such as academic excellence, board governance and nominating, finance and planning, marketing and enrollment, Catholic identity and mission, and school safety and facilities.
Last year, the board switched from meeting monthly to meeting every other month with sub-committees meeting in between.
Mr. Perda said the next board meeting will likely be in late September or early October, probably via Zoom. The board stopped meeting in person on Saturday mornings at Assumption University when the pandemic hit in early 2020, and began meeting on weeknights via Zoom. Mr. Perda said Zoom meetings have worked out so well, they will likely continue to be held as part of a hybrid model with in-person meetings.
Mr. Tumeinski would also like the board to resume meeting in person at least some of the time and to meet at the Catholic schools in the diocese as the board did years ago.
Mr. Tumeinski, a theology professor at Anna Maria College who joined the board in 2020, new vice chair Jamie Rame, and returning secretary Beth Kurina comprise the executive committee, which will meet with Mr. Perda before each meeting of the full board.
Over the past couple of years, the board offered advice on such important topics as coping with the pandemic and merging St. Peter-Marian and Holy Name to form St. Paul Diocesan Junior/Senior High School.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, diocesan schools taught remotely from March through the end of the school year. They returned to mostly in-person teaching the following school year while most public schools continued remotely that year.
“That was an opportunity for families who really wanted an in-person education to give Catholic schools a try,” Mr. Perda said. “So a lot of them did.
“Not only were we able to serve additional families, but those families got the flavor of Catholic education and a lot of them decided to stick with it. I like to think there’s something special about Catholic schools that you just can’t get anywhere else and that’s Jesus Christ being at the center of everything we do and it’s not just academics, it’s not just religion class, it’s the culture, it’s the expectations of giving back to those in need in terms of service or what have you, and it’s community and it’s folks coming together whose families have the same value systems.”
Mr. Green experienced both sides of the debate of in-person learning vs. remote learning. His daughter, Sadie Green, teaches English as a Second Language at Burncoat Middle School and his wife, Maura Mahoney, is manager of social emotional learning for the Worcester Public Schools, which taught remotely longer than the Catholic schools.
Board members may disagree about some issues, but all strongly believe in the importance of Catholic education.
“Because of a belief in God,” Mr. Tumeinski said, “we have a deeper understanding of the student, who is made in God’s image and likeness, their great potential, the great capacity that each student has as someone made in God’s image. So I think we come at education in a much deeper and broader way than a school that doesn’t acknowledge that. We can really address the whole person and pass on the gifts of our faith and Scripture and tradition. It’s that understanding of the student that is made in God’s image and likeness who has so much to give back to the world. It’s exciting to be part of that.”
Mr. Tumeinski mentioned the challenges of economics and changing demographics, but he also wants to recruit and support the best teachers and spread the word about what Catholic schools can do.
“Our teachers are doing a great job, but it’s hard to find teachers nowadays,” he said, “and to be able to keep people.”
Mr. Green wasn’t the only board member to depart recently. Filomena Cesareo left as vice chair. She also chaired the Catholic identity and mission sub-committee and helped create the mission statement for St. Paul.
“They were really on top of things, really proactive,” Mr. Tumeinski said of the former chair and vice chair, “really seeking advice from all the board members and offering lots of technical support and great ideas. We’re going to miss both of them, absolutely.”
Mrs. Cesareo and her husband, Francesco Cesareo, moved to Philadelphia after he retired as Assumption University president this summer.
“It was really nice to be on the board,” Mrs. Cesareo said, “with the camaraderie and the mix of the people who were on it. You met so many people of different points of view because we had people in different professions.”
Mr. Green singled out facilities committee chair Steven Gentilucci for his work on the merger of St. Peter-Marian and Holy Name, but the entire board did its part.
“I was proud of our effort to make the best long-term recommendation and solution for a viable Catholic high school in the city of Worcester,” Mr. Green said.