Catholic Central School is less than $1 million short of its funding goal for an expansion and renovation campaign, according to the school system’s spokeswoman.
So far, the school has raised $4.2 million of the announced $5 million goal for the Cornerstone for the Future Capital Campaign. Springfield’s only Catholic school system started raising money for the campaign at the end of 2011 but announced public solicitations in January, according to Bridget Pedraza, director of Communications for Catholic Central School.
The project involves reducing Catholic Central’s campuses from three to two. The school system currently has a high school on East High Street and two elementary schools that are housed in spaces owned by local parishes. However, officials have not determined which of the two elementary school’s they will leave, Pedraza said.
The money raised will be used for an addition to the back of Catholic Central High School on East High Street that will be used for those in grades 9 to 12 and allow those in grades 3 to 6 to move into the current building space. The High Street campus currently houses grades 7 to 12.
The project also involves expanding Catholic Central’s early childhood offerings, Pedraza said. This program will eventually be placed at the Limestone Elementary Campus, which currently houses kindergarten to third grade, or the Lagonda Elementary Campus, which currently houses grades four through six.
“It hasn’t been determined which of those two campuses would house the early childhood program,” Pedraza said.
Right now, Catholic Central’s total enrollment for those in kindergarten through the 12th grade is 751. That’s a four percent decrease from last year, when the enrollment was 783. The enrollment for the school’s pre-school program, which is housed at both the Limestone and Lagonda campuses, has remained steady with 60 students.
This week, Catholic Central announced that The Archdiocese of Cincinnati approved plans for the school system to partner with local architect McCall Sharp Architecture to develop a construction design for the project and to allow Kapp Construction to be the project’s Construction Manager At-Risk.
“Catholic Central is the only Catholic school option here in Springfield, so we want to be able to remain viable and strong in our community, and this project will allow us to have continued growth and flexibility,” Pedraza said. “Hopefully that has encouraged our alumni and the rest of the community to want to get involved.”
Anyone interested in donating to the renovation and expansion campaign can call Catholic Central at 325-9204 or visit the school’s web site at www.ccirish.org.