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Office of Catholic Education launches webinar series

By MICHELLE DELANEY, Globe staff reporter

The Office of Catholic Education is launching a series of school board and committee training webinars that begin this month.

Over the past two years, a lot of hard work has been put into long-range planning for the Catholic schools in the Sioux City Diocese. The long-range plan includes a vision of where the efforts of the office of education at the diocesan level should go, what the local schools should be working on and how the two efforts can work together.

Dan Ryan, superintendant of Catholic schools, explained that they came up with five target areas:

1. Catholic identity
2. Academics
3. Finances
4. Marketing and enrollment management
5. Governance and leadership

In an effort to begin work on and strengthen these areas, the Office of Education is providing training in order to give direction and pragmatic tools in these areas.

Between September and March six 90-minute webinars will be presented.

The webinars will feature both local and national speakers. The national speakers include: Dr. Regina Haney, executive director, department of Boards and Councils of the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA); Samantha Hall, assistant director of communications for the Archdiocese of Baltimore; Frank Donaldson, president of the Institute of School and Parish Development; Brother Larry Harvey, CFX, General Superior, Xaverian Brothers; and Dr. Camille Brown, assistant superintendent of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Ryan and Sharon Dentlinger, assistant superintendant of Catholic schools, will also host a webinar.

The first session, which takes place on Sept. 27 from 7 to 8:30 p.m., will discuss the role of the board in planning and how to set up a committee structure. Marketing and enrollment management, finance, institutional advancement and development, mission effectiveness and Catholic identity and nominating and membership will be the focus of the next five webinars.

“We decided to do the training in webinars because it dramatically reduced travel time and expenses for local schools,” said Ryan.

Ryan went on to explain that hosting the training in webinar format allowed them to schedule national speakers at a low cost.

One initiative that the Office of Education is really pushing this year is having a committee driven board. This involves the board of education members and each board of education to have several committees.

“The first webinar discusses the roll of the board and planning how to set up a committee structure,” said Ryan. “This is to help board members understand why we’re doing this and how a subcommittee of the board functions.”

Each webinar has an intended audience but anyone who is interested can attend.

Ryan went on to explain that each webinar will have a theoretical or higher level point of view on how to help the schools in the diocese.

“I hope the majority of what they’re taking away from the webinars is some pragmatic ideas on how we can start moving forward. We’re trying to be on the front edge,” said Ryan. “We know there’s going to be challenges but we’re looking forward to them and we’re going to try to make them opportunities.”

An added bonus of attending the webinar is the chance to win an iPad for one’s school. For each individual who registers and attends the webinar, the school will get their name put in the drawing. At that end of each webinar, the winning school will be announced.

People can visit www.scdioceseschools.org/WebinarRegistration to register for a webinar. If anyone has additional questions, they can contact the office of education at 233-7549.

“We greatly appreciate the time and dedication the local community members have put in the long-range planning process and into this as well,” said Ryan. “The principles and pastors have been very supportive of this and we appreciate their support. We’re trying to do our best to make sure they can be successful because when they are, we are. “

School Board and Committee Training Webinars

Sept. 27 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Topic: The Role of the Board in Planning and How to Set Up a Committee Structure
Presenter: Dr. Regina Haney
Audience: all local school board members

Oct. 18 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Topic: Marketing/Enrollment Management
Presenter: Samantha Hall
Audience: principles/presidents, development directors, marketing committee members

Nov. 15 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Topic: Finance
Presenters: Dan Ryan and Sharon Dentlinger
Audience: finance committee members, business managers, principles/presidents

Dec. 20 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Topic: Institutional Advancement/Development
Presenter: Frank Donaldson
Audience: principle/presidents, development directors, development committee members

February 21 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Topic: Mission Effectiveness/Catholic Identity
Presenter: Brother Larry Harvey
Audience: principal/presidents, pastors, theology teachers, DREs, Catholic identity committee members

March 21 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Topic: Nominating/ Membership
Presenter: Dr. Camille Brown
Audience: governance and leadership committee members of local school board