Board of Specified Jurisdiction

In the past five years, there has been a strong recommendation for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago to consider establishing a Board of Specified Jurisdiction in order to increase the participation of laity in the decision-making and ownership for Catholic schools. This would mean moving from an advisory board to a governance board, called by the Archdiocese of Chicago a Board of Specified Jurisdiction. The name places this board in the context of the parish and diocesan authority and responsibility structure; the board is established by the pastor, who invites appropriate candidates to become members. Members serve on committees wherein much of the board’s work is done. Appropriate candidates have experience and skills that will be helpful to the school in the areas of finance and facilities, development, and recruitment and marketing.

The Board of Specified Jurisdiction (BSJ) is empowered to make decisions in the specified areas of Development, Marketing/ Recruitment, Planning, and Fiscal and Facilities Oversight. Membership is most helpful to the school when it is diverse and selected for the relevant skills; they may be parishoners, alumni/ae, parents of current students and alumni/ae, from local universities, and the business community. The Archdiocese of Chicago has developed bylaws to describe the membership, work and parameters of the BSJ.

The following committees have been created at St. Louise:

Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the Pastor, Principal and the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Secretary. The Executive Committee shall form the Board meeting agenda, monitor the Board calendar in conjunction with the school calendar as well as the reporting cycle of the Archdiocesan Office of Catholic School (OCS), make decisions, if necessary between meetings of the entire Board that are then ratified at the next Board meeting, be a first response team for the pastor and principal, provide leadership for the Board, provide for an annual Board evaluation and ensure that all committees have a written charge and submit timely reports for Board members.

Committe Members

Chair Person- Michael Garvey

Father Denis- Pastor

Kelly Zawisza- Principal

James Discipio

Facilities Committee
The Facilities Committee shall, in conjunction with the pastor and principal work on a comprehensive preventive maintenance program, oversee the process of awarding contracts for building upkeep, preventive maintenance of building and equipment and new construction and shall conduct an annual comprehensive review of the premises and develop a comprehensive plan for dealing with needed repairs, improvements, and upgrades.

Committee Chairperson- Michael Garvey

Development
This committee will conduct an inventory of all existing fund-raising efforts at St. Louise. In conjunction with Father Denis and the principal, this team will work on a comprehensive plan identifying events and activities to establish sustainable fund-raising programs. This committee will be responsible for the implementation of the approved fund-raising plan.

Committee Chairperson- Carmen Casas

Marketing
Members of the marketing committee will develop a comprehensive plan to promote catholic education and enrollment at St. Louise.

Members will communicate with the media and create content for publication in the news, newsletters, and to neighbors in the community. We will also develop programs to involve families with younger children and investigate programs to increase enrollment in the school.

Committee Chair Person- John Panek

Communication
The communication committee will develop and implement effective communication programs for :
1) Within School Communication (parent to school, school to parent)
2) School to Community Communication (PR Plan to promote school image and enrollment)
3) School to School Network Communication
This committee will also work closely with the Marketing Committee to develop a public relations plan.

Committee Chair Person- Liz Hahn

Finance

Committee Chair Person- Paul Divittorio

Committee Member- Judy Abraham

BSJ Meeting Dates
September 28th
October 24th -Agenda
November 28

All meetings are at 7:00pm and will take place in the Trinity Room.

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Board of Specified Jurisdiction

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