A little bit of everything played a role in the 3.4 percent decrease in enrollment reported this fall by Catholic schools around the Diocese of Peoria, according to Brother William Dygert, CSC, superintendent.

The total official enrollment for the 2009-10 school year is 12,324, which include 9,607 in the 42 Catholic elementary schools in central Illinois and 2,717 in the seven secondary schools.

“It’s a very complex scenario. I don’t think you’re going to find one answer that fits any one place,” Brother William told The Catholic Post about the numbers, which represent a drop of about 432 students. The majority of that was seen in elementary school enrollment.

“If there’s good news in the figures — and I don’t know that there’s ever good news in decline — it’s that we’re certainly below the national average,” he said, noting that that has been about 5 percent since 2003.

THE DIP in enrollment is not unexpected, Brother William explained.

“Renewing Our Mission: A Blueprint for Our Future,” the long-range plan for Catholic school education in the Diocese of Peoria that was conducted over two years by Meitler Consultants, indicated that there probably would be some decreases due to a decrease in population, he said.

“There are not as many school-age children coming up in some areas,” Brother William told The Post. “One of those, for example, where population growth is kind of flat, is Danville. There are other areas, too.”

Among them is Ottawa, where work has begun to restructure St. Columba’s School, St. Patrick’s School and Marquette High School into a new entity, Marquette Academy. Current plans call for buildings on each campus to be used. In addition, the code of regulations of the Pastor’s Board and the by-laws for the board of trustees have been completed and committees are being established to help with the transition.

DEMOGRAPHICS are only one part of the equation, however. Brother William lists the economic downturn, a low threshold of value for Catholic schools, and a lack of schools where there is population growth as other variables in this year’s “slight decline” in enrollment.

Other areas that need attention include how to attract the newest immigrant population, Hispanic Catholics, to diocesan schools, and how those schools are being funded, Brother William said.

HE CONTINUES to urge school communities to do three things: “You have to be mission oriented. You have to be quality focused. And you have to be willing to reinvent yourself or you won’t be here.”

“We live in a time of transitions and times of transition are difficult times,” Brother William said. “I think it’s a difficult time for Catholic school education just as it is a difficult time for a lot of other things. We may come out stronger on the other end.”