As Archbishop Blasé Cupich celebrates his first Catholic Schools Week in Chicago, he thanked Catholic donors and asked not just them but lawmakers to dig deeper to save schools.
Cupich, who delivered his keynote address at the Drake Hotel on Tuesday, suggested donors as well as lawmakers "need to do this together" as the Archdiocese faces financial challenges.
"There is a limit to how much we can do," he said, adding he sees " promising signs that will benefit giving school choice to families."
Cupich said his comments were not about pitting private versus charter versus public schools.
Cupich also addressed the questions surrounding a merger plan revealed first by NBC Chicago last week. On the city’s northwest side, six grammar schools have until mid-February to decide whether to agree to the merger or lose Archdiocese funding.
Some parents have expressed criticism that there isn’t any choice, since it would be difficult to operate independently. Cupich, however, explained it would be a partnership.
"I don’t have the model of how that’s going to look," he said, adding that if two schools do work together, the identity of both must be included.
Cupich also reacted to settling the pending lawsuit at his former diocese in Spokane. Cupich had sued the attorneys representing the diocese who handled the priest settlements accusing them of malpractice for the handling of the bankruptcy. Cupich
"I do think it was important, that at no time, did we say the people that represented us were bad people," he said. "The standard of care that we should have expected wasn’t there. ... I’m very pleased with the decision to move ahead."
