Community unites to keep Kennedy Catholic afloat

Jul. 22—HERMITAGE — A familiar face returned to the Kennedy Catholic just when it needed him most — for a "reset."

Pete Iacino, who spent 35 years at the helm of Kennedy Catholic, answered a desperate call from the board after previous President Melissa Joseph resigned.

Seven years after retiring, Iacino returned as Kennedy's chief executive, dispelling rumors of the school system's closure.

"The bishop never said directly, 'We'll close,'" Iacino said. "I would call this a reset."

Iacino said the school system ran a deficit in last year's budget. Then, the 2022-23 budget submitted to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie showed another deficit.

This raised some red flags with the diocese.

At that point, Bishop Lawrence T. Persico challenged the school system to raise $400,000 by the end of July, and another $400,000 by the end of the year.

"From there, a group sprung up on their own ,and they started the fundraising process," Iacino said.

By Friday, the school system had $484,000 in hand, and Iacino had trimmed the budget by a half-million dollars, which he said will not affect academics. Most of the cuts were from overstaffing, he said.

Having met benchmark, Shenango Valley Catholic School System is assured of being able to maintain classes in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade for the 2022-23 school year, according to a press release from the school system.

The donations are coming from a wide variety of people, Iacino said.

"It's been really incredible, and I'm extremely grateful to the people out there that have given," Iacino said. "The response to all this has been really, really positive. I remember people being really good and supportive while I was here and I'm glad to see that it is still there and still strong."

Iacino does not think that rumors of the school system closing will affect enrollment.

"Certainly there's some angst there among current parents, and rightfully so," Iacino said. "We're pretty solid with what we expected in enrollment."

Iacino was unsure of the current enrollment numbers.

"This isn't about this year," Iacino said. "This is about moving forward for the long term."

A number of things are already in the works, Iacino said, to ensure the school's long-term viability.

"I'm not going to be satisfied with the 400 and the 400, we want to go well, well, well beyond that," Iacino said.

Jim Gallagher, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Erie, said it was impressive to see the community come together so quickly to secure Kennedy Catholic High School.

"I am hopeful the recent momentum will continue to build so that K-12 Catholic education continues to be an option for families in the Shenango Valley," Gallagher said.

Iacino, who is 70, has no set time for his next retirement from KC.

"My goal is to make sure we're on a really good, positive trajectory," Iacino said. "We'll see how it plays out. We'll get things on track in a positive way."

Iacino looks forward to an exciting school year.

"I have certain goals for budget reserves and other types of money for scholarships that we're going to pursue hard," Iacino said. "The financial security of the school is my first job right now. and we'll get there, and so the following year, it'll just be better."

Follow Melissa Klaric on twitter @HeraldKlaric or email her at mklaric@sharonherald.com

Follow Melissa Klaric on twitter @HeraldKlaric or email her at mklaric@sharonherald.com