In large city school districts, there is a push from all directions: for administration stretched too thin, with finances for schooling models challenged, and with community trust always being put to the test. Changes in population demographics, increased expenses for operating a school infrastructure, and the competitiveness of charters and district schools set a new paradigm for how parents choose schools for their children. Catholic schools experience these forces with a tougher spot because their tuition revenue remains an important source of funding despite a lack of support from parish communities in a large number of places across the country. These forces were already at play in New York before 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic introduced its share of restrictions on in-person attendance, transportation, and staff, a set of choices that came with its set of consequences in many institutional arenas.
In this context, Michael J. Deegan was appointed as the Superintendent of Schools in the Archdiocese of New York in September 2019, following a position as the interim superintendent in April of that year. The archdiocesan school system is one of the largest Catholic school systems in the country. At the time, it included 200 schools providing education to tens of thousands of students in New York City, as well as in Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Sullivan, Putnam, Ulster, and Dutchess counties. This includes elementary and secondary schools, each with different workforce structures, enrollment trends, and budget dynamics.
His promotion was the result of decades of service to the Catholic education system in the city of New York. This background influenced how the officials in the department characterized his role as the superintendent, as it reflected his technical knowledge of the department as well as his vision of its future. His role as the superintendent made it his responsibility to handle issues like curriculum standards, management of the schools, enrollment management, and financial management in consultation with the pastors and the superintendents. He was the representative of the department and had to answer various questions from the public about the closure of schools or the viability of the system.
Among the first challenges he faced as a leader in the organization was the decline in enrollments that some neighborhoods were already experiencing. With fewer births in the area, increased housing prices, and changing migration trends, fewer families were opting for Catholic education. Since the budget followed tuition rates, it mattered not that it was a dwindling number of students; otherwise, layoffs and more challenging maintenance decisions could result. The strategy that was put forward focused on consolidating campuses, sharing administration, and making some adjustments in grade configurations. These did not necessarily fly well with what initially appeared to be local considerations.
Then came COVID-19 in early 2020, bringing emergency operational challenges. Schools were faced with the need to adapt to online education on very short notice. Internet access was highly inequitable from one family to another, underscoring inequities in a tuition-charging school that was not affected in the early rounds of emergency funding that public schools in the state were accessing. There was a need to reengineer student tracking, special education offerings, and meal programs. The health protocols and reopening strategies designed by the archdiocese itself kept adapting to new state requirements.
During this time, Deegan was seen regularly in regional and national media outlets, talking about policies related to reopenings, tuition rates, and the legal status of non-public schools in state and federal assistance programs. Interviews showed Deegan talking about Catholic schools and district schools being different in funding and operations, but remaining in areas with similar economic conditions and pressures. He also spoke about operational procedures related to safety and why some campuses were able to reopen before other campuses based on building configuration and regional rates of infections.
The concern for financial stability remained at the core of this issue. Catholic schools get most of their funds through tuition and parish support, which suffered due to extended closures when many families had reduced income sources, and churches stopped public worship. Church administrators and education bodies worked towards increasing accessibility of funds by collaborating with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Such collaboration enabled greater accessibility to funding options like the Paycheck Protection Program, Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools, Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief, E-Rate funding offered by the FCC, and CARES Act or American Rescue Plan funds, addressing payroll, technology, or healthcare-related expenses.
Planning for the long term even extended through the pandemic. Enrollment strategy included outreach initiatives, increasing tuition aid through philanthropy, and a greater emphasis on shared services, such as shared principals or a regional administration team. The goal was a reduced overhead budget without losing the individual identity of the local schools. Clergy and school boards vetted reorganizations, and while the Office of the Superintendent made recommendations, the implementation of school closures rested primarily with the local schools, almost exclusively because of lack of funds.
There was public accountability during this period. The local media monitored the closings and mergers, and parent groups in different neighborhoods collected information during meetings and petitions. Deegan got involved as he responded to queries in interview statements and made public pronouncements about the factors involved in making certain decisions regarding enrollment, physical plant, and parish resources. Think tanks in education policy monitored the experience of other non-public schools in emergency legislation provisions regarding Catholic systems mentioned in school choice and equity contexts.
In 2022, the Archdiocese of New York stated that Deegan would retire in 2023 after serving as superintendent for four years. By that time, in-person learning had largely been reinstated, although a reduction in enrollments continued to be a challenge. After his retirement, Deegan founded MJDEEGAN Educational Consultants, where he continued to advise on management. Deegan’s time at the head of the educational system can be described as a time when he managed a series of crises, including restructuring the system, which occurred in a scenario involving health and finance.
Deegan was evident as a prominent administrator who was faced with rapid changes in policies and public demands as the Catholic schools adapted to a new reality. Deegan’s position involved balancing the needs of the diocesan structures, the requirements of the regulations, and the needs of the public, which he served in an expansive system that runs from city to rural areas. Michael J. Deegan’s legacy, from a regional perspective, is closely associated with the most challenging period in the history of education and how he served as a leader of the Archdiocese of New York regarding instruction, staff, and investments.
