Dear Colleagues,
On July 1st, I was honored to step into the role previously held by Michelle Doyle, focusing on federal program training, advocacy, and support for our private and religious schools. This transition is not just a professional milestone for me but also a deeply personal one, as I have had the privilege of learning from and working alongside Michelle for over two decades.
My life’s journey in Catholic education has been a rewarding ministry. I began as a Catholic school teacher in Central Harlem at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic School and later served as both a teacher and the principal at New All Saints Catholic School in Baltimore City. Both schools had 100% poverty rates and most students qualified for Title I services to support classroom learning. As a principal, I learned to maximize the resources of the federal programs. I experienced several struggles with my LEA, Baltimore City Public Schools in accessing those federal resources. With support from my local Catapult team, I began working with Michelle Doyle. I became a strong, vocal advocate for my students, challenging inaccuracies and missing information that limited access to services. As a result, the LEA created a new role for their Title I grants review committee and invited me to represent all nonpublic schools in the city. During this period, I began collaborating with other nonpublic school partners from Baltimore Center for Jewish Education, Lutherans, and urban Christian schools, forming a coalition to build a stronger voice of advocacy for our private school families.
I was offered the role of Associate Superintendent for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, a new full-time position created to focus solely on federal and state programs. With many urban schools and a high poverty rate, these schools were only getting about 20% of their rightful allocations. It was at this time that I worked directly with Michelle Doyle. Together, we took on many issues at the local level and then at the state level, eventually providing training and guidance to the Maryland Department of Education Title IIA Director and her team after the involvement of the US Department of Education and ONPE. Our efforts produced millions of dollars in resource allocations to support our schools and all private schools.
In 2008, I became the President of the Maryland Council for American Private Education (CAPE), and through our national meetings, I learned about Title IIA state-wide set asides. After navigating federal complaints as a coalition with my Jewish, Christian, and independent schools, the state now provides an annual professional development conference for private schools using equitable Title IIA funds for private schools at the state level. Following that role, I was offered the position of Associate Superintendent for Federal Programs and Public Policy for the Archdiocese of New York, where I continued to collaborate with the Board of Jewish Education, Agudath Israel, Muslim schools, Greek Orthodox schools, and leaders of independent schools to ensure appropriate consultation and equitable participation in federal programs.
Over the last 13 years as Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Orlando, I faced numerous federal program challenges, most recently filing a formal IDEA complaint along with the other Catholic School Superintendents and Jewish day school representatives in Miami. As Superintendent, it was necessary to focus on many areas, so I was blessed to hire a passionate, brilliant educator as my Associate Superintendent within my first month on the job. Dr. Jackie Flanigan joined my team, and I began training her on federal programs. Jackie excelled in this area, and together we filed several complaints at the state and federal level, winning every case for the benefit of our students. Jackie’s aptitude for the laws and her unwavering persistence have benefited all private schools within the state of Florida. I am incredibly happy to announce that Jackie has joined me at Equitable Education Services and will continue her enthusiastic advocacy in federal programs with me to support you.
As I take on this new role, my full-time commitment is to continue the invaluable work Michelle Doyle has done. Jackie and I are excited to collaborate with all of you, providing the necessary training, advocacy, and support. Our shared goal remains unchanged: to ensure that our parents, students, and teachers have equitable access to all federal programs allowable under the law. I look forward to connecting with old friends and new ones as we move into the new school year. Please do not hesitate to contact me or Jackie; we are here to serve you and your community.
Peace,
Henry