Concerned Parents and Alumni of CCHS

As Concerned Parents and Alumni of Charlotte Catholic High School, we believe there is a chasm in our Catholic community that must be addressed. While the CCHS Foundation was originally established with the intent to benefit the mission and students of CCHS, recent action by the Foundation Board have represented a change in tone, character and purpose that no longer reflects the goals of our beloved community. 

Members of the Charlotte Catholic community, parents and alumni, are no longer confident in the Foundation’s ability to accurately and openly represent the values and ideals of CCHS.  The Foundation is an independent organization, comprised of self-appointed and self-governing volunteers, utilizing  the school's name and leveraging the brand, of CCHS without full disclosure or inclusion of the school’s stakeholders.

With regard to the resignation of Gerald Healy, we remain suspect regarding the motives of the CCHS Foundation and the role which they played in this process.  Of particular concern is the decision making process and timing of the modifications made recently to  the Foundation’s by-laws, only weeks prior to notifying the Diocese of potential financial discrepancies at CCHS.  It is understood that the decision to notify the Diocese was made by a small group of Board Members, comprised of a few of the existing Executive Committee, in a "Special" meeting, for which minutes are not available.

Not only has there not been a record of the meeting provided to other concerned Board members or stakeholders of CCHS, it has been shared the decision to move forward was not presented to the full board for a vote.  In light of these actions, it is apparent that the current Board is operating with blatant disregard for  transparency , has violated their fiduciary responsibilities, and as such, should not be permitted to be associated with Charlotte Catholic High School. 

The 3 core issues driving this call for action against the CCHS Foundation are:

 1.  The lack of  transparency with regard to financial information on all donations/ funds raised by the CCHS Foundation, and how those donations are spent by the CCHS Foundation is in direct violation of the Foundation’s Guiding Principles which are published on www.gocougars.org.

2.  The CCHS Foundation has lost its tax exempt status and, to date, has not fully disclosed how that situation was allowed to occur.  In addition there has been no disclosure relative to the remedy for the loss of the tax exempt status.  This is violation of the Board’s fiduciary responsibilities.

3. Per the bylaws of the CCHS Foundation, transparency is required regarding any and all actions by the board, including the availability of meeting minutes and voting results.  We the undersigned do not believe that the current CCHS Foundation board is acting in a way that befits the original mission of the CCHS Foundation.

To this end, we the undersigned assert  WE WILL NOT SUPPORT THE CCHS FOUNDATION IN ANY FINANCIAL CAPACITY UNTIL THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS ARE MET:

 1.  The Executive Committee of the CCHS Foundation resigns with no opportunity to ever serve as a board member, now or in the future, for the CCHS Foundation or any other board opening available that serves CCHS (Alumni Association, Athletic Association, Parent Teacher Organization, etc).

2.  All other board members (non-Executive Committee members) resign immediately; however, remain   eligible to be voted on and approved for other board positions within CCHS after 1 year.

3.  A task force is formed to evaluate and approve a new group and /or structure of Foundation Board members.  This task force could potentially be comprised of representatives from MACS, the Diocese of Charlotte, CCHS Administration, the Alumni Association and other stakeholder groups within CCHS.

4.  The CCHS Foundation is suspended from any further activity and use of the school name, logo, database, event names and venues until the by-laws are changed to reflect another way for board members to be elected, in lieu of self appointment, and reflects the entire dynamic population of those CCHS serves.

5.  The new by-laws adopted by the CCHS Foundation board in 2014 are voided, until they can be scrutinized and amended to reflect the original intent of the Foundation.

6. In the event that the Board does not agree to the changes requested, we respectfully request that the CCHS Foundation be dissolved and all of the business and interests conducted by the CCHS Foundation, on behalf of CCHS, become the responsibility of the Office of Institutional Advancement under the direct supervision of the Principal of CCHS, serving the entire interests of all stakeholders and organizations.

The students, parents and faculty of CCHS deserve better and are entitled to a fresh start to accomplish all that is possible in and for our community.  The CCHS Foundation must be reorganized and re-energized for the good of CCHS. 

While we remain in full support of the mission of CCHS and of the Alumni Association, we cannot in good faith support, nor will we promote or solicit others to support, the CCHS Foundation financially or otherwise, until these changes have been put into effect.