Former Divine Child principal, associate regional superintendent takes over Office of Catholic Schools with faith-filled optimism
DETROIT — Eric Haley is more than familiar with the legacy of Catholic education in southeast Michigan.
Aside from attaining his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University, his entire education came through Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit, attending Sacred Heart Elementary and then Divine Child High School in Dearborn and later obtaining his master’s in educational leadership from Madonna University.
The former Divine Child High School principal has served as associate superintendent of the South Region and a portion of the Northwest Region of the Archdiocese of Detroit, but now steps into the big role as superintendent of Catholic schools.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to support our schools,” Haley told Detroit Catholic. “I love Catholic education; I believe strongly there is a place for it to walk with our families. I’m delighted to be able to work to support our schools, our leadership team at the school level and our priests who support our schools.”
Haley became principal of Divine Child in 2015 after serving as a teacher and later assistant principal of Bishop Foley High School in Madison Heights before moving to Divine Child to become assistant principal and then, eventually, principal.
He credits his time as principal at Divine Child as giving him perspective on what school leaders are looking for from a superintendent, particularly how to support schools and help schools partner with parents in educating children.
“My time at Divine Child has given me the perspective of what it takes to work with families, what they are looking for, how to partner, and how to make sure that we are being good servants and good stewards of the resources we have,” Haley said. “In my time at Divine Child, we focused on, 'What does great look like?' and we tried to hire great staff to support our teachers and their work in the classroom. But it always goes back to the question, ‘What is best for students?’”
Haley now steps into the role of helping schools across the six-county archdiocese achieve greatness, putting the students (and their families) first.
“I think you have to have mission in the forefront,” Haley said. “All of our schools have mission statements, each one being a little bit different, but it all comes back to being centered on Christ. If our schools have a mission that has Christ in the center, first and foremost, that is the foundation to lean on, and everything else will flow after that. Whether it’s academics, the social aspect we cultivate in our schools, relationships, it all flows from our mission of being Christ-centered first.”
When Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron released his pastoral letter, Unleash the Gospel, in 2017, one of the guideposts was declaring any Catholic family who wanted to send their child to Catholic schools would be able to do so.
Since that letter, the archdiocese has made strides to make Catholic education more affordable through partnerships with the Catholic Foundation of Michigan and efforts to increase accessibility for students with special needs through the St. Margaret of Castello Granting Fund.
Still, more work needs to be done to make Catholic schools more accessible, Haley said.
Teacher compensation and marketing efforts for Catholic schools are among the other priorities Haley has in mind for the Office of Catholic Schools.
The Archdiocese of Detroit saw an uptick in enrollment in Catholic schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many of those families who chose to explore Catholic schools have stayed, Haley said, showing the value Catholic education brings to families once they experience it.
“Those families who have come have stayed, and that’s a great first step,” Haley said. “But we need to continue to remind parents and remind families of the great value our Catholic schools bring, and make sure they realize we provide an opportunity to help them grow as families in their faith as well. To some degree, that code hasn’t been cracked yet. But if we continue to provide families opportunities, to be a meaningful resource to them, we’ll continue to grow with them.”
Haley will maintain his role overseeing the South Region and portions of the Northwest Region, assisted by regional associate superintendents Kim Vigneron and Dan Fass, and the rest of the Office of Catholic Schools staff.
Ready to begin a new school year, Haley is optimistic the best days of Catholic education in southeast Michigan are still ahead.
“I think the role of Catholic schools have become more crucial than ever,” Haley said. “In many places, the school has become the new parish. I feel we need to continue to strengthen what we do in our schools so to support families and support the greater Church. We cannot miss the opportunity to help our students grow in our faith and become great disciples of Christ.”
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