Last week's Catholic Schools Week was an opportunity for parochial schools to showcase their education, not only for existing families, but to help lure new students.

Recruiting and marketing are becoming as much a part of parochial schools as parent-teacher conferences.

In a tough economy, families may not have the resources to afford a Catholic school tuition, instead opting to send their children to the free public schools.

It costs $2,428 for a parishioner to send a child to St. Joseph's annually, $2,720 for a non-member.

"Our biggest challenge is to get new families into the school," said Kim Guinnip, chairman of the St. Joseph Elementary School advisory committee. The school currently has an enrollment of 275. "We're the best-kept secret of Auburn."

That enrollment is down from last year, when school officials said about 320 students attended. The declining numbers are concern for Catholic schools nationwide.

There were 60,000 fewer students enrolled in Catholic elementary and secondary schools in 2002-2003 than there were a decade earlier, according to the National Catholic Education Association. The number of schools has also dropped, from 7,174 in 1992-1993 to 6,785 last year.

In addition to recruiting students, luring and retaining quality teachers can be difficult. A first-year teacher with a Master's degree will earn a starting salary of $21,000 at St. Joseph's, but could make about $10,000 more teaching in public schools.

And parents also express concerns about school technology and sports.

St. Joseph's principal Kathleen Coye boasts of the school's CYO basketball team and ski club, but knows public schools offer more choices.

The school just recently received a donation of 20 new flat-screen Dell computers, which will help supplement their computer lab.

"Parents ask about technology," Coye said. "It is getting to where it should be."

So, in order to draw more families and build enrollment, parochial schools like St. Joseph's must actively market its strengths.

"I think the ministry aspect of Catholic schools is very important," Coye said. "People would find the family atmosphere to be much stronger here. Because we teach religion, people say they come here because we're an extension of the faith. They feel safety here."

"The strongest reason I send my children here is the sense of community," said Guinnip, who has five children at St. Joseph. "The students know each other, and they look out for each other."

And St. Joseph's teachers are dedicated to things other than a paycheck.

"Money isn't everything," said teacher Jane Cooney.

A middle school social studies teacher, Cooney left St. Joseph's in 2000 to take a higher paying job in public education.

This year, she returned. "I really felt at home here. Parents are very involved and students really want to learn. I feel I am doing the best kind of work I can do," she said.

"The money isn't the issue," said teacher Kathleen Morgan, who has been at the school for 25 years. "I want to be where people expect the best."

"They chose to be here," said Coye of her staff. "The biggest thing you can share is your faith."

Parochial schools can also sell the quality of the education, because the smaller class sizes at parochial schools allows more interaction between teachers and individual students.

St. Joseph's classes have between 16-18 students, far less than most public school classrooms.

Most of the teacher's point out that the parents are keenly interested in their child's education, and the school involves the parents in its fund-raising programs.

St. Joseph's families help raise almost $100,000 a year with bingo night, candy, and gift wrap sales. The money goes into the school's general operating budget, which is close to $1 million.

Guinnip believes her children, and all students at parochial schools, make the transition to public schools seamlessly.

"Because of their strong education, they'll have no problems academically when they go to Auburn High School," Guinnip said. "Because of their values, they'll be able to handle themselves."