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NEW YORK — The Archdiocese of New York has announced that 26 of its 159 elementary schools are at risk of closing this June, affecting more than 5,000 of the 50,000 students in local Catholic schools.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York regretted the “very somber news” on his blog, The Gospel in the Digital Age.
“I dread this! I’d rather be opening new schools, not closing some!” he wrote Nov. 28.
The cardinal expressed sorrow to those whose schools had closed, especially individuals who had just changed schools after previous closures. However, he encouraged parents to enroll their children in other nearby Catholic schools that are “eager to welcome every student from a closing school.”
Local boards composed of laity and clergy evaluated the long-term viability of the elementary schools in their area in light of the archdiocese's 2010 reorganization plan, the Archdiocese of New York said Nov. 26. The review boards analyzed school enrollment, school finances, academics and local demographics.
The review determined that St. Agnes Boys High School in Manhattan, which has 200-plus students, is also at risk of closure in June.
Final decisions on the 26 elementary schools will be made in January 2013.
The announcement does not include Catholic elementary schools on Staten Island. Because of the damage and disruption that Hurricane Sandy caused, no decisions regarding archdiocesan elementary schools on Staten Island will be announced until 2013.
Timothy McNiff, the archdiocese’s superintendent of schools, said the initiative intends to “both stabilize and grow the number of Catholic schools across the Archdiocese of New York, with the ultimate goal of eliminating the need for future school closures.”
Pastors and principals of schools at risk of closure will meet with members of local review boards or reconfiguration committees to discuss why their schools were selected and what actions should be taken next.
Cardinal Dolan urged those whose schools had closed not to be afraid.
“While your own beloved school might not be open next September, our Catholic schools will, and there is a desk for you! The address of your school might change; the quality and welcome of a new one will not,” he said.
The cardinal said Catholics “did everything we could, with the archdiocese alone investing tens of millions of dollars into the schools, in addition to grants from generous parishes, benefactors and parents sacrificing to pay tuition.”
In 2011, the archdiocese closed 26 elementary schools and one high school, citing declining enrollment. The closures affected 3,700 students.
Cardinal Dolan said the second wave of closures should be the last collective action.
“While I can’t promise you that, in the future, a school might have to close, I can at least tell you that we envision no more ‘Black Mondays’ like yesterday, when we have to announce dozens of them,” Cardinal Dolan said.
He urged Catholics to focus on the goal of a “strong, vibrant system of excellent Catholic schools” that are accessible to all children in order to continue “the two-century legacy of private, faith-based, character-forming education.”
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That averages out to less than two hundred students per school.
This number makes the viability of the schols questionable. They can not be kept open with huge expeditures from the parishes (or God forbid, the diocese).
The bishops need to go back to streets and sell the community on the great value of Catholic schools and then deliver. It is the Bishop’s role to instruct and guide his people.
To accept the closings as such, Bishop Dolan is not acting as bishop to his people. He is accepting the end of Catholic schools as a forgone conclusion.
@sparch A brief article will not reveal the deep thoughts and alternatives that went into this decision. Certainly the Cardinal and others in decision making positions thought long and hard on this. I do not know whether New York has a program like many other States do where individual State income taxes can be directed to private schools to help reduce tuition costs to families. If not maybe that would help if not already tried and turned down by legislature or the voters. Perhaps persons Sparch a generous contribution from you and others who feel as you do will help keep those schools open. The Cardinal might call on you to do so because you do care.
I live in a diocese (and was sitting on the school advisory board for three years) that went through this crisis. These were issues which we were confronted. It is not a matter for one person to come forward with contributions. It is a matter of selling the school to the commuinty to engorge enrollment. This means help from the bishop, parish priest and the school parents. All three are required to participate. Your glad words above do not translate into workable action to save Catholic schools.
The schools must have a marketable program that the general community will be excited about. This starts with the Bishop.
Once a school is closed, the cost to reopen in insurmountable.
Pathways to Excellence is a downsizing plan. It has not been a proactive plan to keep schools open. The focus has been in what schools to close, not in providing resources to keep schools open. The diocese asks each school on the at risk list to create and present a 3 year plan, to prevent their closing. They have only a few weeks to create the plan and identify additional major sources of funding, If the Pathways to Excellence Committee was concentrating on keeping doors open, they would have met with the parents, pastor, principal, and teachers to develop plans, based on what the healthy schools are doing, when enrollment started dropping. This would have given the schools a few years to try to implement their plans before it got to this point of the 2010 and 2012 at risk lists. The diocese may have been talking to the pastors in advance, but everyone else was left out.
Schools that are slated for closing don’t wake up on day and discover the issues that imperil it. These are known for some time and you are correct. Everyone in the parish, with children in the school or not, need to take a serious interest in Parochial school education. A parish school in trouble also means that parish is in trouble.
I wonder if a majority of these schools are staffed by the laity, causing large financial outlays in terms of salaries, benefits, and so on. Would a move to promoting a ‘nun-run’ school be one idea of cost-savings? Another idea would be to downsize without closing. Focus exclusively on a religious and academic education. Repurpose and rent or sell unused school buildings, with any revenues being plowed back into the school program. Another idea that has worked at a couple schools is to focus on a classical education (think Dorothy Sayers’ Lost Tools of Learning), something that is sorely missing at most Catholic schools nowadays. Many Catholic schools are almost identical to the public schools in curricula and focus (often in the attempt to attract students from non-Catholic backgrounds). The result has been that Catholic parents feel they are not getting a truly Catholic education, and opt out.
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