REORGANIZATION PLAN WILL AFFECT SCHOOLS
IN 26 PARISHES IN BROOKLYN AND QUEENS

PARISHES WILL WELCOME TRANSFER STUDENTS FROM OTHER SCHOOLS;

FOUR NEW REGIONAL SCHOOLS WILL OPEN IN SEPTEMBER

Msgr. Michael J. Hardiman, Vicar for Education in the Diocese of Brooklyn, has announced that Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio has “reluctantly” accepted proposals presented to him by the Office of the Superintendent of Catholic School Support Services, the regional vicars and the Parish Fiscal Management Office, calling for a consolidation that will affect 26 parish elementary schools at the end of the school year.

In an announcement issued today (Feb. 9), Msgr. Hardiman cited declining enrollment caused by increasing demographic shifts in Brooklyn and Queens, coupled with a constantly rising cost of operating the schools, as the major factors leading to the reorganization.

Four of the schools will reopen as regional schools in September, guided by a board of pastors and employing a new faculty and staff, he said.

“Our goal is to continue to have a parochial school presence in every part of the Diocese, if it is at all possible,” Msgr. Hardiman said.  “This is the best reconfiguration of the schools at this time.”

He said: “It is important to note that a seat in a Catholic elementary school will still be available to any student whose current school is affected by the reorganization.”

Seventeen of the 26 schools are in Brooklyn and nine are in Queens, he said.  They fall into three categories:

            ---Nine schools whose students will attend one of the four new regional schools, all in Brooklyn, one each in Williamsburg and Midwood and two in East Flatbush;

            ---Eight schools whose students will attend a neighboring parish school with which it will formally affiliate, one each in East New York and Bushwick in Brooklyn and one each in Woodside, Sunnyside, Winfield, Maspeth, Elmhurst and Ozone Park in Queens, and

            ---Nine schools that will not reopen nor affiliate with another school, but whose students will be welcomed at neighboring parish schools, and the sending parishes will retain some financial and pastoral responsibilities for the students in those schools.  They are in Gerritsen Beach, Carroll Gardens, Borough Park, Sunset Park, Park Slope and Bath Beach in Brooklyn, and Astoria, Broad Channel and Rosedale in Queens.

            For the schools entering the affiliation process, both the parish that will send its students to a nearby school and the receiving school will provide financial and spiritual assistance.  The latter will include celebrating Mass, conducting other liturgical services and visiting classrooms for religious instruction and formation.

            Bishop DiMarzio reviewed and analyzed the list of recommendations he received “carefully and with respect for everyone affected” before granting his approval, Msgr. Hardiman said.

            “Many of these proposals were developed by parishes and clusters of parishes with the assistance of the superintendent and his staff,” he said.  “Others, deemed to be less than realistic, were modified by the staff, in consultation with the Vicar for Education, the regional vicars and the Parish Fiscal Management Office, before being presented to the Bishop.”

            The proposals were submitted after many months---in some instances, after nearly two years---of consultations involving regional vicars, pastors and principals in clusters of parishes, meetings with parents, and after the gathering of statistical data referring to the long-term viability of schools, specifically over three to five years, he said.

            Noting that diocesan education officials consider a kindergarten-to-eighth-grade school with 220 students or fewer to be “at-risk” of surviving three-to-five years, Msgr. Hardiman said the schools affected fell under that standard.  The 1993 Catholic Education Strategic Planning Project conducted by the Diocese, with the assistance of educators from The Catholic University of America in Washington, established that enrollment benchmark.

            He said the study of the schools “was long and difficult, but it was a road that had to be traveled in order to strengthen schools in Brooklyn and Queens, so that they will be stronger as we move into the future.”

            “It is regrettable that to date no relief has been available to parents, especially in low-income areas, in the form of tuition tax credits, a fair and equitable plan that would benefit students and their parents,” he said.  “It is something that we must continually work toward.”

            In releasing the names of the schools involved in the transition, Msgr. Hardiman said the new regional school that will open in Williamsburg in the Fall will draw students from three schools: Most Holy Trinity, 140 Montrose Ave., All Saints, 113 Throop Ave., and Transfiguration, 250 Hooper St.  It will be located in Most Holy Trinity’s building, which was renovated after a 2003 fire.

            The pastors of the three parishes will serve as a governing board for the school, which is expected to have a new name.

            Together, the Williamsburg schools have lost 83 students in five years, from 577 to 494, about a 15 percent drop.  Located in an area with many low-income families, the schools collectively are receiving $495,000 in subsidies from the Diocese this year, and the new school will continue to need diocesan funding, in addition to tuition income, to meet operating costs, Msgr. Hardiman said.

            Two regional schools will open in East Flatbush, at Holy Cross School, 2520 Church Ave., and at St. Rose of Lima School, 259 Parkville Ave. Two other schools will be affected by the regionalization plan: Holy Innocents School, 249 E. 17^th St., and Our Lady of Refuge School, 1087 Ocean Ave. Each new school will have a separate and new administration, faculty and staff.

            Reflecting the pattern of enrollment decline, the four schools enrolled 1,213 students five years ago.  This year, they have 726, a loss of 487 students, or about 40 percent.  The schools are currently receiving $305,000 in diocesan support.

            The fourth regional school will be located at Our Lady Help of Christians School, 1340 E. 29^th St., Midwood, which will enroll students from St. Thomas Aquinas School, 1501 Hendrickson St., Flatlands, whose enrollment has declined from 344 five years ago to 200 today.  As at the other regional schools, it will have a separate and new administration, faculty and staff.

            Schools in eight parishes---two in Brooklyn and six in Queens---will formally affiliate with schools that operate in nearby parishes.

            In Brooklyn’s East New York community, St. John Cantius School, 692 Blake Ave., will affiliate with St. Michael’s School, 237 Jerome St. In Bushwick, Our Lady of Lourdes School, 11 DeSales Pl., will affiliate with St. Elizabeth Seton School, 751 Knickerbocker Ave., located in St. Martin of Tours-Fourteen Holy Martyrs parish.

            Over the past five years, the student population at St. John Cantius has dropped by 93, from 285 to 192.  While Our Lady of Lourdes’ enrollment has remained stable at about 175, it has been “at-risk” because of a low enrollment for more than a decade.

            St. Teresa’s School, 50-15 44^th St., Woodside, will affiliate with St. Raphael’s School, 48-25 37^th St., Long Island City.  St. Teresa’s enrollment decline has been from 266 students in 1999-2000 to 151 currently, reflecting sharp demographic changes in the local community.

            Queen of Angels School, 41-12 44^th St., Sunnyside, and Blessed Virgin Mary Help of Christians School, 70-31 48^th Ave., Winfield, will affiliate with St. Sebastian’s School, 39-76 58^th St., Woodside.  The five-year enrollment decline for the Sunnyside school has been 81, from 230 to 149, and 58 for the Winfield school, from 190 to 132.

            Ascension School, 86-37 53^rd Ave., Elmhurst, will affiliate with St. Adalbert’s School, 52-29 83^rd St., Elmhurst.  Ascension has witnessed a five-year enrollment decline of 77 students, from 222 to 145.

            In Ozone Park, St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr School, 90-01 101st Ave., will affiliate with nearby Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary School, 101-60 92^nd St. St. Stanislaus has had an enrollment reduction of 57, from 224 to 167, in five years.

            Two neighboring schools in Maspeth will enter into an affiliation.  Holy Cross School, 56-01 61^st St., will affiliate with St. Stanislaus Kostka School, 61-17 Grand Ave.  Holy Cross has had a decline in enrolled students of more than 100 since 1999, from 259 to 151.

            The following schools will not reopen, but neighboring schools will accept students choosing to transfer there. There will be a financial and spiritual component of support in each case. Receiving schools will schedule an “open house” to assist parents in the transfer process.

            ---St. Finbar’s School, 1825 Bath Av., Bath Beach.  Its student population of 164 is marginally smaller than the 173 it enrolled five years ago, but with a consistent enrollment under 200 it has been an “at-risk” school for more than ten years.  The nearby schools are St. Frances Cabrini and St. Mary Mother of Jesus.

            ---Sacred Hearts-St. Stephen’s School, 135 Summit St., Carroll Gardens. In the last four years, its enrollment has dropped by 75 students, from 225 to 150.  St. Saviour’s is a nearby school.

            ---St. Michael’s School, 4222 Fourth Ave., Sunset Park.  The student population has declined by 42, from 189 to 147, in five years.  St. Agatha and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Schools are nearby.

            ---St. Thomas Aquinas, 211 Eighth St., Park Slope.  It has seen an enrollment drop of 80 students in five years, from 243 to 163.  Nearby is Holy Name School.

            ---St. Catharine of Alexandria School, 1053 41^st St., Borough Park, has experienced an enrollment decrease of 93 from five years ago, from 221 to 128. St. Agatha’s, Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Immaculate Heart of Mary are neighboring schools.

            ---Resurrection School, 2335 Gerritsen Ave., Gerritsen Beach, has seen its student population drop from 241 to 132 in five years.  Good Shepherd, St. Edmund’s and St. Mark’s Schools are nearby.

            ---St. Pius X School, 147-65 249^th St. Rosedale, has lost 134 students in five years, from 281 to 147.  St. Clare’s School is also located in Rosedale.

---Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, 23-15 Newtown Ave., Astoria, has had an enrollment decline of 145 students in five years, from 331 to 186.  Nearby are Most Precious Blood and Immaculate Conception Schools.

            ---St. Virgilius School, 16 Noel Rd., Broad Channel, with 115 students, had 142 students in 1999-2000, a loss of 27 students.  Schools in the Rockaways are St. Camillus, Rockaway Park, and St. Rose of Lima, Rockaway Beach. St. Helen’s, Howard Beach, is also in the geographic area. 

            Msgr. Hardiman said the superintendent’s office “will make every effort” to assist principals, teachers and office staff affected by the reconfiguration who will be seeking employment in other parish schools.

            A review and analysis of the viability of other schools in future years is ongoing, directed by Dr. Thomas Chadzutko, Superintendent of Catholic School Support Services, and his professional staff, according to the education vicar.

            Statistical information that has guided the continuing study includes an 11,000-student enrollment falloff among all parish schools in Brooklyn and Queens in five years and direct assistance of $7 million by the Diocese last year to schools whose revenues could not meet expenses.

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