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As the Bishop Maginn community struggled to come to terms with the Albany high school's planned move from Slingerland Street to Park Avenue, head of school Joseph Salamack talked to students about Lent and Easter.

"This has given us new life," he assured them, reminding them of Jesus' resurrection, as he believes the school will rise from financial deficits and wavering enrollment to become stable at the new location. Maginn's current campus, appraised at about $5 million, will be sold or leased to help alleviate the school's debt.

Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, who announced his decision about the move March 24, attended the school assembly the next morning. Mr. Salamack told The Evangelist that was a surprise: "He walked into my office, put down his coat and said, 'I just wanted to be supportive.'"

We're family
Students asked about busing to the school's new home, the former Cathedral Academy, and about whether their teachers would remain on staff at the new site.

"We move as a family. Everybody moves. We don't leave anybody behind," Mr. Salamack told them. By the end of the assembly, he thought the students seemed more comfortable with the idea.

Many parents, however, are not.

"I am absolutely heartbroken," Robin Jira told The Evangelist through tears. "We'd like to see Maginn continue, but at what risk?"

The parent of a junior at Maginn and a member of a volunteer task force that had made recommendations about the school's future, she said the school community "honestly did not see this coming. We knew we would have to work hard [to stay at the present location], but we were prepared for that."

The task force of parents, alumni, school board members, faculty and school and diocesan administrators had recommended staying on the current campus, but renting out part of the school building and the athletic fields. They also recommended working to increase enrollment, possibly by adding extra grades. Maginn's current enrollment is 138 students in a building meant for about 500.

Maginn's challenges
Diocesan officials noted that, over the past 15 years, Bishop Maginn has had a total financial deficit of $3.1 million, with a $330,000 deficit expected this year alone. Rev. Kenneth Doyle, diocesan chancellor for public information, said Maginn has been receiving a disproportionate amount of aid from the Diocese that's intended to help all schools.

"That's depriving kids in other Catholic schools in the Diocese," he said.

In January, as the task force completed its work, Mrs. Jira told The Evangelist that Maginn is "not the building; it's the people." Now, she says that's still true, but "it is the building they are choosing" to move to that is upsetting some parents.

The former Cathedral Academy building at 75 Park Avenue is owned by Albany's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. It will be rented to Maginn, saving the school the cost of maintenance and repairs.

The Diocese has agreed to cover the cost of any renovations. Father Doyle said the changes will include additional lockers and a cafeteria, but added that the building's needs are "relatively modest" compared to the cost of maintaining Maginn's current school.

Cathedral happy
"I think it's a plus for the cathedral," he added. Cathedral Academy had been leased to a Montessori school and then to a charter school in recent years, but is now vacant; Father Doyle thought cathedral parishioners would be "delighted" to have a Catholic school just a block away again.

Rev. William Pape, rector of the cathedral, confirmed that. He remembered when Cathedral Academy was a kindergarten-through-12th-grade school, and when Maginn absorbed students from other diocesan high schools that closed over the years.

"Maginn is the last secondary Catholic education in the city of Albany, and the city should not be without Catholic education," he declared. "I think it's a great day for Catholic education for the Diocese -- and, certainly for the Cathedral, we're pleased that we were chosen to house the Catholic high school."

Tech talk
Officials say the Cathedral Academy building is already impressive for its technical capabilities. Michael Pizzingrillo, diocesan superintendent of schools, said the school is set up so that cameras can be installed at all entrances, with closed-circuit monitors in the main office. Every classroom is wired for LCD projectors, which will also make it easier to use resources like smartboards.

Maginn is a tech-focused school; last fall, it provided Chromebook computers for use in its classrooms, and it's also using distance learning through videoconferencing.

The Cathedral school is expected to be renovated in time for students to start the 2015-16 school year there.

Parent thoughts
Mrs. Jira told The Evangelist that parents' concerns about Maginn's new home include the lack of facilities for sports, the lack of off-street parking and the safety of the neighborhood. The Diocese plans to find a gym and practice fields Maginn can use, and Father Doyle said that neither of the schools that previously leased the Cathedral Academy building reported any safety concerns.

Father Pape told The Evangelist he's been at the Cathedral for two decades and sees crime in the area as minor. "We're right next door to the Governor's mansion and you've got state police stationed there 24 hours a day," he added.

Mr. Salamack said Cathedral Academy needs to be cleaned so parents can see the space as soon as possible, which may alleviate some of their worries. "They're upset. It's the shock," he said, but "I know that it's going to be OK."

Withholding judgment
The Jiras had planned to register their daughter, Juliana, to start her freshman year at Maginn in September. Their son, Matthew, would be a senior at the new site. Mrs. Jira said she doesn't know what the right choice is for either of her children yet.

Right now, she said of herself and fellow parents, "emotions are high, so I don't think anybody's ready to make a decision.

"If this works out for the school and it does grow and it's a positive thing, I'll eat every word I say," she added.

Sister Mary Anne Heenan, CSJ, former superintendent of schools for the Syracuse Diocese, chaired the Maginn task force. She hopes some of the group's other recommendations will be taken up, particularly strategic planning and marketing.

Father Doyle said the school may hire a director of advancement to work on fundraising and enrollment. He noted that, although Maginn's enrollment a decade ago was 343 students -- a couple of hundred more than today -- the school did increase enrollment by eight students this year, so it may be on the upswing.

Other changes
Another task force recommendation the Diocese has accepted is a change to a one-principal model. The two positions of head of school and associate head are being replaced by a single one. Father Doyle noted that both Mr. Salamack and Joseph Grasso, current associate head of school, are eligible to apply for the new position.

A recommended tuition increase is being considered, according to Mr. Pizzingrillo, since "Maginn is still [charging] the lowest tuition of a diocesan high school --- and the tuition has not been increased over the past three years."

Vetoed were recommendations to add a pre-kindergarten, middle school and junior high. Father Doyle said the Diocese did not think that would increase enrollment at Maginn, but could harm existing Catholic schools. He also noted that 74 percent of Maginn's current student body receives tuition assistance.

Hopeful
"My hope is that the Maginn community and others will support this new beginning," Sister Mary Anne said. "The strong sense I got throughout the task force meetings was, 'Bishop Maginn is more than a building.' I hope that is the sentiment that will prevail."

"This was the right thing: moving the school forward and giving it a chance," Mr. Pizzingrillo said.

Father Doyle, who taught in his early priesthood at Cardinal McCloskey High School, Maginn's previous incarnation, is enthusiastic about the change: "I think this offers the best opportunity to sustain Catholic education in the city of Albany."

"Everybody's welcome at the cathedral. Hopefully, the opportunities of being here will become more evident as they come here," said Father Pape. "There's a lot of pluses for everybody - and the biggest plus is the saving of Catholic secondary education."

Mrs. Jira and other parents are waiting for clarity. "Right now, I'm doing a lot of praying," she said. [[In-content Ad]]

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