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The Diocesan Board of Education has postponed until March deciding whether to approve plans to add elementary grades to Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady. Currently, ND-BG is a middle and high school. 

"They need to put together more information before we decide," said Sister Jane Herb, IHM, the diocesan schools superintendent. ND-BG was told to collect more information and estimates on enrollment, financing and leasing the former St. Paul the Apostle School, located within walking distance, for the elementary grades.

At the same time, the board approved reinstatement of a sixth grade at St. John the Evangelist School. That would match nearby public schools, which have switched back to at K-6 format. "We wanted to give parents another option for sixth grade," said Sister Jane. St. John's currently has 155 students in pre-kindergarten to through fifth grade. 

If the ND-BG expansion is approved, it would become the only K-12 school in Schenectady County. The principal, Michael Piatek, said previously that the arrangement would streamline education for students who come from 19 school districts and other Catholic schools.

The school board wanted to see that at least 20 families were interested in enrolling. Further, said Sister Jane, the board would like for the proposed grades to draw from areas such as South Colonie, Rotterdam and Scotia not already served by other, local Catholic schools.

"The question for us is, 'Is there an unmet need?'" she said. "We did not want the plan to adversely affect other schools."

ND-BG has made clear that, if given permission to open an elementary school, it would receive no additional funds from the Diocese. Families of students could, however, apply to the Diocese for Lally scholarships or Beacon of Hope scholarships. 

ND-BG officials predicted that an elementary program would help feed students into the upper school, which has lost students from its traditional "feeders," local Catholic elementary schools. Almost 150 people attended public forums on the proposal. ND-BG, with grades 6-12, has 315 students.[[In-content Ad]]

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