St. Patrick's School in Troy to close

The decision was made by the Diocesan School Board in consultation with Bishop Howard J. Hubbard and Sister Mary Jane Herb, IHM, superintendent of schools.

The school and parish communities were informed of the decision last week. A meeting for parents is being held Feb. 7 at St. Patrick's. Sister Jane will answer any questions or concerns they may have.

Why the closing

For 10 years, the Diocese has subsidized the school; in recent years, the subsidy has been $100,000 per annum. Tuition accounts for only 25 percent of the school's operating budget.

Limits

One of the challenges, Sister Jane said, is the Diocese's desire to provide a Catholic school education to poor children and limited resources.

"The number of our schools serving the poor is increasing," she said. "We need to better use our subsidy to help the most number of children."

Deciding

"It is sad to see such a rich part of history fade away," he said, "but every effort will be made to accommodate our students at other area Catholic schools."

St. Patrick's students will have the option of being bused to the city's other Catholic schools. Our Lady of Victory, St. Augustine's and Sacred Heart are located within a two-and-a-half mile radius of St. Patrick's, and have room to accommodate all of the students.

Other schools in the Diocese are being encouraged to give teachers from St. Patrick's first priority as they fill vacancies.

Enrollments

As an example, she noted that St. Luke's School in Schenectady, which serves many economically disadvantaged students, has more than 240 students and has experienced an enrollment increase over the past few years.

Other Catholic schools serving a large number of poor children include St. Casimir's Regional School and St. James Institute, both in Albany.

Challenges

"We recognize that the challenges we face are not unlike those of public schools," Sister Jane said. "Changing demographics and the increasing cost of education are issues in public schools as well."

Sister Jane said the closure of St. Patrick's should not strike fear in other Catholic school communities. The schools in the Diocese are currently involved in developing long-range strategic plans, she said. Those plans, which address enrollment and financing, as well as Catholic identity, educational programming, governance and staffing, will map the schools goals for the future. The plans will help the schools better market themselves to families.

"Parents want to know where a school is going to be in five years," Sister Jane said. "We are going to plan for our future rather than just let the future happen to us."

(Editor's note: For more information on the Strategic Planning Process, see Bishop Hubbard's Jan. 31 column in The Evangelist. It can be found at www.evangelist.org.)

(02-07-02) [[In-content Ad]]