St. Anne's, St. Joe's Among Catholic Schools to Remain Open

The Diocese of Rockville Centre announced late Tuesday that it will close six of its 53 Long Island elementary schools at the end of the 2011-2012 school year, but St. Anne's School and St. Joseph School, both located in Garden City, are among the 42 schools that will remain open.

According to Sean P. Dolan, director of communications for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, Bishop William Murphy informed pastors of the closings Monday.

"The pastors the following day informed the principals, who had faculty meetings Tuesday to inform the faculty and administration," he said. "Yesterday afternoon an email letter went out to parents of all children at schools that are closing from Bishop Murphy."

According to the Diocese website, the six schools to close are:

• St. John Baptist de La Salle Regional School (Farmingdale)
• St. Catherine of Sienna School (Franklin Square)
• St. Ignatius Loyola School (Hicksville)
• Sacred Heart School (North Merrick)
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help School (Lindenhurst)
• Prince of Peace Regional School (Sayville)

Bishop Murphy said he has also asked five schools, three in Suffolk County and two in Nassau County, to form a "strategic collaboration" in order to strengthen the schools and ensure "good, sound Catholic schools for the future in both areas."

Dr. William O'Sullivan, St. Anne's School principal, said the closings are a difficult situation for both the students and parents affected. "It's very sad news," he told Patch Wednesday.

So what makes St. Anne's flourish?

"It's the community," Dr. O'Sullivan said. "Parents don't send their kids here just for the school, they send them here because we are very connected to our parish."

He added: "We are not a rigid program but a structured program and parents feel comfortable with that. It's a combination of what we do, the parents' involvement and the students' enjoyment."

While Bishop Murphy cites "changing demographics and difficult national and local economic conditions" have added to the pressure on local schools, St. Anne's has actually seen an approximate 15 percent increase in its kindergarten through eighth grade enrollment over the last eight or nine years, according to Dr. O'Sullivan.

Enrollment peaked at approximately 520 students this year in nursery through eighth grade at St. Anne's, which officially opened on Feb. 2, 1951. With the expected closure of St. Catherine of Sienna in nearby Franklin Square, Dr. O'Sullivan expects that number will rise.

"I think that parents might choose us but there are four schools within three miles of St. Catherine's," he said. "How many will choose to come to us would be a guessing game at this point in time, but enrollment would most likely increase."

Marie Ilardi, a parent of four whose two youngest children are in fifth and seventh grades at St. Joe's School, said like many of the local public school districts, the Diocese of Rockville Centre has seen enrollment decline in some areas.

"While the closing of a school might be necessary, it's a truly heartbreaking outcome," she said. "As St. Joseph School was the recipient of many wonderful Corpus Christi (Mineola) families, we have seen firsthand the impact this decision has on the entire school family. We feel very lucky to be in a school with a consistent, healthy enrollment. I think it's everyone's desire to see the students from nearby St. Catherine of Sienna seek out another local Catholic school. I'm sure they will be a wonderful addition to any other school."

Instead of closing individual schools each year like in the past, Dolan said Bishop Murphy wanted to develop a strategic plan for elementary education.

"He formed an advisory committee tasked with the responsibility of developing this plan. Every single school was evaluated on the ability of that school to provide and sustain a quality Catholic educational program. The advisory committee looked at and analyzed enrollment, demographic changes at each school, the age of students in the area, the financial situation of the school and parish and reviewed each school building, its technology and other programs offered," Dolan said.

Bishop Murphy added, "While these choices have not been easy and closing schools is one of the most painful parts of my ministry, I want to assure the parents and children affected by this that they and their children are uppermost in my mind and in my heart. My goal was to make decisions now that will allow us to say that there will be no more school closings beyond my time as your bishop."