Jan 13, 2009 6:49 am US/Eastern
Cash Crunch May Close 11 NYC Catholic Schools
Upset Parents In Brooklyn, Queens Praying For A Miracle
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
A cash crunch may force 11 Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens to close their doors by the end of the school year. CBS 2 HD was there as parents in one Brooklyn school got the news.
The kids come out of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn to parents who take comfort in knowing their children are getting a solid education. But now, that sense of security is being rocked because the school may close. And parents are getting emotional.
"It's family, ya know? All the teachers, the kids … I'm sorry to hear it might be closing. I really am," parent Dawn Cortez said.
Added parent Felicia Livingston: "I have two children here. One in seventh grade, one in third grade and I have a baby that I was planning on bringing here as well. And that would be devastating, I think."
Father Joseph Tizio, the school's pastor, is hoping this is not the last word.
"I need to sit with our faculty and parents to discuss it, and we will be appealing the recommendation," Tizio said.
The schools that might close in Brooklyn are: Flatbush Catholic Academy, St. Vincent Ferrer, Most Precious Blood, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Our Lady of Angels.
The schools in Queens are: St. Anthony of Padua, St. Benedict Joseph Labre, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Aloysius and Blessed Sacrament.
"Our schools are going to be stronger and more enduring and are going to be more excellent. We're going to have to go through some pain," said Father Kieran Harrington of the Brooklyn diocese.
"It's a shame that they are really going to have to close it, especially when they are collecting tuition. It's not free to come here," grandparent Joe Ambrosino said.
What you keep hearing from the parents is this: It's a shame because these schools are good.
The proposal for the Brooklyn and Queens Catholic schools also includes a plan to merge nine schools into three new ones.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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