Weymouth Catholic School To Appeal Closing

WEYMOUTH, MA — The Boston Archdiocese announced the closing of St. Jerome School last week, one of three Catholic schools on the South Shore to shutter, partly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. But parents and school officials are banding together to appeal the Archdiocese's decision, arguing the school has enough money to weather the storm.

In a letter to parents, Thomas Carroll, the school superintendent for the Archdiocese of Boston, said the school does not have the resources needed to stay open. He argued enrollment issues put the school at risk of facing a large deficit that will only grow with COVID-19 weakening the U.S. economy.

"Enrollment has dropped to about 110 students, compared to 210 students in 2010, 181 in 2015, and 158 this year," Carroll wrote in his letter. "There is no scenario under which the current enrollment level of 158 students will be attained in the year ahead. At 110 students or any number around that level, the school could face a large and growing deficit, which will widen as enrollment continues to drop in this weak economy."

Susan Hannan, the school's advancement director and a parent of two St. Jerome graduates, said her and other families started collecting signatures from parishioners and also reached out to canonical law expert Pete Borre to file a formal appeal. Many of those families on Sunday continued to make their voices heard at a rally Sunday to save the school, which saw more than 100 protestors attend.

Hannan told Patch she disagrees with Carroll's assessment of the school's finances.

She said the school has around $400,000 in cash reserves, no debt and no outstanding loans. According to Hannon, 14 parents were in the process of enrolling their children in school prior to the announcement. She said some were sick, lost their job or were getting their taxes together before enrollment.

"We are financially stable and viable," Hannan said. "Kids go on to do good things here. We got a lot going for us. We aren't a failing school."

Hannan argued the closure could not have happened at a worse time. She said the decision puts parents in a difficult position where they have to find a new school for their children in the midst of a global pandemic. Teachers and other school staff are also affected because they now need to find new jobs when most schools aren't hiring because of the economic impacts of COVID-19, Hannan said.

"We think it's just hard now to send people into the scramble to find new places for their kids,: Hannan said. "That's why we're hustling to make the appeal happen as fast as possible."

Hannon said she plans to have the appeal filed by Wednesday.

In Caroll's letter, he addressed some points Hannon and others made to argue why St. Jerome should stay open.

"In this economic and enrollment environment, the Archdiocese simply cannot sustain three Catholic schools in Weymouth," Carroll said. "Despite months of efforts to raise enrollment, St. Jerome still has the lowest enrollment of the three Catholic schools in Weymouth."

"St. Jerome School has some reserves but in our view not enough to weather the storm ahead," Carroll added. "I have spoken with individuals and foundations in an effort to save the school through raising additional money. But the bad economy also has dramatically impacted the ability of donors to step in."

Carroll and other Catholic education experts said the closing of St. Jerome, St. Francis of Assisi School in Braintree and others are part of a broader national trend. According to Carroll, hundreds of Catholic schools from Massachusetts to California will likely close amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Dozens already have according to Carroll's predecessor Kathy Mears, now CEO for the National Catholic Education Association.

"Every day for the last four or five weeks, there's been at least one school closing," Mears told Patch.

Mears said some parents aren't re-enrolling their children because they don't know whether they'll have a job in the fall, and other parents don't want to pay for what very possibly could be online learning in the fall.

"My heart breaks for the parents," Mears said. "There are more unknowns this year than ever before. Things we could know about a school last year have changed."

"You don't become superintendent wanting to close Catholic schools, but I do understand the frustration of the parents," Mears said.

More On Catholic Schools Affected By Coronavirus:

• Braintree Catholic School Among Dozens Closing Nationwide
• Braintree Catholic School Closing Permanently