St. Agatha School in Sunset Park To Shut Down, Diocese Says

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — Citing growing deficits, the Diocese of Brooklyn confirmed Monday that it will shut down St. Agatha School, a K-8 Catholic school at 736 48th St., at the end of this semester. But some parents and alumni are waging a campaign to keep the school open, claiming the church is lying about its financial situation in order to justify the closure.

A Diocese press release sent to Patch said parents were informed of the closure news at a Jan. 10 meeting led by Father Vincentius Do, the pastor of St. Agatha Parish, and school principal Maximo Catala. The school, opened in 1922, currently has 144 K-8 students and 22 pre-K students, according to Diocese spokesman Vito Formica.

Formica said enrollment has dropped since 2010, when 178 K-8 students attended the school. The Diocese is currently spending $5,330 per year on each student, Formica said, though the tuition is $3,949. As a result, the school projects an operating deficit of $55,571 this year, the spokesman continued, adding that the financial details came from an internal study commissioned by the Diocese.

"Despite every effort to build enrollment through the diligent work of the principal and parents, make tuition affordable, and raise funds through the support of several generous donors, the recurring and on-going struggle to make the school viable has taken its toll," Formica said in a statement. "Academic programs have not been expanded, teacher salaries have not kept pace with neighboring Catholic schools/academies and building repair costs ($2 million) have risen beyond the means of the parish."

The Diocese also announced that it will provide a $500 grant "to each school/academy accepting a student from St. Agatha School."

However, several individuals associated with the school are publicly challenging the Diocese's account, claiming the institution's real motivation is to make money on the property by letting the city rent it as a new public school site.

Citing information provided to him verbally by a current Diocese staffer, alumni Stephen Nygard, who said he attended the school from 1960-1968, said the school actually has a $1.2 million surplus it is refusing to use. Additionally, Nygard claimed the parish brought in Father Do two years ago because it knew Do wouldn't fight to keep the school open, unlike the priest he replaced.

The claims have also been circulated in an online petition calling for St. Agatha to stay open, and made their way into a flyer recently distributed to community members in English and Spanish.

The Truth Behind the School Closing by JVS Patch on Scribd

La Verdad Detras del Cierre de la Escuela by JVS Patch on Scribd

"It's a money making scheme," Nygard said of the decision to close the school. The Diocese' leadership, he continued, assumed that parents were, "not going to make any noise. But we want to make noise. They're not going to do this to us."

Nygard admitted that his alleged Diocese source hadn't provided proof of the school's surplus, supposedly because the source didn't want to be punished by the Diocese for doing so. But Nygard said he trusted the information he was given, considering that he's known the source involved for years.

On Monday, Formica, the Diocese spokesman, wouldn't confirm or deny whether the school has a surplus.

"I can't comment on that because I don't know who's providing those numbers," Formica said.

"The last thing the Diocese wants to do is close schools," he continued, adding that, "There's no ulterior motive to this other than what the finances were that led to the decision." Formica also said that he was unaware of "any plans for the property at this time" following the closure.

The issue, meanwhile, is unlikely to go away quickly. Sunset Park Assemblyman Félix W. Ortiz recently posted on Facebook that he is, "working with parents from Saint Agatha's School to prevent the school from closing at the end of the spring semester." Ortiz's office did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment on Monday.

Pictured at top: St. Agatha School. Photo by John V. Santore