Schools
Washington Heights Catholic School To Close, Church Says
St. Rose of Lima Elementary School is one of seven schools set to close in the Archdiocese of New York.
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY – A Washington Heights catholic elementary school is among seven that will be shuttered by the Archdiocese of New York.
Archdiocese Superintendent Timothy McNiff sent parents of students at St. Rose of Lima Elementary School notice that the school would be one of seven in New York City to close at the end of the current school year.
"We understand these are challenging times for many families, and we will work with all students who are seeking to continue their Catholic education to find a seat at another excellent school in the Archdiocese," McNiff said in a statement.
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The Superintendent's office cited financial difficulties in keeping the schools open, particularly because the buildings are underutilized or need improvements.
Today we made the painful announcement that seven of our beloved Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York are not going to reopen next fall. I know these are painful and difficult decisions and I ask for your prayers for those especially impacted. pic.twitter.com/cVMMfOIDws
— Cardinal Dolan (@CardinalDolan) February 4, 2019
"You know, I'd rather be opening some new ones instead of closing some of the gems that we've got, but reality sets in," Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, said in a video on Twitter. "If we had 10 percent more kids in each of those schools, they wouldn't be closing."
Find out what's happening in Washington Heights-Inwoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Dolan encouraged parents to tell neighbors to consider sending their kids to Catholic school and said the "injustice continues" due to lack of government funding.
Dolan also falsely claimed that a "glimmer" of good news is that no Catholic schools in the Archdiocese have closed in the past five years — though nearly two years ago six school closures were announced in New York.
McNiff's statement on a round of 2017 school closures was identical to the one he released Monday, ABC7 NY reported at the time. In October 2017, McNiff said no schools would close for at least two years, Staten Island Live reported at the time.
In addition to St. Rose of Lima, the following Catholic schools will also close in June:
Manhattan
St. Brigid School in the East Village
Staten Island
Our Lady Help of Christians Elementary School
Bronx
St. Nicholas of Tolentine Elementary School
St. Joseph Elementary School
Dutchess
St. Mary Elementary School-Wappingers Falls, NY
St. Peter's Regional School-Liberty, NY
Patch reporter Sydney Pereira contributed to this report
Photo by Google Maps street view
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