Diocese decides to close one of the town's Catholic schools

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, at an informational, at times raucous meeting with parents on Thursday night, gave a dire assessment of the Holy Family and Our Lady of the Assumption schools: short on funds, short on students, long on costs, steeped in debt.

That could force the diocese to shut down one of the parochial schools after this academic year, said Margaret Dames, the diocesan superintendant of schools. Because of its smaller size, Holy Family would likely close.

That decision will be made on March 26, after a newly formed committee -- made up of the diocesan school board, the two schools' advisory boards, and a couple of teachers and handful of parents from each school -- explores the options laid out at Thursday's meeting.

That committee first met on Tuesday night. It will meet again on March 16 and 24. The meetings are not open to the public.

One of its tasks, Dames said, is to mull over questions raised by some of the 200-plus parents who were in attendance on Thursday night, in the Catholic Center's auditorium at 238 Jewett Ave., Bridgeport. Most parents seemed resigned to the situation, but several expressed anger, even rage, that the diocese had waited so long to inform them of the impending closure.

"Why do you come to us when the house is on fire and how much longer are we going to put up with you?" asked one father, who said his name was Emmanuel. The statement drew a mix of cheers and gasps from the crowd, and came during the more than hour-long portion set aside for parents to offer input. As is protocol, each parent's statement was followed by a round of applause.

Before that portion, the diocese presented a brief presentation that offered pros and cons for both options: keeping both schools open or consolidating.

The presentation said that the schools combined for $1.2 million in budget shortfall last year and that they're operating $550,000 in deficit this year. The diocese has filled those budget gaps both years, with most of the money going to employees' salaries and benefits. The diocese's goal for the schools is that they break even financially, Dames said.

To do so in this case, said Joe Quinn, a financial consultant, the schools would have to combine the following strategies: recruit up to 100 new, full-paying students, raise tuition by up to $1,000 per student, and reduce expenses by more than half a million dollars.

Currently, the two schools combine for about 300 students. Tuition at Assumption is now set at $4,800 a year for parish members and $5,500 for non-members, with families that send more than one child to a school receiving a discount. Tuition at Holy Family is now $5,000 a year, with no stipulation for parish members. Families with two children attending the school can receive a discounted rate of $8,280.

One parent noted Thursday night that he never hears requests for help funding the school system when he attends Mass on Sundays. Another said the discussion should focus less on how to properly consolidate the schools and more on how to keep them both open.

"We sacrifice everything for these schools. Look at me, I came here with a beeper," he said, pointing to his belt. "I'm here, and yet I'm working from this meeting at the same time. As a father, I can do a car-wash; I can do whatever you want."

Parents expressed particular concern over future class sizes and over how teachers would be selected for a consolidated school. Dames assured parents that the diocese would aim to cap class sizes at 22 children between kindergarten and third grade, and then at 25 students though eighth grade.

While refusing to discuss matters of personnel, Dames did say that the diocese would select which teachers will continue teaching at the consolidated school by April 15. The standard for choosing, Dames said, will be determining which teachers best meet the profiles of the respective classes.

The swiftness of that decision, she added, stems from the fact that parents must make decisions very quickly about where to send their children to school next year. Concerned about a possible exodus of children from the system, she said, she had requested nearby Catholic schools to place on a waiting list any Holy Family or Assumption student seeking to transfer before April 5.

"Before then, you don't have the information to make an informed decision," she told the parents. Many parents gasped.