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Fog/Mist Sadness over Catholic school closing
Amid declining enrollment, Blessed Sacrament to graduate last class in June
There will only be one more graduating class at Blessed Sacrament School. The Diocese of Rockville Centre announced on Jan. 11 that the 53-year-old parish school, one of two Catholic schools in Valley Stream, will close in June.
Officials cited declining enrollment as one of the reasons that the school will be shut down. There are 157 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, and another 50 children in the nursery and pre-kindergarten programs. According to the diocese, enrollment is down by 110 students since 2005.
The Rev. Peter Dugandzic, pastor of Blessed Sacrament parish, said it was a very difficult decision but one that was necessary. Not only has enrollment dropped, Dugandzic said, but it is projected to fall even further. Additionally, he said, the parish’s debt is approaching $3 million — a “perfect storm” of bad news for the school. “The realities are what they are,” he said. “It had to be addressed realistically.”
Dugandzic said the cost of running the school is about the same for 200 students as it is for 300. But fewer students mean less tuition money coming in to cover that cost.
Annette Farragher, president of the Parents Association, said her daughter will graduate from eighth grade in June, but she feels for all the students in the younger grades who will not be able to complete their education at Blessed Sacrament. “I want all the kids to stay there and graduate from there,” she said.
Farragher said that the announcement of the closing came as a surprise to her and other parents. She said she is aware of the declining enrollment and economic factors that are preventing people from sending their children to private schools, but the announcement still came as a shock.
Village Justice Bob Bogle, a graduate of the school and an active member of the parish, said he was angered by the decision. Bogle said the diocese and parish leadership should have made church members more aware of the school’s dire situation and given them one last chance to try and save it.
