ALBANY CITY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
After a detailed review of financial, enrollment and infrastructure challenges facing their schools, parish leaders at All Saints, Mater Christi, and Blessed Sacrament in the city of Albany, in collaboration with the Diocesan School Board, and after months of discussion with the Albany Strategic Planning Group, have agreed on a new school plan that builds on the strengths of each parish, and better serves the mission of each parish community.
The new cooperative effort keeps Mater Christi School as a pre-K through 8th grade, Blessed Sacrament will become a Pre-K through 5th, and All Saints School will close. This was a difficult, but necessary decision. Deficits at each school along with the inability of All Saints parish to provide financial support and needed building repairs at the school, all factored into the final decision.
All involved want to make the best use of the resources available: material, spiritual, and professional. These parishes serve the entire community. Each has different strengths, not in competition, but in cooperation. Working together, they can use those strengths to better serve their families and the school students.
As has been discussed in various informational meetings, the parishes can now begin work to create a single school board for the Catholic Schools in the City of Albany. The new board will work to maintain efficiency in our schools, and develop a strategic, centralized, advancement plan to make sure Catholic schools in the city of Albany remain vibrant and viable.
Efforts are underway to look into the possibility of providing transportation for current middle school students who want to continue at Mater Christi. A fair and equitable human resources process is being developed to determine staffing at the two schools. We will be providing supports and information to displaced students.
This is the result of a great deal of prayer, discussion, and input from various groups, including our very passionate parents and school community. We thank all for their dedication to Catholic education.
SACRED HEART SCHOOL, TROY
Sacred Heart School in Troy is also closing after this school year. The pastor of Sacred Heart parish, in consultation with his trustees, started the process of closure after a detailed assessment of finances, low enrollment, and the parish mission.
Any employees displaced by this closure will receive preferred status in filling any appropriate vacancy at a diocesan school.
While Sacred Heart School is closing, the building remains. The pastor and trustees are investigating new uses for the building, including but not limited to, pre-school and Universal Pre-K. The parish has interest in continuing the mission of education at Sacred Heart.
We realize these are difficult decisions. No one wants to close schools but, as a church, we must constantly assess our situation and consider how to be good stewards of existing resources. At times, that requires change, but it is change that is needed to maintain the mission of our parishes, our diocese and to better serve our families and students.
“While this process has been emotional, it has also been inspirational, seeing the passion that so many have for our Catholic Schools,” said Catholic School Superintendent, Dr. Christopher Bott. “I am honored to serve our Catholic School community and look forward to what the future holds.”
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