Hackensack, NJ Community Message Boards
General Category => Hackensack Discussion => Topic started by: BLeafe on February 19, 2009, 04:02:23 PM
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http://www.northjersey.com/bergen/Hackensack_Catholic_school_to_close.html
A Catholic elementary school in Hackensack will close in June because of declining enrollment, the Newark Archdiocese said today.
Holy Trinity School, on Maple Avenue, has experienced about a 24 percent decline in students since 2000 and currently has an enrollment of 183, said Jim Goodness, a spokesman for the archdiocese.
Church officials plan to merge Holy Trinity with St. Francis School, a parish school on South Main Street that also has suffered enrollment loss and is down to about 118 students.
The archdiocese decided that St. Francis School would be the one to stay open because it has received extensive renovations in recent years. The school is under a flight path for Teterboro Airport and received government grants for soundproofing, Goodness said.
“To try and level off the costs of providing education and stabilizing enrollment, which has fallen at both schools, the natural solution is that the parishes should combine their schools into one,” Goodness said, adding that such issues as transportation and staffing were still being worked out.
Holy Trinity is the sixth parish school that the archdiocese plans to close this year and the only one in Bergen County. The other schools are in Hudson, Essex and Union counties.
Goodness said that schools with declining enrollments typically turn to the parish for financial assistance. But with parishes also struggling with changing demographics and increased costs, their ability to support schools is limited.
“It is reaching the point in some parishes where they cannot support the school in the way they might have in the past,” Goodness said.
The pastor at Holy Trinity said the parish was contributing about $150,000 to $200,000 to the school, but the enrollment was still falling. The tuition is about $3,200 a year for parish families.
“The economy hasn’t helped us out much,” said the Most Rev. Charles J. McDonnell. “People can’t afford the tuition.”
A parent at Holy Trinity said he was concerned that his tuition would rise if he sends his third-grader to St. Francis next year but retains his membership at Holy Trinity. Catholic schools typically charge a higher tuition to families outside the parish.
Joe Barreto said he expects his tuition could rise by as much as $175 a month. He’s also worried that Holy Trinity Church will suffer if he and other parishioners join St. Francis to get the lower tuition.
“My fear is that my church is not going to get the funding and donations they need, because families may feel forced out of the parish,” Barreto said.
Goodness, however, said Holy Trinity parishioners should get the lower tuition at the St. Francis School.
“That’s typically the way things work,” he said. “I don’t anticipate a problem.”
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Truly a sad day in the history of Hackensack.
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Very sad indeed. I attended from 1977-1986 and am still in touch with many classmates.
I wonder what will become of the school building itself.
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And maybe even the convent.
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I hope there won't be long lines at the Nunemployment Office.
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I am sure that the Editor will warn you that there will be nun of that type of humor allowed on this website.
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I won't make a habit of it.
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Nun the less, please don't get into the habit.
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You should both be ashamed of yourselves. Those were quite possibly the worst nun puns ever. Holy Trinity nuns expect and deserve better, especially from alumni. Holy Trinity nuns,- now they are funny.
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Thank you for eNUNciating your thoughts on the matter. I will say no more on the subject.
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There's hope:
(http://i40.tinypic.com/vy4i08.png)
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Do they really think this will change will help bolster enrollment at St. Francis ? I think this decision was made by some big-shot at The Archdiocese in Newark who was looking at a map of Hackensack and the surrounding towns, and who doesn't really know Hackensack. Here's my guess on what will happen to the students:
1/2 will transfer to Catholic schools in River Edge and New Milford,
1/4 will transfer to Hackensack public schools
1/8 will transfer to Hackensack Christian School
1/8 will transfer to St. Francis, as planned, or move out of Hackensack because of this change.
I'd love to hear other reader's thoughts.
Don't be surprised if the school is rented by The Archdiocese to a public or private organization that educates special needs students. There is such an epidemic of autism, for example, and nowhere near enough school classrooms for the growing population. I'm sure it won't sit vacant for long.
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I not only went to the old Holy Trinity School but moved into the brand new one for my fifth grade. I graduated in 1961. Both of my older children graduated there and I now have a fourth grader presently in his 6th year at this school. All hearts of the school have been broken.
You are correct as to a lot of the children will not be going onto the new planned Academy. I plan to send my son onto Saint Peter's Academy in River Edge. Some of the parents are planning for Saint Joseph's in Bogota. Others are still researching some of the other catholic schools.
It is my belief that Saint Frances was chosen due to a grant which they accepted a time back for windows, air conditioning and heat repairs. Unfortunately they also guaranteed that it would remain a school for 20 years or 3 million would have to be paid back. So guess who won the draw. As HTS also runs a deficit each year, we can only keep it if some nice very rich person wants to donate their money.
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I not only went to the old Holy Trinity School but moved into the brand new one for my fifth grade. I graduated in 1961.
Ditto! :o
You can probably figure out who I am, but which Kathy might you be? I remember a Kathy G. and a Kathy H. from 8A.
Did you attend the "reunion" we had in December 1979?
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I'm the Kathy Gingras from the old days. The other was Kathy Higgins who was in my class. No I did not figure out who you were. Just someone who still hold Holy Trinity in very high esteem as I do. Should you need.. My email is Kathypetry@aol.com.
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I believe that there are a number of the students who attend HTS are not even from Hackensack. So, they may not choose any of the options presented.
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For Catholic school, the bell tolls (http://www.hackensackchronicle.com/NC/0/773.html) (The Chronicle)
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Kathy P, You said you started the new school in 5th grade. You must have been a year ahead of me. I started in the new school (transfer from Fairmount) in 4th grade in 1957. We moved to Upper Saddle River in June 1958 so that was my only year at Holy Trinity. (Though I was baptized there, made my first communion there, and my family had ben parishioners from 1947-1958) I graduated from St. Paul's in Ramsey in 1962. My 4th grade teachers were both lay women, Mrs. Benson and Mrs. Fiori. We had a nun for religion. - Warren
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Hey Warren from Summit, I guess we went to HTS together for 1/2 year as I started at HTS after Christmas in 4th grade and graduated from there in '62! I believe I was in 4A that first year. AND, in late '62 we moved to Ramsey and went to St. Paul on Wyckoff Ave. while I went to Don Bosco. I remember Mrs. Benson (5th grade) and Mrs. Fiore (7th grade, had a white '60 Dodge Phoenix that she let me try to move out of the funeral zone one day!). Sr. Anne Francis was 6th grade. Sr. Anne Roberta was 8th grade, and of course ancient Sr. Louise presided over all. Those were the days...
Sorry KathyG (nowP), I don't recall anyone in other class years.
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Sorry, I forgot my real question: What ever happened to the HTS Convent next door?? I can't imagine it serving any school function. I was in there a few times helping Sr. Anne Roberta carry stuff to their dining room downstairs.
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I answered this question when you asked it in the "New tenant at Holy Trinity School" topic.
The convent is still there. Nuns live there, but I don't know how many...........very few, I would imagine. Sr Emily (Sr Louise's successor) is still there, I think.