CAPE MAY — Angry parents of Our Lady Star of the Sea students filled the school’s gymnasium Thursday May 14 after receiving a letter in the mail May 12 informing them the school will close its doors in September 2010 due to low enrollment.
The letter informed parents the school will merge with St. Ann’s Regional School in Wildwood.
Two years ago, the Catholic Diocese of Camden closed St. Raymond’s School in Villas and merged it with Our Lady Star of the Sea School in Cape May.
Nick Regina, executive director of Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Camden, said the decision was made with input from pastors and principals over the past four months.
Regina said a decision was not made to send the children to Bishop McHugh Regional School in Dennis Township because it is too far away from Cape May, North Cape May and Wildwood. He said the demographics of lower Cape May County shows the population is not growing.
Both St Ann’s and Our Lady Star of the Sea schools are both struggling to increase enrollment, said Regina. He said kindergarten feeds the school population and both schools are struggling with enrollment at that grade level.
When the student population shrinks, the parishes must foot more of the cost of education, said Regina. He said parishes in Cape May, North Cape May and Villas were contributing about $500,000 per year to Star of the Sea School.
Mary Boyle, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Camden, said declining enrollment also shrunk the schools’ ability to deliver good educational programs such as technology in its fullest forms and foreign language.
A number of parents loudly called out comments from their seats. A parent said when the diocese closed St. Raymond’s School two years ago, Bishop Joseph Galante told parents, Star of the Sea had five years to maintain enrollment.
“You’re talking about money, we’re talking about children,” said a father of a student. “If it was about children, you’d leave them where they are now…”
A mother, whose son was relocated from St. Raymond’s School, said her son said he did not want to go to Catholic school any longer “because they don’t care.” The audience applauded the comment.
Regina said he was concerned that both St Ann’s and Star of the Sea schools could be lost.
A parent replied that 90 percent of Star of the Sea parents would not send their children to St Ann’s in Wildwood and instead enroll them in public school. A show of hands indicated no parents present in the meeting would send their children to St. Ann’s School.
Another parent said the diocese kept inner city schools open in Camden but ignored Cape May County.
“Why would you want your kids in the center city of Wildwood when you know there are so many problems going on there?” asked a parent.
A parent said “a lot of things happened at St. Ann’s and particular ones that I don’t want to go in public tonight.”
“There is a very specific reason I pulled my children out of that school,” she continued.
Parents offered to undertake a fund raising campaign, even hold extra bingo games, to save Star of the Sea School but Regina said the issue was enrollment with the idea figure at 200 students kindergarten through the eighth grade.
Rev. Msgr. Thomas J. McIntyre said he held a meeting two or three years concerning the future of the school and only 13 parents attended. He said years ago nuns, which cost much less, staffed Catholic schools but now 90 percent of teachers are laity.
McIntyre said the church contributed $400,000 per year that parents did not have to pay in tuition.
“Tell the bishop to come down and see the love that’s here…” said a parent.
Regina said he would bring the parents “passion and emotion back to Camden.”
He said he and Boyle were not the decision makers.
According to statistics published in the Catholic Star Herald, St. Ann’s student population has dropped from 307 in 2001 to 194 in 2005 to 158 in 2009, a loss of 149 students over seven years.
Star of the Sea’s student population dropped from 207 in 2001 to 165 in 2005 to 162 in 2009, a loss of 45 students in seven years.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
