Parents Working on Plan To Prevent Star of Sea Closing

CAPE MAY — A committee of parents of Our Lady Star of the Sea School students has been meeting to try to find a way to stop the closure of the school.
A public meeting was held June 15 at the Kiwanis Club building in Cape May attended by parents, alumni, residents, parishioners and parents of former students.
Parents received a letter 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 Cape May’s Our Lady Star of the Sea School.
Our Lady Star of the Sea PTA President Frank Zilinek told the Herald the committee has 10 members representing Cape May, Lower Township, Cape May Point and West Cape May. The committee is developing a plan to save the school, he said.
A rumor has been circulating through the city that the land on which the school was built was donated for the express purpose of supporting a school building and a lawsuit could result if the property had a change of use. Zilinek said there was no evidence found on the school’s title of a deed restriction.
Our Lady Star of the Sea Principal Joan Dollinger has resigned and accepted a position at St Mary’s Convent By the Sea in Cape May Point, operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Donna DiPasquel, an eighth grade teacher and former principal, has assumed the position for the 2009-2010 school year.
Zilinek said over 700 signatures have been gathered on a petition to Bishop Joseph Galante asking the school remain open.
“We’re asking people, alumni and any supporters to continue to write letters to the bishop on our behalf but also to Monsignor McIntyre as well, urging him to keep the school open and explaining the importance to the community and to the church…” he said.
Zilinek said the committee met with two foundations that have focused primarily on helping financially unstable Catholic schools in Philadelphia and Virginia Beach, Va. Both have given the committee advice.
“We are trying to put together a meeting with the bishop to present him with the business plan of where we want to go, how we can reduce the financial burden on the church,” said Zilinek.
He said the bishop has not responded to numerous letters and emails from committee members and parents.
One unfortunate side effect of the announcement of the school closing in September 2010, some parents have chosen not to enroll their children in Star of the Sea School for the school year beginning this September.
“We are trying to let the parents know that we are continuing to fight, we are going to take this all through next year as long as we have to, to keep the school open,” said Zilinek. “We feel we have a real good shot at keeping the school open.”
He said the committee hoped to get families that planned to remove their children from the school this fall to reconsider.
Part of a five-year business plan for the school the committee is developing higher enrollment and financial stability that will lessen the burden on local parishes. The committee is reaching out to alumni and local residents.
He said parents are trying to work through their anger and come up with a solution to save the school.
Zilinek said the school’s closing is purely a financial decision.
“If we come up with a financial arrangement that would suit the diocese, I would hope they would sit down and listen to that,” he said.
Parishes are contributing 44 percent of the school’s cost when only 30 percent is acceptable, said Zilinek. He said as enrollment goes up, that number goes down.
Earlier in the year it appeared the incoming kindergarten class at Star of the Sea was only about a half dozen students but Zilinek said that number has increased.
The Coast Guard base is seen as a resource for new students with 192 families and only six or seven students from the base attending Star of the Sea School.
The school has an advantage of offering religious education and a strong sense of community, said Zilinek. All the school’s teachers have committed to continue for the upcoming school year.
The committee has a Facebook page: Star of the Sea School-Cape May to recruit alumni and a Web site: www.savestaroftheseaschoolcapemay.org
Zilinek can be reached at (609) 886-6446.