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| Cardinal Dolan's Preferred "Nice Guy" Media Image |
Cardinal Dolan's tearful good-bye to 26 Catholic schools; Staten Islandschools will learn fate in January
"As much as I enjoyed the Thanksgiving weekend, especially with my mom, brother, sister-in-law, and their three children here with me, I was very preoccupied.
"Because I knew that Monday would bring very somber news: 26 of our beloved schools could no longer make it, and would be prepared for closing in June after this school year.
"I dread this! I’d rather be opening new schools, not closing some! Those poor children, teachers, parents, parishes, and high schools! They love their schools! They fight hard to make them work! Some have just settled into these schools after the previous closing of others. This is very sad …"
…In deference to the impact of Hurricane Sandy on Staten Islanders, the archdiocese has delayed until after the first of the year naming any at-risk schools in the borough. But the archdiocese did announce that 26 schools in other boroughs and counties in the archdiocese were slated to be shuttered at the end of this school year. The total number of schools in the archdiocese is 159…
According to the cardinal, the "good news" is that the "tough decisions" were made after much discussion and input from priests, parents and experts. He claimed that "we did everything we could, with the archdiocese alone investing tens of millions of dollars into the schools," to augment tuition payments and extensive fund-raising efforts from schools and parishes.
The cardinal said that the schools being closed are all near other Catholic schools that can accommodate displaced students. Those schools, he said, would "welcome every student from a closing school, with counselors from our school office ready to expedite this transfer."
And a comment by a Staten Islander:
ljs1958
The lying Tims are at it again! Dolan and McNiff knew the names of these schools two years ago when they closed the others. They let this regionalization shame go through so they wouldn't have to be the bad guys. Blame it on the regional boards instead of the most immoral leadership this archdiocese has ever seen. They encouraged families to transfer to schools they knew they would close. They encouraged children to experience this trauma twice in their short lives instead of just once. Shame on them! I bet all of us can name the schools that will now be closed on Staten Island. They are just afraid of the press because of Sandy. Even if SI dodges the bullet this year because of Sandy, I promise next year the "regional board" will announce the names of schools we all know so well and brand them "unsustainable." And this fake of a cardinal and superintendent will "cry tears" like they are doing now. May the holy memory of Cardinal Cooke and Cardinal O'Connor save us from the likes of these bold faced lying frauds!
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