East End Catholic Schools to Collaborate, Diocese Says

Three East End Catholic schools must work together to remain open, the Diocese of Rockville Centre announced on Tuesday, adding that six Catholic schools across the Island would close due to declining enrollment.

in Riverhead, in Cutchogue, and Our Lady Queen of Apostles Regional School in Center Moriches will form a "strategic collaboration ... to help us achieve our goal of providing and sustaining into the future, quality Catholic education in your area," Bishop William Murphy said in an open letter posted on the schools' websites.

Details about what the collaboration involves were not made available by the Diocese. The Diocese also announced it will also close six of its 53 elementary schools on Long Island at the end of the 2011-2012 school year. According to the Diocese of RVC website, the six schools that will close are: St. John Baptist de La Salle Regional School (Farmingdale), St. Catherine of Sienna School (Franklin Square), St. Ignatius Loyola School (Hicksville), Sacred Heart School (North Merrick), Our Lady of Perpetual Help School (Lindenhurst) and Prince of Peace Regional School (Sayville).

Sean Dolan, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, the Diocese chose to close the six schools and form a collaboration between the three East End schools after an advisory committee noted changing demographics, finances and enrollment in the schools.

"Every single school was evaluated on the ability of that school to provide and sustain a quality Catholic educational program," Dolan said.

Officials from St. Isidore, Our Lady of Mercy and Our Lady Queen of Apostles declined to comment on the changes or did not return calls seeking comment at the time of publication.

Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller, who sent five of his children to St. Isidore and is a member of the school board, said he and the rest of the board were unaware of the changes coming to local Catholic schools.

"We've all been waiting for their plan to come out, and we all read the same thing about the collaboration," Hegermiller said. "I didn't even know anything about it. I have no idea what that means, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

Parents at St. Isidore said they were relieved to hear that their school was not on the chopping block.

"We were very nervous the school would be closing," said Airlie DiFazio, whose two children attend St. Isidore. "It's a wonderful community of families here."

DiFazio said parents of the collaborating schools should work together to keep their schools open and successful.

"We do a lot of work for the school," DiFazio said of her fellow parents. "If we need to help out another school we'll do that."

Amber Millwater, of Mastic Beach, echoed DiFazio's concerns about a potential school closing.

"Enrollment is dropping here as well, but we don't want to see the school close," she said. Millwater recently began working again to afford sending her 8-year-old daughter to St. Isidore and her freshman son to McGann-Mercy High School. Millwater said the schools in Riverhead were her only options, and was glad to hear the school would be staying open.

"Thank God," she said, "I'm going to sleep better tonight."