CV NEWS FEED // The Diocese of Albany is closing two of its Catholic schools as part of a restructuring plan to address the financial deficits of educational institutions in the diocese.
Times Union reported that the diocese is closing the K-8 All Saints Catholic Academy in Albany and restructuring Blessed Sacrament School in Albany by eliminating its middle school grades. This plan was not previously presented to parents.
The diocese also announced that it is closing Sacred Heart School in Troy.
“Deficits at each school along with the inability of All Saints parish to provide financial support and needed building repairs at the school, all factored into the final decision,” the diocese told school parents in an email, according to Times Union. “This is the result of a great deal of prayer, discussion, and input from various groups, including our very passionate parents and school community. We thank all for their dedication to Catholic education.”
At a Feb. 25 meeting, officials proposed two other plans to parents, as CatholicVote previously reported: either closing one of the three schools in Albany or turning All Saints into a middle school and the other two schools into elementary schools that would feed into All Saints.
The diocese told parents that All Saints and Blessed Sacrament, along with another Albany school, Mater Dei, were operating at a $1 million deficit.
Times Union reports officials stated during the meeting that closing one of the three schools would reduce the deficit to $200,000. It adds that at the previous meetings over school closures, officials did not inform parents that both a closure and a restructure was a possible solution.
After the closure was announced, a parent at All Saints, Kelly Barbour, described herself as in shock, Times Union reported.
“We have such a great community here and to close it, it’s mind-boggling. We’re like a family,” she said.
She plans on enrolling her two children in a local public school, which she said was originally her plan for after her child attended preschool at All Saints. However, Barbour was so impressed by the community that she kept her children enrolled for five years.
“I know families in pre-K and kindergarten all the way to eighth grade because the families want to be involved,” she said. “The amount of care that comes out of the staff here is unbelievable. The things they do for some of the kids are unbelievable.”
Times Union provided examples of the tight-knit community Barbour described, stating that the school is helping raise money for a headstone for parents whose daughter passed away earlier in the school year. The school staff also helped parents in need during the COVID-19 pandemic by dropping off food packages to families who weren’t able to get groceries.
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