Parents feel blindsided after Diocese of Sacramento announces Catholic school consolidation
The Diocese of Sacramento announced in a video message that it would be consolidating three Catholic schools in the south Sacramento area.
St. Patrick Academy and St. Charles-Borromeo will be closing, and a new regional Catholic school will be formed at the St. Robert campus.
Parents and students say they are feeling blindsided and left out of the conversation surrounding this decision. Each school has around 200 students.
"I don't feel like we were given full transparency. What are the conditions? What are the reasons you want to shut down the school?" said Santiago Vivas Rodríguez, a dad.
In a statement, the Diocese of Sacramento said, "Like many schools today Catholic schools are facing declining enrollment and rising operational costs. By uniting these communities, we can steward our resources responsibly, strengthen academic and formation programs, and ensure a stable and vibrant future for Catholic education."
"Well, how are we going to move forward with this vision when you never invited us to the table from the very beginning," said Rodriguez.
Parents are fighting to keep the schools open, even if that means becoming independent.
"It's been a very important part of my life. And how I met my friends," said Bella, a seventh grader at St. Patrick.
Bella has been at St. Patrick's for eight years and had hoped to graduate there.
"Moving from elementary to high school is already a big change. Now I have to move from seventh grade to another school for eighth grade and then high school," she said.
"To have her whole world kind of imploded, her friends scattered to the winds. It's been a blessing to give her stability, coming from someone who didn't have any. We don't have a choice, we can't even fight it," said Danielle Wood, Bella's mom.
"We're just scrambling now, trying to find new schools and it's open enrollment time now, so we're just behind schedule," said Jade Smith, a mom.
Some parents are considering homeschooling. Others are worried about competition for enrollment.
"They're going to form a completely brand new school, we all have to apply and now we're going to be competing for spots. Some of our kids have never gone to public schools," said Rodriguez.
"We're talking about shutting down programs that are after-school programs. We provide facilities for the community, basketball, flag football, rugby," said patrick easter, athletic director at St. Patrick Academy.
Parents have concerns over the new school's affordability and whether it will be big enough to accommodate everyone.
