It is truly a shame when a financially viable school is closed on a whim by a dictator who does not care about the many lives his irrational decisions will affect. Bishop O'Brien should be ashamed of himself.

just heard from a friend that sacred heart of mary is closing....

why doesn't the Archbishop close all of the Catholic Schools and see what the state comes up with as to where they will place their children. We sent our daughter to Catholic Elementary school and she got a great foundation for learning and respect. Governor O'Malley is Catholic and should do something to help families send their children to a Catholic School. I am sure they could come up with a voucher system and I am positive the Catholic schools system would be full of students. I cannot stand it when I hear of any school closing. I am working to help my parish school stay open in order to give today's kids a chance at a good Catholic education. My wife and I were fortunate enough to attend Catholic elementary and high schools, and we do not regret it for a minute!

I just heard from a friend that Sacred Heart of Mary will be closing! My son was enrolled there for Pre-K and Kindergarten. Unfortuneatly, I had to pull him out for first grade, but my heart goes out to everyone involved.

It is terrible since the teacher unions are against vouchers, the Maryland legislature is against them. The state can give at least a $1,000 stipend or maybe make tuition tax deductible to help the parents who pay private school tuition. The public school system couldn't handle the influx of private school kids into their class rooms. It is a shame these quality catholic schools have to close while failing Baltimore city public schools get more money. This is the 2nd school my daughter went to that closed. Last year Catholic Community school, this year, St. Rose of Lima. It is a shame.

I know that many posters and many in the community are bemoaning the closing of these schools. Let's be honest though. I work with local private schools, archdiocese and otherwise, and not all of these schools are very good or even good enough. By paring down to a smaller number, quality can get to where it needs to be.

Just heard Cardinal Gibbons is closing too.

Just heard Cardinal Gibbons is to close.
What a shame. My two sons and grand son all graduated from there. Good luck to all of the teachers and others who will be without jobs in this terrible time. May God be with them for their time and devotion to the students.God bless.

My children attend Sacred Heart of Mary in Dundalk. I understand the Archdiocese postion of needing to close schools for different reasons. However,
I am completely devastated that in the letter that was sent home with my children there was NO mention of the PRIDE program. I attended the Blue Ribbon commitee meeting that Our Lady of Fatima hosted and parents of PRIDE students were Promised that PRIDE would go to another school if SHM was closed and there was absolutely no mention of it :( Talk about disappointed that is a understatement.

The Archbishop of Baltimore did not close the schools on a "whim" as above. A committee of well- known educators (see below) have been meeting for months assessing the schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. While it will be difficult and emotional for all concerned, it was not done without a lot of thought and planning.

Committee members below:
Blue Ribbon Committee
Chairman: Frank Bramble, Board of Directors, Bank of America Corp.
Executive Director: Msgr. Robert L. Hartnett, pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Essex

Members:
Dr. Andres Alonso, CEO, Baltimore City Public Schools
Maureen Creel, teacher, St. John the Evangelist School, Severna Park
James Davis, chairman and president, Allegis Group
Dr. Nancy Grasmick, superintendent, Maryland State Dept. of Education
Dr. Joe Hairston, superintendent, Baltimore County Public Schools
Owen M. Knott, vice president,
The Marion I. and Henry J. Knott Foundation
Convent.Franciscan Fr. T.Michael Martin, president, Archb. Curley High School
Father Joseph L. Muth Jr., pastor, St.
Matthew, Northwood
Pamela Sanders, principal, St. Ambrose Catholic School
Dr. Mary Pat Seurkamp, president, College of Notre Dame of Maryland James Stojak, retired director, Citicorp Credit Service Inc.
Casper R. Taylor, Jr., former Speaker, MD House of Delegates
Sister of St. Joseph Helen Wiegmann, teacher Sacred Heart School, Glyndon, and health care minister
Thomas Wilcox, president and CEO, Baltimore Community Foundation
Rabbi Lawrence Ziffer, director, Center for Jewish Education of Baltimore

Thanks for listing out the members of the Blue Ribbon Committee. I am sure all members worked very hard to come up with a plan to save the schools. I was surprised Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School has remained open over the last few years since enrollment has been well below 300 students (I believe now enrollment is around 254). Now that I see who is the Executive Director on the committee is none other than Msgr. Bob, it is no longer a surprise. Nice move on behalf of a school struggling in enrollment.

I received this e-mail from Seton Keough today. We aren't closing but will house a elementary school

Dear Alumnae:

Today, Seton Keough along with all schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, were told the findings of the Blue Ribbon Committee on Schools. We are happy to report that Seton Keough will retain its identity as a single-gender, college-preparatory high school for young women. Our mission and programs will remain the same.

In the spirit of collaboration and Christian hospitality, Seton Keough is being asked to house a new elementary school until a new school can be built near the Seton Keough campus. This new elementary school will enroll students from local Catholic elementary schools that are being closed as a result of the Blue Ribbon Committee's recommendations.

As soon as information becomes available it will be forwarded to members of our school community. We all have more questions than answers at this point; please feel free to email Sr. Patricia Anne Bossle with your questions at pbossle@setonkeough.com. We will forward your questions to the Archdiocese and do our best to keep you informed of all news concerning these changes.

Thank you for your continued support of Seton Keough.

Sincerely in Christ,

Sr. Patricia Anne Bossle, D.C.

President

Why oh why does the Archdiocese continue to lie? OK my kids now need to find a new school. I can deal with that. But, AOB told us that schools would "merge" and we would be "guaranteed" a seat at the school closest to us. Now the letter comes out and we are told we are closing and here are some schools close to you that may have a seat for your kid but you have to do the searching and get them registered. First St. Ritas and now SHM. Why is it so difficult to get a good Catholic education?

My question is if we have a child with a disability and the PRIDE program does not go on or is located too far away to get our child to then what happens to our poor child? If we live in an area where the public school is horrible with reading and math scores below where they should be, violence in the school, and the spec. ed. program lacking, then what is our choice? Yes, this revampling of the system had to happen but why did the Archdiocese close the two schools with the PRIDE program and what happens to the children who are part of it? Please tell me these children are not getting left behind.

Everyone that made this decision should be ashamed. How can you close these schools that mean so much to so many people. Elementary and middle schools that kids grew up in and high schools that meant so much to so many people, just gone! Is that really acceptable, just closing these schools? You start with these 13 and how many is it going to be, it shows that the catholic education is NOT important to these people involved. It hurt me so much to see the chairman involved, I attended OLMC from Kindergarden to 8th grade and vaule the friendships I made there and the education I received. I thought that he cared about the children as well. I also graduated from MDS and come from a family who has graduated from MDS, St Joe, Gibbons, Curley, Spalding and Keough. It mades me wonder if those schools will maintain their identity and even make it at all. I can't imange how the boys at Gibbons feel right now, even attending the girl's school I know I had alot of friends who that school meant alot too. I hope the archbishop really thinks about this decision and all the people involved. Where are these kids going to go? And really is catholic education really important to these "high authorties" of the church. I hope they see how horrible of a decision this was for Baltimore.

St.Clare has been added to the list of closing schools. This school and community has been a wonderful place for my daughter and I. We waited on the list fot nearly a year to have her enrolled in the preK program and were very excited to start her education at a school that showed they cared and showed results. Now I have to scramble to have my daughter able to go to another school. I don't want to just place in her any Catholic program that will accept her, which might not even happen at this late date, I truely believed in what St. Clares did for her and I and what I have seen from the other older students. The small caring atmosphere was one of the many reasons we choose this as our daughters place for education. I think this is just terrible!

Last night I drove home from work with my daughter crying the whole way. She had heard the news that her catholic school was closing. My daughter is a 26 year old teacher. She just found out the she is one of the 235 teachers who are out of a job. How many times in the past years has she bought supplies, room decorations and food for her students with her own money? What is her chance of finding any kind of teaching job for next year? How ironic is it that the high school I graduated from -Seton High School is now a building for Johns Hopkins and my old grade school, St. Phillip and James is a condominium? I have to say that the archdiocese especially Edwin O'Brien are making very lucrative decisions at the expense of the poor students and teachers! Shame on you archdiocese of Baltimore!

One option is to bring your $6,000 a year you were paying to the public school by hiring tutors to work with not only your child but others there. Imagine if several parents pooled their money and time to do that inside a public school just how beneficial it could be for all the children.....

I am not surprised that many Catholic schools are closing. I taught in one 32 years ago and cleared $125 a week. I left after one year for two reasons. One was not the money but the lack of professional developement I would get in this system. The second reason was the money. I have worked in a public school for 32 years and have had lots of time to wonder why I sent my children to public schools. As a Catholic school student we used to call the public school children "publics". When we made our sacraments the "publics" sat behind us in church. We never had any chance to mingle. We thouht we were better than others because we could afford to go to a Catholic school. Both of my children went to "public" schools. My daughter is in a very good college and my son is still a "public". When I heard the parents saying they do not want their children in a public school-they don't know what they are missing. We, unlike the Catholic school system accept all children. We educate every ability level and we don't send our children to Catholic schools when they can't cut it in our schools. We embrace all children with open arms. And when a parent is difficult-we work with them. I have had many Catholic school students come to me and believe it or not, our "publics" are way ahead of them. We then catch them up and nurture their learning. Catholics need to stop being so elitest and live their faith and embrace all children.

I find it hard to believe that a shool like St. Ambrose with horrible test scores remains open while Shire of the Sacred Heart is closing, there test scores are at least double those at St. Ambrose. And lets be realistic to suggest we send our students who go to school in Mt. Washington to Lower Park Heights...are they nuts?

@MC, I rather my child not have the disruption of the Baltimore City public school she would be designated too. My daughter is lucky cause I can get her to another catholic school, but that isn't the same for so many.

This is another reason why people leave the city. I was OK living in the city as long as my daughter didn't have to attend 1 of the horrible elementary schools, but this adds to me thinking about buying a new house IN a better school district.

1 grandchild graduates this may, I stll have 2 that are in elementary school now, their school is one that is closing. The tution is higher at the other school, My 7 yr old grandson, was so upset, he said he did not want his teachers to lose their jobs, and he does not want to leave. This is going to be a big, big adjustment, You are saying take a child that has been in a small class, who is so smart because of his learning at school, not to mention he knows a lot more than some children his age, and put him in a class with 25, 30 or more children? How will he adjust. I have known the principle, teachers for over 15 yrs. they are family. We as adults can adjust faster than the young children can. Will I be able to afford tution at the new schools? will the titution be the same cost as it was at the other school?

I can understand how devastating these closings can be to the students and families that attend catholic schools.
However , receiving tax credits or vouchers would not be equitable. If families received vouchers for attending catholic schools, muslim , jewish, episcopalian, new age, etc. school families should then be eligible. Title One monies are ALREADY allocated to parochial schools for remedial programs.
Unfortunately, this is really an economic issue that boils down to; like private schools, families must be able to afford the tuition to fund the program/school. Every child is entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education. Catholic Schools are not free. The choice to attend a catholic school over the neighborhood public school is a parent's choice, not an entitlement., In these tough economic times, tough choices must be made.

I cannot imagine how hard it must be to hear that the school your kids are going to and that you have a connection with is closing. In the City at least, there are many options that families will find that are far different from their expectations. New Transformation (for middle and high school grades), Charter and even some traditional City schools have made the options families have to choose from more attractive. I know that my school would welcome additions from the private school world and would embrace the experiences that those kids and families would bring. I also imagine that every system will welcome the funding the students bring with them (from the state since systems get paid for each student). I hope that parents and families attend the middle school choice fair in the city to see what's out there, talk with friends who have kids at some of these schools and help bring the energy I see being expressed here to the school they choose.

Imagine how many catholic schools could remain open if nearly three billion dollars in the US alone had not been spent of legal-related costs involving sexual misconduct by priests!

If all the wonderful catholic students would enter their neighborhood public schools then maybe these schools would be better. The test scores would go up, they woulod have more parent involvement and all students would benefit!

The small caring atmosphere was one of the many reasons we choose this as our daughters place for education. I think this is just terrible!

I came across these posts while searching for something else. My son attends a Catholic School in Orange County, California. Here too, we are struggling to grow enrollment and help our school survive. I'm saddened to hear the same issues face many other communities. A faith based education is a sacrifice for me. My son is not better than 'publics' as someone posted, but in a public school system he would not receive teaching about God. His teachers would follow a curriculum that does not include Faith. I am proud to hear my 7 yr old speak confidently about his Faith. Someone suggested pooling our money together to improve the public school system... Currently my tax money goes in part to fund public schools, but I choose to invest in an education (without ANY tuition assistance) that not
only focuses on academics, but in Faith. If I brought my additional money to public- could public provide that?

They told us that Our Lady Star Of the Sea School in Solomon's MD will close if we don't raise $175,000 by January 2011. We are a school which is 77 years old, we have Sisters of The Divine Providence on our staff and very caring and loving teachers who put each child's needs into consideration. Our academic success is off the scale, and our students maintain high test scores on Terra Nova Testing. We foster a well rounded student who may participate in all the arts, as well as computer, Band, PE, library and Spanish Class. We offer a school basketball team and have wonderful and caring coaches who teach the strong values needed in today's world. God Blessed us with a beautiful school, with what the children need. Great values are taught under our roof. Those values carry into adulthood and help insure that our students contribute well to society but also maintain their strong Catholic Faith. It's full of charm and history. Please don't let us close not only our doors but our hearts!!

They told us that Our Lady Star Of the Sea School in Solomon's MD will close if we don't raise $175,000 by January 2011. We are a school which is 77 years old, we have Sisters of The Divine Providence on our staff and very caring and loving teachers who put each child's needs into consideration. Our academic success is off the scale, and our students maintain high test scores on Terra Nova Testing. We foster a well rounded student who may participate in all the arts, as well as computer, Band, PE, library and Spanish Class. We offer a school basketball team and have wonderful and caring coaches who teach the strong values needed in today's world. God Blessed us with a beautiful school, with what the children need. Great values are taught under our roof. Those values carry into adulthood and help insure that our students contribute well to society but also maintain their strong Catholic Faith. It's full of charm and history. Please don't let us close not only our doors but our hearts!!