After nearly 200 young students and parents rallied outside of St. Brendan School in Norwood on Feb. 24 to protest plans by the Archdiocese of New York to close the Catholic school in September 2023 due to declining income, one of 12 Catholic schools across the City, including six in The Bronx, scheduled to close, parents received a letter dated March 30 from the school’s representatives, confirming that the site has been leased to a Charter school which will open in September.

 

The letter reads in part, “After our sad announcement in February that St. Brendan’s Regional School would close, our parish was contacted by New York City  Department of Education, interested in the possible use of the school building by Success Charter Academy. With the assistance of the Archdiocese’s real estate office, we have agreed to a lease of the building, and Success Charter Academy will open in September.”

 

The letter continued in part, “Fortunately, we will also be able to continue our parish religious education program without interruption as well as continue to use the building on weekends for other parish programs.”

 

The letter went on to say, “This is good news for our parish as it will allow us to better maintain the building physically, and will also enable the building to continue to fulfill the mission for which it was built, the education of our young people, including their formation in the faith.” The letter was signed by Father Miguez.

 

As reported, Norwood News contacted the NYC Department of Education (DOE) in February to ask if they had any comment on the announced closures of the Catholic schools and how the City intended to serve the needs of the affected students in the affected areas. A representative told us at the time, “We will pass on this one.”

 

We also asked a representative of the Archdiocese at the time if they had had any discussions with the DOE on how the affected children would be schooled after the proposed closures. A representative for the Archdiocese said at that time, “Let me see what I can find out for you.” The Archdiocese had also announced in February the merger of four additional Bronx Catholic schools into two at the end of the 2022-23 academic year, as reported.

 

Leah Martin-Adams is a parent of two children who attend St. Brendan School. Referring to the new plans for the new charter school at the site, she said parents received the letter on Monday, April 3. “So, kids out to bring more kids in,” she said. “Why can’t we share space?”

Norwood News contacted the Archdiocese to ask what the impact would be to existing Catholic school students at St. Brendan regarding the new arrangement. Was the intention to have both schools operating at the same site, and if so, what would the split be in terms of students and space at the site if the two schools were to co-exist? We also asked whether there were any plans to take up similar arrangements with Charter schools at other Catholic schools in The Bronx. TJ McCormack, director of communications/public relations for the Archdiocese, replied saying, “We are committed to working with St. Brendan School families to find a Catholic school that best serves their needs. We are actively reaching out to them with support and assistance.”

 

We asked Martin-Adams if, given the uncertainty around the future of St. Brendan, she would consider placing her children in the new charter school when it opens. She replied, “Absolutely not! Success Academy has absolutely horrible reviews on the way they treat the students.” She referred to an article by The City publication on reported issues about the academy. Norwood News reached out to the academy for comment on the article. We will update this story should we receive any feedback.

 

As previously reported, the rally in February was organized in response to the announced closure of St. Brendan, along with the Immaculate Conception School, located in Williamsbridge, the Holy Family School, located in Unionport, St. Margaret Mary School, located in Mt. Hope, Santa Maria School, located in Parkchester, and St. Angela Merici School, located to the east of Joyce Kilmer Park in the South Bronx.

 

The Archdiocese clarified in its previous communication with parents that there are two Immaculate Conception Schools, one which is located at 151st Street in Melrose, operated by Partnership Schools, which will NOT close. Of the 12 Catholic schools set to close across the City, five are in Manhattan and one is on Staten Island.

 

The Archdiocese also announced in February that St. Francis Xavier School, located in Morris Park, would merge with St. Clare of Assisi, also located in Morris Park, while St. Gabriel School, located in Riverdale, would merge with St. Margaret of Cortona, located in North Riverdale. The news follows the previous closure of six Catholic schools in The Bronx in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, also due to declining income, as reported at the time.

 

Meanwhile, as reported in the news briefs section of our latest print edition, following concerns over plans by the International Leadership Charter High School (ILCHS) to open a new, 7-story, middle school at 306 West 232nd Street in Kingsbridge, one block away from its existing school site at 3060 Riverdale Avenue, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) said he sent a letter to the SUNY Charter School Institute, which oversees ILCHS as the trustee, asking how the school will safely operate and provide required amenities and programs to future students given the geospatial constraints of the proposed school site.

 

He also encouraged anyone who observes safety hazards at the new construction site or who has other construction-related complaints to report them to 311. The assemblyman added that he, State Sen. Robert Jackson (S.D. 31) and City Council Member Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11) have written to the NYC Department of Education to ensure public monies linked to the 3030 Riverdale Avenue charter school campus are being spent appropriately and responsibly, adding that campus was financed through the Build NYC Resource Corporation for a total of $20,655,000.

 

He said he understands ILCHS already owns the Riverdale Avenue school campus, which serves grades 9-12 and has a maximum occupancy capacity, per NYC Department of Buildings (DOB), of 738 people. However, Dinowitz said ILCHS is planning to rent the site for the new middle school at 306 West 232nd Street from the developer. He said ILCHS has also reportedly requested a reduction in student population at its existing school site to 430 students for grades 6 & 9-12 in the 2024-2025 school year.

 

The assemblyman said ILCHS has said it expects 250-300 middle school students to attend the new campus. He said he and his colleagues have therefore requested answers to the following:

 

1) What are the parameters of the Build NYC Resource Corporation bonds?

2) What would be the fiscal impact to DOE to rent additional space at the proposed new middle school site at 306 West 232nd Street?

3) Are there any other examples of charter schools in New York City where a school both owns and rents property?

 

Newly elected assemblyman for the 80th Assembly District, John Zaccaro Jr. who represents the impacted part of Norwood where St. Brendan School is located, among other sections of The Bronx, released a statement on the announced Catholic school closures in February, saying, “My office is working very closely with the Archdiocese of New York to determine the impact this decision will have on the students, teachers, faculty and their families who attend and work at St. Brendan School and St. Claire of Assisi here in our District and convey their concerns.”

 

We reached out to the assemblyman for comment on the latest announced arrangements and will update this story upon receipt of any response we receive.

 

Meanwhile, “Sophia,” a Norwood resident and kindergarten student at St. Brendan, was asked why she was protesting at the rally in February. She quickly responded, “I don’t want my school to close down.” Asked why, she replied, “Because I love my school.” Sophia, who had previously attended the school’s pre-K school, was asked if she had made a lot of friends at her school. She replied, “Yes,” adding, “And I love my teachers.”

 

*David Greene contributed to this story. 

 

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story reported that St. Brendan School would remain open. However, it appears that potentially only the religious education program referred to in the letter will continue at the St. Brendan site and not the actual academic Catholic school itself. As above, we asked the Archdiocese and the charter school for further clarification and will update this story upon receipt of further information.