NORTHEAST HARRIS COUNTY Six months ago Hurricane Ike slammed in to the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School, doing devastating damage.
Last week the school took another big hit from Galveston, this time from the archdiocese.
On Feb. 5 Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, of the Houston-Galveston Archdiocese said that four Houston-area schools be vacated as of August 2009. Holy Name, St. Charles Borromeo, Our Mother of Mercy and St. Philip Neri were put on the chopping block.
The decision has not set well with area parents and church members.
Its shocking, said State Rep. Armando Walle, who is a member of the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church.
The closure hits particularly close to home for Walle. His wife Debbie attended the school, which serves grades Pre-K through fifth grade. His niece also attends the school. We were talking about it when we drove back from Austin yesterday (Feb. 5). My wife was really devastated. It holds a special place in our hearts.
I know there is difficult times ahead, but I didnt think the Diocese would do it, Walle said. He said that a couple of years there was discussion about closing the school but that it was allowed to stay open.
The decision, Walle, said, will come especially hard for parents in the are who want their children to attend a Catholic school, but that there are none close. They could have gone to Holy Name, he said. But theyre on the list too.
After the storm, students were sent to Seton Catholic Junior High on Rose Lane. Walle said he was not sure if they would continue to attend that campus.
The students currently enrolled in those schools will be consolidated into, or given priority status at, other Catholic schools readily accessible to them, DiNardo said.
The archdioceses announcement is the first in a series of announcements concerning its plans to open new schools in fast-growing areas, refurbish existing schools and consolidate some school campuses.
Cardinal DiNardo said, After 18 months of dialogue with key leaders in our Catholic Schools and in the Archdiocese, we believe we have the best plan not the easiest plan but the best plan to help position our Catholic schools for excellence for the next 20 years, while serving the greatest number of students in our diverse and dynamic community.
The comprehensive study, which was announced in 2007 and concluded in December, was conducted by Meitler Consultants of Hales Corners, Wisconsin and included numerous opportunities for input by representatives of Catholic schools and the wider Archdiocese. It was designed to create a strategic plan that ensures educational excellence in local Catholic schools for the future.
Eleven Catholic schools located in the inner city continue to provide faith-based, values-infused education to the more than 2000 mostly minority students enrolled in these Archdiocesan schools.
Sister Kevina Keating, Archdiocesan Superintendent of Schools, said, The plan is a strategic working document for our schools and our archdiocese, it will be gradually implemented and continually monitored for effectiveness over the coming years, with future adjustments possible.
