These Catholic academies in Queens and
Brooklyn are closing due to COVID-19 crisis
BY BILL PARRY
The COVID-19 pandemic
and its devastating impact continue
to be felt in Queens and
Brooklyn where six Catholic
academies are being forced to
permanently close.
The Diocese of Brooklyn
announced July 9 that the coronavirus
crisis caused such a
financial strain on enrollment
and finances, an issue faced by
many Catholic Schools in the
region and across the country,
made it impossible for them to
reopen for the coming school
year.
In Queens, Our Lady’s Catholic
Academy in South Ozone
Park, Our Lady of Grace in Howard
Beach, Holy Trinity Catholic
Academy in Whitestone, and St.
Mel’s Catholic Academy will be
permanently effective Aug. 31.
In Brooklyn, Queen of the
Rosary in Williamsburg and
St. Gregory the Great of Crown
Heights will be shuttered on the
same day.
“This is an incredibly sad
day for our Catholic community
to have to close these schools,
but the devastation caused by
the coronavirus pandemic is insurmountable,”
Superintendent
of Schools Thomas Chadzutko,
Ed.D, said. “The difficult decisions
come after the intense
analysis of the financial picture
of each academy.”
Collectively, these schools
have seen a decline in enrollment
over the last five years,
but the registration totals for
the upcoming school year are
down significantly, largely due
to the massive unemployment
and loss of business that has resulted
from the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than $630,000 in
tuition bills for the past school
year remains outstanding at
these schools.
The Diocese of Brooklyn assures
the community that every
effort will be made to help
transition affected students
and families to nearby Catholic
academies. To help the transition,
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.6 COM | JULY 17-JULY 23, 2020
the Diocese, through the
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Trust,
will provide a one-time $500
financial grant for each child
from a closed school enrolling
and attending in a new Catholic
elementary academy or school
in Queens or Brooklyn this fall,
as long as they have met all of
their financial obligations.
For those who meet the financial
eligibility, tuition assistance
is available through
Futures in Education at www.
futuresineducation.org. Despite
the closures, there is great optimism
about the future of Catholic
education in both Queens
and Brooklyn.
“Our smaller and caring
community of schools has many
advantages as witnessed by how
quickly we adapted to remote
learning this spring. In grades
K-8, we were nearly one to one,
students to devices with data
plans, an incredible feat which
allowed for distance learning
success in our schools,” Chadzutko
said. “The learning went
on in our schools for six hours a
day, so our children knew that
even though they were separated,
they were not alone. Our
devoted teachers and staff supported
every child with the tools
they needed to continue their
education. We will continue to
improve on this so we can be
ready to handle any challenge
this coming fall.”
Online information meetings
will be held next week for
parents at the academies scheduled
to close. Administrators
and personnel from neighboring
Catholic academies will be
available virtually to present
their programs and answer any
questions parents may have.
Our Lady of Grace is one of several Catholic schools in Queens to
announce its permanent closure on July 8, 2020.
Our Lady of Grace
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