12 MARCH 15, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Support both public & private education now
For the third time this year, we’re
reporting the closure of Catholic
schools in Queens — and those
shutdowns should concern everyone.
Over the weekend, the Diocese of
Brooklyn announced that Our Lady
of the Angelus Academy in Rego Park
and Our Lady of Lourdes Academy
in Queens Village would be closing
their doors at the end of June. This
announcement comes months aft er
St. Pancras School in Glendale said
it would shut down, and Divine Wisdom
Catholic Academy — which operates
two campuses in Douglaston and
Bayside — would be consolidating
into one.
These closures continue to happen
as the Diocese of Brooklyn and
each Catholic school community
have worked hard to stay alive. The
diocese has closed or consolidated
dozens since 2005, and instituted
a system-wide reorganization that
shift ed power away from the clergy
and toward lay people committed to
supporting Catholic education.
We’re not saying that the Diocese’s
“Preserving the Faith” initiative, as the
reorganization is called, has been for
naught. However, it is clear that it is
not enough.
The drop in enrollment and rising
defi cits that forced these schools to
close makes it quite evident that parents
are leaving Catholic education
because they simply can’t aff ord it in
a city and state where the cost of living
constantly rises.
For years, the Diocese and Catholic
education supporters have argued
for New York state to adopt a tuition
tax credit program to help both the
schools and parents. Supporters of
public education staunchly oppose it;
they argue that public schools aren’t
funded enough (which is certainly
true), and there’s the question of
whether the existence of such credits
violate the separation of church and
state (a valid point, but one in which
we won’t get into this editorial).
On face value alone, private schools
of any or no denomination play just
as important a role as public schools
— and both systems should be funded
suffi cient to the educational needs of
New York state’s children.
If private schools continue to
wither on the vine from a lack of
resources, they will slowly vanish
— and those students will be sent to
public schools. Parents would lose
their right to choose their child’s
school. More public schools will need
to be built; more teachers will need
to be hired; more resources will be
required; and the taxpayers will be
responsible for it all.
Meanwhile, Catholic and other
private schools already have the infrastructure,
educators and resources
in place. They just need extra funding,
however, to continue to serve students
and upgrade facilities. Tax credits for
parents who send their children to private
schools would stop the bleeding
now and fulfi ll their needs for years
to come.
The state should do more to support
both public and private education.
Both can be done; both should be done.
EDITORIAL
ESTABLISHED 1908
Co-Publishers
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA SCHNEPS
Editor-in-Chief
ROBERT POZARYCKI
Classifi ed Manager
DEBORAH CUSICK
Assistant Classifi ed Manager
MARLENE RUIZ
Reporter
RYAN KELLEY
© 2018 SCHNEPS NY MEDIA, LLC.
General Publication Offi ce: 38-15 Bell Blvd.,
Bayside, NY 11361
TELEPHONE: 1-718-821-7500/7501/7502/7503
FAX: 1-718-224-5441
E-MAIL: editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com
WEB SITE: www.qns.com
ON TWITTER @ridgewoodtimes
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
FOR 109 YEARS
COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY: Accuracy in receiving
ads over the telephone cannot be guaranteed. This newspaper
is responsible for only one incorrect insertion and
only for that portion of the ad in which the error appears.
It is the responsibility of the advertiser to make sure copy
does not contravene the Consumer Protection Law or any
other requirement.TIMES NEWSWEEKLY Is Listed With
The Standard Rate & Data And Is A Member Of The New
York Press Association
THE HOT TOPIC
STORY:
City urges Queens residents to
‘Wait’ before fl ushing toilets
& washing clothes during rain
events
SUMMARY:
The next time it rains, the city’s
Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) wants Queens
residents to wait until it stops
before doing the dishes, taking a
shower or fl ushing a toilet.
REACH:
14,885 people (as of 3/12/18)
COMMENTS:
SNAPS
FUN AT KISSENA PARK
PHOTO VIA INSTAGRAM @michaelchristofferson
Send us your photos of Queens
and you could see them online or in our paper!
Submit them to us tag @queenscourier
on Instagram, Facebook page, tweeting
@QNS or by emailing editorial@qns.com
(subject: Queens Snaps).
link
/www.qns.com
link
