"We refurbished the rectory to make room for pre-K students," he says. "Enrollment is up, baptisms are consistent. We formed a development committee to fund-raise and eliminate any small deficit. These are clearly errors of fact."
St. Laurentius is following the rules, relying on data, not emotion, to make its case. So who, if anyone, at the archdiocese stands ready to reverse the call and let little kids get back to learning?
Being judged on the past
How shocked was St. Laurentius to learn its fate? The congregation's beloved pastor, the Rev. Francis Gwiazda - Father Frank - was so confident the school would be spared that he scheduled knee surgery last week and heard the news in a hospital bed.
The first thing the principal, Sister Rita Marie Aponik, and others noticed when they studied www.faithinthefuture.org for more information? Flawed information.
The archdiocese's blue-ribbon commission relied on 2009 data that claimed St. Laurentius was just 67 percent full, with 207 students. According to the analysis, the parish subsidized the school to the tune of $89,000 a year. Still, the pre-K-to-8 school owed nearly $100,000.
"That's just not true," says Patricia Kinsman, mother of a first grader. With 238 students in a building that can hold 285, "we're at 84 percent capacity. We're basically full."
Though the school sought a one-time loan in 2009, aggressive fund-raising - a Super Bowl pool, 5K race and Communion breakfast are on tap - is erasing red ink. A summer splash at the Jersey Shore could net $30,000 easy.
