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"I feel it's the best we could do," said Vicar General Joseph Hart while sitting in the Bishop's office at the Diocese.
"We took the data and made the best choices we could," said Hart.
Father Hart and Chief Financial Officer for the Diocese Lisa Passero spoke out Wednesday after five days of major criticism from the community.
It's the first time the Diocese took questions after Bishop Matthew Clark announced the closure of 13 Catholic schools in Monroe County.
"The decision on the specific schools involved a huge amount of detail," said Passero.
She says the Task Force considered the cost per student, enrollment, facility and location.
"It was not an easy process they struggled with these decisions," said Passero. "It was really a balancing act of these factors."
Here's a breakdown of the savings to the Diocese: It will save $11 million in expenses, but $8 million in revenue will be lost. That amounts to a net savings of $3 million. Passero says some of that money will be used to help displaced faculty and staff.
"We will do everything we can to help faculty and staff find positions," said Passero. The Diocese is also offering continued health coverage.
And we confirmed the decision to close the 13 schools is final.
They will not be run by the Monroe County Catholic Schools again.
However, there is a 'but.'
"If people have a plan that seems viable we'll be more than willing both to listen and to explore that," said Hart.
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Beyond St Margaret Mary School there is the bigger issue of Catholic Education in the Diocese of Rochester and whether it has a future. There has clearly been a decline in enrollment since 2003 when the last round of closings and the tuition increases out us in the position we are now in.
If the Diocese was a business, it would see that it needs to invest in its future by spending money where it sees future revenue. Instead of giving the Catholic Ministries Appeal Money to non-revenue producing institutions, the Diocese should invest the 1/2 the money in its best chance for the future, THE CHILDREN! The Children of Catholic education will be the future revenue source that will drive Catholicism into the future. Pushing children away from Catholicism now will forever scar them and drive them away from the faith.
Lastly, closing schools in the inner city will only continue to degrade the moral fiber of the young men and women that are trying to find a better place in the world. If we are going to give our Catholic Ministries Money to underpriveleged people, lets start with the children of our inner city schools. Our Children are our future!
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