An interesting pairing of stories in today's New York Times:
First a profile of Cathleen P. Black, the newly appointed chancellor of the New York City school system. A highly accomplished executive at Hearst Magazines (she launched O, Oprah's very successful monthly), Black is a product of Chicago Catholic schools and Trinity College, a well-respected Catholic women's college in Washington, D.C.
On the same page: a report on the closing of 32 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York.
Tim Reidy
The shock is that the continuing abandonment of outreach to the black community and, by extension, the poor. It now seems clear that attendance and money, not service, witness, or"excellence"(a theme I thought the Abp had proclaimed the process was about) is driving whre they are headed.
One friend noted this problem is exasperated by the lack of clear transparent financial pictures there in the Archdiocese.
So the public schools will have to pick up a number of these youngsters -and how well equipped wil they be in the poor neighborhoods the children come from?
What values will the new school head bring as NPR cites her as a manager, not an educator????
Even if all 31 elementary schools close (which is not likely), a majority of the elementary schools in the archdiocese are located in minority areas (there would be 100 in Manhattan and the Bronx, 9 in Yonkers, 3 in Newburgh). Also, there are schools on the list in very affluent areas (Croton Falls, Valhalla, Cornwall...all affluent suburbs of NYC).