MAKING NEWS

Mount St. Joseph Academy finds a new home

School will move into former Central Presbyterian Church

By Peter Simon - News Staff Reporter

Updated: 06/05/07 9:19 AM

What seemed like an impossible dream came true Monday when Mount St. Joseph Academy announced that it had purchased Central Presbyterian Church as its new campus.

Pupils from Mount St. Joseph Academy fill the pews at the former Central Presbyterian Church on Monday after it was announced that the church campus will be the school’s new home.

Photo by: Derek Gee/Buffalo News

Just two years ago, the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph said Mount St. Joseph, then situated a few blocks away at 2061 Main St., would close because of financial troubles and declining enrollment.

But school officials, parents and community activists waded through a maze of legal, financial and educational challenges to keep the school open and find a new home.

”There was always a set of impossible obstacles in front of us, but always someone was there to get us through,“ said Steve Boyd, the school’s treasurer. ”People perceived our effort as sort of a valiant attempt, but one that was met with skepticism.“

Those challenges sweetened the mood Monday, when the school announced it had purchased the former church property at Main Street and Jewett Parkway for $930,000. With two busloads of pupils looking on in the church sanctuary, school officials struck these high notes:

• Kindergarten enrollment for September is higher than it has been in at least five years, fueling hope that the school can meet its goal of increasing enrollment to 200 from the current 125 over the next few years. The school offers instruction in prekindergarten through eighth grade, with yearly tuition of $5,500.

• Pupils from Central Park can easily walk to the new location, giving it more of a ”neighborhood school“ personality than ever before.

• The former church complex has five buildings, including one that has long been used as a school. The Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School, which is now leasing that building, is moving into the former YWCA building on Franklin Street. Mount St. Joseph will lease two of the other four buildings.

The Central Presbyterian property became available after Savarino Construction Services Corp. backed away from a $1.37 million deal with the church last fall.

”It struck us as a perfect location,“ Boyd said.

Even though the earlier deal carried a higher price tag, church officials are thrilled to be selling their longtime spiritual home to a religious school, said Williams Schultz, a church spokesman.

”This couldn’t be a happier day for the members of Central Church,“ he said.

After breaking its ties with the Sisters of St. Joseph, Mount St. Joseph rented its current facility, first from the sisters and then from Canisius College.

Purchasing the former church up the street gives the school a renewed sense of stability and ownership, said Patricia Doyle, the principal.

Mount St. Joseph may buy church

Published on February 16, 2007
Author: Jay Tokasz - NEWS STAFF REPORTER
© The Buffalo News Inc.

Mount St. Joseph Academy, a private Catholic school that nearly closed in 2005, has offered to buy the five-building campus of Central Presbyterian Church at Main Street and Jewett Parkway.

The school's board of trustees has been searching for a new home since Canisius College bought its current facility at 2061 Main St.

The members of Central Presbyterian, who moved in December to worship at First Presbyterian Church on Symphony Circle, have been trying to sell their five buildings since early 2006. An earlier offer from a local developer fell through. Mount St. Joseph's offered $930,000 for the property and hopes to move in by the summer.

"Our goal is to open school in September in the school building," said trustee Steve Boyd, who has four children enrolled in the school. "We're really excited about being able to stay on Main Street. This is only a few blocks from our traditional campus."

Central Presbyterian was weighing new offers because Savarino Construction Services Corp. backed out of its $1.37 million deal with the church last fall.

The academy came forward with the best offer for an adaptive reuse of the property. "They clearly came to the table wanting to do a deal," said William Schulz, a church officer. "It seems like a very good fit."

The Buffalo Academy of Science, a charter school, has a lease with the church that runs through June. It is moving into the former YWCA building on Franklin Street downtown.

The Sisters of St. Joseph, which had operated Mount St. Joseph Academy since 1891, decided to close it in 2005 because of mounting financial challenges.

MASS HELD TO CELEBRATE REOPENING OF SCHOOL

Published on August 1, 2005
Author: Jennifer Calhoun - NEWS STAFF REPORTER
© The Buffalo News Inc.

A group of parents and friends of Mount St. Joseph Academy celebrated the school's reopening with a special Mass Sunday evening on a patch of grass in front of the school.

"We are here to begin the new journey of the next 114 years," said Monsignor Robert Mack, who presided over the Mass. Mack's thank-yous went out to parents, donors and others who helped keep the 114-year-old school from shutting down after an announcement in June that the school would close.

The academy's former operators, the Sisters of St. Joseph, announced June 10 that the school would close at the end of the month because of declining enrollment and financial considerations.

But parents, opposed to the closure, fought to prevent it by forming a new corporation called Mount St. Joseph Academy.

In just a few weeks, the group was able to secure a charter from the State Board of Regents to reopen the school for the 2005-06 school year and raised $132,000 for operational costs.

"It was a little shocking when I first heard about it," said Brenden Nasca, 9, a Mount St. Joseph's student who will be in fourth grade this fall.

"I was OK, though. I knew it was going to come back," Nasca said. "Everybody loves this school."

DEAL ASSURES MOUNT ST. JOSEPH'S VIABILITY

Published on July 30, 2005
Author: T.J. Pignataro - NEWS STAFF REPORTER
© The Buffalo News Inc.

An 11-month lease struck between the Institute of the Sisters of St. Joseph and a new corporation named Mount St. Joseph Academy will keep the historic school open at its current location on Main Street through at least next June, the institute announced Friday.

The academy, which was scheduled for closure this June 30, was kept open after parents and alumni stepped up to raise more than $132,000 in a little over a month. Mount St. Joseph Academy, the new corporation formed by parents of students, announced earlier this week it had secured its charter from the state Board of Regents to allow it to reopen this fall. Friday's lease announcement assures the school, which last year enrolled 164 students in kindergarten through eighth grade will be open in 2005-06.

The new school year will mark the first time since the school's 1891 opening that the sisters will not be involved in the operation of the academy. They will, however, watch with interest as the torch is passed to the new group. "The ministry of education remains very important to us," said Sister Elizabeth Savage, president of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

The sisters announced June 10 that the school at 2061 Main would close because of declining enrollment and financial considerations. Since then, the sisters have worked with the parent and alumni group interested in keeping the school open. That was important, academy leaders say.

"We acknowledge the years of hard work and sacrifice that the sisters have made in the past, and we promise to work hard to ensure the long-term viability of the Mount," said Dr. Valerie Zingapan-Castiligia, president of the school's board of trustees. "Their efforts and sacrifices over the past 115 years are immeasurable." The sisters still own the school building. Canisius College, which is across the street from the school, has the right of first refusal to purchase it. The academy has said it hopes to continue leasing the space no matter who owns the building.

Details of the lease agreement for the 2005-06 school year were not disclosed.

RESCUERS OF MOUNT ST. JOSEPH ACADEMY GET STATE CHARTER

Published on July 26, 2005
Author: Peter Simon - NEWS STAFF REPORTER
© The Buffalo News Inc.

A parents group trying to save Mount St. Joseph Academy has received a charter from the state Board of Regents and is now seeking a lease that would allow the Main Street school to open for classes in September.

The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph announced June 10 that the school, at 2061 Main St., would close because of financial troubles and declining enrollment. Since then, parents and alumni raised $132,000 and tackled a series of educational and administrative requirements in an effort to keep the school open under the same name.

The license from the state allows the parents to clear "a big hurdle," and the last major step is to secure a lease from the Sisters of St. Joseph, said Steve Boyd, a spokesman for the group.

Robert M. Bennett, chancellor of the Board of Regents and a graduate of Mount St. Joseph, said the parent group operated with unusual speed.

"It was quite remarkable because they didn't have much time," Bennett said. "Any time parents grab hold of something like this and try to keep a school open, I'm all for it."

Canisius College, across the street from the school, has the right of first refusal to purchase the building. The parent group hopes to lease the building from the sisters for the coming school year and to continue a lease after that with Canisius or any other new owner.

John Hurley, the Canisius vice president for college relations, said it is too soon to know how things will play out. "It is early, but we're talking with them and are sympathetic with what they're trying to do," Hurley said. "I hope things can work out."

The sisters would have no role in future operations of the school, which last year enrolled 164 pupils in kindergarten through eighth-grade. It also housed two classes of universal prekindergarten, which is separately funded.

Sister Elizabeth Savage, president of the Sisters of St. Joseph, could not immediately be reached to comment.

Boyd said the school would keep largely intact its previous staff and curriculum, and would seek to retain its status as an independent Catholic school. It will not be a charter school.

Boyd said the group anticipates a initial enrollment drop of close to 25 percent, but expects enrollment to rebound in future years. The first day of class under the new setup would be Sept. 7.

It would be a great tragedy for the Buffalo area should Mount St. Joseph Academy close. One of Buffalo's hidden treasures; it has had a tradition of excellence in education for over 100 years, drawing students from all over the county.

The school boasts what may be the best preschool program in the area, teaching two languages -- French and Spanish -- and their cultures, a science program, art program and formal music education. The French and Spanish language education continues through eighth grade, with the addition of Latin in sixth grade. Reading is taught in kindergarten. There is an outstanding computer technology lab, and computer education is integrated into the curriculum beginning in preschool. The superb art program is coordinated with the curriculum. There is a wide variety of extracurricular activities.

Thankfully, a large group of dedicated parents, alumni and supporters work tirelessly to keep the school open. Bravo! May they succeed.

Barbara Castiglia

West Falls

SUPPORTERS GATHER TO DISCUSS WAYS

TO KEEP MOUNT ST. JOSEPH GOING

Published on in THE BUFFALO NEWS on June 17, 2005
Author: Stephen Hagenbuch - NEWS STAFF REPORTER
© The Buffalo News Inc.

A week after the announcement that Mount St. Joseph Academy would close at the end of the school year, about 100 pupils, parents, alumni and faculty gathered Thursday evening to find a way to keep it open.

"This is the best thing this city has," said Jessica Allen, a parent who attended the meeting and outdoor prayer service at the school. "There's no place like it, and that's why we're fighting so hard." The Sisters of St. Joseph, who operate the school independently of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, cited declining enrollment and financial issues in the decision to close the school.

But Steve Boyd, a trustee, said the school's finances were improving and enrollment is on the rise -- up 20 students from this time last year.

The board of trustees has formulated plans to keep the school running, even after the Sisters of St. Joseph sell the building. The board hopes to lease it from the new owner, expected to be Canisius College, Boyd said.

The school, at 2064 Main St., has "significantly upgraded its curriculum," and third-graders now rotate classes, Boyd said. He also described the school as "inclusive," saying, "You don't see this kind of diversity in other private schools anywhere."

"It's a very diverse school, with a great quality of education and sense of community," said Michael Ziolkowski, the father of two pupils at the school.
Ziolkowski lives on Grand Island, making it "quite a drive here," he said. "But we're committed to it."

Monica Hargrove, another parent, also cited the school's diversity. "There are so many different cultural backgrounds and nationalities," she said, "and everyone gets along."

"They really value faith here," she said. "That comes first."