Many upset by closing of St. Mary School
I am writing to express my dismay at the sudden and shocking announcement about the closing of the St. Mary School in Uniontown. Two of my children are students at St. Mary School, and we are all confused and heartbroken by the abrupt announcement that the school will be closing.
First of all, I can’t believe that we were not given more warning about this decision.
The letter that came home from the school on Friday stated that the school families were being told as soon as possible.
I would hope that a decision such as this took many weeks and months of prayer and heart-searching on the part of the diocese and the Board of Trust Administrators.
Why were the parents and teachers not given the opportunity to discuss, pray, and seek solutions alongside them? After all, it is our families’ lives that are affected, and our children’s futures that have been changed.
It appears that in an effort to streamline the process of shutting down the school, those decision-makers neglected to consider the families who would be most affected.
Secondly, why are we not being given the opportunity to sit down with those people who made this decision so that we could ask questions and get answers about the situation?
Rumors and gossip, followed by an impersonal letter, are not effective ways to ease the pain and heartache of this situation, and certainly do not give us any good idea of what the truth of the situation is.
Again, this is a situation that will affect our lives in countless ways, and it hurts us deeply that we have not received any more explanation than what can fit in a two-page form letter.
Finally, I would like to express my opinion that creating a regional Catholic school in the current location of St. John the Evangelist School will not meet the needs of the children of our community.
Every family is different, and every child has different needs.
While it may be somewhat unusual to have two Catholic schools in a town the size of Uniontown, what a wonderful opportunity it is for the families of our area to be able to evaluate the needs of their own children and pick the style and approach of education that best meets those needs.
The schools at St. Mary’s and St. John’s are not interchangeable, and while I have many friends who are extremely happy with the education and experience that St. John the Evangelist School gives their children, my family simply feels that St. Mary School is a better match for our children.
I believe that, by telling me that I can simply switch my children to St. John’s for next school year, the decision-makers of the Catholic school system are showing great disrespect to the teachers and administration at both schools.
They are not interchangeable, cookie-cutter versions of the same school experience.
I cannot say enough good things about the teachers we have had at St. Mary School.
hey are exceptional as individuals, and together they form an incredible team of educators.
And, while the teachers are the foundation that St. Mary School’s excellence is built on, I can also say that the parents at the school have done amazing things in supporting the school and helping it to flourish.
I know that working together, these teachers and parents could find solutions to the problems, financial or otherwise, that are leading to the closing of St. Mary School.
Although they have not been given the chance to do so, I know that their enthusiasm, resourcefulness, and dedication to the children would lead them to work as hard as necessary to move forward in resolving the issues, whatever they may be.
I would like to ask the diocese and the Board of Trust Administrators to reconsider the decision they have made to close St. Mary School.
I ask them to open up a conversation with the school teachers and families and explain to us what exactly has led to the decision to close the school.
And I ask them to give us a chance to work together with them to find a way to keep my children’s school open.
Tricia Patton is a resident of Uniontown.