'Breaking up a family': St. Joseph Catholic School community protests closure
The abrupt closure of St. Joseph Catholic School is prompting the community to fight back.
On Thursday evening, more than 60 alumni, parents, students and community members gathered to protest the shuttering of the West End school, which residents say has been a pillar of the neighborhood since it was founded 176 years ago.
More: West End Cincinnati Catholic school closing after 176 years because of repair costs
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati said last week the school needed to close because of concerns about the safety of the building and the cost of repairing it. An engineer's assessment commissioned by the archdiocese found it would cost $2.5 million to fix the issues, which would include a new roof and repairing most of the building's mechanical systems.
But community members think it's worth every penny. They're calling for the archdiocese to reconsider for the sake of the 168 students being displaced and the longstanding legacy the school has in the community.
James Lunsford III attended the school with his siblings. He said he had a positive experience at the school, learning new Catholic spiritual values and forging friendships. He was in class at St. Joseph during 9/11.
He said he was devastated when he found out the school was closing "I was surprised they didn't have the backbone to keep it going."
Judge Melba Marsh, common pleas judge in Hamilton County, spoke at the protest. She attended St. Joseph and grew up in the West End.
She described the school as a "fortress" and a bastion for education. She said she saw the closure of St. Joseph coming two years ago as other primarily Black Catholic schools around the country have shuttered their doors.
"I think we have to be watchful. If this building closes, what about that building?" she said, referring to the church building that still stands and will continue to operate.
Daniel Terry, nutritional manager at the school, said staff didn't get news of the closure until last week. Enrollment was underway for the following school year. The school employs 17 teachers and teaching assistants and 10 administrators and support staff.
He said they never got to say goodbye to the students and they were blindsided by the sudden closure. "They're breaking up a family," he said of the archdiocese shuttering the school.
He said only about half of employees have found or have been moved to other archdiocese jobs. Children are being placed in other Catholic schools, but they're all being separated now.
"Any school setting is a family setting," he said. "That was the most heartbreaking part of it all."
Rob Harris, a third generation alumni of the school, questioned the actual cost of the repairs. He said the report commissioned by the archdiocese totaled window screen replacements to equal $5,000, a cost Harris thinks is exorbitant.
"I don't think they explored all possible options," Harris said of the archdiocese's report.
The school's closure comes as the entire archdiocese is reorganizing itself in an effort known as Beacons of Light. The effort is designed to cut costs, combine resources and make parishes more efficient and financially secure.
Though that plan is leaving behind St. Joseph's children, according to protesters
"This would be a loss for many kids to have their school here. What they're doing to us, is they're moving through trying to take our church and school," alumna Patricia Charleton said. "I know that whatever needs to be done can be."
The Enquirer reached out to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for comment and has not received a response.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: West End Catholic school closure prompts community to fight back
