Archdiocese Scraps Plans For Regional School In Manayunk Due To Low Enrollment
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Archdiocese of Philadelphia says it will not open a new regional Catholic elementary school in the Manayunk section this fall, as previously planned, due to low enrollment.
The St. Blaise Regional School would have merged Saint Bridget Parish in East Falls and Holy Child Regional into one school - based at Holy Child in Manayunk.
But, only 155 students registered, and the Archdiocese let it be known that they needed at least 250-students to make a go of it, to cover teacher salaries and administer the school with the programs promised.
The original deadline was March, but the deadline for registration was extended to mid-June, to encourage more parents to register their children.
St. Bridget's, above Midvale Avenue, closed its doors for good last week, as part of a larger plan to close 49 schools and form a smaller number of regional schools.
The Archdiocese says school families may register their children at parish schools in the surrounding area, in Roxborough, Chestnut Hill, and Lafayette Hill across the city border in Montgomery County, among others.
