July 28, 2015 By Jackie Strawbridge
Following the abrupt closure of Astoria’s Most Precious Blood Catholic school, the Department of Education will lease the space to use as a 15-class pre-Kindergarten center.
According to DOE spokesperson Jason Fink, there will be 15 full-day pre-K classes with a total of 270 seats at Most Precious Blood – 32-52 37th Street – starting this fall.
Enrollment is currently open, Fink said. There are currently no plans to use the building for any purpose other than pre-K.
The Most Precious Blood community was shocked and saddened to learn of the school’s closure in January, when Rev. William Krlis sent out a letter stating its necessity due to $5.5 million in required school and church repairs, alongside “precipitously” declining school enrollment.
The last day for the Most Precious Blood Catholic school was in June.
The Diocese of Brooklyn, which runs a network of parishes that includes Most Precious Blood, did not respond to questions as of press time.
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12 Comments
MPB school was thriving and had the funds to fix the building and the financial independence to transition to a Catholic Academy. It is MPB’s parish Church that is in distress both structurally and financially. So the Pastor closed the school on orders by the Bishoph. The school is being fixed to rent to the DOE because their rental $$$ would be so much more than what a Catholic Academy would have paid…..for the next 50 years! Pro bono offers to fix the school were ignored and inquiries from hundreds of alumni went unanswered by the Diocese, just like they are doing now.
It is just another big business bowling over anybody that gets in it’s way. No story here, just move along folks.
The area’s population is booming so this is a good use for the property and the DOE has deep pockets (ours) to renovate/repair as needed.
A less pleasing alternative would have been the church developing the property into a condo or selling outright in which case most of the proceeds would probably leave the area.
Hey b47 do you see the church doing something with the money in the neighborhood. It all goes to the bishop to do what he pleases. If it was not called the church it would have been called a pyramid scheme. People have gone to jail for lesser schemes. So they threw out their own pre-K and K to lease to the city. Does that mean that they don’t know how to run schools or money over faith and belief.
ex-parishioner, if you read my comment you will notice that I said that if the property was sold “most of the proceeds would probably leave the area”. I assume the DOE rental payments will also mostly leave the community.
What are they going to do with the asbestos and lead paint throughout the school.
I’m not sure how one can conclude that the priest was lying simply because the building has be leased. There’s no mention about anything about whether or not the DOE will have to make repairs on the building.
And have it ready for this September??
Who cares? Way to go DOE
Rather we turn it into a Trader Joes.
You mean that the priest lied – nooooo
I thought the place was falling apart?