Mater Dei Prep Gets 2-Month Reprieve

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By John Burton
MIDDLETOWN –Just four days after a startling announcement about the Catholic school closing, the Mater Dei Prep High School community rolled up its sleeves and got to the business of keeping it open and immediately secured a two-month extension.
“It’s too important a school, too good of a school, to let it die,” said Middletown resident James Keating, an alumnus, whose son is in his junior year.  He said he believed the school community could sufficiently rally and raise the needed money to ensure his son would continue on to his senior year and graduate in 2016. “But more importantly,” he continued, “it’s about saving the school not just for next year but for 50 years, 100.”
There will be changes in the way the school is run, however.
John Meyer, class of 1978, who now lives in Florida, happened to be visiting family in Middletown when the school closing news broke. “I was devastated,” when he found out.
Meyer thought, “The money is the easy part.” His and others’ concern is that they “don’t want to give our money to people who got us here in the first place.”
Taking charge of the efforts is Jim Shaw, an alumnus who was asked by Kegley to chair the $1 million “Save the Seraphs” campaign (seraph, an angelic being, is the school’s mascot).
Shaw, a 1976 graduate whose siblings and two daughters are graduates, has continued to be active in the school community. Working with others committed to keeping the school open for the long haul, Shaw said their strategy would be modeled after one used in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to save 17 of that city’s struggling Catholic high schools, which, according to Shaw are now “thriving.”
That plan starts with establishing a website to allow people to make contributions, www.savetheseraphs.org. Along with that, the committee would seek any assistance and look for fundraising efforts, including utilizing the alumni base to an unprecedented level; seek individual multi-year sponsorship; corporate sponsorship; establish a program where people could “adopt” a student, offering tuition and other financial assistance; and using the school’s upcoming 50th anniversary gala as an aggressive fundraising tool. “We need you to reach out to others,” to guarantee the school’s “viability, sustainability and growth,” Shaw told the group.
One benefactor had already donated $10,000, Shaw noted. Students after the closing announcement earlier that week, had established a gofundme.com page to collect donations, which as of this Tuesday had raised $21,775.
“The biggest thing I heard is we need control. We need to manage this money,” that is donated, Shaw said. In response, Shaw explained the funds would be deposited in a designated escrow account. Should the efforts prove unsuccessful, Shaw assured the group, the funds would be returned to the contributors.
“It’s not a candy jar, someone can reach in and take,” and appropriate oversight will be in place, he said.
Some parents who asked not to be identified said a major concern was turning over the proceeds to the school administration that allowed the situation to become so dire.
The plan would involve raising $1 million to cover next year’s proposed budget deficit and start to grow a continuing financial nest egg for future years, officials said.
One parent who is active on a number of school fronts, said, “changes are going to have to be made,” in the administration and practices going forward.
“We’re trying to build something here,” Shaw said of the efforts.
That feeling carried over to a support rally conducted at the school’s parking lot Sunday morning and afternoon.
Debbie Grover, who graduated in 1980 and her children who all graduated from the school as well, was out selling sweat- and T-shirts early Sunday morning and felt very strongly that the efforts would be successful. “There is a collective energy that will make this possible,” she said, also believing a benefactor will step forward and save the school.
“There is no doubt in my mind this will work,” believed Kevin Astride, a teacher and coach who has been working at the school since 1972. “There is a tremendous alumni base,” he observed, which will support this effort. “It’s like people fighting for their home.”
The Rev. Jeff Kegley, St. Mary’s pastor, initially announced the school would have to close due to continuing budget deficit, which this year, approached $1 million and years long downturn in enrollment numbers. But encouraged by the outpouring of support from the school and parish community, the parish finance council and the Diocese of Trenton agreed to give the community two months from now to try and raise the money to ensure the school’s viability.

More than 50 attended a meeting held at the school’s Memorial Hall late last week to discuss options for keeping Mater Dei Prep open and were optimistic.
Principal Craig Palmer said officials had met with diocese representatives on Dec. 17 when “They told us they were not going to help us” by covering a portion of the budget deficit as St. Mary’s Parish Council had been doing for the last approximately 20 years; and if the school hoped to continue it would have to be self-sufficient. The school would have until early February—ironically enough until the annual Catholic School Week–to make any decisions. But with the outpouring of sentiment and support from various corners, the parish council and diocese agreed to a two-month extension, allowing supporters to raise the needed money and plans for the school’s long-term viability.
Palmer, who’s been principal at Mater Dei Prep for approximately 18 months told the large audience that he has heard “Mater Dei has been closing for 20 years.” However, this year’s deficit was in the more than $900,000 range. “That’s pretty sobering,” the principal acknowledged.
Things appeared to have been turning around, as enrollment had been ticking upward and school officials said they expected the 2015-16 budget deficit to decrease to between $400,000-$600,000, giving them hope until the December diocese announcement.
“My stomach still hurts,” over the dire news, Palmer said. But with the positive energy and efforts of so many already moving forward he announced, “We can do this.”