Senator Serrano Speaks Out in a Press Conference Against the Proposed Closure of St. Jerome School

Senator Serrano along with parents, children, and other community leaders spoke out in a press conference against the proposed closure of St. Jerome School in the South Bronx. The parochial school has been educating generations of students, many from new immigrant families, for over 140 years. Parents were notified on December 3rd by the Archdiocese that they would be forced to close at the end of the school year unless they developed an effective remedial plan by January 3rd. The plan requires the school to generate over a million dollars in a one month time frame.

“I am saddened by the proposed closure of St. Jerome,” said Senator Serrano. “On Monday, I sent a letter to the Archdiocese urging them to reconsider closing. As a lifelong resident of the Bronx, I know firsthand the important role the school plays in the community. Not only is this school an iconic presence, having provided services since the 1880’s, but it has provided a quality education to countless youth in the Bronx, many of whom are on scholarship and would have otherwise not been able to attend this school. The closing of St. Jerome would send a dishearteningly negative message to the residents of the Bronx and I urge the Archdiocese to consider other viable ways for the school to remain open. I will continue to stand by the community against the closure