Opening Catholic School at Madison’s Island Avenue a Possibility

MADISON, CT - The Board of Selectmen has formally voted to work together with Our Lady of Mercy School of Madison to try and keep the catholic school in the town of Madison - possibly as the site of the current Island Avenue Elementary School.

The selectmen took the action at their most recent meeting after holding a lengthy discussion with those in support of keeping the school in town.

The Island Avenue School is slated to close at the end of the current school year as part of a consolidation plan already approved by the Board of Education to deal with the town’s declining school enrollment.

The move comes after earlier this year a decision was made that beginning - again in part due to declining enrollment - with the start of the 2018-2019 academic year, St. Mary School (SMS) in Branford will join together with Our Lady of Mercy School (OLM) in Madison to form a new school serving eastern shoreline communities.

The new school - to be known as the East Shoreline Catholic Academy (ECSA) will be housed at the current site of the St. Mary School, located at 62 Cedar Street.

The merger is being forced by the fact that OLM's lease on its current building in Madison is short-term - and declining enrollment.

OLM enrollment is down to 149, a 39 percent drop over the past five years. The enrollment at Saint Mary's is 106; five years ago it was 100.

First Selectman Tom Banisch said that a proposal was submitted requesting that the Town consider a lease with OLM for the use of the Island Avenue School when it is taken offline by the Board of Education.

John Picard from Our Lady of Mercy School of Madison, Inc. thanked the Board for their help and support over the years.

He stated that OLM has been a staple in Madison and that their students have gone on to great success.

Picard said after the OLM community found out the school would be closing that parents then created a non-profit organization to move forward with finding a new space for the school.

Picard also highlighted the value that the school brings to Madison and also the history that the school has in Madison; he stated that there were benefits to both the Town and the school for remaining in Madison.

In addition to these benefits, the school is also in receipt of a generous bequest of $5 million from former resident Fred Rettich, who lived in Madison all his life and left the money to OLM his his will. His family said he strongly believed in Catholic education.

Picard stated that there is a passion for this school’s future and for the necessity of the school remaining within the Town of Madison.

Banisch stated that at this time, the Town does not control the Island Avenue School; the Board of Education is still using the school and the Town cannot negotiate the use of the Island Avenue School. Once the Board of Education returns the school to the Town, this could change. However, he would like to see the Board move forward with helping the school remain in Madison in the meantime.

The Board confirmed that the new OLM School would still be a private Catholic School; it would not be a parochial school and the school would accept students of all faiths. It would be an Independent Catholic School. As with other types of these Catholic Schools in the State, the Catholic Church would sponsor the School but would not be financially liable for the school.

The Board reviewed whether the staff would be transferred to the new school and Picard stated that the teachers would be invited to transition to the new school. However, a Principal would be sought for the new school.

Charlie Fischer, a retired Daniel Hand High School teacher stated that one of the most important considerations is competition; the Public Schools do not have incentive to “be better” unless there is competition. He added that students that came from OLM to Daniel Hand High School were well-prepared for the coursework of High School.

Madison School Superintendent Tom Scarice stated that the Board of Education is working towards transitioning students from six elementary schools to five and the Board of Education was not aware of a timeline for handing back the keys to the Town for Island Avenue School.

If the Board of Selectmen would institute a timeline for returning the building to the Town, the Board of Education would need to know this timeline so that they could plan accordingly, Scarice said.

Photo by Jack Kramer