St. Mary's Plans To Bring Urban Charter School To Mater Dei Campus

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — No, Gov. Phil Murphy did not ask St. Mary's Mother of God church in Middletown to house migrants from the border at Mater Dei.

This is completely false, St. Mary's business manager Glenn Holck stressed to Patch Thursday. In the past two days, multiple residents posted to Facebook that this is happening, and the news — well, fake news — has spread like wildfire throughout Middletown.

"On the Thursday night before Easter, Father Jeff (Kegley) gave a sermon that talked about love," said Holck. "He brought this up as a hypothetical: He said what if Gov. Murphy asked St. Mary's to house migrants? What if he asked us to put them up at Mater Dei? Father Jeff was asking us, guys, what would you do? Where is our love with this whole migrant situation? He left it hanging there, for us to think about as a hypothetical."

Holck has been St. Mary's business administrator, and a parishioner, for more than 30 years. He raised his children in the church. He said he immediately was nervous not all church members understood the pastor's point.

"I actually went up to him immediately after that service and said, uh some people might have misunderstood you. Some people may think this is actually happening."

A video of that March 28 sermon on the St. Mary's YouTube channel has since been taken down.

"After an influx of calls and messages from concerned residents and parents, Middletown was made aware of a social media post relating to the housing of illegal migrants at the former Mater Dei Prep School," Middletown Mayor Tony Perry posted to his own Facebook page Thursday afternoon. "While the Township has not been contacted by the Diocese of Trenton, Saint Mary’s Parish, nor any state agency about the suggested use, it is illegal under municipal and state law. As mayor my top priority is the safety and security of our residents, and I will never allow our community to be put in harm’s way. As more information becomes available, I will continue to provide you with further updates."

But what is happening at Mater Dei?

What is happening is that St. Mary's entered into a contract to house a charter school at Mater Dei.

Mater Dei was Middletown's longtime Catholic high school. Since the 1960s, it educated thousands of teenagers, and was a strong contender in high school sports for a period. Many in Middletown were heartbroken to see Mater Dei permanently close in 2022, but the Diocese of Trenton said enrollment had dwindled to a mere 220 students, and the school could not cover a $1-million yearly operating deficit.

Now this spring, St. Mary's signed a contract with a charter school called College Achieve Public School (CAPS). The plan is to house 9th-12th grade CAPS students in the Mater Dei high school building.

The students will come from current CAPS schools in Asbury Park and Neptune, said Holck. The students will be bused to the Middletown campus.

Some Middletown parents who send their kids to the St. Mary's preschool are not happy about this. St. Mary's preschool currently uses the Mater Dei high school building.

"The fear is the PreK kids will be put into trailers," said one Middletown father who did not want to be named.

There are also elementary kids who go to St. Mary's grammar school, a separate building from the high school. While their building will likely not be affected should CAPS move in, the elementary students and CAPS high schoolers will have to share use of the Mater Dei gym, aid Holck.

The initial plan is to bring 140 CAPS teenagers from the Asbury Park/Neptune area into Mater Dei. But the former Catholic high school can accommodate up to 260 students, so the numbers will likely rise, said Holck.

According to Holck, St. Mary's parish and CAPS already signed a lease. St. Mary's is now waiting for the certificate of occupancy it applied for from Middletown Township. Holck said as soon as that CO is granted, the plan is to have CAPS students at Mater Dei starting in September.

It is the million-dollar question whether Middletown Twp. will grant St. Mary's that CO.

"The town has been very good to work with on this," said Holck Thursday morning. "As far as I know nobody at the town is trying to stop this."

Holck said St. Mary's parish had to find a tenant to move into the old Mater Dei building.

"It costs the parish $150,000 a year to keep that building, in between insurance and utilities. And it's basically sitting empty. So what do you do? As a parish, we have no money to be spared."

When asked how much CAPS would pay in rent, Holck declined to answer. But he did say:

"The money from this will fund much-needed renovations to St. Mary's School," he said. "It's a 66-acre campus. It can accommodate all students."

Prior: Mater Dei Prep In Middletown Closing, Citing Steep Drop In Enrollment (May 2022)