Parent Organizers Call Off Fundraiser To Save Wayne Catholic School

WAYNE, NJ — A parent-led effort to fundraise $500,000 to help keep Wayne's Immaculate Heart of Mary elementary school open has fallen short, organizers said.

The IHM School at 580 Ratzer Road serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It opened in 1959 next door to the Catholic church of the same name, but is set to close at the end of this school year.

Leadership from the church and the Diocese of Paterson announced that the school was in an "untenable" financial position in May and that it would shut down this fall, as Patch reported.

In a letter to the community, Reverend Mateusz Jasniewicz said that the parish had to grant the school $224,000 to help keep it running this year, and projected a total expected deficit of $375,000 for the year.

Jasniewicz also said that declining enrollment has made it difficult to continue operating the school without hiking tuition for the existing families.

"Additionally, the proximity of excellent, tuition- free public schools significantly detracts from our value proposition, making it increasingly difficult to justify the financial burden associated with private education," he wrote.

The school is a subsidiary of IHM Catholic Church, which is itself a nonprofit, as a teacher explained to Patch.

Parents, teachers, and other community members had been trying to find a solution with church trustees and other decision-makers, while asking for more transparency about school fundraisers and finances.

The online fundraiser had a goal of $500,000, but had only raised $16,335 as of Saturday. Organizer Brian Stieve had been updating parents and community members throughout the process, and said Monday that he had begun refunding payments to donors.

He also said some parents spoke with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney last week, and had sent out a survey to other IHM families to gauge possible enrollment for the 2024/25 school year. Given the existing financial deficit and the projected number of students, Stieve said the odds seemed "impossible to overcome."

"Past a certain point, it's near if not impossible to overcome that deficit," he wrote.

"Thank you all for your support with this endeavor and I wish I had better news to share."

The last day of classes is June 20, according to the school calendar.

Some IHM families have already had to move elementary school communities, as there are three others in the county that have closed in the past 10 years: St. Francis of Assisi School in Wanaque, St. Catherine of Bologna School in Ringwood and St. Mary's School in Pompton Lakes.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary School's closing would leave four parochial elementary schools remaining in Passaic County which are connected to the Diocese of Paterson. Students who choose to transfer to one of their remaining elementary schools can get a $1,500 subsidy for tuition, which will be payable directly to the school.

The Diocese, which is handling media inquiries, did not respond to Patch's request for further comment by press time.

The IHM School was also recently the only New Jersey school to be accepted into a special program for students to connect with astronauts on the International Space Station, as well as the only Catholic school. The school anticipated that students would be able to speak with astronauts this fall, using amateur radio.

The Diocese of Paterson has not said if the students will be able to participate in the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program at another building, after multiple inquiries.

Past articles:

• Wayne's Immaculate Heart Of Mary School Closing This Fall, Church Says
• Parents Continue Push To Keep Wayne Catholic Elementary School Open