Board President Joe Armocida replied that it was too early to tell, but added that the district had been working potential enrollee numbers into its budget since it received news of the school’s closing on Dec. 6.

Local resident Diana Panariello Sorrentino said she is afraid the closing of St. Catherine’s will cause public schools to become overcrowded, interfering with the quality of education. “My children went to private school many years ago, and I think it was better,” she said. “[But] people can’t afford to send their children to private schools because taxes are too high, and now, see what is happening?”

Murphy wrote that Figliozzi and the administration of St. Catherine’s will help parents place their children at neighboring parochial schools for 2012-13. In early January, he added, the diocese will hold an information session at which parents can meet representatives from neighboring schools. He also wrote that he hopes the diocese’s continued investment in Catholic elementary education will allow it to deliver that education to more families and students in the future. “What the future holds,” he wrote, “no one can predict.”

More information on the diocese’s strategic plan and the reorganization of schools can be found at https://www.drvc.org.

Comments on this story? JNash@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 214.