UPDATED STORY:

Pastor ‘Confident She’ll Do Excellent Job’

By Mary Frost

PARK SLOPE — Following weeks of protests over the firing of beloved principal Jim Flanagan, parents at St. Saviour Elementary School recently received word that a new principal, Maura Lorenzen, had been chosen by Pastor Daniel S. Murphy.

“I have the highest regard for Ms. Lorenzen and am confident she’ll do an excellent job leading the school as the new principal,� Fr. Murphy told Learning Curves Monday. “She’s highly regarded in the community, she’s lived in Park Slope her whole life and is well known and well respected.�

Fr. Murphy said that Ms. Lorenzen will start Aug. 15.

But Lorenzen, who has been praised for her work as co-director at Congregation Beth Elohim’s Early Childhood Center, faces an uphill battle winning the trust and confidence of the hundreds of St. Saviour parents who vow to continue their protests.

It’s not about Lorenzen, say parents – it’s about Principal Flanagan. “A lot of people say she’s great,� said parent Cindy Brolsma, who has three children attending St. Saviour. “She might be fine; she’s a human being, I don’t want to trash her.� But Brolsma is one of many parents who feel Flanagan is being forced out because he disagreed with Fr. Murphy about raising tuition.

“She’s a little too much of an insider — she was on the School Finance Committee, even though she has no kids at the school,� Brolsma said. “She’s one of those who pushed for higher tuition.�

St. Saviour Preservation Society Formed

Until May 11, St. Saviour Elementary School appeared to be a model Brooklyn parochial school. The school is fully enrolled, and boasts outstanding test scores, involved parents and a respected principal and teachers.

But on May 11, a memo from Fr. Murphy was distributed to the teachers at St. Saviour informing them that Principal Flanagan’s contract was not being renewed.

Since then a large block of parents — who call themselves the St. Saviour Preservation Society — have battled Fr. Murphy’s decision and have supported Principal Flanagan by picketing, organizing a web site (http:// stsaviours.wordpress.com) and publicizing their plight to the world.

Just last week the group submitted a petition signed by 681 parishioners, parents and concerned neighbors to Diocese of Brooklyn’s Bishop DiMarzio and Auxiliary Bishop Caggiano.

“We’re picking a date for our next picket,� Brolsma said. “And we’re launching another petition. We want Fr. Murphy to explain the reasons for firing Principal Flanagan and his process in hiring the new principal.� In June, Father Murphy told the Brooklyn Eagle that he was carrying out Bishop DiMarzio’s long-term vision for the Diocese, called Preserving the Vision.

“We need a principal with the leadership skills that look towards the future,� he said. “Principal Flanagan has done a superb job, but things are changing. We need a principal with the vision for that change, so we can implement Bishop DiMarzio’s plan well. This doesn’t just apply to St. Saviour, this applies to all the schools in the Diocese.�

Rumors of Charter School Conversion Sweep the School

Kathy Rowland, a St. Saviour mom, say on Tuesday that parents have no idea what Fr. Murphy’s vision is — and says they fear that Fr. Murphy is considering converting St. Saviour into a charter school. “It’s in the minutes of the May Parish Council Meeting. One person on the council — Maura Lorenzen — was going to look into it,� she said. “It’s very upsetting. Father Murphy will not respond to us.�

Rowland said that conversion to a charter school is “supposed to be for failing schools. But we’re listed as thriving.�

Parents sent Learning Curves this snippet from the meeting minutes for the May 12, 2009 Parish Planning Council meeting:

“Ann Ryan distributed two documents about ‘Charter Schools,’ which is a route some (e.g. Mayor Bloomberg) felt local Catholic schools might pursue, and said that she thought Maura Lorenzen was preparing some material on the subject for a future meeting. At this point, Fr. Murphy thought it was appropriate to mention that our elementary school was operating currently at a small profit (approximately $20,000).�

Another parent, Laura Campbell-Lui, confirmed that charter school rumors were sweeping the school. But, she says, parents can get neither a confirmation nor a denial from Fr. Murphy. “He’s discussed it with the Finance Committee, but he has not disclosed his agenda with parents,� she said.

In an email received by the Brooklyn Eagle Wednesday, Father Murphy categorically denied the rumor, saying, "The rumor that St. Saviour is becoming a charter school is totally false, totally unfounded."

Father Kieran Harrington, spokesperson for the Brooklyn Diocese, told the Eagle in June that each parish is an autonomous corporation. “We try to facilitate the process but every decision is made at the local level. The person who makes the decisions is Father Murphy ... He hires, he fires. He signs all the contracts for the parish. We don’t even set salaries.�

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