The Diocese of Allentown has reached an agreement with the North Schuylkill School District to sell the land and buildings that used to house the former Cardinal Brennan Junior-Senior High School in Ashland to the school district for $825,000. The school district’s high school campus is adjacent to the Cardinal Brennan property.
As announced when the Diocese put the school property on the market in July, all proceeds of the sale will remain in Schuylkill County as an investment in the future of Catholic young people in the North Schuylkill region. The proceeds will fund scholarships for students wishing to attend Trinity Academy, scholarships for students from North Schuylkill parishes wishing to attend Nativity or Marian High Schools, and will enhance the area’s youth ministry programs.
Cardinal Brennan Junior-Senior High School closed in June 2007. Since that time the two gymnasiums on the property were used by CYO teams in the area. Those teams are now using alternative gymnasiums in the area.
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Announcement from North Schuylkill School District
We are pleased to announce the addition of the Cardinal Brennan campus to our existing campus at North Schuylkill School District. This expansion will serve the communities that comprise North Schuylkill, and our greatest assets, the students of the North Schuylkill School District. Our students have been at the forefront of our decision making as members of the North Schuylkill School Board. This acquisition was thoroughly researched and planned with our Board and Administrative team. We understand that with all decisions to purchase property numerous questions will arise.
The first item we would like to convey is that the purchase was made possible due to the financial planning of our Business Manager, Mr. Robert Amos. Mr. Amos is fiscally conservative and is a steward of our tax dollars. He has enabled us to utilize monies from our Capital Reserve Fund, a fund that may only be used for Capital Projects, of which the purchase of this real estate is included. As a result of sound fiscal planning, your taxes will not increase due to the purchase of this beautiful campus.
Secondly, during this process it was our understanding that several types of businesses and industry were interested in the purchase of Cardinal Brennan. We wanted to preserve our neighborhood from negative environmental impacts and safety concerns while preserving the heritage and memories of those who have attended the school, from the time it was the Immaculate Heart Academy to becoming Cardinal Brennan.
Our decision was also impacted by our continued lack of space on our existing campus for academic pursuits and athletic competitions. We believe our students need additional facilities to grow and excel in all of their scholastic endeavors. We also believe that we need to be forward thinking with the possible needs of the educational process and the demands on the educational system to become more competitive, through individualized instruction, while maximizing our physical facilities. The Cardinal Brennan campus is contiguous to our already existing property which will allow for future opportunities for our students.
We would like to thank the Diocese of Allentown for working with us to allow us to expand our campus and preserve our neighborhood, while keeping the memories of Cardinal Brennan intact and allowing the property to continue to be utilized for educational purposes. We look forward to the opportunity to continue to build on the educational programming of our School District in working to provide the greatest educational exposure for our children. We are excited to have the potential to increase activities and events at North Schuylkill through this acquisition, and we expect our school district to become a hub of activity, to include our Community Involvement Series and many athletic and recreational pursuits being offered to the greater North Schuylkill community.