Question 1

Who is the OLMA Preservation Coalition?  What is your affiliation with the current Board of Directors and President?

Accepted Answer

The Preservation Coalition has zero affiliation with the existing Board of Directors or the administration of Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Inc. who were entrusted with the financial and operational management and oversight of Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Inc. which is closing in June.

The Preservation Coalition is a completely separate, independent, non-profit entity, newly founded and formed after the closure announcement of Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Inc. on January 8, 2024.

The Preservation Coalition’s mission is to ensure that the mission and vision of the Sisters of Mercy Brooklyn and the principles upon which Our Lady of Mercy Academy was founded in 1928 are perpetuated into the future - as a new, reimagined school, OLMA’s legacy, and a vital force for educating and empowering young women for the next 95 years.

The Preservation Coalition is comprised of alumnae, parents, students, and community members who share this vision and who are prepared to ensure a sustainable, long-term solution to carry out this mission.

Question 2

Who are the decision makers regarding the facility, property, and school? What is the current leadership structure / hierarchy of Our Lady of Mercy Academy, and has it always been governed this way?

Accepted Answer

The Sisters of Mercy of The Americas are the ultimate decision makers who own the property and the school facilities utilized by Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Inc.

Mercy Education System of the Americas (MESA) is the educational arm of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. MESA advises all of the schools within the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas educational portfolio. MESA evaluates the school for continued sponsorship and makes recommendations to the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, but it has no governing authority over the school itself.

The Board of Directors of Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Inc. is responsible for the financial and operational management and oversight of the school, including appointing and evaluating the performance of the President who, along with the Principal, runs the day to day operations of the school, including enrollment and fundraising activities.

Regarding the history of the school’s operations as we understand it, OLMA was founded, owned, and operated by a local chapter of the Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of Mercy Brooklyn, for most of Our Lady of Mercy Academy’s history.

On or around 2017, as Brooklyn Sisters of Mercy grew older and dwindled in number, they consolidated their assets as a local chapter to the national level and ceded the school and the surrounding property to the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.

At this time, the operating model of the school changed.  Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Inc. a nonprofit organization governed by a Board of Directors, became the tenant operator, and the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas became the landlord and owner of the property and facilities.
MESA, Mercy Education Systems of the Americas, served as both an intermediary and in an advisory capacity, sitting in between the owners (Sisters of Mercy of the Americas) and the operators (Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Inc).
The responsibility for fundraising, budgets, strategic planning, student recruitment, and the general day-to-day operations of the school resided with the Board of Directors & President of Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Inc. It is this entity that is projecting a $2.5 mm loss by the end of this school year, which the Sisters have decided to close.

Question 3

Is the school closing in June 2024?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The ultimate decision makers, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, have decided Our Lady of Mercy Academy will close in June 2024. They are unwavering in this decision and immovable on this point.

Question 4

Why are you supporting the closure in June 2024?  Why can’t the school re-open in September 2024?

Accepted Answer

We are supporting the closure, because we do not own the school property or facilities. Until we can secure a lease or purchase, running a school on the Sisters property in their facility is simply not possible.

While our first offer to lease / purchase was not accepted, we are open and committed to working with the Sisters should they wish to house a school in the image and likeness of Our Lady of Mercy Academy on their property in the future.

To reiterate, without their cooperation, it is simply not possible.

Current families deserve sufficient time to make their plans thoughtfully and proceed accordingly.

Question 5

Have you been able to engage the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas?

Accepted Answer

After several outreach efforts requesting the opportunity to formally present our plan, The Sisters’ have denied our request and provided the following written RESPONSE.(https://www.olmapc.org/letter-response)

1. While the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas have not disclosed what they are doing with the building, they are certain it will not be used for a school.
2. Their mission of educating women (on the Syosset campus) has come to an end and they have no interest in sponsoring a new school - nor should we create anything new in their image and likeness.

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