By Bianca Fortis
A Catholic high school in Middle Village is being sued by the Diocese of Brooklyn for failing to give up a portion of the revenues it makes from renting out unused space to a charter school, the diocese announced Tuesday.
The controversy centers around the parochial school, at 68-02 Metropolitan Ave., which is leasing some of its space to Middle Village Preparatory Charter School.
In 1976, the school’s board of trustees and the diocese agreed to allow the school to operate independently on property owned by the diocese, according to a statement released by the diocese.
It agreed to transfer the title to the school’s property at no cost with the agreement that the property could only be used for a Catholic high school, the diocese said. If the school closed, the property would be given back to the diocese.
According to the diocese, charter schools compete with Catholic schools that charge tuition, so the diocese requires any high school or parish that rents space out to a charter school to remit 40 percent of its revenues into the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Trust. The trust is used for scholarships to “disadvantaged students attending Catholic elementary schools negatively impacted by the Charter School,” according to the statement.
The diocese says its other parishes and schools that rent space to charter schools have all handed over the required portion of the revenues but Christ the King refuses to do the same. The middle school leases 50,000 square feet to the middle school, according to the diocese.
But according to a statement released by Christ the King High School’s board of trustees, the board has complied with the requirement to donate 40 percent of its rental income since July.
The lawsuit also seeks copies of any leases or other agreements for secular business that require space to be rented on the property, including a daycare center and a continuing education center.
“It is sad that we have to go to these lengths to have the rights of the people who comprise this diocese reaffirmed by the court,” Monsignor Steven Aguggia, judicial vicar of the diocese, said in a statement. “But it’s time for the diocese to get a full accounting from the Christ the King board of what has transpired over the years.”
The school uses the additional income to “improve and update the school’s physical plant, keep tuition at an affordable level for our parents and provide additional educational and spiritual after-school programs,” the board of trustees said.
Whatever is left is used to establish another scholarship fund, according to the board.
“Our unanimous board of trustees is absolutely confident in its legal, moral and ethical position with regard to the above dispute and looks forward to providing a quality Catholic education to its present and future students for many years to come,” Christ the King said.
Reach reporter Bianca Fortis by email at bfortis@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
