In NYC, 6 of the 15 schools slated for closing will remain open

Last month, Roman Catholic officials with the Archdiocese of New York announced recommendations for a major overhaul of parishes and schools in the metropolitan New York region. In all, 31 parishes were proposed for closing, along with 14 schools; two more sets of schools were recommended for potential mergers.

But after listening to appeals over the past few weeks from all but one school on the list, archdiocesan officials announced yesterday that only nine schools would close — eight on the original closing list and one that was initially recommended to merge with another school. That meant parents, teachers and principals at six schools — a higher number than many had expected — found themselves celebrating a new lease on life yesterday.