West Catholic President Resigns Amid Uproar Over Failure To Appeal Closure
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Amid a firestorm of criticism over his decision not to fight the planned closure of his school, the president of West Catholic High School has resigned.
Brother Tim Ahern, the president at West Catholic High School for the last seven years, has resigned.
Ahern decided not to challenge the Blue Ribbon Commission's recommendation that West Catholic be closed, saying he'd looked at enrollment projections and didn't want to give anyone false hopes. But that move created what the Archdiocese called an "untenable atmosphere for Brother Tim within the school." His resignation is effective immediately.
West Catholic was one of four Archdiocese high schools recommended for closure, and the only one not to appeal the recommendation. The Archdiocese named Assistant Superintendent Dr. Thomas Rooney to serve as West Catholic's acting president for the rest of the school year.
