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Two Catholic elementary schools in Essex and Bergen counties will permanently close in June, the Archdiocese of Newark announced Tuesday.

Aquinas Academy in Livingston and Visitation Academy in Paramus will close June 30.

Aquinas Academy was known as the Saint Philomena School when it opened in 1952. Visitation Academy in Paramus opened in 1953 as Our Lady of the Visitation Elementary School.

Both will close at the conclusion of the school year due to declining enrollment and financial challenges, the archdiocese said.

“We recognize the impact of this news on students, families, faculty, and the entire school communities at both Aquinas Academy and Visitation Academy, both of which leave behind strong and decades-long legacies of faith and academic excellence,” said Barbara Dolan, the archdiocese’s superintendent of Catholic schools.

“Moving forward, our goal is to honor these extraordinary legacies while continuing to support students and families and all of those affected by these difficult but necessary closures,” Dolan said.

More than 30 Catholic schools in New Jersey have closed in the past five years, with officials citing declining enrollment and financial pressures.

At least four Catholic schools in New Jersey are permanently closing in June.

In addition to the Aquinas Academy and Visitation Academy, Immaculate Conception School in Spotswood in Middlesex County was notified April 4 that it will be closing when classes conclude.

Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair is permanently closing in June after 100 years in operation, the Archdiocese of Newark announced in February.

The archdiocese currently operates 67 Catholic elementary and secondary schools enrolling nearly 22,000 students in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties.

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For a growing number of low-income college students, summer does not necessarily mean time off from school. The expansion of the Tuition Aid Grant program to include summer classes has allowed students to continue toward their degree at a lower cost — but this could be the last summer the financial aid is available.

Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed budget does not include funding for Summer TAG, which has helped around 24,000 students in its first two years. At budget hearings, college presidents called for the Legislature to add $30 million for summer tuition aid to the budget for next year so the program can continue in summer 2026. This is one of several requests from higher education leaders, who are raising alarm about potential cuts at the state and federal levels.

“It’s a perfect storm of disinvestment,” said Eric Friedman, president of Bergen Community College.

Lawmakers have until the end of June to pass a budget for the fiscal year starting on July 1, a budget that likely will look different from the $58.3 billion plan Murphy proposed. The administration is calling it a “tight budget year,” which means cuts to programs like Summer TAG that the governor has promoted throughout his time in office. Murphy is calling for record-high state spending and over $1 billion in new taxes and fees to support that spending.

Full funding for Summer TAG in 2026 would cost about $36 million, according to Margo Chaly, executive director of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.

Summer TAG was only introduced in 2023

Participation in the program has grown since its introduction in 2023. To participate, students must be enrolled in at least six credit hours over the summer and have received a TAG award during the previous school year.

At the state’s 18 community colleges, Summer TAG is seen as key to keeping students engaged with school and helping their return in the fall.

Matthew Fessler, dean of enrollment at Hudson County Community College, said students who take summer classes after their first year are 68% more likely to return for their second year. The school has been pushing students to take summer classes to improve retention, offering up to seven free credits over the summer by paying a student’s remaining tuition balance after accounting for financial aid and scholarships. This year, nearly 50% more students are enrolled in summer classes than last year, Fessler said.

Darali Garacia, a first-year student studying to be a social worker, said Summer TAG keeps her on track and engaged.

“If I weren’t to receive it, I think I would be sidetracked, and I won’t be as motivated to continue studying,” Garacia said.

Who stands to lose most?

Eric Friedman, president of Bergen Community College, said keeping students engaged over the summer helps limit the number of students who drop out, which is an important goal of the state’s community colleges.

“We can keep students going year-long, moving them towards their goals, their dreams, their degrees without this long valley of the summer where they can’t afford to take classes,” Friedman said. “We don’t want them off from May until Labor Day. That’s a long period of time to get disconnected and to lose interest.”

Removing Summer TAG funding would impact the most vulnerable students by delaying their degree completion and increasing the cost of their college education, Friedman said. Many community college students are balancing work, child care, elder care or other responsibilities with their course work, he said.

Summer enrollment at Bergen Community College is usually about 7,000 students, which is half of enrollment during the typical school year. This summer, about 500 students are receiving more than $500,000 in summer TAG awards.

Chris Reber, president of Hudson County Community College, said about 90% of his students rely on financial aid and more than two-thirds have suffered from housing insecurity, food insecurity and homelessness. This means finishing school quickly and at a low cost is important, he said.

What students say

“Without taking these classes this summer, I would not be graduating on time,” said Roah Moustafa, a second-year student and Summer TAG recipient at Hudson County Community College.

Malaya Allen, a recent graduate of Hudson County Community College, said taking summer classes last year without a Summer TAG award would have put a financial burden on her entire family. Allen would have tried to take the additional classes in the fall and spring semesters instead, which would have been “overwhelming,” she said.

This summer, 650 Hudson County Community College students are eligible for Summer TAG, an increase of 115% from 2023. Sylvia Mendoza, dean of financial aid, said she expects the number would grow next summer if Summer TAG were available then.

The higher summer enrollment is, the more summer courses that can be offered to all students, not just those receiving TAG awards. By allowing more students to make progress toward graduation over the summer, it helps the local economy by filling openings in education, health care and other high-need fields earlier, Friedman said.

If Summer TAG grants are ended, he said, “We really are undermining New Jersey’s stated goals of open access to higher education and college completion.”

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Following a chilly, rainy week, the sun was expected to break through by Saturday afternoon in North Jersey. But beach-worthy temperatures may elude Shore-goers throughout the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Temperatures on Saturday will not get past the low-60s in northern New Jersey or the mid-60s along the Jersey Shore, while brisk wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph will add to the unseasonable bite, according to Patrick O'Hara of the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

"Today's kind of a cloudy day in North Jersey and even the Shore," the meteorologist said on Saturday. "A little below normal, temperature-wise, and more clouds than sun today.

There's a slight chance of scattered showers crossing through North Jersey, but "the Shore is pretty dry," O'Hara said.

Memorial Day weekend forecast

Look for improvement in the weather on Sunday — "fewer clouds but temperatures around the same," according to O'Hara. Monday will be slightly warmer, but still in the low-to-mid-70s on average from Bergen to Barnegat.

Memorial Day looks like "the best day of the holiday weekend," according to Accuweather's latest forecast.

Those who insist on diving into the surf will be met with average water temperatures of about 60 degrees along the coast.

But for those who choose to stay on dry land, weather should not hinder your holiday plans.

Memorial Day parades, travel

NEW YORK — Of all the clutch moments and big-time performances from Luke Weaver during his stint as the Yankees’ closer last fall, the right-hander learned the most from one of his club’s lowest points in the playoffs.

After the disastrous events that unfolded in the fifth inning of Game 5 in the World Series, it was Weaver who was on the mound when the Dodgers tied the game and retook the lead in the eighth. They went on to win the game, and the series, one inning later.

Weaver, who is back to closing games for the Yankees after Devin Williams’ well-deserved demotion, had entered with the bases loaded and nobody out in relief of Tommy Kahnle. Two runs scored, both via the sacrifice fly, as the Dodgers jumped in front. Kahnle was responsible for those runners, so he was charged with the earned runs and the loss. Weaver was struck by the experience and he how he thought he handled the situation.

“I know I wasn’t particularly the superhero and struck out the side or anything,” Weaver said Sunday night, “but it was just a moment of it could have really unraveled and I just felt like I tried to stay in the moment and make sure it was pitch to pitch and situational. They had a couple sac flies there, but I felt like I handled the situation well. I just didn’t get the perfect result. And that turned into being down one from being up one, but I think in that moment, I just had really clear thinking, and I knew what my mission was. It’s not always perfect, but I felt like I was proud of myself and how I handed it overall.”

Those experiences gave Weaver a foundation to lean on. Since then, he’s been able to tell himself, if he can pitch through that in the World Series — or close out tight games earlier in the Yankees’ postseason run — then he can slow any game down and get through sticky situations. It’s about a simple approach.

“Throw strikes, get him out as quick as possible, and let the defense work,” Weaver explained. “And if you get some strikeouts, then it’s a bonus.”

Now that he finds himself back in the ninth inning again as of this past weekend, thanks to Williams’ dreadful start to the season, Weaver can pull more inspiration from those playoff appearances. The Yankees need him to continue to dominate in high-leverage spots.

If Weaver’s performance to this point in 2025 is any indication, he’s on track to have another memorable run in the back of the Yankees’ bullpen. Factoring in his clean ninth inning on Sunday night, Weaver has thrown 14 scoreless frames in relief so far this year. He’s faced 50 batters and allowed just three hits, posting an absurd .067 opponent batting average.

The right-hander is pumped to be closing games again, but he’s not putting any labels on it. He called the Yankees’ current bullpen situation a committee despite manager Aaron Boone revealing he’d use Weaver for most save opportunities moving forward.

Weaver had Williams’ back as he spoke on Sunday night. He doesn’t want to see any of his teammates struggle, certainly not in the way that Williams has through this first month of the year.

“You want everybody to just dominate and do great in all facets of the game, and he certainly will do that,” Weaver said. “But at the moment, it’s just about doing it as a collective effort, and whoever needs to do it that day, will.”

Weaver then added on Williams: “The guy is a stud, he’s really good at what he does. He goes through the ebbs and flows of the season and sometimes it’s magnified a little bit more than we want, but it’s a tough job. It’s a tough job that definitely has a lot more exposure to it. You can get away with some misses and some things earlier in the game, give the offense a chance, but like I’ve said, through every failure is going to be some pretty rainbow and some sunshine. So we’ll be alright.”

MORE YANKEES COVERAGE

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Max Goodman may be reached at mgoodman@njadvancemedia.com.

While New Jersey is notoriously known as one of the most expensive states to live in, one report says there are states with pricier housing costs.

In WalletHub's latest report, the personal finance website ranks all 50 states by how much homeowners and renters typically spend on housing. This is based on how much of each state's median monthly household income goes toward housing expenses like rent, mortgage payments and home energy.

"Homeowners and homebuyers have faced whiplash over the past few years, with housing prices soaring and interest rates fluctuating from historic lows back up to the highest rates in more than a decade," WalletHub writer and analyst Chip Lupo said in the report. "In some states, housing costs can take up around 50% of the median income."

New Jersey ranked 15th overall for its housing costs for homeowners, which are said in the report to equal about 28.03% of the median monthly household income across the state. And the state ranked 25th for renting, with those costs making up about 27.62% of the state's median monthly household income.

WalletHub compiled these rankings based on data, collected as of March 26, from the Council for Community and Economic Research, the U.S. Census Bureau, Zillow and the site's own research. But it doesn't take into account the cost of additional expenses such as property taxes, utilities and insurance, among other things.

For example, the average property tax bill for homeowners in New Jersey exceeded $10,000 in 2020 for the first time ever, reported the state Department of Community Affairs. And homeowners in almost half of the Garden State's 21 counties paid more than $10,000 in property taxes last year.

Similarly, New Jersey residents have seen sharp increases in utility costs throughout the year, with electricity costs expected to increase by 17.23% to 20.20% this summer.

Bankrate also recently found that a six-figure salary is needed to buy a home in 30 U.S. states. In New Jersey, a median annual household income of $160,001 is needed to afford the state's median-priced home of $539,100, which is the eight-highest in the nation.

WalletHub's report said homeowners spend the most money on housing in Hawaii (53.47%), California (45.99%), Oregon (36.27%), Nevada (35.29%) and Washington (34.82%). And renters typically spend the most money on housing in New York (54.42%), Hawaii (52.88%), Massachusetts (48.78%), Florida (42.64%) and Maine (41.78%).

On the other end, homeowners are said in the report to spend the least money on housing in Iowa (18.84%), West Virginia (19.94%), Kansas (20.12%), Nebraska (20.37%) and Ohio (20.38%), while renters spend the least money in Kansas (19.11%), Iowa (19.32%), Wyoming (19.64%), Minnesota (21.11%) and Oklahoma (21.63%).

Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.com.