We were deeply disappointed to learn that the Sisters of the Divine Compassion rejected the generous and timely offer from Bally’s Foundation North America to purchase the Preston High School property, effectively halting efforts to save this beloved institution.
The Bronx Times article accurately highlights our collective shock and frustration at the Sisters’ unexplained decision, despite the foundation’s willingness to pay $8.5 million—matching the Sisters’ original asking price—and to lease the property back to Preston for just $1 per year.
As local elected officials, including Majority Leader Amanda Farías—a proud 2007 Preston graduate — Assembly Member Michael Benedetto and Senator Nathalia Fernandez, we have diligently explored every possible solution at the city and state level to keep Preston open. We examined funding options through NYCEDC, city and state sources and even engaged directly with the New York Attorney General’s Office and the Charities Bureau to help navigate potential paths forward toward independence for the school.
The Bally’s Foundation proposal represented an optimal and realistic opportunity to preserve the educational legacy Preston High School offers generations of young women in the Bronx, making the Sisters’ rejection of the offer all the more perplexing.
We stand alongside the over 10,000 petition signers—alumni, parents, students and community members — who still seek answers and transparency. Our community deserves clarity about why this viable solution was dismissed, and we continue to advocate strongly for accountability and transparency from the Sisters of the Divine Compassion and Preston’s Board of Trustees.
