WEST MILFORD It was with heartbreak that families heard the news St. Joseph’s School will not reopen in September. The news comes just as the school, which opened in 1956, celebrates its 50th year. Parents, staff and people from the church community have been working for more than a year to prevent the closing. In addition to trying to draw in more families, they eliminated the seventh and eighth grades in hopes of keeping costs down. But in the end, they did not have enough students paying tuition to provide the staff with salaries and benefits. St. Joseph’s is one of six Passaic County Catholic schools that will permanently close its doors in June. The parents of the 84 students currently enrolled at St. Joe’s met this week with pastors and principals from nearby Catholic schools, including Our Lady Queen of Peace, also in West Milford. According to one parent, Our Lady Queen of Peace had enrolled 18 of the St. Joseph students as of Wednesday afternoon. They are hoping to enroll more, as they too have seen a declining number of students. Father Sigmund Peplowski, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church said in a press release from the Diocese of Paterson’s communication office that it was a sad and difficult decision, “I ask all of you to join me in prayer with gratitude to God for all the wonderful achievements of our school. We ask our Lord to guide and sustain families, teachers and staff as we journey through these challenging transitions.”