CHICAGO (WLS) — On Sunday, the St. Hubert community in Hoffman Estates marked one month since the announcement of their school’s impending closure due to financial challenges.
A passionate group of parents and students gathered for the 10:30 a.m. Mass, then rallied to advocate for their school’s survival. Assembled outside Holy Name Cathedral, they urged Cardinal Blase Cupich to engage with them, hoping to present new information that could potentially save the institution.
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“Our community is built on faith and well-being, and the archdiocese is dismantling these core elements instead of preserving them,” expressed Michelle Flowers, a St. Hubert alumna and parent.
Following their gathering at Holy Name, the group marched to the archdiocese headquarters, where they revealed insights from a forensic accountant they had commissioned to scrutinize the school’s financial situation.
“We’ve found that there’s sufficient funding for the school to operate for the next five years without any changes. By implementing a modest 10% cost reduction, we could achieve a positive cash flow within two years,” explained Jillian Bernas-Garcia, another St. Hubert parent.
Parents expressed their frustration with the archdiocese’s decision, citing low enrollment and financial deficits as the reasons for closure, especially since they were actively one year into a strategic three-year plan aimed at revitalizing the school.
“Our deficit was over half a million dollars when they brought it to our attention,” said St. Hubert alum and parent Julie Chirinos. “We worked so hard to turn that around, that in the very next year, our deficit was only $140,000.”
And while they are now appealing the decision through a process known as a Remonstratio, parents blame the archdiocese for a lack of transparency and poor management. Others whose schools have also been slated for closure feel similarly.
“They gave us six weeks, six weeks to raise $1 million,” said Our Lady of Humility parent Laura Alvarez. “There was lack of leadership in regard to transparency.”
A spokesperson with the Office of Catholic Schools at the archdiocese on Sunday said these decisions were made after months of discussions with St. Hubert and the other impacted schools, adding, “Many people have worked hard at each school to raise money and try to boost enrollment. We recognize and value those efforts but, in the end, the schools were not able to close the gaps, and they are no longer sustainable.”
Parents say St. Hubert is the only Catholic elementary school within their school district, meaning if they do in fact close at the end of the current school year, some families may have to move or travel long distances to keep their children within the Catholic school system.
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