PROSPECT HEIGHTS, Ill. (WLS) — A school in Prospect Heights announced it will close its doors due to lack of funding.
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The community of St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic School protested against the decision on Monday.
“We want to save our school, because we’re really devastated,” student Olivia Trecizak said.
Parents expressed surprise and disappointment at the unexpected announcement of the school closure. They mentioned that if they had been informed sooner, they would have attempted to fundraise to prevent the shutdown.
“My family is among the first generation in the U.S.,” said volunteer and alum Sara Duncan. “My mother immigrated here from Iraq, where she discovered this school along with her sisters. We enrolled at a very young age and eventually graduated. Currently, my mom is employed here.”
The school’s pastor made the announcement to the school:
“The school and parish have been working hard to avoid this situation by prioritizing budget efficiency and enrollment over the past year… However, despite these efforts, there has been a significant drop in enrollment this school year, and the forecast for the next year shows a similar trend, rendering the school’s financial shortfall unsustainable.”
Those rallying against the decision said they weren’t aware of funding issues.
“Now, we are in this position where we don’t know where to send them,” volunteer soccer coach Greg said. “All the schools around us our packed.”
The community set the goal to raise $500,000, however, they’ve been told that even with if they raise the money – the school is set to close.
“I also told them that we’re not going to go down without a fight,” parent Aly Ortiz said.
Parents told ABC7 that the students who participated in the rally on Monday were not allowed back into the school.
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