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 feeling caught off guard by the sudden announcement to shut down the school. They believed that if they had known earlier, they could have mobilized efforts to fundraise and prevent the closure.
“Sharing her personal connection to the school, Sara Duncan, a volunteer and alumni, shared, “My family’s roots in the U.S. started with my mother, who immigrated from Iraq. The school played a vital role in our lives – from my mom and her sisters attending to my own education. Today, my mom is even part of the staff.”
Father Greg Wojcik made the following announcement to the school:
“Despite dedicated efforts from both the school and parish to address financial challenges by focusing on cost-efficiency and increasing enrollment in the past year, the decline in student numbers this year was significant. Projections for the following year painted a similar picture, leading to an unsustainable financial deficit for the school.”
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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