Luther North High School battling foreclosure

Nearly a year to the day the Christian Brothers announced plans to close Driscoll Catholic, another long-standing parochial high school may fall victim to the economy.

Chicago's Luther High School North, once billed as the largest Lutheran high school in the world, must raise $1.8 million in a month to prevent foreclosure on the school at the end of the academic year.

The school's board of trustees voted to commit to try and raise the funds Monday night.

The vote came after the Lutheran Church Extension Fund, which has provided the Portage Park school with $1.3 million in loans, informed the school in late March that it would execute its deed in May if Luther North could not pay up.

The school board felt raising $1.8 million was necessary to keep enrollment numbers up, Principal Tom Wiemann, of Mount Prospect said.

"Right now we're having trouble running our plant with 210 kids," he said.

With tuition at $7,350, about 70 percent of current students receive some sort of financial aid, Wiemann said. Almost all of the 40 incoming freshman are in need of aid, too.

Students were told about the news at a Tuesday afternoon assembly. A letter is being sent home with parents.

Luther North, formerly the Luther Institute, is celebrating its centennial this year.

Drawing students from Lutheran grade schools across the suburbs and the Northwest Side of Chicago, Luther North boasted 1,400 students in the early 1970s - making it the single largest Lutheran high school in existence.

"I've been here 34 years and I went here and my parents went here and my aunts and uncles went here. That's pretty neat. But it's pretty heart-wrenching these days, too," Wiemann said.

Driscoll Catholic High School in Addison closed its doors last May, despite a last-ditch effort by supporters that raised nearly $1 million in 20 days.

The Christian Brothers, the order that ran the school, originally announced plans to close Driscoll on April 2 - one day after tuition rates were to be frozen at $7,000.

A committee representing students, parents, administrators, alumni and the public responded by mounting an ambitious campaign to save the school.

But Christian Brothers rejected the alternate operating plan and said the school would need "millions more" than the money that was raised.

Luther North plans to call on its more than 10,000 alumni to help raise the funds. It will hold a town-hall meeting April 13, informing parents and school supporters on the progress in meeting the benchmark.

School officials said they would also be open to selling the school building and then paying to rent out the space, or letting another group use a portion of the building's space.

"Those are all possibilities. It's in the late hours," Wiemann said.

For information or to donate go to luthernorth.org.