Villa Park Catholic school fighting to stay open

Plagued by declining enrollment and high tuition, another Catholic school may be forced to close or dramatically reinvent itself.

In the meantime, supporters of St. Alexander Catholic School in Villa Park are rallying to keep the 84-year-old elementary school open.

Principal Glenn Purpura says the Joliet Diocese is recommending the school close at the end of this school year, or switch from a K-8 school into an early childhood center.

A spokesman for the diocese said no decisions have been made.

The school has until Jan. 4 to respond with a plan to boost its enrollment and financial viability, he said.

"We need to have a big push in the next three weeks," Purpura said. "We need to have a good, concise, realistic plan (to present) to the diocese to have them reconsider their recommendation."

More than 125 parents and parishioners met Thursday to talk about ways to ensure the school's survival. Alumni age 25 and older will be getting pledge cards in the mail, and a special collection for the school will be taken during Masses on Dec. 12 and 13.

People have responded with "a variety of emotions - anger and sadness and what can we do to keep the school going," Purpura said.

Doug Delaney, executive assistant to Bishop J. Peter Sartain, stressed that no decisions have been made about school closings or consolidations.

A two-year strategic study of Catholic schools in the Joliet Diocese won't be completed until the spring, but some information is being shared now with school communities.

Overall, Catholic school enrollment in DuPage County has leveled off from the steep declines of five or six years ago. High school enrollment has dipped just 1 percent in the past year, elementary school enrollment 1.4 percent.

But individually, some schools are struggling, largely because of demographics.

Driscoll Catholic High School in Addison closed its doors in May, despite a last-ditch effort by supporters that raised nearly $1 million in 20 days. Christ the King School in Lombard reopened as an early learning center for ages 3 to 5 this fall, and St. Joseph Catholic School in Addison and St. Charles Borromeo in Bensenville merged.

St. Alexander's enrollment is 128 this year; by comparison, the school had 293 students in 2002-03.

Tuition is a key concern, Purpura said. St. Alexander's tuition is $4,600 per child.

The school needs to raise money from other sources so it can lower the tuition and attract more families, Purpura said.

In addition to seeking support from alumni and parishioners without children in school, St. Alexander will be reaching out to the business community in Villa Park, Purpura said.

The recommendation for St. Alexander to become an early childhood center is contingent upon two neighboring Catholic elementary schools - Sacred Heart and St. Pius X, both in Lombard - closing their preschools, Purpura said.

Sacred Heart is willing to send preschoolers to St. Alexander, but St. Pius wants to keep its preschool, Purpura said.