St. Paschal contemplates shaky future

For years, St. Paschal Catholic School has struggled to stave off closure.

Prayers, parishioners and parents have managed to keep it open for the last four years, but present efforts may no longer be enough.

Enrollment for kindergarten through eighth grade has dwindled to 64 at this private Spokane Valley school. There’s no money left in savings. Candy sales, spaghetti dinners and other fundraisers haven’t raised enough. And the church, which has supported the school for years, has its own financial woes.

Now, parish leaders say they have no choice but to prepare for the worst-case scenario: shutting down St. Paschal School.

On Tuesday night, members of the parish pastoral and finance councils will meet with parents to discuss and possibly make decisions concerning the school’s future.

“We’re tapping the last of our reserves,” said Frank Cheyney, a member of the parish’s finance council.

Parents, meanwhile, are anxious about the outcome. Some are angry and blame the potential closure on the Spokane Diocese’s bankruptcy and the bishop’s proposed settlement offer of $45.7 million to 75 victims of clergy sexual abuse.

“The bishop never consulted me or other parishioners if he should file for bankruptcy,” said Greg Williams, a St. Paschal member since 2002.

Parish administrator Don McKenzie said the school has been struggling financially for many years, and the potential closure is not directly related to the diocese’s bankruptcy filing. Parishioners started discussing shutting down the school as early as 2002.

At the same time, however, “I don’t think you can say that the bankruptcy hasn’t had an impact on this,” said McKenzie, who noted how the school had been counting on a $7,500 grant from the diocese but learned only last week that the money fell through.

”(Bankruptcy) has certainly hurt our confidence in our ability to survive and continue,” he said. “Some people are uneasy about the future of anything that has ‘Catholic’ on it.”

Officials say the main cause of the potential closure is the declining enrollment.

In 2000, about 100 students attended St. Paschal, not counting the children in the adjoining Educare program. The total for kindergarten through eighth grade has decreased steadily in the last few years: 92 in the 2001-02 school year; about 77 in 2002-03; and now, only 64.

The statistics mirror what’s happening to Catholic school enrollment nationwide. According to the National Catholic Education Association, 173 Catholic schools were either closed or consolidated during the 2004-05 school year for a net loss of 136 schools. That same year, Catholic schools throughout the country experienced a 2.6 percent dip in enrollment.

St. Paschal School needs about 95 students to sustain itself, said Cheyney. Since enrollment has been much lower in recent years, the church has tried to subsidize the school through parish collections. When money from parishioners fell short, the school turned to an endowment, which is now running out.

Tuition at the school is about $3,400 a year – one of the lowest among the diocese’s 16 elementary schools. Families who don’t earn enough money often don’t have to pay full price.

“St. Paschal saved my son,” said Williams, whose son, Sean, is now a seventh-grader at the school.

The boy initially had trouble walking and talking due to a developmental disability. Now, thanks to the small class size and the hard work and dedication of St. Paschal’s teachers, Sean has caught up academically to his classmates, Williams said.

Closing St. Paschal would be detrimental to Sean, who doesn’t have the same options as other students, said Williams. Like other parents, he’s devastated by the possibility.

McKenzie said he didn’t want to wait until the end of the school year to make a decision about a potential closure – not only for the sake of students, but also for the five teachers, principal and secretary employed by St. Paschal School.

“We can’t leave them stranded,” said McKenzie, who was standing outside a downtown Spokane restaurant Friday night selling raffle tickets for a fundraiser to help pay St. Paschal’s bills this year.

In the event the school has to close, it’s likely that students will attend either St. John Vianney or St. Aloysius, the two closest parochial schools. Another option would be the public elementary schools in the West Valley School District.

Still, many haven’t given up hope.

“I’d be delighted if there was some way out, if there was some answer we haven’t explored,” McKenzie said. “After all, we are the people who believe in miracles.”