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Area Catholic school in danger of closing its doors, raising money to stay open

EVERETT, Mass. — Pope John XXIII High School, a co-ed Catholic school in Everett that's been around for 50 years, is in dire danger of closing.

The school is blaming a Florida businessman on the school being short by a million dollars. That businessman says the only thing he's guilty of is helping to keep the struggling school stay open for years.

Students and staff, however, say this one man's actions are costing these students their futures.

"I graduated in '74, my sister Alice graduated in '76," said Kevin Kelly, an alumnus and parent of a current Pope John XXIII student.

Families have attended the parochial school for 50 years.

"Since its inception, Pope John parents have been hard-working, blue-collar workers," Kelly said.

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Now the co-ed Catholic school is in danger of shutting its doors, leaving current students in the lurch.

"Obviously it's difficult especially for us juniors because now we have to find a new high school and college, and we all want to go somewhere affordable," said Gina Ingrando, a junior at the school.

The school is independent but leases land from the archdiocese. Administrators say, nine years ago, they were struggling with low enrollment and entered into an arrangement with a Florida company to bring students here from overseas.

Foreign students paid "international residence management," run by Philip Morgaman, who paid the school.

But the school's headmaster says in June 2018, Morgaman stopped paying the bills.

"What you did it's just - it's really not right, and it's changing our lives," said Isabella Flores, a student at Pope John XXIII.

Boston 25 News has learned Morgaman has been accused of steering money away from a school in Florida and for financial troubles tied to a failed insurance company.

Morgaman disputes those allegations. He said in a statement to Boston 25:

People always like to find a villain. That does not always make it so. I have never been found by anyone to have done anything inappropriate. The fact is I have built businesses. I have created jobs.

Now students and alums are determined to fundraise to keep the school open.

"This is what we're going to have to do," Ingrando said. "We're all going to have to try to help fundraise."

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The school says they'll take legal action. The archdiocese has set a deadline of May 23 – one month from now – to raise the minimum of $1 million needed to stay open.