MILFORD, Mass. — Milford Catholic Elementary School has been around for nearly 140 years, but that could come to an end this summer if enrollment doesn’t increase.
Parents were first told of the closure in early May, but they've come up with a way that makes it possible to close the $300,000 budget gap for next year.
“As parents we were surprised by the news, really upset about it. So we banded together, we asked for some time to come up with a viable plan,” Lisa Mazzola said.
The key components of the plan are getting more students to enroll and raising money, but it all needs to be done by June 16. The school said they want any teachers who need to find a new job to have that opportunity.
Milford Catholic's troubles are part of a long trend. About 50 years ago, there were nearly 13,000 Catholic schools in the United States - today about half of them remain. A dwindling number of students has led to school closures in many cases. In the last ten years alone, more than 1,000 Catholic schools have closed as enrollment dropped nearly 18 percent.
Milford Catholic parents hope their plan is successful and the school doesn’t go the same way.
“If we meet our goals the school will do just fine. We've gotten amazing response. We just need to get through this hurdle together with everybody and we got it,” Linnea Beauregard said.
The initial plan involved getting an additional 40 students to enroll, plus raising additional funds. A GoFundMe page for Milford Catholic Elementary School has been set up.
Cox Media Group
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