PINE BLUFF — Chris Topher, a junior at St. Joseph Catholic High School in Pine Bluff, can’t imagine spending his senior year anywhere else.
But the bright-eyed student who hopes to become a radiologist may have no choice.
The Catholic Diocese of Little Rock had given school officials until today to show they have enough money to operate next year. On Friday, the school was $200,000 short of the $400,000 it needs for the school year.
Without evidence of sufficient money, St. Joseph will close at the end of this school year.
“I am very sad and disappointed,” Topher said. “I feel like this is the only school where I can get a strong religious education and have an opportunity to spend lots of time with teachers.
“There are more challenges here. I’m not sure where I will go if this school isn’t here next year, but it won’t be to a public school.”
However, there is a chance the school might have slightly more time.
A fundraiser for the school said in an e-mail Sunday that the deadline had been delayed until Friday. The diocese office was closed Sunday, so the change could not be confirmed.
Nationally, Catholic schools have faced financial and enrollment declines over the past decade, forcing many to close.
The Diocese in Little Rock was also set to review St. Peter’s Catholic School in Pine Bluff today because of low enrollment numbers. St. Peter’s teaches students from preschool to sixth grade and is a feeder school for St. Joseph.
St. Joseph opened in 1993as a junior high school and requires about $400,000 each year to survive. It has 56 students enrolled this year and has averaged about that number over the past few years.
As of Friday, a little more than half of the needed money had come in, said Principal Brenda Costello, noting that officials have been busy with fundraisers and other collections.
St. Joseph’s coffers are primarily filled each year by tuition payments and donations. St. Peter’s has a similar funding formula.
Three Catholic schools have closed in Arkansas since 2005, according to the Little Rock Diocese.
Holy Redeemer School in El Dorado closed in 2005. Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Little Rock closed in 2006, and Immaculate Conception School in Blytheville closed in 2007.
Today, fewer than 2.1 million students are enrolled in 6,980 Catholic schools, according to the National Catholic Education Association. That’s down from 2.6 million students in 8,293 schools during the 1996-97 school year.
The decline is mostly due to economics, especially in communities such as Pine Bluff, which has seen recent population and job losses, said Vernell Bowen, who oversees the state’s 31 Catholic schools as superintendent for the Little Rock Diocese.
“People don’t have the money to afford to send their kids there anymore,” Bowen said. “The demographic situation in Pine Bluff and the economy there is partly what’s affecting schools in not only Pine Bluff but in the entire Arkansas Delta.”
Catholic schools in the Delta communities of Lake Village, Stuttgart and West Memphis “are also struggling with enrollment,” Bowen said.
Lou Taylor, who has three children at St. Joseph, said competition from the Ridgway Christian School has hurt enrollment numbers at the school, along with the sagging economy.
“Anytime you have competition, it’s going to cut into your bottom line,” Taylor said. “And, of course, the economy has put a strain on many family budgets. They can no longer afford to pay for private school.”
Topher said his parents have vowed to continue sending him and his siblings to a private school should St. Joseph close.
“I need the challenges that are provided by a private school for when I get to college,” Topher said.
“I want to stay here, because I love it, but no matter where I go, I know that a private school is the best option for me. The bar is set so much higher for education.”
Academic success is a point of pride for St. Joseph’s faculty. This year, the school’s six seniors have earned a combined $250,000 in scholarships, Costello said, and ACT scores are “consistently high.”
“We turn out students who are assets to this community,” she said. “Our students are second to none in academics. Having this school close would be a drastic loss for Pine Bluff.”
Across town, the fate of St.Peter’s Catholic School is also in question. And though St. Peter’s doesn’t have a specific financial goal to meet like St. Joseph’s, the school has been in that situation before.
Late last year, St. Peter’s faced closure due to a lack of funding but was bailed out by Pine Bluff businesses and residents, who raised $150,000 in six days to keep the doors open through this year.
The Rev. Anil Thomas, who oversees the school, said just 35 students had enrolled for classes next year as of Friday.
“If I don’t get 60 students, I may have to cut back to just preschool through fourth grade,” Thomas said. “And if I have too few students, we may only operate as a preschool.”
St. Peter’s opened in 1889 as the Colored Industrial Institute - the first black school founded in Arkansas. The Sisters of Charity from Nazareth, Ky., staffed the school.
The school closed in 1975 but reopened in 1984, when the School Sisters of Notre Dame from Dallas took over.
The school has averaged 70 to 80 students a year. This year, 64 students are enrolled in preschool through sixth grade.
Just as at St. Joseph, about $400,000 is needed to run St. Peter’s each year, Thomas said.
For now, all involved at both schools said prayer may be their best hope for keeping their doors open.
“Hopefully, we will remain open - just leaner and meaner,” Taylor said before picking up his children Friday afternoon. “We have to stay hopeful and prayerful that we can get our numbers and finances back up.
“If we stay open, we won’t have any problems getting donations from this community. I have faith that they will come through for us.”
Front Section, Pages 1 on 04/30/2012