Decades of history and tradition will end when six South Florida Catholic elementary schools - two in Broward County - close because of shrinking budgets, rising expenses and declining enrollment.
When summer begins, St. Clement's School in Wilton Manors and St. Stephen's School in Miramar, both open since the 1950s, will permanently shut their doors, the Archdiocese of Miami announced Thursday. Four Catholic campuses in Miami-Dade County will close.
Archbishop John Favalora told parish priests in November that the archdiocese could no longer afford to financially support 15 struggling schools, said archdiocese spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta. Since 2004, the archdiocese has spent about $10 million on financially strapped schools.
"We're not immune to the economic crisis in the country," Agosta said, adding that the archdiocese is funded through stock market investments, donations and endowments. "We held on longer than some of our Catholic colleagues in the country."
The 889 students at closing schools can transfer to neighboring Catholic campuses, where the archdiocese has encouraged pastors to help ease the transition.
At St. Clement's, the Rev. Peter Lambert helped set up meetings with other schools. Most students either will enroll in St. Ambrose Catholic School in Deerfield Beach or St. Jerome's Catholic School in Fort Lauderdale, parents said.
"It's like a legacy dying," said Annemarie Santamarina, who graduated from St. Clement's as did her mother, husband and son. Her daughter, Tiffany, a seventh-grader, won't get to carry on that tradition but will attend St. Ambrose next year.
Santamarina, of Fort Lauderdale, said parents knew the school was struggling but hoped it would stay open for at least another year.
The Archdiocese of Miami educates about 23,000 students in 59 schools from Deerfield Beach to Key West. Parents pay $3,500 to $8,500 a year.
Other schools set to close are Corpus Christi and St. Francis Xavier in Miami; Our Lady of Divine Providence in Sweetwater; and Sacred Heart in Homestead.
The five-county Diocese of Palm Beach has no plans to close any of its 17 schools, spokeswoman Alexis Walkenstein said. Bishop Gerald Barbarito appointed a task force including parents, educators and financial specialists last summer to examine the schools' finances, Walkenstein said.
Many private and parochial schools throughout the county are suffering financial woes and low enrollment. Catholic schools also are closing in areas such as Brooklyn and Washington, D.C.
In Florida, private school enrollment has dropped in the past five years from 381,000 to about 335,000 students, according to the state Department of Education. The Archdiocese of Miami saw enrollment drop last year by 1,000 students, or 3 percent.
After informing parish priests that the archdiocese would no longer provide subsidies, Favalora allowed them to decide whether to close schools.
"The reality is that there aren't enough students," said the Rev. Alejandro Roque of St. Stephen's. "The parish itself is a poor parish and we can't afford to maintain the school."
The church would have to raise an extra $350,000 for teacher and staff salaries, insurance and benefits, Roque said in a letter to his parish. The school would also have to boost enrollment by 80 to 250 and raise tuition to more than $5,000 per student, the letter said.
For parents who want their children to receive an academic and religious education and can afford to pay, the costs are worth it.
"We pay our taxes, too," said Patty Whitlock, whose son, Nicholas, is a fifth-grader at St. Clement's. "But the thing that bothers me about public school is there is no God. I pray every day. I'm praying right now the school stays open."
If that doesn't happen, Nicholas will attend St. Ambrose or St. Anthony in Fort Lauderdale next year.
Staff Writers Lois Solomon and Rachel Hatzipanagos contributed to this report.
Akilah Johnson can be reached at akjohnson@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4527.
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Read the archdiocese's Q&A; and find these schools with our interactive map at SunSentinel.com/closedschools
