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Jul 8, 2008 10:02 pm US/Central
Nearly 100 Years Of School History Ends in Ennis
ENNIS, Texas (CBS 11 News) ―
Saint John Catholic School has been an institution in the City of Ennis for 97 years. "It's never healthy when a school closes, but these things happen," said Monsignor Milam Joseph of the Diocese of Dallas.
The crusade to keep the school open for another year officially ended. Students in grades pre-k through 12, along with their parents, received the bad news Tuesday.
"Saint John's is like a family. My kids feel like they have no family, and they don't know what to do," said Beverly Hoffman, a parent of two students at the school.
Catholic schools depend on private tuition. Saint John's needed at least 212 students paying tuition in order to stay afloat. But with the upcoming school year quickly approaching, only 138 students were enrolled.
The student shortage left the school with a $250,000 budget deficit and no choice but to shut down for good. That decision angered many parents who say there have been rumors for years that the school was closing. Some parents say that constant threat chased many students away.
"I truly think that if there wasn't all this talk about closing every year, student enrollment would be up," said parent David Clemens.
The Catholic Diocese of Dallas will allow students from grades 6 through 12 to transfer to Bishop Dunne in Dallas for the upcoming school year. But many at Saint John's believe Bishop Dunne is too far away.
Amanda Zalkovsy is a senior and would have been student-body president this year. Instead, she's transferring to Ennis High School.
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