CATONSVILLE, Md. — Patrice Green is preparing to have some tough conversations with her second grader after his school St. Agnes in Catonsville, will close its doors at the end of the academic year.
"As I just picked him up, he just asked me why his school is shutting down," Green said. “What can be done? Are we past the point of fundraising?"
The school released a statement on Monday citing 'consistent years of declining enrollment' that has caused 'significant financial strain on both the school and the parish.'"
According to its website, there are more than $313,000 of deferred maintenance costs at the school through 2027.
Green tells WMAR-2 News this is now the second time a catholic school closure has affected her family. Her other child's school, St. James and John, has also closed.
"He's been here since Pre-K and so we thought that he would stay here until the 8th grade, so, very heartbreaking," Green said.
St. Agnes is the latest in a series of Catholic schools closures in the greater Baltimore area as the local Archdiocese, which has contributed $1.6 million to the school in the last few years, has also shuttered several of its parishes.
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"All I can say is I'm deeply saddened for a staff that cares and loves the children so much. They need that foundation of love," grandmother Betty Lugay said.
Lugay, like many guardians, wasn't expecting the school to shutter its doors, but also isn't surprised in the wake of the Catholic Church's public turmoil.
"50 million lawsuits, let's just keep it real the church itself didn't always do the correct thing," she said. "There's less enrollment in church, people are afraid to send their kids to Catholic school and that's just the way it has to go with any business that loses money because of their behavior."
Lugay says it's a shame that it will affect the "phenomenal" staff and students that attend the school.
The announcement has upset both families and alumni with fond memories, like Jeff Pecore who graduated in 1970.
He credits his enduring love of music, which he still pursues professionally to this day, and expertise in grammar to his schooling at St. Agnes.
He remembers a time when classes were so packed, there were hardly enough desks.
"It played an important role in the community. It certainly gave me a sense of a community when I was young, I met a lot of friends there that I'm still in touch with," Pecore said. "I think it's sad that that's no longer going to be available to the students."
The school has also provided information on what happens next.
Families will have to apply to other schools, but displaced students will be prioritized at other area Catholic schools and their application fees will be waived.
St. Agnes tuition rate will also be honored by other schools for the next academic year.
