Letter: Trinity in dire financial straits
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Trinity Academy on West Cherry Street on March 21, 2021.
SHENANDOAH – The future of Shenandoah’s, and northern Schuylkill County’s, last parochial school is in doubt, according to a letter to parents dated Friday, March 19.
The letter, from the school’s board of pastors, describes dire financial straits for the school, caused in part by declining enrollment and in part by the coronavirus pandemic.
The school, at South Chestnut and West Cherry Streets on the southside, is down nearly 100 students from five years ago, according to the letter.
“We opened the [2020-21] school year with 111 students in Grades K-8,” the letter explains. “This is down from 209 students just five years ago.”
“Currently, we have 84 students registered for next school year,” the letter adds.
The school, in fighting to keep tuition affordable despite declining enrollment, has dipped into their savings for annual budget shortfalls.
“The yearly deficits have grow each year,” the school said. “This school year, there will be a budget deficit in excess of $300,000 that school savings will be able to cover.”
“However, in meeting the budgetary shortfall for this year, the school savings will be exhausted by the end of the school year,” the letter adds.
The board of pastors — representing parishes in Shenandoah, Mahanoy City, Ashland, Frackville, Ringtown, and Sheppton — say that the amount their parishes can contribute has decreased this year, as a result of “a significant drop in the parish collections over the last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“So, with declining school enrollment, school savings nearly used up, and our parishes not able to cover current or future school financial shortfalls, we are very concerned with the future of Trinity Academy,” the letter states.
The board, in consultation with Sister Margaret McCullough, IHM, principal, a feasibility study has been requested from the Diocese of Allentown, and has been granted by Monsignor David L. James, Vicar General.
“We are currently exploring various options given the serious financial situation facing the school,” the letter states. “From these options, we will need to make decisions soon on the future of the school.”
“These will be difficult decisions, but, as pastors, we must be responsible to both the school and our parishes,” they add. “The continued operation of the school, without a financially viable plan, could threaten the financial stability of our parishes.”
The school is the last parochial school of any kind in northern Schuylkill County — the last high school, Cardinal Brennan, closed in 2007 and, a year prior, three elementary schools — Holy Family, Frackville; Immaculate Heart, Girardville; and Father Walter J. Ciszek, Shenandoah — merged to create Trinity Academy.
Two other schools, The Academy of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic School, Mahanoy City, and McAdoo Catholic, have also merged into Trinity.
At one time, Shenandoah was home to a multitude of parochial schools — St. George’s on North Highland Street, St. Stephen’s on South Market, St. Stanislaus at the corner of West and Cherry, among others. Shenandoah also was home to Shenandoah Catholic High School until the 1960’s.
The school closed, merging with Immaculate Heart to create Cardinal Brennan High School in Fountain Springs. Brennan closed in 2007, with students going to either Nativity BVM, Pottsville, Marian Catholic, near Quakake, or their home public school.
Remaining Catholic elementary schools are in Pottsville, Minersville, and Hometown.
Friday’s letter was signed by Rev. Msgr. Ronald C. Bocian, Divine Mercy Parish, Shenandoah; Rev. Kevin P. Gallagher, St. Theresa of Calcutta, Mahanoy City; Rev. Brian M. Miller, St. Charles Borromeo, Ashland and St. Joseph Parish, Frackville; and Rev. Dominic Pham, St. Mary and St. Joseph Parish, Ringtown and Sheppton.
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