CINCINNATI - A landmark Catholic grade school could be closing for financial reasons. However, parents and alumni of St. Aloysius on the Ohio – a centerpiece of Sayler Park for 149 years - say they won’t let that happen.
Here’s the problem: the Archdiocese of Cincinnati requires parishes to provide 25 to 35 percent of the funding, and that isn’t happening right now. So, it’s a matter of closing or raising funds to keep it open.
“It’s such an amazing place,” said Principal Kristen Penley. “We have an amazing staff. The students are awesome. One-on-one individualized attention. It’s really a family here. We are a family.”
The pre-school has a five-star rating from the state of Ohio. But ernrollment is just 93 students in pre-school through eighth grade.
The possibility of closing caught the community off guard a bit, Penley said.
“It was surprising, but we are a small parish and a small school, so it’s not surprising unfortunately. It’s a reality,” Penley said.
But parents and alumni are stepping up to the plate to see if they can’t raise the money needed to keep the school open. That includes Seth Cloran, parent of a St. Aloysius second grader.
“It’s going to stay open. There’s no question about that,” Cloran said. “The quality of students coming from this school, their ability to raise kids in the Catholic faith, is absolutely outstanding. "
The goal is a long-term solution, not a short-term patch. Plans to raise money are being formed.
“Losing this school, losing the quality of student, losing this leadership and this teaching staff would be a travesty for the community,” Cloran said.
WCPO will keep you posted on the progress.
