Parents hope final bell doesn't sound for OLL
Diocese considers closing school due to funding issues
BY SETH MANDEL
Staff Writer

For Ann Marie Simons, attendance at Milltown's Our Lady of Lourdes School is a family tradition.

A graduate herself, Simons' four siblings and her four children have all attended, and her granddaughter is currently a student at the school.

If financial struggles force the school to be closed, as is threatened, Simons knows exactly what would be missing from the community.

"It means everything to the parish community of Our Lady of Lourdes, because it is where we send our children to foster our faith," Simons said. "It means a lot to the town. We're a small town, we're a small community; everyone shares each other's joys and each other's pain here."

Faced with decreased enrollment and with a financially strapped parish, the school, which opened in 1942, may be in its final year.

When parents were notified about a recent meeting with representatives of the Diocese of Metuchen concerning the future of the school, they feared they were about to be informed that the school would be closing, parent Tom Olson said.

"We had a meeting on the Wednesday night before, and everyone indicated that we were committed, that we wanted to keep the school open. And we were very upset. ... All we wanted the diocese to do was give us a chance to try and keep the school going," Olson said.

They got that chance.

Diocesan representatives have given parents and school officials until March 31 to come up with a plan to keep the school sufficiently funded.

"We're very encouraged, we're very optimistic," Olson said. "We plan on meeting that goal."

Ideally, about 70 percent of the school's capital should be accrued via tuition fees, according to diocese spokeswoman Joanne Ward. But Our Lady of Lourdes parish has been subsidizing most of the school's costs in recent years.

The parish's subsidy payments have doubled in the past five years, and could reach $300,000 this year, leaving about $60,000 in the parish's budget surplus, Ward said. The school would, therefore, have to raise about $300,000, while at the same time, the parish would have to build up its revenue, she said.

But Ellen Ayoub, superintendent of schools for the diocese, said officials would like the school to come up with a long-term plan, and not just raise enough money for next year.

"What we're hoping for, obviously, is that they put a plan together that addresses how they would be able to keep it open for more than one year at a time," Ayoub said.

The school currently has 136 students in grades K-8, in addition to a prekindergarten class, though the school is slated to have more than 150 students next year. Most of the students are from Milltown and North Brunswick.

But declining enrollment is only part of the tuition issue, Ward said.

Ayoub said the suggested diocesan tuition scale would have a family's second child paying 75 percent of the tuition paid for the first child. A third child would pay 50 percent of the first child's tuition, and a fourth would pay 25 percent.

Ayoub said second-child tuition is probably hovering at about 50 percent, instead of the recommended 75 percent, which is costing the school precious operating funds.

Ward said school officials have the option to restructure the tuition scale and bring it in line with diocesan guidelines.

The Diocese of Metuchen currently oversees the operation of 49 schools in four counties, including six high schools and a couple of prekindergarten schools.

One of those schools, Corpus Christi in South River, faced a similar situation last year, when the diocese announced it was closing the school for lack of funding and dwindling enrollment. In January 2005, after parents rallied support for the school, the diocese reversed its decision, and the school remains open today.

Olson said Corpus Christi's ordeal serves as an inspiration for the parents who are trying to achieve the continued survival of Our Lady of Lourdes.

He said Milltown residents attended meetings in support of Corpus Christi last year, and South River residents have attended similar meetings in Milltown.

"Any parent that sends their children to Catholic school now, knows the difficulties that you face. And we're all pulling for each other," Olson said.

Ward said that each situation is unique, however. In the case of Corpus Christi, she said, the parish was unable to subsidize the school.

Ward said the parish should subsidize only about 15 percent of the school's costs. In the case of Our Lady of Lourdes, the parish has far exceeded that number.

"As our director of finance really laid it out for the parents the other night, they really need to bring in the revenue for the church, so that the church can then afford to give that 15 percent subsidy," Ward said. "And they need to look at their own budget so that they can bring in the money needed to run the school."

In addition to funding from the school and parish, another 15 percent of school operating costs should be covered by local fundraising, under the ideal scale.

Ward said the parents have been enthusiastic, and that they are committed to the cause and optimistic about the school's future. She said she is looking forward to hearing their proposal at the end of the month.

"That's wonderful to see that Catholic education means this much to them, that they are going to fight as much as they can to keep it open," Ward said. "That, in itself, I think is a wonderful testament to our Catholic education."

Olson agreed the community has shown loyalty and affection for the school. He said four of his five children have already gone through the school, and he still has a fourth-grade son enrolled. Even after his son graduates from the school, Olson said, he would still feel saddened if it were to close at any time in the future.

"I think we are definitely an asset to the community," he said of Our Lady of Lourdes School. "We provide a quality education for the students, and we also instill moral values in the children as well. They're getting a religious education as well as a good academic education."

Simons, who is now the school nurse at Our Lady of Lourdes, agreed. She said all her kids went on to the high schools and colleges of their choice, and she is now the proud mother of two engineers, a teacher and a certified public accountant.

"I think my children were well taught, and well prepared to get a good education and to have a good way to support themselves as they became adults," Simons said.

Simons grew up in Milltown, left after she got married, and returned in 1977. She has been in the borough ever since, and said that the community has always come together in times of need, and this time is no different.

She said parents, alumni, members of the parish, and even residents who are unaffiliated with the school have shown their support for Our Lady of Lourdes.

A nonpublic school, Simons said, survives because of the energy of the parents who want their children to have that education, despite the sacrifices they must make.

The parents of Milltown, Simons said, have that energy.

"I think they needed an awakening, and I think that they have awakened the powers that need to be, to push forward and make some new decisions, and some new inroads, on how we can enhance our school population and enhance our capital to support it," Simons said. "I just hope that the community will continue to support us, and that with everybody's assistance, we can make a go of this."