St. Alphonsus School To Stay Open Next Year
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A long fight to stay open has ended with a win for a north suburban Catholic school.
St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic School in Prospect Heights met the requirements to keep their doors open next year.
Parents, teachers, and students breathed a sigh of relief, but many know the relief is temporary, and there's still a battle ahead as educators look for long-term financial solutions.
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After months of uncertainty and hard work on fundraising, the Archdiocese of Chicago said St. Alphonsus will remain open next year.
The school hit the enrolment target of 135 students, and also raised enough money $400,000, to keep its doors open through June of 2017.
Church leaders said it's been a tough process, but praised the dedication of the people who came together to support the school.
The long-term health of the school, however, remains in question.
"It's not about staying open another year. It's about understanding the value this has to the kids in the community," St. Alphonsus alum Tom Black said.
Several other Catholic schools have been told they will close this June, unless similar recruitment and financing efforts succeed.
