Denver parents fight to save Guardian Angel Catholic School from closure
When Katie Gallardo and her husband had to choose a school for their daughter, there was no doubt in their minds: they would send her to Guardian Angel Catholic School in Denver.
"Both of us were born and raised Catholic, so having that structure in school was really important to us," Gallardo said. "It's kind of in the family."
Gallardo's husband attended the school, and it fit their budget.
"They have a church and a school that have been combined for 53 years. The school itself has always been committed to serving the underprivileged population," Gallardo said.
However, at the start of this school year, the Archdiocese of Denver announced it would close the school after this year. Gallardo wonders if the decision is tied to the student population.
"It just feels like we're being heavily targeted because we're not a rich school," she said.
The Archdiocese of Denver stated that Guardian Angel is one of two schools closing due to "serious financial challenges" and "severe enrollment challenges."
The archdiocese also said it aims to "support teachers, students, and families through this time of transition."
But parents at Guardian Angel aren't done fighting. They want to operate the school independently of the archdiocese, which would require raising hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors.
"The difficult part, of course, is that we would need donors willing to give consistently," Gallardo said.
Gallardo believes the north Denver community will lose something significant if the school closes.
"It just feels good to go to that community, to have that safe space all the time. Losing that is going to take away a big part of the neighborhood," she said.
Gallardo said they are looking at other schools just in case but likely won't be able to afford to keep sending their 5th grader to Catholic school.
