Published: November 19, 2008 12:21 am      

St. Michael School closing doors in June

Pastor says parish can no longer financially support K-5 Catholic education facility

FROSTBURG — Established in 1891, St. Michael School in Frostburg, the last remaining stand-alone Catholic elementary school in far Western Maryland, will close its K-5 facility in June, the Archdiocese of Baltimore announced.

Down to 86 students from a peak of 345 in 1968, the school could no longer be supported financially by the parish, said Father Jim Hannon, pastor, in a news release.

“Saint Michael School has a wonderful history of care for its students and wonderful and involved parents,” Hannon said. “The school has been a vibrant part of the parish for well over a century.”

Catholic education remains an option for the St. Michael students. Bishop Walsh School Principal Sam Torres said Tuesday that there is plenty of room for those who choose to attend that educational facility in Cumberland.

Torres said that for two years, St. Michael parish will subsidize the tuition difference between the two schools for current students and will assist with the cost of bussing.

Currently, Bishop Walsh, a K-12 school, has 179 students in grades K-5 and 500 total.

“It’s great to have the possibility of more students, but we also see it as a day where the news is sad for Catholic education,” Torres said. “There are diminishing numbers of students in Catholic schools. It’s a problem faced not only here, but throughout the archdiocese and throughout the country.”

Tough economic times, according to Torres, do not encourage people to spend more money than they have available for basic needs.

A pre-K program for children ages 3 and 4 will continue to operate at St. Michael, but will be under the auspices of Bishop Walsh. Torres said the existing pre-K program at St. Michael has 41 students.

In contrast to the financial woes at St. Michael, Torres said Bishop Walsh “continues to operate from a position of strength. The recent graduating class received $2.4 million in college scholarships,” he said.

Frostburg City Administrator John Kirby said Tuesday he is sure that the mayor and council will be saddened that the school is closing.

“Having St. Michael on Main Street meant there were families coming downtown every day,” Kirby said. “Not only that, but the school got involved in many of our downtown events, such as the Arts Walk and Christmas activities. It will be a real loss for Frostburg and for our Main Street community.”

Church and school officials at St. Michael will meet with parents of students Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the school to further explain the situation.

Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.