Towson Catholic Letter to Parents:
We must sadly inform you that after an 86-year-long history of providing an excellent Catholic, co-educational secondary education to young women and men of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Towson Catholic High School has been forced to close. Caught in the economic downturn, the high school has been struggling to maintain itself financially with a shrinking number of students as well as a dramatically reduced number of registrations for the upcoming school year. Since last year when the school had an enrollment of 244 students, Towson Catholic has lost more than 80 students. Though we budgeted conservatively due to the poor economy and had hoped for the typical uptick in summer registrations, it has become clear that the sharp decline in enrollment will prevent the school from re-opening.
We fully understand that this difficult decision to close TC is painful for you and your children. It is likewise a blow for our administration, faculty and staff. We also think of the thousands of graduates who have wonderful memories of their education here, what it has helped them to achieve, and what it has meant to who they are as contributors to society.
We want you to know that our administration has made a valiant effort at survival, but the tidal wave of this dire economy has proven to be no match for us, as it has for other institutions, including three other schools in the Archdiocese this year. Let me explain further.
The sole financial foundation of Towson Catholic High School is tuition income. The Immaculate Conception parish has been generously supportive over the years, particularly in funding improvements to the school’s physical plant that were part of a recent capital campaign. The parish is not able, however, to make up a deficit totaling more than $650,000.00.
The school began to experience the effects of the economy this past school year, when $160,000.00 of tuition went unpaid. As a result, the administration took measures to address the budget shortfall, including laying off 11 teachers and staff members as well as reducing planned programs. In the second semester, numerous budget revisions were made in the hope that past-due tuition payments would be made and that registrations would turn around as the current year ended and families made plans for the fall. That has not happened. Our final bare-bones budget for the 2009-2010 year was based upon tuition income from 205 students. To date, we have only 163 students registered.
The Immaculate Conception Parish, the administration and board of Towson Catholic High School, and the Archdiocese of Baltimore now believe that to delay this announcement, in hopes of an unlikely boost in enrollment, would put you, the students, our faculty, and staff in an even more difficult position for finding other educational and employment opportunities.
We are most grateful for your understanding. Please keep the Towson Catholic family in your prayers. God bless you.
Sincerely,
Monsignor Dennis Tinder,
Pastor, Immaculate Conception Parish
Clare Pitz,
Principal, Towson Catholic High School
