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Seton Keough & Other Schools To Close After This School Year

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Seton Keough High School, John Paul Regional and St. Thomas Aquinas will close after the current school year, according to an announcement made today.

Decreased enrollement and old buildings will force the closure of the three schools. 355 will be forced to transfer schools.

"What our goal is is to work with the families individually, to really help them through this transition," said Dr. Barbara Edmondson, superintendent of Catholic Schools.

"These schools are 61 years old, so the improvements that are needed from a physical condition of the buildings, plus we are talking about the 21st century now," said Jim Sellinger, chancellor of education at the Archdiocese of Baltimore Catholic Schools.

Seton Keough came into existence in 1988, with the merger of Seton High School and Archbishop Keough High School.

The letter to the school community is signed by James Sellinger, Chancellor of Catholic Schools and Dr. Barbara McGraw Edmondson, Superintendent of Catholic Schools.

It reads:

 

Dear Members of the Seton Keough Community,

For decades, the Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Baltimore have worked tirelessly to fulfill their mission to nurture the God-given gifts of every student. We care deeply for families, like yours, that sacrifice to provide the unique qualities of a Catholic education for your children.

Our commitment to you and this mission is unwavering. To that end, 18 months ago we began an exhaustive review of our Baltimore area Catholic schools. Our aim was to learn how we might improve upon our facilities to ensure our schools remain competitive and are as strong as they can be as we fulfill our promise of offering our students an academically excellent, values-based 21st century education. We also wanted to see where our school system could best serve the needs of other communities and, in some cases, where a Catholic school may no longer be viable in its current location.

Among the most difficult decisions we must make is the closure of Seton Keough High School at the conclusion of the current school year. The facility that houses Seton Keough opened in 1965 and can accommodate 1,200 students. This year, 186 girls attend the high school. With 47 seniors scheduled to graduate at the end of the current school year and a steady decline in overall enrollment at the school over the past several years, the school simply cannot continue operating with so few students. The low enrollment has made it impossible for the school to pay its bills, as this year alone it will incur a deficit of nearly $2 million by the end of the school year. The Archdiocese will sell the campus and reinvest the proceeds in existing Catholic schools serving the communities around Seton Keough. Holy Angels Catholic School and participants of the Operation Teach program will be relocated.

We understand that this decision will have a significant impact on current families and alumnae. Please know that the Archdiocese will be working closely with Ms. Bridickas and her team as we seek to make the transition into the next school year as smooth as possible. Likewise, we will be working with representatives of the alumnae associations to ensure the legacy and history of Archbishop Keough, Seton, and Seton Keough High Schools are preserved.

There is a plan to help current students transition into a new high school next fall. Ms. Bridickas will be sharing more information about a specialized plan for helping each student identify and speak with representatives of other area Catholic schools in the coming days and weeks. The Archdiocese will serve as a conduit between Seton Keough and the other Catholic high schools, all-girls and co-educational. All remaining Catholic schools will be expected to honor the Seton Keough tuition rate for at least the 2017-2018 school year, and all archdiocesan financial assistance will follow students throughout their time in the Catholic school system.

Each student's parents/guardians will receive a call from a representative of the Archdiocese tomorrow evening between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. at the number(s) on record at Seton Keough, beginning with our outreach to girls who are rising seniors, for whom this news will be especially challenging. We will answer questions, and share important information and resources. A list of answers to possible questions you may have, as well as additional resources, can be found at www.archbalt.org. We regret the sadness and disappointment this decision will cause and promise that we will do everything we can to support all who are affected during this time of change.

For any student who has to switch schools the archdiocese says their tuition will not change for the following school year.

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