Officials at St. Michael’s Episcopal School in Bryan issued a news release Wednesday the K-12 school may be closing due to lack of funds. Employees, parents, and students were notified Tuesday.
The news release describes the K-12 operation is in an 11th hour fundraising appeal. According to St. Michael’s Facebook page, the goal is $600,000 dollars.
If the campaign comes up short, the school’s board of trustees is considering negotiations with a state charter school organization to rent the facilities and keep as many current faculty members as possible.
The news release cited problems four years ago that led to a sharp decline in enrollment. Over the last year and a half there’s been some recovery in student headcount. Officials say economic uncertainity has made it impossible to continue operations at current income levels.
Depending on the fundraising response, plans are to keep St. Michael’s open through the fall. St. Michael’s preschool plans to continue as a separate entity regardless of what happens at the K through 12 level.
Head of School Kate Lucchese, who has been at St. Michael’s in some capacityfor 27 years, says the hope is to make the transition as painless as possible for families and teachers.
According to its website, St. Michael’s was founded in 1972 and has been located on its seven acre campus in south Bryan since 1990.