Archdiocese Closing Pr. George's School

The Archdiocese of Washington announced yesterday that it is closing St. Ignatius Catholic School in Fort Washington, which has been struggling with sagging enrollment and a widening deficit, at the request of its parish.

"We sacrificed lots of things," said the Rev. Robert Finamore, pastor of St. Ignatius Parish, which poured $205,000 into the 39-year-old school last year. But, he said, "we can no longer continue managing it."

The decision comes as the archdiocese is facing chronic under-enrollment at its schools in the District and the closer-in Maryland suburbs. Confronted with mounting deficits, the archdiocese announced plans last year to convert seven elementary schools in some of the poorest D.C. neighborhoods to charter schools.

Last year in Prince George's County, the archdiocese closed two schools, St. Bernard's in Riverdale and St. Margaret of Scotland in Seat Pleasant, both of which had seen enrollment fall and deficits rise.

St. Ignatius's enrollment has fallen by more than 40 percent, from 203 students to 120, in the past five years, said Susan Gibbs, an archdiocese spokeswoman. The decline has led to substantial subsidies from the parish, projected to reach $237,000 this year, she said. Only six students are members of the parish.

Finamore first wrote the archdiocese in November to consult about the school's future. He met with members of the parish's advisory council, along with parents and teachers, but the meetings failed to produce a solution.

Last week, the archdiocese granted Finamore permission to close the school "in light of the serious enrollment decline and the financial stress on the parish," Gibbs said.

She said students are being encouraged to transfer to nearby Catholic schools. Three such schools, with 200 available seats, are within three miles, she said.