“It’s hard to say who’s running the parish at this point,” parent Jim Albenesius said.
ST. LOUIS — Multiple parents are voicing their frustration about the abrupt announcement that St. Simon The Apostle School in St. Louis County would close at the end of the school year due to low enrollment.
As an alumnus of St. Simon, Jim Albenesius says it was an easy decision to enroll his daughters in the South St. Louis County School.
“It’s a very tight community with a group of people who will watch out for each other’s kids,” Albenesius said.
“It has always been on the smaller side,” Jessie Schellman said. “That’s what we love most about it.”
However, they were shocked Thursday afternoon when Archbishop Rozanski announced St. Simon would close at the end of the year after just 70 kids registered for the upcoming school year.
“I was shocked because on March 6th we were promised by the archdiocese that under no circumstance would our building close to a lack of enrollment for next year,” Schellman said.
“Enrollment the last 2-3 years has gone up,” Albenesius said. “Next year it was projected to be up about 10%.”
Though many parents were told to register their kids by March 23rd multiple parents told 5 On Your Side they were waiting for an announcement about who would be leading the school following multiple resignations.
“We don’t have a principal,” Albenesius said. “We don’t have a daycare director. We don’t have a youth minister.”
The church itself is also without a leader after the pastor resigned for personal reasons last month.
“It’s hard to say who’s running the parish at this point,” Albenesius said.
As parents search for those answers they’re also faced with a major question moving forward.
“What are our kids going to do and what effect is this going to have on our kids,” Albenesius said.
“The Archdiocese of St. Louis will provide placement assistance to St. Simon School faculty and staff, as well as enrollment assistance to families who wish to place students into other Catholic elementary schools,” Rozanski said.
A spokesperson for the archdiocese told 5 On Your Side that funds for a new playground at the school will remain with St. Simon the Apostle Parish.