Jul 22, 2008 5:36 pm US/Central
Melrose Park School Closes With Little Warning
MELROSE PARK, Ill. (CBS) ―
Just a few weeks before the first day of class, some suburban parents were scrambling Tuesday night to find a new school for their kids.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports that a private elementary school in Melrose Park has shut down because of low enrollment and money trouble.
Students at H. McNelty, a private school run by First Baptist Church in Melrose Park, chanted "save our school" Tuesday after hearing the heartbreaking news that the school was closing.
Nearly 200 students attend the school. One student said Tuesday that he felt "really bad because I really bonded with the school. Out of all the schools I've gone to this was my favorite one."
Parents got the unofficial word last week that the 22-year-old school was closing, but they said they haven't received anything in writing. Oshun Sanders has already registered her two children.
"I'm appalled," Sanders said. "I expected school to be here. You've took our money. School starts August 18th, you don't have the decency to alert parents. Schools just don't close over night."
Rev. John Belser is the pastor of the church. Parents said they've tried repeatedly to contact him.
A church deacon told CBS 2 that, "our hand was forced by our mortgage holder."
Deacon Karl Gillespie pointed out that enrollment for the upcoming school year was a 50 percent drop. He's convinced the economy is forcing many parents to seek out public schools.
"We were fighting a losing battle. We didn't have the student body to fund a school that big. We had to do what we had to do," Gillespie said. Thee church is trying to arrange to have students transferred to other private schools or nearby public schools.
But at this late date, Sanders worries. "The good schools are already filled up. What do you have left? Slim pickings; that's my concern."
Concerned parents have planned a rally outside the school for Wednesday evening. They'll join their children in publicly expressing their disappointment.
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