AVONDALE — Teachers broke down in tears at St. Hyacinth Basilica Catholic School Wednesday after being told the Archdiocese of Chicago plans to close the parish school in June.
"As you can imagine, I am still processing this information and this great loss myself," school principal Christine Huzenis wrote in a letter to parents. "I informed the staff at a meeting this afternoon and there were many tears and questions."
St. Hyacinth, which has an enrollment under 200, cannot support itself financially, even with the assistance of the archdiocese, she said.
"This decision, made by Cardinal Francis George, was not taken lightly," the principal wrote. "Due to our history of dependence on the Archdiocese for financial support and with continued enrollment under 200 students, we cannot financially continue to sustain Saint Hyacinth Basilica School."
Parents on Wednesday said they were shocked and disappointed. The school called and emailed each parent during the day, and no one knew where they'd send their kids next year.
Suzan Cazares enrolled her seventh-grade daughter at St. Hyacinth this fall after she said the girl was bullied at a CPS elementary school.
"She's a completely different kid here," Cazares said. "Her grades were bad, and now she's on the honor roll. This school is like a little gold mine for people in the neighborhood."
Cazares said a lot of working parents take advantage of St. Hyacinth's before- and after-school programming. She's upset her daughter will have to transfer schools again next year.
Edwin Reyes, who has a daughter in the fourth grade, said more than 10 kids from his family have attended St. Hyacinth since the 1980s.
"It's much safer" than public schools, he said. "Everyone is so nice, and they really care about the kids. ... I don't want to send my daughter to public school, but I don't see any other options."
Adriana, a pre-K mom who declined to give her last name, said she was in shock.
"Honestly, I don't think it's smart to close the school," she said. "The neighborhood is growing a lot. There'll be a lot more kids in a few years."
St. Hyacinth is one of six Catholic schools in the city slated to close when classes are over at the end of 2014-15 school year. The Chicago Archdiocese announced the closures Wednesday.
Thomas McGrath, the school system's chief operating officer, said citywide restructuring would create stronger, more sustainable schools in the long run.
“Although difficult in the immediate term," he wrote in a statement, "we know taking these steps will increase access for families and students to excellent Catholic school education, now and in the future.”
In her letter Wednesday, Huzenis said: "We have considered many options but none are sustainable for the long term."
She promised the quality of education wouldn't drop off during the rest of the school year, and vowed to help find new schools for her students.
"Please understand that my plan upon coming to Saint Hyacinth was to implement a 2-3 year plan for improved curriculum and higher standards across the board," she wrote. "I had no idea when I took this position that this was an impending decision."
Teachers, students and staff will gather at mass at 9 a.m. Thursday.
"Please be respectful and allow everyone in this time together to be reverent. I ask you to not use this time as a venue for expressing frustration."
Other city schools slated to close in June are:
• St. Ladislaus, 3330 North Lockwood Ave.
• St. Turibius, 4120 West 57th St.
• St. Rene Goupil, 6340 South New England Ave.
Another school that will close is Saint Agatha Catholic Academy, 3151 W. Douglas Blvd. It's slated to become an early childhood center, officials said.
Two schools in the city will merge: St. Dorothy School, 7740 S. Eberhart Ave. and St. Columbanus, at 7120 South Calumet Ave. The new school will be called the Augustus Tolton Catholic Academy. It'll be located at St. Columbanus.
The Archdiocese of Chicago educates more than 82,000 Chicago area children in 240 elementary and high schools.
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