Students leave Saint Dominic Academy in Auburn on Wednesday at the end of the school day. A public letter from the Diocese of Portland explained the academy at 121 Gracelawn Road faces a $2.5 million deficit, declining enrollment and unsustainable tuition revenue. The diocese will close it at the end of the school year. Alumni have formed a committee to propose reopening the academy as a private, nonprofit Catholic high school. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — As Saint Dominic Academy families and alumni grow support for keeping the high school open, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland is providing the public with more details on what led to its decision to close it after this year.

Since the diocese made the announcement, citing years of funding troubles, the St. Dom’s community has gathered more than $500,000 in pledges as of Wednesday to keep it open, according to a Saint Dominic Regional High School Facebook post.

However, the funding deficit in the past couple of years is far greater than that. The deficit since 2020 is expected to reach $2.5 million by the end of this school year, according to a letter issued by the diocese Tuesday. The diocese has used its funds to cover that shortage.

“The diocese can no longer continue to do this without borrowing money from its Diocesan Savings and Loan program,” Bishop James Ruggieri said in the letter. “Doing this would have a dramatic impact on other ministries and programs.”

In the letter, Ruggieri detailed financial and demographic trends that led to the decision to close the academy at 121 Gracelawn Road.

Since 2020, the average student body is 132, with 137 students currently enrolled, Ruggieri said. Having such few students has caused cash flow problems.

“A significant problem lies in the number of students in the high school — or more accurately the lack of them,” he said.

A study the diocese commissioned found that most students are from Lewiston or Auburn and the number of middle-school-age students is expected to decline by 2028, the bishop said.

“If that population decreases as projected, expecting high school classes to increase dramatically to help fund future operating costs and the school’s share of debt is unrealistic,” he said.

That same study projected an increase in enrollment at the high school but not enough to change “our dynamic,” Ruggieri said.

The student population would have to double and all of them would have to pay full tuition to keep the school open, he said. That is unlikely to happen because the average family in Lewiston and Auburn would likely not be able to afford an increase to the current $14,450 annual tuition, he said.

About 60% of academy students receive some financial assistance to attend, he said.

“It is unrealistic to presume a far greater percentage of our families will be able to pay full tuition,” Ruggieri said. “According to the United States Census, the median income of Lewiston is approximately $56,556 and in Auburn is $66,552. Setting significantly higher tuition for families in our communities is unrealistic and unfair.”

The diocese has had to loan money to the academy this year to pay staff and vendors, Ruggieri said.

Tuition payments are not keeping up with expenses. Tuition after March 31 is estimated to be $400,000 but payroll alone is expected to be $1 million by the end of the school year.

By the end of this school year, the academy is expected to receive $1.2 million in loans from the diocese for this school year, Ruggieri said.

“To put this in perspective, to cover past bills and the cash deficit for this school year, all Saint Dominic Academy families would need to pay an additional $3,000 per student by year-end, as well as any outstanding tuition currently owed,” he said.

Fundraising and development programs have not raised enough to make up for any of the deficit, Ruggieri said.

The Saint Dominic Academy Alumni Association went dormant after 1990, but is starting to build itself up again in recent years.

“This will take time and the need is urgent,” Ruggieri said. “Currently, donors are few, average gifts have been modest and the school has relied upon only a handful of generous donors to deliver much-needed financial support.”

At Monday’s Lewiston School Committee meeting, Superintendent Jake Langlais made a public appeal to Saint Dominic families, highlighting the school’s success in preparing students for renowned colleges.

However, Saint Dominic families and supporters hope to open it as a private, nonprofit Catholic school, Ruggieri said. First they proposed taking over the whole school system, K-12, and consolidating it on the Auburn campus. The bishop rejected that offer but is open to an updated proposal for the high school.

The K-8 grades attend classes at the campus at 17 Baird Ave. in Lewiston.

Since Ruggieri’s letter Tuesday, a steering committee was formed to expedite saving the high school, according to a Wednesday post on the Saint Dominic Regional High School Facebook page.

Members of that committee include Anne Pontbriand, Michael Barriault, Marc Frenette and Paul Gosselin, all alumni, according to the Facebook post. They are accepting board applications until Friday at 5 p.m.

The committee is working to generate bylaws for a corporation to become a nonprofit, choose board members and tackle other tasks necessary to present a plan to the bishop, the Facebook post reads.

Ruggieri reiterated at the end of his letter the diocese’s decision not to finance, staff or operate the high school after this school year.

“I will not inhibit the group’s efforts related to establishing this high school and have asked for an updated proposal,” he said. “As this letter conveys, there is an extremely difficult fact set to overcome to achieve this goal. We will all learn where those efforts lead, hopefully in short order.”