PITTSFIELD – St. Agnes Catholic School will be closing at the end of this school year, leaving 47 students to find alternatives and six teachers without jobs. St. Agnes is the only Catholic school founded in Maine in the past 26 years.

The small pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade school has seen shrinking enrollment over the past few years and has racked up nearly $130,000 in debt to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.

“Things like this are always hard,” principal and teacher Paula Raymond said Tuesday. She said there was a general assembly at the school to celebrate Catholic Schools Week and the closure was mentioned after prayers were completed. “I’m sure these children will miss each other.”

In 2004, St. Agnes Catholic Church, which has made the school its primary mission, was forced to decrease its funding because of low donations. But the school averted closure. Supporters were able to raise enough private funds to keep it open by doing everything from saving box tops to holding a golf scramble and a major auction and dinner-dance.

The school had an annual budget of $200,000.

Founded in 1993 by the Rev. James Martel and the Sisters of the Presentation, the school served 71 students in 2002 who came from 16 area communities. Tuition is $1,400 a year for Catholic children, $2,740 for others. Classes are intimate, and learning is conducted in a family-style fashion with about eight children per class, said Raymond.

Bishop Richard Malone of Portland said Tuesday that consultations took place with representatives of the school and parish as well as the Diocesan school board before the decision was announced to the school and parish last week.

The bishop explained that a pattern of limited and decreasing enrollments produced limited school income from tuition. As a result, the diocese had to respond to repeated requests for financial assistance over the years. The school owes the diocese $52,000. Another $77,500 has been approved to cover costs through the end of this school year. The money comes from the Diocesan Savings and Loan, a program that enables parishes to borrow from the pooled assets of other parishes. The loans must be repaid.

“This decision has been a very difficult one, and this step has been taken only after much prayer,” Malone said in a prepared statement. “At the same time, I recognize the continued dedication, commitment and support of parents, faculty and parishioners. It is through their efforts that St. Agnes students have been provided with a good educational program and effective faith formation.”

Raymond said the closing will be effective at the end of the school year in June. The bishop is encouraging parents to consider enrolling their children at either St. John Catholic School in Winslow or All Saints Catholic School in Bangor next fall.

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