Bolingbrook's St. Dominic Catholic School Closing At School Year's End

BOLINGBROOK, IL — Citing a sharp decline in enrollment in recent years, the Diocese of Joliet Catholic Schools has announced that St. Dominic Catholic School in Bolingbrook will close at the end of the year in a move some parents and faculty members are characterizing as a “kneejerk reaction” and a complete surprise.

Administrators said that St. Dominic, which opened in 1966, has experienced a 31 percent drop in enrollment since 2016. The Diocese said that it had set an enrollment goal for next year at between 169 and 178 students for next year, but that as of now, the number of students registered for the fall stood at 140.

There are currently 165 students at the school, according to the Diocese, which said that the school's enrollment in 2016 stood at 253 students.

“Our hearts are heavy today, but the leadership at both the diocese and the school have come to the same sad conclusion,” Michael J. Boyle, the superintendent of Catholic Schools for the diocese of Joliet said in a news release on Friday. “The time has come to close St. Dominic Catholic School.”

Sister Marie Isaac, who has been St. Dominic's principal since 2014, said in the release that she credits the school for providing a nurturing environment for students.

“I have a very dedicated, talented staff and a supportive parent community,” she said in the release. “The people here love God, and He is present here with us.”

However, staff members said that the Diocese gave no indication that the threat of closing the school was looming. In an open letter written to the Diocese and posted on Facebook, St. Dominic teacher Tara McFadyen said wrote that the staff will not allow the school to close without fighting tooth and nail.

She wrote that although the school’s enrollment numbers aren’t impressive on paper the decision to close the school’s doors at the end of the year is upsetting to staff and parents alike. She asked administrators in the letter why staff members were not told earlier this year that closing the school was under consideration and said that the delay has put teachers and other staff behind in looking for new jobs.

A petition on Change.org has been started by parents hoping the change the mind of the Diocese in an effort to save the school.

“We have many, many families who hold SDS close to their hearts and they would have jumped in if a call to action was given, but nobody knew we were in jeopardy of losing our school because your office didn't tell us,” McFadyen wrote in the letter.

“Your office should have been there to answer questions. Your office should have been there to pray with us. Your office should have been there to defend your decisions. Your office wasn't there. We just had a room full of blindsided people who felt betrayed and sucker-punched…..You are cowards, and when I think of a coward my mind goes to Judas. You made a decision and turned your backs on us.”

McFadyen said that she has had three students graduate from St. Dominic, the youngest of which graduated in 2019. She said that St. Dominic families will now have to drive farther or move to a public school due to the decision to close the school.

She also wrote that the closure means that 22 teachers will be laid off and are now behind in trying to find jobs with other schools, which she said started the interview process two months ago. The Diocese said that hiring for other Diocese of Joliet Catholic schools has started and that school's office will work with St. Dominic’s 14 full-time employees and 10 part-time employees to help staff members find new jobs.

The Diocese said it is “fully committed” to providing access to Catholic education and will provide a $500 Closed School Grant to each current Kindergarten-7th grade student who enrolls in a diocesan school for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years, if the family’s tuition balance at St. Dominic Catholic School is paid in full, the release said.

Parents and students are encouraged to explore nearby St. Scholastica Parish School in Woodridge and St. Andrew the Apostle School in Romeoville, as well as other diocesan schools, the release said.

Staff members are parents have started to mobilize to try to stave off the school closing, McFadyen said in the post. Other parents told Patch that while enrollment has dropped in recent years, there was no indication that the district was considering closing the school before Friday’s announcement.

Parents said that there were no cost-saving measures or other tactics introduced that suggested the school was in jeopardy and that Friday’s news came as a complete shock to parents and staff members. The decision was announced at 5 p.m. and came just a day before the school’s second graders were set to celebrate their first Holy Communion.

Now, McFadyen and others are in search of answers at a time when it appears a final decision has already been made.

“Help us understand this drastic decision,” she wrote in the open letter to the Diocese's leadership. “Help us restore our faith in our diocese because right now it has been shaken. We know God is with us and our faith in Him is resolute. We serve Him and one of the ways we faithfully do that is through our ministry at St. Dominic School. Our community needs us, our families need us, and most importantly, our students need us.”