3 days ago
St. Dom's board ends effort to keep Auburn high school open for another year
May 31—AUBURN — Stymied by funding challenges and the cost of education, the board created to save St. Dominic Academy's high school from closure announced Friday evening it was ending its effort to keep the school open for the 2025-26 year.
"This is not the end of the story, but it is the end of this chapter, unfortunately," reads a Facebook post made Friday night on the school's account. "(Saint Dominic Regional High School) will not be opening a private Catholic high school for the 2025-2026 school year.
"While we had hoped early on that we could have been able to negotiate an affordable lease for the Auburn campus, the Board of Directors has spent significant time reviewing a budget to operate at Holy Family school with Prince of Peace Parish. We determined that the projected fundraising and tuition revenue presents too much of a risk to maintain solvency for the entire year, and we cannot do that to families or our beloved educators."
The board was created soon after the Diocese of Portland announced in March that it was closing the high school at the end of the school year, citing low enrollment and operating losses going back several years.
Members of the board and supporters first tried to work with the diocese to keep the high school campus in Auburn operating for a "bridge year" to allow the board the time to raise the funds and create the operating structure needed to take the school over as a private Catholic high school.
When that effort failed, the board explored the possibility of opening the high school at a different location, with the Prince of Peace Parish in Lewiston agreeing to potentially accommodate St. Dom's at Holy Family School.
"Everyone on the board understands and shares in the hurt and sadness that comes with this decision. The board will be taking the next week off to grieve with, and to be here, for the community. We will be reconvening to determine the next best steps to secure the future of Catholic secondary education and the Auburn campus. For the broader community, please join us in praying for peace for those impacted by the decisions of the last two months," the post read.
The high school held graduation for its class of 2025 on May 23.
This story will be updated.
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