A small, private school in southwest Iowa is closing after nearly a century, following a valiant effort to raise the money needed to stay open. Ironically, the week of Saint Patrick’s Day, it’s being announced Saint Patrick’s School in Missouri Valley has failed in its fundraising attempt.
Sheila Murphy, of the group Save Our Saint Patrick’s School, says they raised nearly 160-thousand dollars but needed 400-thousand.
The Catholic school serves about 50 students in pre-K through sixth grade and Murphy says everyone’s sad to see they’ve failed: "I was at the school when it let out today and it was a somber mood. It’s just starting to sink in."
She says the money that was raised will go back to those who pitched in: "We told all of our donors that if we failed to reach the 400-thousand dollar goal, they would be given the opportunity to have their money refunded." Money that goes unclaimed will go to St. Patrick’s Church when the school closes.
The school will close at the end of this term — after being open for 92 years. The nearest Catholic schools are in Harlan and Council Bluffs.