By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
April 8, 2011
After a decade of serving “at-risk” students, Don Bosco Charter High School will permanently close its doors in May.

“Obviously, we didn’t want this to happen,” President of Don Bosco Centers Nicholas Scielzo said.

However, due to lack of funding, the school is unable to continue operating.

“This has been a tremendously difficult decision for the board (of education),” said Al Dimmit, chairman of Bosco’s board of eduction. “We’ve spent months now examining other options. Are there other partnerships, are there other funding arrangements, are there other approaches to allow us to continue this critically important work?

“And at the end of the day, the conclusion was that our funding situation was not such that it allowed us to do the kind of work that was required and that the students deserved to be successful.”

Scielzo estimated that approximately 60 to 65 percent of the school’s budget comes from state funding. Missouri’s funding formula is based on a school’s average daily attendance, which presents challenges for an alternative school, Scielzo said.

“We have an average daily attendance of somewhere in the range of 75 percent and for an alternative school, that’s good,” Scielzo said. “But, other schools – non alternative – may get 95 to 98 percent. Our students have challenges in their lives that affect their attendance, so that’s what makes it more difficult for an alternative school on the formula funding basis.”

Other funding sources include 10 to 12 percent in federal monies, with the rest of the budget comprised of foundation funds and other sources, Scielzo said. For several years, the school has been operating with a budget deficit and this year’s deficit totaled nearly $80,000.

Don Bosco Charter High School employs 25 staff, including 13 teachers. This year, 160 students are enrolled and average daily attendance is 125 students. More than 50 students will graduate from the high school May 25 and over the years, more than 600 students have earned their high school diploma.

Asked what kinds of “at-risk” students Don Bosco serves, Dimmit said it varies.

“These very often are students who have been challenged in other educational settings and some may have been asked to leave those settings. Some may have chosen to leave those settings when they didn’t perceive their needs were being met or that things were working out.”

A number of students are parents themselves and/or homeless, he said.

“All of the challenges that our community faces are represented within the walls of this school.

“That’s one of the things I think is so difficult about this decision is that we know the need is so great.”

What now
Don Bosco’s high school will continue to operate through the end of the school year in May.

Transitional plans are being created for both students and staff. For students, plans could include earning a GED (General Education Development) or transitioning into other charter or mainstream schools.

“This is a difficult day, a difficult decision,” Dimmit said. “We understand the pain that it causes them (students, parents and teachers). It causes us pain, also.

“We are going to be working with other educational agencies, other school districts, charter schools and community agencies to help those students and their families identify the next educational opportunity and how they can continue with that process.”