St. Paul's Catholic Elementary School in Kenmore will close at the end of this school year

because of plummeting enrollment.

The decision announced today was made by the Rev. Jay McGinnis, pastor of St. Paul Parish,

and parish trustees following discussions with school parents and school leadership. It was

approved by Bishop Edward U. Kmiec. According to the Buffalo Diocese, 105 students attend the

school and only 69 students have registered for the 2010-2011 school year. St. Paul's needs

185 students to balance its budget. The parish expects to subsidize the school with $325,000

— 60 percent of parish income — to meet payroll for the remainder of the year.

"We have done a great deal of research and have consulted with diocesan education officials

to address the enrollment and financial challenges facing the school," McGinnis said in a news

release, "but we have been unable to stem the tide of declining enrollment. As a parish, we

can no longer afford to sustain the school."

Kmiec announced that St. Paul's students who transfer to another Catholic elementary school

in the diocese will receive $500 in tuition assistance from the diocese.

St. Paul's has 11 full-time and five part-time faculty members along with four full-time

and one part-time staff members. The diocesan Department of Human Resources will assist

faculty and staff members in finding employment opportunities in other Catholic schools.

The school opened in 1899 with two classrooms. Enrollment peaked at 836 students in 1966.