One Month, $1 Million, Or This Bergen County Catholic School Will Close

Queen of Peace High School, a Catholic secondary school founded more than 80 years ago, will close if it is not able to raise $1 million by June 30.

The North Arlington school has set up a GoFundMe page, with a link to the campaign on its homepage, to help raise the funds. More than $20,800 has been donated since the campaign was launched Friday. The donations will be refunded if the goal is not reached, according to the school's website.

"Would not be where I am today without my time at Queen of Peace High School," said Katherine Provost in a comment on the GoFundMe page Saturday night. "It's a shame where things stand today but I pray new leadership will bring this school back to where it once was."

According to a report by The Record, the school's "dire financial state" was made known after the Archdiocese of Newark conducted an audit of the school's finances and discovered the school had depleted its surplus.

Recordkeeping that "was not what it should have been," and a decrease in enrollment of about 15 percent caused the school's financial situation, Fr. Mike Donovan, the school's president and Pastor of Queen of Peace Church said in the report.

The GoFundMe page said that Donovan and the school's new administration has already reduced next year's school deficit by 50 percent, "through responsible budget reductions and improving efficiencies."

A "three to five year" plan is in place to eliminate any structural deficits, introduce new programs, enhance enrollment, and set the school on a course for future success," according to the online campaign.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com. Sign up for Patch N.J. email newsletters here.