Word on St. Luke’s future coming Monday

A statement on the future of St. Luke’s Lutheran School is expected next week, a school official said Friday afternoon.

Head of School David Kukielski said by phone that church council president Bill Thompson and the school’s board would release a statement on the situation on Monday.

Kukielski stressed that the statement will probably not include a final decision on whether the 30-year-old private school will open this fall.

The difficult economy has led to a drop in enrollment for the school, which serves pre-school through ninth-grade students. About 135 are signed up to attend in the fall. Enrollment peaked at 321 during the 1996-97 school year. The school employs about 50.

Earlier this week, the school announced that it had raised about one-third of the approximately $300,000 needed to open this fall.

Kukielski told the Star-Exponent earlier this week that the ultimate decision on whether the school will open is now up to the church council. In the meantime, he said fundraising efforts are ongoing.