Ranchos de Taos school to shut down at end of the year.

Parents have been told the 71-year-old San Francisco de Asis school in Ranchos de Taos will close its doors forever at the end of the 2005-2006 school year, the Taos News reported on its Web site.

The school currently has 74 students in kindergarten through grade 8 -- far short of a target enrollment of 94, the Taos News reported.

A school study team made up of parents, pastors, principals, community members and staff have tried for the past several years to keep the store open, but in a March 20 letter Archbishop Michael Sheehan told parents that the Santa Fe Archdiocese "regretfully gives the school permission to close," according to the paper.

"The school's financial crisis and dwindling enrollment were too severe to support a strong school and thus the school has been unable to meet annual operating costs for several years," Celine Radigan, archdiocese communications director, told the News.

Meanwhile, some 40 parents met last week to plan "clean up and fix" days for Saturday and Sunday to show how serious they are about keeping the school open and are looking into a variety of grants and funding options, the News reported.

But primarily they are looking for more time before the school closes.

"Our job is to let the archdiocese know what we're doing," said Dr. Kathleen Rogers, a school parent. "I don't feel they know about these efforts."

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