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Westminster Presbyterian's preschool may close

 
Westminster Presbyterian’s preschool, on the west side of the property on 11th Avenue, may close at the end of the school year.
Westminster Presbyterian’s preschool, on the west side of the property on 11th Avenue, may close at the end of the school year.
Published Feb. 12, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG —The future of Westminster Presbyterian Church and its long-revered preschool are tenuous.

The director of the 54-year-old Westminster Day School has sent a letter to parents saying the school is expected to close at the end of the current session. Though the school is "thriving," the viability of the church itself is uncertain because of declining membership, Cindy Weber wrote. The church's minister sent a similar letter to parishioners.

However, the closure is far from a done deal, cautioned Patrice Hatley, coordinator of the Presbytery of Tampa Bay, which oversees 71 churches in the area.

"A church or a school does not have options to make decisions like that without the involvement of the presbytery," she said. "This is way, way, way too early to make any announcement or decision with regard to the church or the school."

A meeting to discuss the church's problems and potential outcomes is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the church, 126 11th Ave. NE. Parishioners and parents of preschoolers are encouraged to attend, Hatley said.

"Maybe we adjust cost structure. There are no options off the table right now," she said. "It's important we continue to have a ministry in this neighborhood. In my heart, I really want all of this to succeed one way or another, but it will probably not continue steady as she goes."

Weber told the Tampa Bay Times she couldn't comment on what Hatley said.

Westminster Day School is one of many in the area dealing with reduced reimbursements from the state for its Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.

Laura Golightly, director of First Presbyterian Day School at 716 North Shore Drive NE, said her program has had to reduce some of its activities such as certain field trips because of the state cuts.

"It's sad," she said, adding that if the reimbursements get much lower, "we would have to increase tuitions in our younger (age) programs."

Katherine Snow Smith can be contacted at kssmith@tampabay.com. Follow @snowsmith.