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Facing a $25,000 budget shortfall, an Upper Marlboro private school set to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2011 may be forced to close its doors before the end of the year.

Plummeting enrollment has left administrators at Capitol Christian Academy unable to pay the bills. Parents were notified late last year that despite cutting teacher salaries to near-minimum wage levels and soliciting donations, the school would barely be able to operate for the rest of the semester — let alone into the following year — without an influx of cash.

Undeterred by the school's debt, a committed group of parents is banding together to ramp up fundraising efforts.

"Everybody who is associated has nothing but wonderful things to say," said Ron Burke, who has two children enrolled at the school and has volunteered to help with fundraising.

The school opened in 1961 as a ministry of Capitol Baptist Church, and at the time was located in Southeast Washington, D.C. The school moved to Upper Marlboro in 1973, and at its peak had as many as 700 students enrolled in kindergarten through the 12th grade.

By comparison, school administrator Ken Lont said it had around 80 students enrolled this year, down from 110 students last year.

Pastor James Johnson of Capitol Baptist Church, today located in Fort Washington, said the drop began around 2004, when church leaders handed over control of the school to three church members, all of whom had teaching experience and advanced degrees in education or theology.

"We were trying to get out of the school business, because we've always been a small church," he said.

Lont said that while he blames the economic downturn for most of the decline, the management style of administrators from 2004 to 2008 — when the church took back control — upset some parents.

"They changed hands ... everything went down," said Kim Patterson of Upper Marlboro, whose 13-year-old son has attended the school for eight years. "They created a wall between themselves and the parents."

David Gadson, who serves on the school's board and was principal from 2004 to 2008, said he recognizes some parents were unhappy with some of the changes the previous administration made, including a switch to computer-based instruction in several high school classes. Lont has put that program on hold since he became administrator in 2008.

"The majority did see that [the school] was a good fit," Gadson said.

Ron Harrison, a math and science teacher at the school who was vice principal between 2004 and 2008, said the administration also encouraged parents to resolve conflicts at the classroom level, as opposed to with administrators, which may have led some parents to feel shut out.

"Whenever you attempt to make changes, it's harder for the community to accept," he said. He also said that the administrator at the time, Gary O'Neil, who could not be reached by The Gazette for comment, maintained "a very solid open-door policy."

When the economic recession hit in 2007, Johnson said a number of parents, many of whom had lost their jobs or homes, could no longer afford the $7,500 to $8,000 annual tuition.

Lont said the school tried reducing salaries to make up for the $25,000 shortfall, but it wasn't enough.

School nurse Pat Jennings, who also has two daughters enrolled there, said it is a testament to current administrators that most staff who took a pay cut have not walked away.

"If I were at another school where there wasn't as much camaraderie, I would be upset," she said.

Through fundraising, the school has raised $4,000, and Burke said parents are organizing other events. According to Johnson, the school will be able to stay open for the rest of the semester as long as it doesn't lose more students.

Frida Yem Yem of Bowie, whose 10-year-old son has attended the school for two years, said she would like to give more, but can't afford it on top of tuition.

"If they don't close, I plan to keep him here — he's doing good," she said.

Longer-term plans include moving to a smaller building to reduce operating costs, Lont said.

"The school has a long heritage," he said. "Approaching the 50th anniversary, there was a desire to keep the school going."

E-mail Zoe Tillman ztillman@gazette.net.