San Antonio de Padua School in Boyle Heights, which claims Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as a former student, is reinventing itself for the 21st century.

School parents, teachers and staff members are working overtime to boost enrollment at the K-8 school with a Spanish/English marketing campaign targeting local residents as well as downtown commuters. Hopes are high that a new preschool opening this fall in unused bungalows on the playground will draw new families to the nearly 50-year-old school that has faced declining enrollment in recent years.

The preschool, which will accept children ages two-and-a-half (potty trained) to five years old (pre-kindergartners), will be open five days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Day care in the late afternoon will be available until 6 p.m. Preschool tuition is set at $200 monthly; $300 for families requiring after school daycare.

"I have a positive feeling that the school will remain open," said school principal Solis Rivas. Since arriving three years ago following the 45-year administrative tenure of the Sisters of the Company of Mary, Rivas has worked hard to stabilize enrollment at the financially challenged school.

When enrollment hit a low last fall of 104 students, down from 117 the previous year, a focus group including the pastor, Msgr. Joseph Herres, Rivas, teachers and parents, was formed to advertise the school's advantages.

"It's a good little school," said parent focus group member, Maria Juarez. An alumna of San Antonio de Padua who drives her two children in from San Dimas to attend the school, Juarez appreciates the individual attention received by the students. She feels the school's proximity to Los Angeles is an incentive for commuters.

"A lot of people don't realize how close the school is to downtown," said Juarez, who noted the school is located near Olvera St. and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Second grade teacher focus group member, Maria Crump, has visited local neighborhood homes and talked to parents of public school children about the educational and spiritual benefits of attending San Antonio de Padua. On May 28, Crump, a native of Columbia, will staff a table along with Belize-born Rivas at a Spanish-speaking women's religious conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center to acquaint the greater Hispanic community with the school.

Formerly a teacher in Columbia, Crump said she chooses to teach at San Antonio because of its concern for the students' spiritual welfare. "I love preparing children for their first Holy Communion," said Crump.

"The faculty and pastor are really committed to keeping the school open," said Frank Montejano, archdiocesan elementary schools regional supervisor. He said the focus group's recruitment efforts have raised positive interest in the school which could result in increased enrollment next September.

"I really applaud the efforts of the principal, pastor and the very dedicated strategic planning committee," added Pat Livingston, archdiocesan superintendent of elementary schools. "The preschool should be a wonderful addition to the school."

To contact San Antonio de Padua regarding K-8 or preschool registration, call the school office at (323) 221-6970.