Linden Hill occupied a unique niche in the boarding school world working with middle and high school boys with attention issues and learning differences in a small, personal, family style setting.

Linden Hill head, James McDaniel laid bare the reality in his letter to the community announcing and explaining the decision. In an amazing detailed and honest letter, McDaniel explains that Linden had come up against some economic gulfs that the Linden Hill family was unable to bridge.

I share these excerpts, but I recommend reading McDaniel’s letter in its entirety:

…It is well documented over the course of the past several years that Linden Hill School has experienced lower enrollment causing reduced tuition revenues against our total operating costs. Our school was already burdened with extraordinary debt and could ill afford the dramatic decline in revenues…

We came to the understanding that our need for fundraising each year was growing at a rate that would exceed our small community’s ability to respond. We were, in short, rapidly approaching an inevitable closing of the school for lack of funds. We responded to this stark reality directly during the summer of 2011 to critically examine (1) our place in the LD/ADHD middle school market, (2) our programs to meet our population’s needs, (3) our staff’s skill sets to provide services to this population at the highest level and, finally, (4) our overall business model for sustainability. We came to the ultimate conclusion that we must take bold steps if we were going to have any chance of saving the school. At the same time, we recognized that those steps might not save the school. Nonetheless, making some dramatic changes was our only hope, however slim, of survival.

…Despite this effort and given the extreme pressure on the fundraising efforts and donors themselves over the past several years, it became increasingly evident that that we have exhausted the ability of our constituents to rescue the school from the ravages of a depressed economy and our significant enrollment declines. Recognizing this, the Board of Trustees determined that the current and projected expense of keeping Linden Hill School open is more than our community could bear or risk. Thus, the Board has voted to close Linden Hill after the end of this school year, June 8, 2012.

…Each year, we forged ahead and made ends meet, rising and falling with each student lost or big gift received struggling to close huge gaps annually between tuition revenues and expenses. The cumulative effect of this existence was deleterious to our ability to provide the best of staffing and to maintain the highest consistency of expectation for each member of the community. Yet, despite it all, we opened and closed each school year having helped our boys along in their lives, thanks to the courage of our faculty, board, and parents.

We are deeply saddened that we must make this decision regarding a school that has helped so many fine young men and their families. Our tradition has been a proud one as the oldest junior boarding school in America for boys with learning differences. We hope that through each of us who has been affiliated with our school, its legacy will live on.

Peace be with all of you as you carry forth the legacy of Linden Hill School.

Sincerely,
James A. McDaniel

If you know your top notch prep school basketball history, MCI with coach Max Good (currently the Loyola Marymount head coach) on the bench was once of the perennial prep school powers.

I watched, and worked the shot clock and scoreboard, at many a game where Good’s teams outran and imposed their will on the opposition.

The decision seems rooted in philosophy and finances. What role does the top notch team play in school and how much does it cost? It seems that, for MCI, liabilities began to outweigh the benefits.

“Finances was really a secondary role in this decision…The program no longer enhances the mission of the school,” MCI’s Director of Alumni and Communications Jennifer Beane told the Morning Sentinel.

“One hundred and thirty-five MCI post-graduate team players went on to play Division I college basketball, and 10 players, including Sam Cassell, Cutino Mobley, Brad Miller, Caron Butler, and DerMarr Johnson, went on to the NBA…

…MCI’s postgraduate basketball team saw its heyday under coach Max Good, from the late 1980s through the ’90s. In 10 years at MCI, Good went 275-30. Under Good, the Huskies had three undefeated teams, won five New England Prep School Athletic Conference titles and had a 79-game win streak. Eighty-seven of Good’s players went on to play Division I basketball, and nine of them have played in the NBA.”(MS)

Photo credit: Steve A Johnson via Creative Commons

In the New York Times, “For Some Parents, Leaving Private School Is Harder Than Getting In” Anderson covers the increasing seriousness with which enrollment agreements are taken.

The antes on both the school, and parent sides, is up.

The contracts are worth more and parents want to hold open options and make school changes until the last minute. Not healthy, something’s gotta give.

Anderson writes:

“For most parents, getting their child into a private school is a moment of joy, or at least relief. But uncomfortable conversations take place at this time of year, as some parents reconsider.

Sometimes these conversations lead to an amicable parting. Other times, they lead to a bare-knuckled fight in court.”(NYT)

The shift in definition from the more genteel (and less enforcement oriented) agreement to contract is an important one. Schools appear to be taking a more aggressive approach to defining the enrollment contract and to making it enforceable should a family choose not, or, be unable, to honor it.

Anderson documents the experiences of families who- by choice, or by changed economic circumstances- found themselves in contract enforcement proceedings. The student could not, or would not be attending the school, and, rather than letting the family withdraw forefitting- say, just their deposit- some schools seek full enforcement of the contract.

Enter debt collectors and lawsuits.

Anderson’s article focuses on the heavily/oversubscribed world or highly competitive schools where one student who withdraws is quickly replaced by another from a waiting list.

Pursuing enrollment contract enforcement when the school would incur no damages certainly doesn’t seem a healthy, or diplomatic position to pursue. If no shortfall in revenue occurs/if the space doesn’t go unsold why pursue the family? It would seem to me that pursuing enforcement when no damages occur is just bad karma and poor public relations.

What about lesser subscribed, or tuition driven schools, where the space isn’t as easily sold/where the revenue is counted upon to make ends meet?

This is a sticky wicket. Schools in these situations rely on tuition monies and unpaid enrollment contracts can create holes in their budgets.

Something’s a little odd when the contract law of enrollment contracts is making the news. Could it be that neither side- parents and schools- are behaving and acting as honorably as they might?

Parents withdrawing students after payment deadlines on discretionary rather than force majeure terms. Schools seeking unnecessary enforcement. An unnecessarily adversarial relationship seems antithetical to everyone’s best interests.

What happened to healthy collegial relationship built upon the student’s best interests?

In my experiences, we always conducted these withdrawal conversations discreetly and politely. If the student/family needed to leave for an appropriate, or healthy, reason, the schools with which I was associated, released the family without further obligation. When the situation required enforcement, we took that route only when necessary.

Communicating and working out the situation seemed to work best for everyone.

However, as I mentioned above, I can see the predicament of schools who count on and budget based the income from enrollment contracts. I don’t have a good policy for this situation.

I know I’m old fashioned. Intuitively though, it seems a return to respectful collegiality on both the parental and school sides might be the best solution. Work together. Begin with honesty. Respect that plans sometimes change. When no harm is done, there’s no need to fight. And most importantly, commit oneself to building good karma and always leaving the situation and relationship better than you found it.

There will be situations that require enforcement but even in these situations each party can come to a workable agreement.

Even when things don’t work out, try to keep the relationship sound.

Espousing the more defensive position:

“Shamir A. Khan, a clinical psychologist and founder of the N.Y.C. Private Schools Blog, said parents should read their contracts carefully and assume that schools will enforce the terms.

‘Families should create a detailed paper or electronic record documenting when and how their circumstances changed and the school’s response,’ Dr. Khan said. ‘But at the end of the day, a breach is a breach, and parents should be prepared to pay the full amount.’”

The realist in me, says Dr. Khan’s advice for parents is sound.

Andriotis focuses on the ‘whys’ & parental nature of the private school lending market.

For many families, loans have become an integral part of their private school tuition planning.

We were happy to lend our perspective.

Stephanie Simon’s Reuter’s piece, “Insight: Public schools sell empty classroom seats abroad,” elucidates the why’s and how’s of rural american public schools turning to international students to fill classrooms. Simon covers the wooing of wealthy foreign- tuition paying- students to districts in Pennsylvania, New York Arkansas, and Maine.

The thematic thread binding the geographically disparate districts- shrinking demographics means they need money and students to survive.

For those of you familiar with the old New England Academy model, I suspect you’re saying to yourself, this is nothing new. It is, but it isn’t.

In the old academy model (which predated regional public school systems) towns paid the academy tuition to educate the students. A boarding component was part of the academies from the beginning providing families and towns the option to have students live on campus if a school wasn’t available in their area or they lived too far away to commute.

This new story is different in that we see public school systems adding a boarding component from scratch with the express intent to help build student population and shore-up finances. The schools have infrastructure in place and empty seats. Why not use them and improve the bottom line?

James Crotty adds a bit to the conversation over at Forbes.com in a piece titled “Should American Public Schools Be Reserved for Americans?”

He sets up the use of agents (although he calls them- more politley – recruiters) and touches on the motives of the process as well as the support and services issues.

Combined, Simon and Crotty set-up the situation as American school systems seek to fill seats and close budget gaps by creating tuition driven offerings for wealthy foreign students. And, they touch on some of the tensions and issues:

• Some Americans believe that public schools should be American?
• International students compete for resources with domestic students?
• Do international families understand what it means to live in rural small towns?
• Are the public schools honest in their marketing to international families?
• And, most importantly from my perspective, can, and are, the public schools doing for international students what they tell international families through their marketing materials, through their agents, and in person?
• What are they selling and are they living up to their end of the bargain?
• The role of agents in the process?
• U.S. local parent tensions.

All of these questions and concerns are a good start.

Certainly tuition room and board in a public school with a home stay setting is cheaper and it opens American educational opportunities to broader range of international students. But, the boarding school administrator in me thinks that international parents and students should be asking a few more questions about student life and living in these quasi boarding school settings.

Questions From A Boarding School Eye

I don’t begrudge these districts getting into the boarding school business. I’m sympathetic to tight budgets and shrinking student populations. But, I think as they open their doors to international boarders, public systems need to professionalize boarding programs.

Regarding professionalization, I think traditional boarding schools have the public school with home stay approach beat. Traditional boarding schools are full service operations with athletic programs, arts programs, weekend programs, sometimes school six days a week.

If I were an international parent, I’d begin with these questions:

• Where is the school located?
• Who is in charge of my student’s safety and well being?
• How often are trips to cities, or other areas available?
• What kinds of student life programs are public schools developing for their international students?
• Does the school/district have a formal student life program?
• Does the school/district have a formal international student program?
• Does the school/district have an international student advisor with whom we and our student can speak and who will work with the student in school?
• How will we interact with host family?
• What kind of college placement office does the school operate? Is it staffed by a college placement professional?
• Does the school offer college test preparation programs?
• What is the school’s college placement record?
• What is the school’s record in college placement?

You can see where my questions go.

Much of what gives richness to school life occurs beyond the classroom. Boarding schools are adept at creating and cultivating these experiences and have a long history doing so- well.

If I were an international family being wooed by a public school system that recently added a boarding program, I’d start my research by asking some questions. Yes, the public school education with a home stay option may be cheaper, but it also may lack some the programs that make a sound boarding school education.

In partnering with School and Student Services By NAIS (SSS), we’ve taken the regional cost of living adjustments and data used by SSS to calculate estimated family contributions toward tuition and put them into an easy to understand infographic. We present hypothetical financial situations, and possible tuition contribution, of families in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and the National Standard.

The infographic is part of our new free e-book, “Understanding Private School Financial Aid: What it is and How to Apply.”

If you’re contemplating, entering, or already deep into the private school financial aid process, “Understanding Private School Financial Aid: What it is and How to Apply” can help you navigate the waters.

We can give you general picture, but, in the end, every financial aid decision is made individually by each school.

Here’s the important disclaimer:

Keep in mind that all financial numbers we present are only estimates. Every family’s financial situation is unique as is each school’s financial aid program. Each school administers and determines its own financial aid process and awards. Schools do not necessarily use, or apply, metropolitan area Cost of Living Adjustments. Application of any Cost of Living Adjustment comes at the discretion of each school. Your family’s financial aid eligibility could be different at each school to which you apply.

Visualized by AdmissionsQuest, a site for families researching boarding schools. Financial aid data provided by School & Student Services By NAIS (SSS).

Set in the physical plant of the former Millersburg Military Institute, Forest Hill hopes to welcome an initial cadet class of 65 made-up of both boarding and day students. Female day-student cadets will make the school coeducational.

Col. Joseph Land, heads the private group behind the schools founding, the United States Army Cadet Corps Inc.

“We said we’d make it happen in five years, and we’re actually going to be a year ahead of schedule next August…

It took us two years of work before we could even think about opening a school here. We’ve taken very steady steps because we wanted to make sure we did the job right. But now we’re ready to move head. It’s very exciting,” Land told Lexington Herald-Leader reporter Jim Warren. (LH-L)

United States Army Cadet Corps has made $1.5 million in improvements to the campus and has operated the campus as “its national headquarters and training center for its nationwide cadet programs for boys and girls ages 12 to 18.”(LH-L)

Reporter Jim Warren writes:

“in three to five years, the cadet corps hopes to expand the new school into a two-year junior college that would qualify students for an Army commission as a second lieutenant upon graduation. Only seven junior colleges in the country offer that now…”(LH-L)

This brings me to Idylwild Arts Academy president Brian D. Cohen’s response to two recent articles, “Chinese Students Lose as U.S. Schools Exploit Need” and “The China Conundrum,” each of which skeptically calls attention and raises issues about the number of chinese students in American boarding schools.

As Cohen’s title implies, “The Chinese Are Coming: Another Perspective,” he offers a broader, more positive, view with special emphasis on the contributions that Chinese students bring to their schools and the perspectives and adaptations that schools need to make in order to practice international education well.

Liang Wang, an Idyllwild Arts alum and principal oboe of the New York Philharmonic, suggests that American flexibility and creativity might lay behind Chinese pursuit of American secondary education:

“America has the best system overall for music education. Europe is a bit more rigid, but America is the land of imagination and individualism.”(HP)

Specifically of Idylwild, Liang added:

“The environment I felt was extremely friendly and highly individual. The teachers…lead you on how to think, not what to think.”(HP)

Cohen argues that in the end, the addition of variables and perspectives make a diverse education fundamentally stronger.

“We all have much to gain — the influx of Chinese students enhances the diversity of all viewpoints at schools, producing interculturally aware young people, and enhancing the compatibility and appreciation of difference among all students. Cultural fluency – comfort living and working in a diverse community; an understanding of international perspectives and political and economic interdependence; and acquisition of a second language – is an essential element of a strong secondary education.”(HP)

Additional resources:

Idyllwild Arts Academy – www.idyllwildarts.org

Berkshire School doing something about it for their campus.

The school will garner 45% of electric power usage as its recently installed 8 acre solar energy gathering installation comes online. The 8,332 panel system will generate 2 megawatts of electricity on the Berkshire campus.

SolarWorld Americas president, Kevin Kilkelly explained that Berkshire’s project and others around Massachusetts are made possible by Massachusetts policies aimed at increasing the states use of renewable energy sources.

“Berkshire School has made an impressive investment in the goals and education of sustainability…The project heads in the direction that Massachusetts officials had in mind when they enacted ambitious solar legislation last year. Set against the picturesque backdrop of the Berkshire Mountains, the project is emblematic of the Bay State’s embrace of renewable energy,” Kilkelly explained. (BW)

Additional resources:

Berkshire School: www.berkshireschool.org

Boarding schools in MA

Prep School Outstanding In The Solar Field

Photo credit: Spotlight On: Berkshire School Solar Farm

The Neil Building at Fox River Country Day School in Elgin, IL, emulates the prairie style of Frank Lloyd Wright protégé, John Van Bergen.

What happens when a school closes? Cold realities get played out and one such reality is the sale of the campus.

The 62 acre Fox River Country Day School campus is on the market.

Back in June we wrote a brief story on the closing of Fox River Country Day School in Elgin, Illinois. Few knew that Fox River had a small junior boarding program and, as such, this is a turnkey campus.

The Neil Building (2005) has lineage connected to Frank Lloyd Wright. The Neil Building, which housed the school’s assembly hall and kindergarten through-5th grade classrooms, references the hallmarks of famed architect and Frank Lloyd Wright protégé, John Van Bergen, who designed, among others, the school’s administration building (1929).

The campus also includes everything necessary for a school- library, dining hall, arts building, gym, and pool.

Fox River opened with a mission to operate as a working farm and to educate and assist depression-era orphaned children, largely from the Chicago stock yards.

Here’s hoping that this facility, again, finds a noble purpose.