July 7, 2011 in City

Discovery school may close for good

Summer camp ends abruptly; parents get phone message

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A Spokane private school in operation for 27 years suddenly closed its summer camp program Wednesday, and may not reopen for school in the fall.

The Discovery School, an independent private school, contacted parents via phone on Wednesday: “The school is closing immediately, and will not be holding any further summer camps.”

A meeting in May involving teachers, parents and school leaders indicated the school may not open in September due to financial issues, but bankruptcy was not mentioned, said Nicole Simon, a Discovery School teacher and summer camp director.

Teachers were told they would not be paid in July and August, she added. “But then June 30 came and went without a paycheck.”

The school, at 323 S. Grant St., was founded in 1984 with a mission of “building an education as unique as each child from preschool to sixth grade,” according to the school’s website. A teacher had about 12 students per class – half the size of a public school class. As of January, about 105 students were enrolled in the school, a decrease of 35 students since 2008, according to the Discovery School’s annual report.

Tuition cost about $10,000 per academic year. However, about 54 percent of the students were receiving a $5,000 scholarship, according to the Private School Review website. A majority of the school’s revenue was generated by tuition, based on its 2009 filing with the Internal Revenue Service.

The summer camp was in its third week, and parents paid tuition months ago – a separate tuition from the regular academic year. As far as recouping the money, the school’s message on Wednesday continued: “Any funds that have been received are being recognized by the legal counsel and you will be receiving confirmation of our filing for bankruptcy, the procedure to follow and the procedure to follow to file a claim if you so desire.”

When reached, board member Debbie Brinker-Cutter, confirmed Wednesday’s message, but said it was still unclear if the school would actually file bankruptcy. “We’re exploring all options,” she said. However, Brinker-Cutter did not explain further.

Meanwhile, a Facebook page devoted to the school has supportive messages from parents: “Thank you Discovery School and the awesome teachers and staff! Very sad to see it close. We will miss you!!” Teachers also posted comments.

Simon said the school has faced financial problems in the past, but had always managed to stay open.

The school operated on a tight budget, according to tax records. Its revenue in 2009 was $1.2 million, which included tuition and about $30,000 in grants and fundraisers. After expenses, the school was $5,241 in the red. In 2008, the school ended up about $73,000 in the hole.

“It’s this economy,” Simon said. “When money is tight, spending $10,000 on your child’s tuition is too much.”

Wednesday’s message to parents ended: “I’m very sorry for your loss as well as mine, 27 years of educating children. Bye.”

Six comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  WHS on July 07 at 6:21 a.m.

  Bummer… My friends children all went to this school and the education was awesome. Too bad that it is closing as one is still enrolled, the other two have moved on to advanced placement courses offered through the district.

  Sorry Shauna and Robin…

  WHS

• 

  elanath on July 07 at 10:06 a.m.

  My daughter attended Discovery for two years (until it closed). I am saddened by this—Discovery was a fantastic school—and angered that the school was not managed better financially.

  When it became clear in May that the financial crisis was of a magnitude that the school would likley close, a group of parents came together to start a new school. We wanted our children to continue to receive a wondeful education, with small class sizes, differentiated instruction and lots of field trips. We have secured start-up funding, leased a location, hired (as of now) two teachers who formerly taught at Discovery and will open as a school in September.

  River Day School is located at 116 W. Indiana. Tuition for 2011-2012 is $6,000 per child. We will be having an open house on July 13 from 5-7pm, and again on August 3rd from 5-7pm and August 6th from 10am-2pm. More information can be found at www.facebook.com/RiverDaySchool

• 

  WHS on July 07 at 1:44 p.m.

  That’s great elanath… I wonder if my friends are part of that. I will have to give them a call.

  Good Luck! I hope it works out as I know it was just a great experience for all three of their boys.

  WHS

• 

  avboden on July 07 at 5:55 p.m.

  Elanath,

  I think in time you’ll find you will run into the same issues Discovery had. Though I wish you luck I find it a shame you had to take teachers and turn a situation of “might close” into “will close”.

  Discovery school, you’ll be missed!! Thank you to all the staff/teachers and everyone that has contributed over these years.

• 

  gaylempt on July 07 at 8:20 p.m.

  “A time to grieve and a time to part.” Many families of DIscovery School greive the closing of the doors of a school that changed their lives - I know it changed mine. I am forever grateful for the laughter, tears and people (especially students), that touched my life during my time with Discovery School.

• 

  gaylempt on July 08 at 7:17 a.m.

  Chenine Peloquin (Johnson) wrote this to me: “The reporter completely missed the boat on why Discovery closing even matters. No educational experience could come close to the learning and community created there. The genuine respect and shared responsibility for learning between teachers and students is the heart of what made Discovery an incredible school. Thank you to all of my teachers - Kathy, Bob, Robin, Geoff, Shari, Gayle, Lorna, Bob, and of course Karen, Katie, Marilyn, Gail and Mary. You are a huge part of the critically thinking, community oriented, playful, lifelong learner that I am.”