After 40 years, a prominent Christian school in Harford County announced this week it would close its doors at the end of this school year.
Parents said they and teachers were surprised to be notified Tuesday that Mountain Christian School has faced years of declining enrollment and is no longer financially sustainable.
The school, part of the Joppa-based Mountain Christian Church, has seen enrollment fall from 310 in 2007 to 212 in 2014, according to the letter sent to parents.
Church officials cited the economic downturn, general enrollment decline at Christian schools and a drop in the number of school-age children in Harford County as possible contributing factors, according to the letter.
Pastor Ben Cachiaras, of Mountain Christian Church, requested the following statement be used in full:
"The leadership of Mountain Christian Church and School announced Tuesday that after nearly forty years of providing high quality education for students from Pre-K through 8th grade, Mountain Christian School will be closing at the conclusion of the current school year in June," the statement read.
"A statement to parents and the Mountain church family said, 'We are saddened by and deeply regret the necessity of this decision' which was reached after a number of years of initiatives and attempts to reverse steep declines in enrollment which began in 2008.Despite increased marketing efforts, investments in technology, staff and administration and achieving accreditation by the Association of Christian Schools International and Middle States, the school has experienced a one-third drop in student population over the past 7 years.'"
The statement continued: "Sr. Pastor Ben Cachiaras said, 'We are proud of our school, and grateful to God for the impact it has had upon our 900 alumni.So many families and children – including my own – have a deep and lasting imprint from their time at MCS.While we understand the necessity of closure it is still difficult to accept and we are saddened by this unwelcome change.At the same time we are confidently trusting God to provide for and guide the children, families and staff of MCS as they look to the future."
The letter to parents said numerous steps were taken in an effort to reverse the decline. Two meetings were scheduled with parents for Thursday.
Bel Air's Matthew Denny, who has a third-grader and a kindergartner at the school, said he and other parents had no idea the school had plans to close.
"It's essentially the shock of what's occurred," he said Thursday, noting he has been a member of Mountain Christian for more than a decade and is torn about breaking off any ties with the church.
"I feel heartbroken and torn," he said.
Denny said it is hard for parents to understand how a church like Mountain, which attracts thousands of worshippers, could have a struggling school.
"The big concern that I think a lot of parents have is, it's just not adding up how that could be the case," he said.
If the school had problems, he wondered, "why weren't the parents aware of that? Why weren't the teachers even aware that they were in such dire straits?"
About the church, he added: "I believe in the mission, I believe in what they do, but I really do feel [the school situation] has affected a lot of people."