Rockland Country Day School Closing, Heartbroken

CONGERS, NY — The Rockland Country Day School will not open for students in September. The school, which has struggled for several years with finances and enrollment, issued this statement Wednesday:

We are heartbroken to announce that Rockland Country Day School will close at the end of August 2019. Despite the efforts we have made over the last several years, and most particularly this past summer, economic factors beyond our control make it impossible to open for this 19-20 academic year.
Despite much hard work, fundraising efforts have not netted sufficient participation or philanthropy among alumni, current families and local supporters, and continued efforts to boost enrollment have not brought in enough new local or international students. We tried a number of strategies to raise funds, repurchase the campus, and boost enrollment and, either they were insufficient or there wasn’t/isn’t enough time to complete them. Finally, the recent decision of some families to withdraw after committing to enroll their children for the Fall, had a negative impact on the ability to create a balanced budget.
Until August 12, 2019, we were continuing to work on solutions to ongoing challenges. Major initiatives to effect positive change included working on possible sites for a physical move, vigorously pursuing philanthropy and admissions, exploring potential alliances with other educational institutions, and working with admissions consultants to gain a sufficient number of domestic and international students for our boarding program.
This announcement is no small decision, knowing that students must now find new schools and faculty and staff need to find new employment. However, without an ability to afford to finish out another school year, it would be irresponsible to open the doors in September. We have engaged legal counsel to help guide us through this complex circumstance with which we have no experience.
The school is committed to assisting families, teachers, and staff with the transition. We have visited and spoken with several local schools who, with varying commitments, have offered open houses, expedited enrollment, and student and family support.
RCDS has a treasured place in our hearts, and it is painful that circumstances dictate its closing. This is part of an unfortunate trend reflecting the state of educational economics for many small institutions without endowment, significant donors and/or significant government funding.
We are proud of all that RCDS has meant to the students, families, and wonderful teachers and staff over the years. We wish we had better news, but the school’s closure is not for a lack of trying. Our hearts are heavy.

Rockland Country Day School was established in 1959 as a Pre-K through Grade 12 school. RCDS had an enrollment of 110 students in 2018. The 20.5-acre campus contains three academic buildings, an art studio building, a cottage, STEAM Lab, several ball fields, a gymnasium, an organic garden and open space.

Among the fundraising ideas school officials had pursued was selling the campus to the town of Clarkstown and then leasing part of it back while looking for a new home.

"While we have enjoyed this pastoral campus for many years, the cost of maintaining a campus of this size places a considerable strain on our budget," Kimberly Morcate, then head of the school, said in a statement at the time of the sale in 2018. "The opportunity to eliminate debt while charting a new course for the next 60 years is an opportunity we welcome."

But the school couldn't handle the payment on the 5-year lease agreement it signed with the town, The Journal News reported. Head of School Jocelyn Feuerstein asked if they could have the campus rent-free for the first year, backloading payments instead. According to TJN, the agreed payment schedule was $100,000 for the coming school year, then $125,000, $150,000, $175,000, $183,750, then $192,937.

The town's attorney, Thomas Mascola, sent Patch this statement:

On December 19, 2018 the town board and RCDS agreed in principle on a lease. The lease was voted upon at a Town Board Meeting on February 26, 2019 and sent to RCDS thereafter. On May 29th the Head of School for RCDS contacted the town seeking alterations to the lease. Within days, RCDS was informed that the lease would stand as agreed upon. Any suggestion that the lease terms somehow were changed late in the game or that a response by the town was delayed until July 2019 is simply not accurate.

Commenters arguing on the Clarkstown Community Facebook page discussed whether the town should subsidize private schools.

SEE ALSO: Clarkstown Buys Rockland Country Day School For $4.4 Million