The Rockdale News Rockdale News Digital Edition January 21, 2015 | Page 7

In Depth
Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015

the

end

of

?
Last week, parents officially heard the bad news.
BY MICHELLE KIM

“There may be a group of committed parents who
would like to see Easminster School emerge from reastminster School has faced tough funding times structuring and continue.”
in the past and managed to pull through, but this
“If the debt load is restructured favorably, it may
year could be its last, according to administrators. be possible for Eastminster to emerge as a strong
Headmaster Blake Craft sent a message to parents
viable institution.”
last week announcing that, “Eastminster School will no
Last year, Eastminster rallied with a fundraising camlonger exist in its present structure at the end of this
paign that went to parents and to the community to
school year.”
keep the private, secular school going. It was able to
The school’s board of trustees voted to enter into
raise an annual fund of $197,000 and at least 120 sturestructuring “in order to manage the debt load the
dent contracts by May 16.
school faces,” wrote Craft. The school will finish out
Founded in 2004, the 501(c)(3) institution started
the 2014-2015 school year. Parents were asked to
with elementary grade classes and has grown to its
make plans “in case Eastminster is forced to close.”
current K-12 education with 137 students. According
“The process is expected to take several months. The to the school, it ranked at the top one percent nationfuture of the school is uncertain beyond the present
ally from the Iowa Test of Basic Skill results. In 2014, it
school year.”
saw its inaugural senior class graduate three students
The future is uncertain, wrote Craft, but he added
with scholarship offerings exceeding $700,000.

E