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| Abrupt School Closure Angers Parents Presbyterian Nursery School to Close After 34 Years By Stacy Kaper In a way, everyone was expelled. Parents were told last Thursday that despite having their children registered in school for the fall, they would need to find a different school in which to enroll their kids. |
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As of Aug. 31, Culver City Presbyterian Nursery School is set to close its doors after 34 years of teaching young students. In a letter given to the nursery school’s parents, the school’s director, Beth Hartmann passed on the information the church had provided to the school regarding its decision to close the school. The Session of the church states that it can no longer sponsor a nursery school because "it does not have the human or material resources to redevelop, nurture of sustain a healthy relationship with a nursery school." However Hartmann, who has been directing the school for 16 years and her mother Ruth Hartmann, who began the school, said that the nursery school has been financially independent throughout its duration. Hartmann says that the school has never asked for funds from the church and has always paid its utilities and other dues to the church on time. About 57 students ages two to six attend Culver City Presbyterian Nursery School. Ten of those children are kindergarteners. According to parents and Hartmann, enrollment registration for alternative school was held back in March and April of this year. In a letter to the newspaper, Holly McCormick, a parent whose child attends Culver City Presbyterian Nursery School, wrote, "Children enrolled at the nursery school will be displaced shortly and faced with a very limited time within which to find other schools. The emotional issues involved with such a swift closure are yet another aspect these parents will have to deal with The kindergarten class has missed opportunities to attend round-ups for local schools by two months and are at risk of not being able to find the quality of care and curriculum that CCPNS provides." In another letter, parents Alden and Alicia Millikan wrote, "over and over this evening, we parents asked ‘why?’ No answer was given and neither church pastor Kikanza Nuri Robins or anyone from the Session was on hand to answer that question." Parent David Cappoli said that he spoke with another parent who contacted 20 schools and was unable to establish an alternative school for her child for the fall. "Right now we are trying to get the church to agree to at least give us one year, until next June to find a different location to house the nursery school," said Hartmann, who also mentioned that obtaining a license for a school takes between two and four months. "When we were looking for a nursery school for our son we checked out so many schools and we really liked Culver City Presbyterian Nursery School because of its environment, its faculty and its staff. I don’t know what we are going to do for our daughter who is enrolled there for the fall," Cappoli said. No one from Culver City Presbyterian Church was available for comment at press time. Another meeting is scheduled for July 13 at the school with parents, faculty and church representatives to discuss the matter. |
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