Enrollment Drop May Sound Death Knell at St. Michael

Reeling from a lawsuit by parents and a mass defection of students, the highly regarded St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal School “most likely” will eliminate grades two through eight next year, officials said Friday afternoon.

Twenty teachers were notified by letter this week that their contracts will not be renewed, officials said.

Enrollment for kindergarten through eighth grade dropped from 206 this year to less than 10, with mostly kindergartners and first-graders committed to attend next fall.

“The school is dying,” said John Schouweiler, a parent and a former school board member. “It has been for months.”

The lawsuit representing at least 24 parents was filed in March after a series of events, including concern over the control of $600,000 raised mostly by parents, the church’s abrupt dismissal of the parent-based school board and plans to eliminate seventh and eighth grades by June 2001.

In the suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Count, parents alleged fraud and deceit, breach of contract and emotional distress.

St. Michael spokeswoman Diane Bryant said officials plan to keep the school open, but aren’t certain how. “None of us knows what’s going on . . . I don’t know the final [enrollment] amount, probably about seven or eight.”

The church’s governing body plans to discuss the matter during the next month, after most of the parish officials, faculty and staff, including the Rev. Ellen R. Hill, the rector, return from a two-week Easter vacation, Bryant said.

“It’s not whether we’ll stay open, it’s how,” she said. “We need to thoughtfully explore our options.”

Bryant would not comment on the grade levels of returning students, but said the enrollment figures could fluctuate as parents pull tuition deposits and the school recruits younger students. Bryant and James Clapp, the school’s San Diego-based attorney, said St. Michael is considering enrolling preschoolers.

“Everyone in the Valley is aware of what’s going,” said Mark Masuoka, a former St. Michael parishioner whose daughters won’t be returning in the fall to the Coldwater Canyon Avenue campus. “I think [the school] is going to have a hard time finding students and qualified teachers. It’s sad.”

Parents of current students said the upheaval has been stressful for the children, causing some to fret, cry, lose sleep or wet their beds.

The breach of contract accusation stems in part from $600,000 accumulated from a tuition surplus, donations and fund-raising efforts, many led by parents with the understanding that they would have a say in how the money would be spent.

Parents said they’re frantically researching options for next fall, including private and public schools or home schooling. Some are exploring a plan to start a school and are searching for property.

St. Michael officials acknowledged that their actions, designed to gain greater control over how the school is run, could jeopardize accreditation next year by two groups that evaluate a school’s academic strength and integrity.

The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles acknowledged receiving dozens of letters from angry parents and offered pastoral advice to parents and administrators, but said it leaves governance to individual schools.

Attorneys for the school and parents have said they hope to reach a settlement.