A local charter school has announced its closure with the school’s final graduating class preparing to walk the stage at the end of this school year.
Hope for Hyndman, located in Bedford County, will close its doors for good after an emotional public meeting on Tuesday night.
Although parents, students, faculty and staff remain emotional, they feel that it was inevitable.
Hope for Hyndman is a charter school that reports to Bedford Area School District.
Bedford has renewed the schools charter twice in fourteen years, but according to the Hope for Hyndman CEO, charter was just not viable this year.
“We knew our finances were pretty tight, and we did some research over the period of time between the two board meetings in January and February, And it was determined that financially the school was no longer viable.”
Emerick says low enrollment was also a major factor in the decision
In 2011, 305 students were enrolled, now that number currently stands at 123.
“Honestly, we probably should have done about two years ago, but we’ve been very good stewards of the taxpayers’ money, We’ve been able to sustain the school a little longer than we originally thought we would be able to.”
The big question remains Where will these students go?
Emerick says that it is ultimately up to the parents.
“Our students will go back, the records will go back to their home district, and then it will be up to the parents whether they keep their child there, they have other options,” said Emerick. “I mean, there’s always cyber options, private schools and things like that, but each individual family will make their own decision.”
Emerick says 90-percent of the school’s students are from the Bedford Area School District, but they also have had students come from as far as North Star and Somerset.
Emerick says that students have been having a hard time with the news of closure.
“They want to write to their senators and their congressmen and do things. And we’ve encouraged them to do that, We want our students to always have a voice. We’ve also told them to be realistic.”
Emerick says that school officials are working with other school districts, to help keep faculty employed.
As of right now Emerick says the school would probably need 250,000 dollars plus 50-to-60 additional students to remain open, and she says that she does not see that happening.