PORTLAND (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- Parents and alumnae of Maine Girls' Academy, previously known as Catherine McAuley High School, are trying to figure out why the school is not being more transparent about the abrupt decision to close the school.
A message from one of MGA's board of trustees confirmed Wednesday evening that the school would, in fact, close its doors for good at the end of the month.
"We are confirming to you, our community, that The Maine Girls’ Academy is ceasing operations, releasing its staff and closing its doors. We will have limited staff on campus through July 28 as we complete our work to support the girls’ transfers and finalize the closure process. At this point, the Maine Girls’ Academy is no longer soliciting or accepting donations and no such solicitations are authorized".
We have posted the full message at the bottom of this article.
A meeting was held Monday night for those who had concerns to speak to the school's board of trustees in person. Cameras were not permitted and the media was not invited. Those who attended say they left with more questions than answers, specifically about how much money the school truly needed to stay afloat.
"The resounding message from the community was we care, we want to keep this open, what do you need from us to keep this school going," Cara Biddings said about Monday nights meeting. Biddings is an alumna whose daughter was enrolled at the school. "Unfortunately we didn't get straight answers from the board."
Biddings said those who attended asked how much money the school specifically needed and how soon they needed it.
"We didn't get any of that information." Biddings said.
NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to the academy multiple times Wednesday but did not hear back from anyone.
Biddings said many asked to see the school's tax documents, which would break down how the school spent its money, but the board refused to provide it.
"If you are making a decision like this and you're going to drop it on us in the middle of summer with no warning, you need to be transparent about it," Biddings said. "We need to know everything that you know that led to this."
The school will close its doors for good effective July 28, leaving many families scrambling to figure out where their student will be attending in the fall.
"You've got high school kids who are anxious and scared, they don't know where they are going to be in the Fall," Biddings said. "Every school and every culture is going to be very, very different from what they were in."
Hear is the full message from the Chair of MGA's Board of Trustees:
"Dear MGA Community,
Thank you again to those who attended our meeting on Monday night. It was very emotional for everyone, as anyone would expect, given how committed we all are to the mission of the school, the students and families, and everything MGA has stood for over the generations.
We have all made significant contributions toward keeping this school open and thriving and it is beyond difficult to face its closing.
Those of you who attended the meeting know that much of the discussion focused on the prospect of raising funds to reopen the school.
We all talked about what we would do if we had all the money in the world. However, the reality is that we don’t and despite our best efforts are unlikely to have it any time soon.
During each year of the school’s operation and especially during this past year, school staff and Trustees vigorously pursued support from a wide network of potential individual, corporate and foundation donors.
This network included established donors as well as many individuals, businesses and foundations not previously involved with the school.
While we had good results, including several generous new donors, we were not able to raise the significant funds needed to keep the school open.
Again, we thank everyone who contributed to our school and our mission over these many years.
Since our meeting Monday night, we have reflected on the impact on our girls and their families in continuing to hope that a “save our school” fundraising effort could reopen the school this fall.
Hoping against hope…we have consulted with fundraising professionals, reviewed all the work that has been done to date and pondered whether we have done all that could be done as a whole Board.
Board representatives also met with some of the alumnae parents who have been valiantly working to reopen or revive an all-girls school option.
We’ve given it, all of us, everything we could, but the conclusion remains the same. We do not have the resources we need to continue operations as Maine Girls Academy.
And as much as we wish it could be different, it is simply not realistic to expect that sufficient funds can be raised to reopen this school in September.
By keeping that idea alive through the various fundraising activities that are underway, our families and our girls are being given mixed messages about the future of the school with, in our opinion, no likelihood of a different outcome.
Our girls and our families need closure so that that can move on to what’s next.
Accordingly, we do not believe it to be a prudent exercise of our responsibilities as Trustees to continue to pursue what we have concluded is an unrealistic expectation.
We owe it to all – the girls, their families, our professional staff and alumnae to attend to the work of wrapping up loose ends and bringing this chapter to an end.
Given all that, we are confirming to you, our community, that The Maine Girls’ Academy is ceasing operations, releasing its staff and closing its doors.
We will have limited staff on campus through July 28 as we complete our work to support the girls’ transfers and finalize the closure process.
At this point, the Maine Girls’ Academy is no longer soliciting or accepting donations and no such solicitations are authorized.
We again encourage our families to consider the excellent opportunity at North Yarmouth Academy and to work with NYA to help them create a new home for the MGA community at their school as they help create the future for girl’s education and leadership in Maine.
The memories and spirit of MGA and her predecessor schools will remain alive for all the girls, women and families who have experienced the transformational impact of this school.
To that end, one of our alumnae Trustees, Leslie Tremberth, would like to spearhead that work and will be reaching out to our alums to find those who are interested in working with her.
Thank you,
Heidi Osborn
Chair, Board of Trustees".