More than four years ago, Lancaster Mennonite (LM) School and Hershey Christian School entered into negotiations and a planning process for LM to acquire Hershey Christian. The enrollment at the Hershey campus of LM has been tenuous since the acquisition. After four years of operation, the LM board of directors, finance committee and administration unanimously agreed that sustainability of the Hershey campus of LM is no longer viable due to enrollment decline.
LM has experienced enrollment decline for more than 10 years and is in the process of creating a sustainable financial model for the future. LM will be transitioning two campuses. Kraybill will operate independently as of Monday, July 1, and Hershey will close at the end of the 2018-19 school year. LM will also reduce staff at other campuses. This consolidation effort reduces the amount of square footage maintained compared to student enrollment numbers.
The model for the future includes an endowment that creates a foundation for New Danville (ND), Locust Grove (LG), Lancaster Mennonite Middle School (LMMS), and Lancaster Mennonite High School (LMH). The current cash endowment is $9 million, with an additional $3 million in non-school properties. Endowment reserves remain strong and in place, preserving ND, LG, LMMS, and LMH campuses. Each campus is moving toward a stronger independent financial health position, yet remaining part of the larger LM system.
LM is implementing a science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) focus system-wide. On the elementary level, MakerSpaces are part of ND and will be part of the LG campus curricula in the 2019-20 academic year. MakerSpaces provide students the opportunity to solve real-world problems with 21st-century skills, demonstrating critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.
LMMS offers a project-based learning (PBL) curriculum model that also engages seventh- and eighth-graders with four core themes each year. Again, this model is designed to solve current-day issues with a 21st-century skill set. The PBL model is in its fourth year of operation and is meant to allow students to transition into LMH with a new mindset on how to approach more advanced high school material and thrive in the real world.
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