Parents who were planning to send their children to Westabou Montessori School in Harrisburg have been left scrambling to find new placements as it appears the school has closed.
The school was set to begin classes on Aug. 12, according to the school’s calendar.
A message surfaced on social media from the former Head of School Amanda Stevens stating that she was “heartbroken” to have to relate the news that the board of directors had made the decision to close the school.
No reason was given and no such messages have been released on the school’s official website or social media and the direct telephone line to the school has been disconnected.
“My phone is ringing off the hook. I’ll do everything I can do to help the families, but I have to regroup myself and find a job to support my family,” Stevens’ Facebook message stated.
A message left for Stevens was not returned.
According to the school’s website, the Montessori-based learning facility opened in 2016 with a small contingent of Children’s House preschool students in the Harrisburg neighborhood of Augusta, an area recognized as an underserved community where generational poverty often creates barriers to children’s education and learning.
In the past decade, the school has grown to offer preschool through 9th grade curriculums.
Steven’s message indicated that SOAR Academy, Savannah River Academy and the Jessye Norman School of the Arts were helping with student placement and offering job opportunities to teachers who have been displaced by the sudden decision. While the teachers, many of whom have won distinguished awards throughout the years, may find a welcoming job market, the sudden closure may have a negative impact on children who live in economically disadvantaged households and could face becoming “latchkey” kids with little or no supervision after the daily classes end.
According to Executive Director Gary Dennis of the Jessye Norman School of the Arts, the loss of Westabou Montessori is a loss to the entire education community, and he has pledged that his group will do all it can to help the students and former teachers make the transition.
“We are expanding our after school reading program in partnership with the Augusta Housing and Community Development Department and so we currently have open, part-time, positions and we would encourage the teachers to come in and apply,” Dennis said.
The Jessye Norman School, named after the internationally famous late opera diva, currently has 12 open positions, Dennis says, and those positions pay between $15 and $25 per hour based on education levels and prior experience.
