The Academy of Arts and Sciences - Gulf Shores
Academy of Arts & Sciences to close at end of school year
Economy cited as primary reason
School Closing Liquidation Sale (pdf)
After struggling financially for several years, the board of directors that oversees the Academy of Arts & Sciences preparatory school has voted to close the school at the end of the current academic year. The school, located on Highway 59 between Baldwin County 8 and Baldwin County 10, has been holding classes since 2004.
Chris Nelson, President of the South Baldwin Children’s Foundation Board of Directors that oversees the school, said he believes a vital choice in the education of preschool and elementary school age students will be lost when the school closes its doors. “I, and many others still connected with the school, was supportive of a non-parochial prep school when Bayside Academy opened their Bayside East campus approximately 15 years ago,” he said. “When Bayside decided it was going to close this campus in 2004, we formed the foundation to explore keeping a prep school open in the area.”
Nelson, a 1980 graduate of Foley High School, said he felt there was a need for a prep school in the area. “When I got to college at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., I had classmates from prep schools in Nashville and Chattanooga,” he said. “I felt they were better prepared for college than I was. I wanted parents down here to have a choice of sending their kids to that type of school.”
Nelson said he believes there are basically three types of schools. “You have your parochial schools, public schools and private preparatory schools,” he said. “There is a certain niche market in the area that wants and can afford for their children something other than the public and parochial schools.”
The foundation members decided keeping a prep school open was a viable idea. Nelson said after negotiating with Bayside, it became apparent the only way to keep control of the campus was to purchase the site, which was the former home of longtime area businessman and former Alabama Secretary of State Perry Hand. According to Nelson, the property was purchased during the real estate bubble in 2005. “We paid a lot more for the property than it is currently worth,” he said.
With the former Bayside East campus secured, the Academy of Arts & Sciences opened its doors to students in 2005. “In order to keep costs reasonable and not rely heavily on fundraising efforts, the school needs between 120 and 150 students to meet our financial obligations,” Foundation Vice-President Jason Dyken said. “Our peak enrollment was during the 2007 – 2008 school year with approximately 100 students.”
Dyken said he recently heard Baldwin County Public Schools Superintendent Faron Hollinger speak concerning the amount of money the county spends per child. “He said the county spends about $7,500 per student. We spend between $11,000 and $12,000 per student,” he said. “Unless you are self-sustaining as an institution, it’s very difficult to survive.”
Both Dyken and Nelson said the economic downturn of the past two years has made deep cuts in their niche market. “It’s a double-whammy,” Dyken said. “The downturn has meant that there are fewer parents with the economic ability to pay tuition for their children. It has also meant that charitable foundations are not giving as much money as in the past.”
Nelson said although the decision has been made to close the Academy, he would still like to see a prep-school in the area. “All of us on the foundation board are still committed to the idea that parents and children down here should have broad education choices,” he said. “If there’s someone that’s willing to come in with proper funding, we have the facilities, we have the curriculum and we have the will to give parents the choice of a prep-school.”
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