Kildonan School to remain open despite financial challenges

AMENIA — Responding to rumors related to the school’s possible closing, Kildonan Head of School Kevin Pendergast says the school is here to stay.

When Kildonan School founder Diana Hanbury King died last summer, there was speculation the school would close.

Pendergast and Kildonan School Treasurer Bruce Karsk said the school is prepared to move forward with arrangements for the coming year.

Karsk said it’s possible a smaller number of students will be enrolled in the fall. This will force the school to look at the student teacher ratio and the payroll. There is also likely to be less financial aid available. 

Pendergast confirmed that  some families have decided to move on from the school. He said the school will continue to offer as much as it can to its students, which, given the size of the school, is no small task. 

With soccer, basketball, lacrosse and horseback riding programs, the school intends to continue its athletic offerings for its students.

Above all, he shared the school’s intentions to continue providing students with one-on-one tutoring to help build their reading, writing, spelling and language skills. Also known as the Orton-Gillingham teaching approach, Pendergast said this method not only stands as the heart of the Kildonan School program, but also memorializes the teachings of the school’s late founder.

Kildonan recently received a $1 million matching grant from an anonymous donor. The school is now campaigning to raise $1 million in matching donations, which Karsk said will help the school get through the summer with faculty salaries, payroll and other financial obligations.