Cambridge Christian school closing doors due to declining enrolment

CTV Kitchener: Temple Baptist closing A fundraising effort kept it open for one more year, but a Christian school in Cambridge is now closing for good. Alexandra Pinto has more.

When classes end at the end of June, one Cambridge school will be shutting its doors for good.

After 35 years of education, Temple Baptist Christian Academy has determined that it doesn’t make financial sense to stay open.

“Obviously I’m disappointed, not just as a pastor but as a parent. But I also know that when God says ‘no’, he often has a better plan,” says Jonathan Stairs, lead pastor of Temple Baptist Church, which operates the school.

In 2005, Temple Baptist had about 200 students.

“That has really caused financial deficits to really be backfilled by the church,” Stairs says.

By last year, that number was down to 77 – and as a result, the school was in very real danger of closing.

A last-ditch, eight-day fundraising campaign was able to surpass the $81,000 needed to keep the doors open, but those behind the school knew they needed to boost enrolment to ensure any hope of long-term survival.

Despite recruitment efforts by the Temple Baptist community, enrolment actually dropped to 67 for the 2013-14 school year.

Without significantly increasing tuition rates, Stairs says, another 14 students were needed to keep the school up and running.

Those who spend their days at the school say its closure will be a big loss for the community.

“I feel like my heart is wrenched. It’s such a sad thing to have happen,” says French teacher Judy Gadsby, pointing to small class sizes and the school’s community feel as positives that will be lost.

Those thoughts are echoed by Elizabeth Decroos, who has three children enrolled at the school and volunteers there herself.

“They love their teachers and the things they’re learning, and the other students in their class,” she says.

Although the school is operated by the church, Stairs says only a handful of the 40 or so families who have students attending Temple Baptist actually belong to his congregation.