Girard College poised to end boarding and high school

In the face of long-term financial problems, Girard College, which has operated as a free boarding school for poor children in North Philadelphia since 1848, is poised to temporarily eliminate its boarding and high school programs.

The board of directors of City Trusts, which oversees Girard, is scheduled to vote Monday morning on that recommendation, which calls for making those drastic changes beginning in the 2014-15 academic year, according to records obtained by The Inquirer.

The recommendations are the culmination of an intensive, two-year study of Girard College's finances, facilities, and academics that was led by a steering committee and that has included public meetings.

The private school and its 43-acre walled campus in Fairmount are funded by income from the estate of Stephen Girard, the 19th-century merchant banker who left a detailed vision for the school in his will.

The Orphan's Court of Philadelphia would have to approve before Girard College could remake itself as a day school for students in grades one through eight.

Girard documents show that the recommendations the board of City Trusts will consider call for operating an extended day program with more rigorous academics for 425 students in fall 2014 with a long-term goal of restoring the residential and secondary programs once finances have improved. The plan does not say when that might be.

The investments that fund Girard were battered by the 2008 recession; the trust that subsidizes the school lost nearly a third of its value. It fell from a high of $333 million in September 2007 to $210 million in June 2009 and now stands at approximately $230 million, Girard's records show.

Since then, Girard has laid off staff, ended its residential program on weekends, and reduced admissions. As recently as three years ago, the school enrolled 645 students. A total of 405 first through 12th graders attend now.

The school would continue to operate its residential program with high school classes in the fall. School officials plan to provide transition services and work with students and their families to help them find new schools, if necessary, for the following year.

Under the current program, Girard annually spends $42,500 to provide a college-prep education and 24-hour care for each student five days a week.

Financial records show that if Girard does not make major changes to rein in spending now, its operating funds could be exhausted in 25 years, and the school would be forced to close.

In addition, consultants who conducted a structural review of Girard's campus found many of the historic buildings need extensive renovations to prolong their lives. The projected price tag for the long-term work is a whopping $111 million.

Kevin Feeley, a spokesman for Girard, declined to comment on the recommendations or discuss what actions the board may take Monday.

The steering committee considered several options for cutting expenses to keep Girard from financial ruin, including closing the school for two years; providing boarding for only half of its students; operating a day program for 225 students in grades one through five; operating day programs for 425 students in grades one through eight or nine through 12; or offering an extended day program with enrichment activities for 425 students in grades one through eight.

The committee concluded that providing an extended day program for 425 students in grades one through eight made the most sense financially and educationally. Not only would that approach reduce operating costs and allow Girard to postpone costly renovations at high school buildings, it would allow the school to focus on younger students and offer them eight years of education.

And even before Girard makes the proposed switch to a day school, documents show it intends to begin an academic overhaul in the fall with a new, more robust curriculum that will ensure students are prepared for college.

As part of the academic review, consultants found that although 98 percent of Girard graduates are accepted to college, only 74 percent enroll. And only 33 percent of Girard's grads complete four-year degree programs in six years, and a mere 15 percent of Girard's seniors met national benchmarks for college readiness, according to documents obtained by The Inquirer.

"For the last two years, the steering committee, at the request of the board, has been studying the best ways to address the financial and infrastructure challenges that Girard faces," Feeley said.

"The board is committed to keeping the school open and operating its campus at its current location," he said. "Girard endowed a school he wanted to serve children in need in perpetuity, and that has been at the heart of every action the board has taken with regard to this study."

He added: "The board understands there are no easy decisions here, but it is going to act in the best long-term interests of the school and its students."