Montessori will close this week

Terry Webster

Monday, Nov. 19, 2001 | 9:47 a.m.

Parents are rushing to find a new school for their children after receiving a one-week notice that Montessori Academy of Southern Nevada will close this week.

Financial problems are forcing the closure Wednesday of the private school and its day-care center, which have operated since 1968. Both operations, at 6000 W. Oakey Blvd., educated about 130 pre-kindergarten through fourth grade children.

About 21 teachers, administrators and office workers will lose their jobs.

A meeting to provide parents referrals to similarly priced private schools and day-care centers will be held 5 p.m. Nov. 26 in the fellowship hall of Trinity Christian School, 950 E. St. Louis Ave., Jacqueline Trosclair, principal and director of the Montessori Academy, said.

Public Administrator Jared Shafer decided to close the school, because it no longer is profitable, he said. Shafer is acting as guardian of the affairs of owner Connie Mormon, who has fallen ill and can no longer run the school.

"It doesn't make enough money, and it is no longer in the best interests of the woman who owns it to keep it," he said. "We probably ran it four to six weeks longer than we should have.'

Parents found out about the closure through a letter tacked on the front entrance of the building, parent Danny Campbell said. The notice says children can no longer attend the school after Wednesday because of financial problems.

"I understand it is a business -- it's a private school -- but I am still alarmed at the amount of notice parents were given to find another place for their child's education," said Campbell, whose son attends kindergarten. "They should have come to the parents and asked them to raise tuition. We weren't given any options.'

Campbell said he is looking into other private schools. He said he wasn't pleased with the rigor of Clark County schools when his much older daughter attended them.