Parents at the Croft School in Jamaica Plain raise enough money to stay open through end of school year

After scrambling to save the Croft School, parents said they had raised enough money to keep the Jamaica Plain location open until the end of the year. 

On March 21, parents said they had received a message from the school's board, informing them that the last day of school would be March 27. They claimed that the school's founder, Scott Given, had admitted to mismanaging the school's finances and keeping two sets of books, thereby concealing around $13 million in debt. 

The board allegedly told parents that they would need to raise $5 million to cover payroll and operating costs.  

"When we first heard about this, I fully prepared my daughter that it was going to shut down immediately," said Dr. Swati Rani, a school program educator and parent.  

Saving the school year

So parents sprang into action to ensure their children could remain at the school through the end of the academic year.  

"It is unbelievable that we have accomplished what we have accomplished," Dr. Rani said.  

Despite many families already paying tuition through the end of the year, they raised $1.2 million through donations and family contributions.  

Teachers and parents were relieved by the news. Fifth-grade teacher Matt Shuman said that it would've been impossible for him to find a new school to teach at for two months and explained that he had already begun to look for barista jobs. 

"I just feel so glad I can continue to teach and be with my students each day," Shuman said.

Croft School future

However, the school's long-term fate still hangs in the balance. 

"Now the board needs to step up and work with the parents to do their part, to sustain the school and make sure we sure next year we are functioning and that we are able to come back and continue on Croft's wonderful legacy," Shuman said.

The Croft School location in Providence, Rhode Island may be saved. A judge has granted a receivership, appointing a third-party attorney to handle the schools' finances and operations for the time being. It is unclear what will happen to the Croft School's South End location.  

Scott Given lawsuit 

School founder Scott Given is facing two lawsuits. One is from a commercial landlord who alleges that Given provided them with a forged letter of credit for the school's expansion into the Foodie Market in the South End.

The other lawsuit is from Croft School parent Paul Crockett, who says he invested $160,000 in the school and accused Given of running a Ponzi scheme.