The halls where Donald Trump and Stephen Sondheim once walked ”“ and maybe planned renovations or hummed a tune ”“ could be a memory after June 2010”™s graduation exercise unless parents whose children attend the New York Military Academy can convince alumni to keep its doors open.
Money is the issue compounded by declining enrollment.
The Cornwall-on-Hudson school, founded in 1889, is the last noncollegiate military school in the country, according to retired Navy Captain Robert Watts, NYMA”™s superintendent since 2005.
NYMA has graduated thousands of successful business leaders and talented artists; and while most did not go on to embrace a career in the military, “schools of this nature are attractive to many parents because of their focus on self-reliance and teamwork,” said Watts. “That”™s our philosophy, and we”™re extremely proud of our 100 percent acceptance rate for graduating students going on to college next fall.
“Unfortunately, our endowment fund was not well-established at a critical time. Very little was done to engage alumni in supporting NYMA once they left. Had an endowment fund been in place, we would probably be looking at a surplus of $30 million and would not be facing closure at the end of this year.”
At its peak, the 122-acre school had nearly 500 cadets in grades 7 through 12. Today, there are 140 ”“ the same number as were enrolled in 1912. Of the 140, 27 are female and 22 are day students, with the remainder boarding students.
“Ideally, our student capacity should be around 240 to bring us to a ”˜break-even”™ point,” said Watts. “We provide a great learning experience for students in grades 7 through 12. We have the Army ROTC on the campus, and every student is expected to be involved in ROTC, a sport and in academics.”
While the priority is academia, “It is a well-rounded and structured day for students,” said Watts. “The goal is to instill accountability and responsibility. The school”™s Leadership Program has cadets training incoming cadets. Our current captain of the corps of cadets is a 17-year-old senior. It gives students a chance to lead, and based on our alumni, we”™ve had a great deal of success in helping instill that value.”
Michael Regan, head of NYMA”™s parent auxiliary, said the group is focused on a fundraising campaign to come up with the $2.5 million needed to keep the school”™s doors open for the upcoming school year.
“My wife and I are very involved at the school,” Regan said. “We are on campus two to three days a week running activities. Most of the parents are very involved with the school and the students.”
Regan would like to see vouchers become part of New York”™s educational system. “As it is, we are paying twice for our children”™s education,” said Regan. “While all parents support choice and public school, as time goes on, choice has become diminished for many, especially because of the recession. Parents should be able to choose what”™s best for their children, not have choice forced on them.”
If the school closes in June, Regan”™s option will be to send his 9th grader ”“ who has been a student at NYMA for two years ”“ to Denver, Colorado, where Regan and his wife have family. “And yes, we”™ll move and take our business there, too,” said the professional engineer. “New York has an untenable business climate and this is just the icing on the cake for us as a family.”
Regan hopes the phone-a-thon and other fundraising activities the auxiliary plans will save the day. “You never know ”“ it would be great if each person donated $1,000. That would mean we”™d need 1,250 people to meet our goal, but any donation will help. We wish our alumni would step forward and help NYMA, and we are reaching out to them.”
When Trump learned his alma mater was closing, he said through an office spokesperson he was “saddened to hear the academy may be forced to close. I have some really fond memories of being a student there.” Trump, a member of the school”™s Sports Hall of Fame and a 1964 graduate, is among those Regan hopes will answer the call.
NYMA is not technically up for sale, “and we have no control over who will buy it if it does become available,” said Watts. “The village of Cornwall-on-Hudson would like us to remain, as do we and our families. We intend to remain positive.”
NYMA has 85 employees, many of whom have been with the school for years.
NYMA is not the only school facing closure in its immediate area. Two nearby Catholic elementary schools will be merging into a third elementary school due to dwindling enrollment.
“While they have the support of the Archdiocese, we don”™t have that luxury,” said Watts. “We are a private, tuition-driven school, but it does give an indication of what the recession has done to several private and parochial schools, not just in this region, but around the country.
“Unless money is absolutely no problem, parents are increasingly having to make a choice of whether to give their child the education they think best or send them to public school. Parents should have an option. Some children thrive in smaller environments where curriculum can be tailored to their needs or the focus is on a major interest of the child. It”™s a very tough situation, especially given today”™s economic climate for many private schools.”
No one from the Archdiocese was available for comment on the merger of the elementary schools, scheduled to be under one roof at Sacred Heart”™s elementary school on Route 9W in the city of Newburgh by September.
