The school received two pieces of good news in April: one expected, one unexpected.

A surprise $1 million gift—the largest in school history—from an anonymous donor will support the new Endowment for Financial Aid.

And the much-anticipated accreditation report commended the quality of the school program and provided no major recommendations for improvement.

The donor specified that the $1 million should go towards lower-school students, whom the school does not usually offer as much in financial aid due to their longer-term financial commitment.

The new endowment will generate 4 percent in usable interest per year, headmaster Stephen Repsher said, yielding $40,000 for aid.

The school’s current budget line for aid is $1.25 million. Twenty-six percent of students receive some aid, with the typical award averaging $9,000, Repsher said. Aid is based solely on need.
Repsher described the donation as “a selfless act of philanthropy."

“The fact that it’s anonymous makes it in my mind even more powerful,” he said.

The accreditation report followed a Feb. 27-March 2 visit by seven teachers and administrators from the California Association of Independent Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, who observed classes and interviewed members of the school community.

The joint CAIS-WASC committee commended the school’s “careful and necessary (cost-cutting) measures” in the face of recession and flagging enrollment.

Repsher expects the school will receive full accreditation by mid-May.

The committee further recognized the Board of Trustees’ initiative in approving a $13.3 million bond issuance for reconstruction, new construction and infrastructure improvements.

That money paid for new play structures and electricity, phone lines, and fire alarms in every room on campus, as outlined in the school’s Five-Year Strategic Plan, Repsher said.

The 2005 WASC report noted the problem of deferred maintenance, prompting the administration to hire an outside consultancy firm to evaluate the school’s priorities.

As a result, the campus secured better power access and installed new manholes, sewer and gas lines, and storm drains.

This time, the committee’s primary recommendation was the creation of a task force to improve the school’s long-term financial stability by addressing the problems of falling enrollment and securing additional funding while continuing to renovate the Latham campus.

Repsher said the Board will plan the formation of that task force in the coming months.