Staff Writer
Hope Christian School is once again fending off questions about whether it will be shutting its doors, questions it has had to address several times in recent years.
The Rev. Ron Burton, the school's executive director, said that its ministry has often put Hope Christian in financial straits but that his faith remains strong that God will provide.
"It would be an accurate and fair statement to say we struggle," he said, adding that the school has always struggled. "I really feel, unfortunately, that it's the type of school we are as a faith-based ministry."
For the first eight years, the school was in the same location, but in the past two years it has moved several times, giving rise to more concern, the Rev. Burton said.
The school has 13 liens against it for not paying taxes, according to public documents.
The outstanding amount owed is about $60,000, the Rev. Burton said.
Last school year, the Internal Revenue Service sent letters directly to parents requesting that they pay the IRS directly before paying tuition. A repayment plan has been worked out.
"People pending Senate confirmation aren't the only ones who struggle to pay their taxes," the Rev. Burton said.
But "robbing Peter to pay Paul" put the school in the predicament, something he said makes him feel un-Christlike.
"We're supposed to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's," he said. "I've been faced with closing the doors or electing to continue to operate, and I've elected to continue to operate. It's affected my personal finances. It's affected the school's finances. It's been hard."
Most recently, paychecks have been delayed to some employees for as little as a couple of days and as long as a month. The Rev. Burton said he went weeks without getting paid at one point.
"We've made personal sacrifices to be here because we recognize the need and we've seen the Lord work," he said.
In hindsight, some of his decisions haven't been good business decisions, he said.
"A family comes to us and says we can't afford to pay, yet we still enroll them, knowing that we're struggling to pay our bills," the Rev. Burton said. "An effort to try to help is sometimes -- often times -- to our own detriment."
Recently, the school began requiring parents to pay a minimum tuition fee, a decision the Rev. Burton said wasn't easy.
There are, however, some positive developments in Hope Christian's finances, the Rev. Burton said.
It continues to have a strong relationship with Marvin United Methodist Church, which houses its high school program in Martinez, and it has also acquired the Girls Inc. building in Harrisburg for its K-8 schoolchildren.
Families continue to enroll their children, and donations continue to come in. An unsolicited donation of $7,000 was made over the Christmas break.
The school is funded through tuition, state special needs vouchers and donations, although donations have slipped. From 2001 to 2007, donations averaged $80,000 a year, but as of late January of this school year donations were just slightly more than $20,000.
Many of the school's pupils excel at Hope Christian, where they might not have in the public school system, he said.
Hope Christian graduates have gone to Augusta State University, Kennesaw State and elsewhere.
"We're just a place where God has done some incredible things, and our hope is that that continues to happen," the Rev. Burton said. "Instead of closing our doors, we're looking for ways to duplicate this."
Staff Writer Kelly Jasper contributed to this story.
Reach Greg Gelpi at (706) 828-3851 or greg.gelpi@augustachronicle.com.
