Exclusive School Is at Risk Of Closing

Parents Angered By the News of A Cash Shortfall

Rock Creek International School in Northwest Washington, an exclusive private school known for its language immersion program and student diversity, is operating with a deficit and could close before the end of the school year, according to parents, school officials and financial documents.

Parents with children at the school have been trying to raise money to keep Rock Creek open for its 210 students, including 25 who attend through federally funded vouchers.

The school markets itself as the first private school in the country to have a nonreligious Arabic language program. Rock Creek's founder and longtime headmaster, J. Daniel Hollinger, left in 2005 with a severance package of about $400,000 after the school's board asked him to step down.

His replacement, Carole Al-Kahouaji, left last month; on Thursday, parents were introduced to the new head, Peter R. Greer, who ran the largest independent day school in New Jersey for 13 years before retiring. Meanwhile, parents are mapping out a new organizational structure while considering mergers with other schools.

"It would be a real tragedy if this school is allowed to close," said J.J. Carrasco, a Rock Creek parent. "How can it happen in this city? In this school, you have an Arabic child singing next to a Jewish child. We need more schools like this."

Rock Creek, which teaches kindergarten through eighth grade, opened in 1988 and now has a lower-school campus on Foxhall Road and a middle school near Dupont Circle. Like all independent schools, most of its operating budget is covered by tuition. This year, tuition and fees are about $20,000. The school is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Elementary Schools.

The school's deteriorating financial health has angered parents, who are asking why the board of trustees allowed the crisis to develop.

A few school employees have left, and others are worried that they won't continue to be paid.

"It's just very distressing as a parent to have this occur," said Nicholas DeLuca, who has a daughter in kindergarten. "I'm worried about my child going to school and having no teacher and no support staff to make sure she is safe."

Hollinger said in an interview that when he left Rock Creek, it was in "excellent shape financially and educationally."

"It was growing and thriving," he said. "The board and I agreed to part ways. We had different perspectives on the future of the school and different priorities."

Hollinger opened a for-profit school, Coeus International, this fall in the District with about 80 students, including 38 voucher recipients. He is in talks to open a Northern Virginia campus, according to e-mails from Coeus officials.