By Michelle Kim
GOFFSTOWN – Efforts to save the Villa Augustina school began taking shape over the holidays with a written list of conditions from the Religious of Jesus and Mary trustees and another generous gift from a Villa family of $10,000.
The list, promised at the Dec. 12 meeting and written as a letter addressed to the Villa community from Sister Janet Stolba, the Provincial Superior of the RJM, laid out 10 requirements for the RJM to sell the school to a new entity.
Several of the conditions dealt with state and safety inspections and reports to ensure the safety of the school facilities. Other conditions addressed legal matters, such as the resolution of the quiet title suit presently in Hillsborough Probate Court, and others covered logistical matters, such as the establishment of a new entity to own and operate the school.
Also among the requirements was a written proposal for the long-term operation of the school and a plan to fix any safety issues before the next school year.
If the 10 conditions were met, the RJMs would sell the school to the new entity for $400,000, which would be used “in accordance with the requirements of the charitable trust.” The letter also states the other properties would stay as assets of the Villa Augustina Corporation.
The leadership transition team – a group of five parents nominated from the Dec. 18 parents’ meeting to oversee the efforts to transition ownership of the school to a new nonprofit entity – requested clarification from the RJMs on several points but were mostly pleased, said Carol Barrett, chairman of the team.
“We believe the sisters have opened the door that on Dec. 12 was closed,” said Barrett. “I think in their mind the school was going to close. With this letter, they’re going to open it. I can’t be any more thrilled they’re willing to do that.”
Barrett said she had not yet talked with the RJM trustees but had sent Stolba a letter thanking her for working with the parents and opening the door.
The leadership team, which also includes Meoghan Cronin, Denise Jobe, John Turner and Greg Tracy, one of the two families that had originally hired an attorney to look into the legal status of the school, received a pleasant surprise after Christmas.
Tim and Lynn Mark of Goffstown, who have four children enrolled at Villa Augustina, agreed to donate $10,000 to the school. In fact, said Gary Bouchard, a parent involved in marketing and development efforts, theirs was the first e-mail the leadership transition team received after setting up an e-mail account.
The Mark family said they moved to Goffstown specifically because of Villa Augustina.
“The bottom line is our kids don’t want to change schools,” said Lynn Mark. “They love the Villa, and they want to stay.”
Their gift, along with the $100,000 and $10,000 already received and the matching gift of up to $200,000 for the 2007-08 school year, means the parents could achieve $500,000 in the first year if they raised another $160,000.
A Web site, www.villafuture.org, is being developed by Totsi Productions to post updates and includes more information about how to donate.
The next parent’s meeting at the school is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 6, at 6:30 p.m. to keep the community updated on the progress of the efforts and to get imput, according to Bouchard.
“There’ll always be a public meeting scheduled,” he said. “We want to be transparent so people are included.”