By Associated Press
Camp Hill, AL – Trustees will keep Lyman Ward Military Academy open for one more year in an attempt to boost enrollment, new board chairman George Wallace Junior announced over the weekend.
Academy President Doctor Chester Carroll said he will step down June 30th after four years in office.
Carroll says he leaves the school "in good hands" and will help the board find a new president.
Last month, Carroll had announced that the 109-year-old school would possibly close its doors on May 31st due to low enrollment and insufficient funds. The academy, which teaches grades 6-12, is about 300-thousand dollars in debt.
Board members pledged to contribute more than 100-thousand dollars of their own money to a marketing plan to increase enrollment.
The school now has 70 students but needs at least 160 to meet its financial obligations. The all-boys boarding school costs about 17-thousand dollars annually to attend.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)