AMHERST — The Amherst Chinese School is closing after more than four decades, but a new language school will open in its place next month, according to school leaders.
Founded in 1975, the Amherst Chinese School has most recently operated from the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School on Route 9 in Hadley.
School community members were notified of the closing in an email from former principal Ming Coler. She said Wednesday that the Amherst Chinese School’s board of directors at its most recent meeting had chosen to close the school and replace it with a new one that will better serve an increasingly diverse study body.
The school was originally founded by Chih-Wen Su under Amherst’s continuing education program and 16 Taiwanese children took classes there.
“The intention was to let the children know and keep their own culture and ethnic heritage,” the school’s website reads.
Later, the school was housed under the town’s Leisure Services and Supplemental Education programming. In 1984, Amherst Chinese School moved back to the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District as a Chinese language program, Coler said.
The school was incorporated as a non-profit organization under its current name in 1990.
Coler said when the town began struggling with revenue, it began asking some programs to pay fees the Amherst Chinese School could not afford. That prompted it to begin sharing space with the charter school in 2007.
Amherst Chinese School offered two hours of language instruction on Sundays at $350 per person annually. Discounts were available for families with more than two students enrolled.
Over the last 40 years, some money for the school was provided through the Overseas Community Affairs Council in Taiwan. There were 37 students when the school closed.
The Amherst Chinese School was always intended to serve as a heritage institution, but the study body has gradually changed from Taiwanese children to adults and children from all ethnic groups and nationalities. At its peak, Amherst Chinese School had more than 60 students.
In 2015, President Barack Obama set a national goal of having one million Americans learn Mandarin Chinese by 2020. The language is critical to strengthening U.S. and China relations, he said of the initiative.
“This diversification has attracted families from Southern Asian countries, families with adopted children from China and families with no tie with China or Taiwan,” the school states on its website.
Coler said as needs of the current student body shifted, the board decided to open a new school with a new name as its mission broadens.
She expects key teachers and parents to be involved in opening The New England Academy of Chinese Language and Culture this fall. Coler will serve on a three-person board as secretary and director of education, along with Cong Chen as board president and Patricia Friedman as director of finance and treasurer.
The new school will continue to meet on Sundays at the Pioneer Valley charter school, with the aim of expanding to include classes during school holidays and summer vacation.
Tuition will increase slightly, with some new discount options available. The first student in a family will pay $360 per year, the second will pay $300, and any additional students will pay $240.
Coler said the board is still determining how the new school will be funded.
“Everyone from this community will be welcomed, regardless of nationalities,” she said. “It’s all encompassing.”
The new academy is actively seeking students to increase enrollment and teachers highly qualified in Mandarin Chinese. It is expected to open Sept. 11. Further information will be available at what will soon be the school’s new website ACLCNE.org.
Sarah Crosby can be reached at scrosby@gazettenet.com.