Complaints follow lack of information on Benedictine sale

In a series of carefully orchestrated meetings this week, Benedictine High School Headmaster Jesse Grapes has sought the buy-in of key donors, parents and alumni for a proposal to move the Catholic military academy from Richmond to a 50-acre property in Goochland County.

But to the dismay of many, he has not provided the financial details of a deal he says is vital to the school's sustainability. Grapes declined to provide to even board members the estimated cost to relocate the school to the abbey of the Benedictine Society of Virginia, which owns the school, or how much the school would net from selling the school to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

"It's hard to go sit and listen to a beautiful presentation, see colorful renderings and not have the facts behind it," said Luke Puccinelli, a 1992 graduate and member of the Benedictine Alumni Board who attended a meeting Sunday night for 25 alumni and donors. "How can you ask your alumni to sit by and support something without knowing the details?"

Steve Bannon, a filmmaker and entrepreneur who sits on the school's board of trustees, said the board was not consulted about the move. "This is all driven by the Benedictine Society of Virginia," he said.

He said board members were not shown any financial information when they were notified last week that the society and museum had reached an agreement to pursue the sale. Bannon, who also sits on several corporate boards, said he requested the details and was told they would not be provided until mid-March.

"I have never seen this type of presentation to a board about such a major transaction," he said.

Frank J. Wallmeyer, a former member of the school's board of trustees who proposed with a handful of other alumni to buy the school last year, said a deal with the museum would be financially beneficial for the society, but "I don't know that it will for the school."

Grapes said the society would get 12.5 percent of the proceeds from the school sale. The rest of the proceeds would go to the school and would be used to pay off its $2.7 million debt, which has been accumulating over the years from operational shortfalls and construction of athletic facilities, Grapes said.

The sale of the school would also fund the remodeling of classrooms at the Benedictine Society's Goochland facility, a former seminary, and would be used to build up the school's operational reserve, he said.

Previous estimates put the cost of relocating the school at $23 million.

Puccinelli, an operations manager for a development company, said he can't believe alumni weren't consulted about such a major decision.

"The disheartening thing is you have a group of monks that have basically isolated themselves from the alumni and are making decisions by themselves and not including any alumni," he said. "While we respect them, and they lead a life of God's faith, I don't think I would leave them to negotiate a contract with the arts museum."

The Benedictine Society did not return calls for comment.

Frank Boehling, a 1990 graduate and a former member of the school's board of trustees, said it's important to continue to support the monks as they plan for the school's future in Goochland.

"The monks don't just live in their own community. We're all part of their community. We have been for 100 years," he said. "At the end of the day, there's a decision in front of us that is being made. Who is responsible at this point isn't important."

Two years ago, the school announced that Benedictine would stay in Richmond after a 16-month study by a committee of parents, alumni, educators and professionals.

Bannon said several parties need to be brought into the discussion, including Benedictine's sister school, Saint Gertrude High School, as well as neighboring St. Benedict Catholic Church, the Catholic Diocese of Richmond and its bishop, and the city of Richmond, he said.

"Benedictine has a 100-year history on Sheppard Street. We have to be cognizant of that," Bannon said. "We have to get all voices at the table, not just the Benedictine Society of Virginia."

Grapes said he will make sure that students, parents and alumni are involved in the design process for the new school.

He said moving to Goochland will enable the school to grow its enrollment by as much as 200 additional students. That would decrease pressure to raise the $14,500 tuition and enable the school to be more selective in its admissions process.

Grapes said the school would run a capital campaign to fund the construction of a new gymnasium and a bell tower modeled after those at the Richmond school to "bring the things you love" to Goochland.

Grapes said moving to the property where the school's athletic fields are located would unify the boys with the monks. It is closer to 80 percent of students' homes and would enable students to devote more time to studying. The Goochland location offers more, and bigger, classrooms, and would feature art and music wings. The cadets will have more space for their military training, and students could even start a crew team on the riverfront property.

The move is designed to improve the finances of the school, which has been on the brink of closing more than once in recent years, Grapes said. Donations to the annual fund are used to keep the lights on and the heaters humming.

At least twice in the last three years, alumni have offered to buy the school. The monks rejected both offers.

The society contacted the museum about a year ago to gauge its interest in buying the Sheppard Street property, VMFA director Alex Nyerges said. However, the society has not yet reached out to Goochland officials to discuss the process for approval, according to County Administrator Rebecca Dickson.

Wallmeyer, a former trustee, said he thinks enrollment will drop not just at Benedictine but also at Saint Gertrude as a result of the move.

Saint Gertrude's president, Susan Walker, said she worries about any obstacles to enrollment. "Certainly our choice would be that Benedictine stay in the city, a couple blocks away," she said. But she said school traditions will continue, such as the schools' prom.

Grapes told parents that the buses currently used to transport students to the athletic fields in Goochland could be used to transport siblings of Benedictine students to Saint Gertrude, or vice versa, to make the move easier on parents who have students in both schools. School officials hope to move to the Goochland property by the 2012-13 school.

kgreen@timesdispatch.com

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