NEW BEDFORD — City on a Hill New Bedford will be closing its doors at the end of the school year, and those doors will not reopen for the 2020-2021 school year.

The Board of Trustees voted Monday morning to close its charter.

The BESE voted to place City on a Hill New Bedford on probation with conditions in January, requiring major improvements to the charter school's faithfulness to its charter and academic program.

" This was an incredibly difficult decision for our Board to make. This past year, our COAH NB scholars, staff, and community members have made every effort to meet or exceed our probations conditions," said Kevin Taylor, City on a Hill's Chief Executive Officer.

" It is with a heavy heart that I must say that we have not succeeded," added Taylor.

In a news release, COAH says staff members will be reaching out to parents to assist with the process of registering students for another school for the next school year.

" I am grateful that Commissioner Riley has moved to end the operations of a school whose record of low achievement and high attrition was exactly what many of us predicted when it was first proposed in 2012," said Mayor Jon Mitchell on the closing of the school.

"I am pleased that the elimination of the city's obligation to fund City on a Hill will partially offset the significant added expense associated with the expanded Alma del Mar Charter School, and we look forward to welcoming those City on a Hill students who will be returning to New Bedford Public Schools next year," added Mitchell.

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