First off, we want to thank the individuals and the churches that have continued to support the closure process for MCI. Because of your generosity, we were able to complete all our staff contracts at the end of August. This was our primary focus through the summer; it was both a relief and a celebration that our staff were looked after through this process.
The board has retained both Chris Harms & Kieran Reynolds on a month-to-month basis to continue with the closure process. Some of the tasks that have been worked on/completed are the selling off of items not pertinent to the school/organization. All the vans and the bus have been sold, as well as a large portion of the exercise equipment in the Gym.
There’s been continued contact with MB Education to ensure a hand-off of relevant information, as well as transferring student files to new schools for the students.
With the age of the school & equipment, there have also been several water leaks that were addressed, along with some preventative maintenance, to allow some time for the sale of the property.
We’re in the process of working through all the file storage to determine what needs to remain in storage and which files can be destroyed. A permanent storage location will also be sought for future storage needs.
Currently, we’re also sorting through the entire school to gather MCI artifacts and memorabilia. We have an archive room which still needs to be catalogued, but the goal is to pass many of the artifacts to Mennonite Archives. We’ve been in contact with Conrad Stoez about the safekeeping of MCI artifacts. We believe the MCI memorabilia are items only cherished by MCI constituents, so we’re going to host an online auction to get these items into your hands. The auction will go live on October 21st, 2025, and will close on November 4th, 2025. During that time, anyone can bid on the items that they would like. At the completion of the auction, donation receipts will be issued for all items purchased above fair market value.
Below is a link to the online auction. Please share this with family and friends so that everyone has a chance to own items that would be of importance to them. Please note, you’ll be able to view the auction immediately, but items will continue to be added as we approach October 21st. Registered users will receive notifications of items as they’re added.
https://app.galabid.com/mci-auction/items
When thinking about the school’s finances, the 24/25 financial audit is nearly complete. Regarding the day-to-day finances, there’s been continued progress in slowly paying down debts while managing the monthly expenses. We currently have approximately $75,000 in outstanding bills, which includes our property tax of $28,000 due by October 31st. The ongoing monthly expenses are approximately $29,000.
Many are asking about the sale of the school. At this point, we’ve shown the building several times. Some groups are still having conversations to see if they can formulate a plan for the purchase. Until an offer is presented, there’s little to share in this regard.
We thank you for your continued prayers and support as we navigate this closure process.