Penikese Island School Closes, For Now
By: Elise R. Hugus
Published: 02/08/11
The Penikese Island School has weathered a number of storms over its 38-year history, both financially and physically.
Now the latest round of state and federal budget cuts is forcing the school to suspend operations until the skies clear, said Executive Director Toby Lineaweaver.
Located 12 miles off Woods Hole, the Penikese Island School has operated as a private residential school for troubled boys since it was founded in 1973 by Woods Hole resident George Cadawalader.
Seen as an alternative to juvenile detention, the school gained a reputation for its intimate size, quaint setting, and “choice and natural consequences” philosophy, attracting media attention and countless documentaries about the program.
But state funding trends have not reflected the therapeutic approach. Directly funded by the state Department of Children and Families, the Department of Education, and private donations, Mr. Lineaweaver said that Fiscal Year 2012 appears to be “the worst yet” for the school’s budget.
“In targeting our services for the neediest few, we’re working with a population that doesn’t have access to other kinds of support,” he said.
Take a journey to Penikese Island with this photo slideshow by Enterprise reporter Elise Hugus.
The three students currently enrolled at the school will be transferred off-island, said Mr. Lineaweaver. One will graduate from the program, one will enter a group home, and another will head back to his family and public school, he said.
The school has a capacity of nine students, and employs 15 full-time staff who rotate shifts on-island, in addition to eight administrative staff and a boat captain.
With a mission to serve teenage boys who have not recovered with more traditional programs, Penikese Island School is more expensive than jail or non-residential schools, admitted Mr. Lineaweaver.
Faced with severe financial constraints, the school’s directors decided to take advantage of low enrollment in order to buy some time, said Mr. Lineaweaver.
While he was forced to lay off a number of staff, teachers will continue to work with graduates in the school’s aftercare program and work on maintenance projects on the island.
“This is a strategic move to protect the long-term interests of the school, so that when we do come back, it’s stronger than ever,” he said, pointing out that the school also closed for a period in the 1980s.
He could not give an estimated date for re-opening, but said a business plan was in the works to stabilize the school financially. The school’s offices on Woods Hole Road are still open.
10 Responses to "Penikese Island School Closes, For Now"
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It's unfortunate that this resource is going away. Some kids aren't helped by playing "Black OPS, Call of Duty" 4-6 hours a day, and Penikese seems like a good alternative. I fear it won't take long for a brand new 5000 square foot, environmentally irresponsible home to be placed on Penikese Island with signs along the beach saying, "Private Beach, Members only".
oxide23: The good news is that this resource is NOT going away...just as you shut down your home kitchen when renovations are happening, Penikese is temporarily suspending island operations while upgrades are made to the business model of working with students (i.e. less reliance on the Commonwealth. This is the 3rd time Penikese has done this over the years as a proactive measure to change with the times. What IS too bad is that any interruption at all has to happen--but such is the reality of the times we live in.
What a shame that it has to happen to such a great program.I know that they will find a way on their own to help the children,If only the fat cats! in the commonwealth could each give $100.00 of thier per diem , or salary it would make a big difference.
Without knowing exactly what the challenges are, I have faith that The Penikese Island School will bounce back. The characteristics of the program are so unique that, of course, not everyone in public education can understand the value and effect the Island School had on the boys. The people who have worked and continue to work to keep the program going are heroes in their community! Thank you from a Falmouth Public Schools employee who sees students everyday that would benefit from "unplugging". If there is anything we can do to help with fundraising or recruiting, please ask!
I am extremely sad to hear that Penikese needs to close even for a day. I wish I had the means to help out in a substantial way. As a former employee, I know first hand the value of Penikese. It is an experience that is difficult to measure. Unfortunately, it would be a rare politician who would be able to recognize the value and ensure funding. I hope the time is short and Penekese is able to come back stronger than ever.
as a graduate from Penikese in 2005 i can honestly say it is an amazing program that will help in many ways i only wish that there something that i could do to prevent this from happening to give back to what they gave me. a whole new life. the staff and admin are all amazing and will go to many lenghts to help the boys in anything they can during my stay there i learned alot of history bout the island and things to help in my life today and i could only hope that they re open soon so it can continue to help troubled teens like i was and i give my word if i was to win the lottery tomorrow a great portion of it would be donated to that school and any other help i can give. if there s anything i can do please feel free to ask
My family and I visited Penikese in 1995, and we were greeted so warmly by the boys at the School and their staff leader. The program was very impressive because it showed such a sense of nurturing and productivity...so much more positive than any other types of reform programs. It makes me sad to think that troubled youth have been stripped of this type of progressive rehabilitation. I sincerely hope the school will be open again in the near future. I enjoyed seeing all the pictures posted, but I would like to clarify information on one of the captions. Under the photo of Lucy Peterson's headstone, the caption states that she gave birth on the island. This information is incorrect. The only patient who gave birth was my paternal Grandmother, Isabelle (Sylveira) Barros. She gave birth to my Uncle, Leontine Lincoln Barros, on March 6, 1906 in Gosnold, MA. (There were no facilities for childbirth on Penikese.) This birth is documented, and his birth certificate is on file with the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics in Boston, MA. There is no photo of the headstone, which my family and I placed on Isabelle's grave in August, 1995. An article dated August 24,1995 written by William Corey was published in the New Bedford Standard Times recording this event. It was titled: Relatives travel to Penikese to honor Wareham woman. I respectfully request that your site be updated to reflect these facts. My family and I would surely appreciate it. Now that the school is closed, there is no one to tend to the graves in the little cemetery. This was one of the tasks performed by the boys, and we were grateful for their diligence.
24 full time employees for 3 students, 1 of whom is graduating, seems like an extraordinarily large expense. Not even taking into account food, electricity, maintenance costs, fuel, you are talking about well over a million dollars a year. Just give each troubled youth a million dollars and come out ahead of the game. I'm a believer in helping out the unfortunate, but this seems a bit ridiculous. At $350,000+ per year per student that is 6 times more expensive than Harvard. 30 times more expensive than UMass Dartmouth. 100 times more expensive than my local Community College. It may be a fine program, but look at it this way: 4 years of schooling here would cost maybe $1.6 Million for 1 student. Even if that student was successfully integrated into society and donated every dollar they made over the next 30 years (minus food and shelter), they'd never pay it back. Meanwhile, 10 honors students graduating High School can't afford to go to college at all and take jobs working at McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts.
Abbier, "just give each troubled youth a million dollars and come out ahead of the game" since no one can really be that ignorant I will assume you aren't serious. The obvious argument is that by keeping a kid from spending many years or even a lifetime in prison the savings are apparent. This has always been an expensive program and perhaps that can be moderated. The simplicity and rawness of it back in the '70s and '80s was what ,in my opinion, made it so effective. Unless you actually experienced it I'm not sure you would understand. George Cadwalader and Dave have left a legacy of teaching troubled youth responsibility for thier actions. We need this now even more than ever.
SANTANA: Can you please contact me? I thought Isabelle gave birth to Leontine on the island. This information - and your input - is very important to a project I am working on. It is my hope to use a monetary percentage of my project to support Penikese and its legacy of hope to its inhabitants. Thanks, Kim. (kprojas413@gmail.com)