Bishop Eddie Long's New Birth Christian Academy Closes (499 hits)
By Derrick Bryson Taylor
Bishop Eddie Long has had a rough 2011, to say the least. After suffering numerous lows, including a gay s*x scandal, quitting his church, and a divorce, today we're learning that his school, New Birth Christian Academy, will be closing its doors next week.
The Atlantic Journal is reporting that 221 students, from grades K through 12, will have to scramble to find a new school by the time winter vacation is over on January 4th. A letter went home with students on December 22nd from board vice-chair Carlton Donald said, "We have operated New Birth Christian Academy for several years with substantial deficits in hopes that the national economic climate would change, however, that change never materialized. We are doing everything in our power to reopen the school at some point in the near future."
Parents shelled out a pretty penny for their children to attend Long's private school. Tuition ranged from $5,253 for New Birth members to $6,198 for non-members. On top of that, students had to pay over a $1K in non-refundable fees.
The school closing is the latest problem for the Bishop, whose wife, Vanessa Long, filed for divorce, then withdrew her petition and filed again -- all within a few days. After that, he decided to take time off from his ministry.
At the end of the summer, Long's past came back to haunt him when two of his five accusers in a gay s*x scandal, Spencer LeGrande and Jamal Parris, said they would write a tell-all book detailing their relationship with him.
