LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A private school in northwest Las Vegas closed its doors Thursday, leaving families searching for new classrooms and employees still waiting to be paid, according to school leadership.
Growing Minds Preschool & Academy, located near Buffalo Drive and Vegas Drive, opened last year and served children from preschool through eighth grade.
Less than two years later, its closure is raising questions about the school's finances, including unpaid wages, money contributed by parents and whether families will receive refunds.
"I feel betrayed and I feel like a failure for my kids because I could not provide them a safe place to stay," said parent Inga Algereyeva, whose two boys attended the school.
WATCH | Las Vegas private school closes amid unpaid wages, rent disputes
Parents stepped in to help pay teachers
In a letter sent to families following an October 23 meeting, interim Head of Schools Debbie Kaye said Growing Minds needed $85,000 to cover payroll for teachers and staff.
Within hours, families and supporters had pledged nearly $50,000, according to the letter.
The contributions were intended to help cover past-due payroll and allow teachers to return for another week while school leadership searched for a longer-term solution.
"Our teachers haven't been paid and I believe that we're going on a third paycheck and they have showed up for our kids because they love them," said Kari Spicuzza, whose daughter was in fifth grade at Growing Minds.
But the effort was not enough to keep the school operating.
In a subsequent letter announcing the October 29 closure, Kaye said employees were still going unpaid and many had resigned.
She also said the school's owner had not provided a plan to resolve its financial obligations.
The letter stated that the school was not currently in a financial position to issue refunds and that its available financial resources had been depleted.
"I would like to know where the money went. I would like to know why there wasn't enough money. I would like to know why he didn't do what he said he was gonna do," Spicuzza said.
School owner cites low enrollment and costly lease
The school's owner and CEO, Adam Feierstein, previously appeared in a sponsored July 2025 segment on Channel 13's The Morning Blend, promoting Growing Minds and its future.
In a written statement to Channel 13 on Thursday, Feierstein said he was devastated by the closure.
"Since we opened in January 2025, I have poured my heart and soul into Growing Minds," he wrote.
Feierstein attributed the shutdown to insufficient enrollment growth and what he described as a "crippling lease" that the school was unable to renegotiate.
"As the CEO of Growing Minds, I am truly heartbroken," he said.
However, the school's landlord, Shadow Hills Church, provided a separate statement saying Growing Minds' ownership had failed to meet its lease obligations, including several months of unpaid rent.
The church said it allowed the school to continue operating on its campus despite the missed payments.
"Despite these circumstances, Shadow Hills Church has extended considerable grace, allowing the school to continue operating on campus for months after its lease obligations went unmet," the church said.
Church representatives also said school administrators and employees had informed them that staff and faculty missed payroll on more than one occasion.
Shadow Hills emphasized that it served solely as the landlord and was not affiliated with the school's ownership or management.
The church said it hopes to welcome another school or schools to the campus in the future, although no replacement school has been confirmed.
Questions remain about wages, contributions and refunds
Feierstein's initial statement did not address outstanding employee wages, how parents' payroll contributions were handled or whether families would receive refunds.
Channel 13 sent additional questions seeking answers on those issues and asking Feierstein to respond to Shadow Hills Church's account of unpaid rent.
Feierstein has not responded to those follow-up questions.
Channel 13 also contacted the Nevada Department of Education seeking information about the school's licensing history, oversight and what protections may be available to affected families.
The department sent an automated acknowledgment but has not provided another response.
