From the Head of School

Dear MPCS Families,

Welcome to a new school year! We are excited to see students back on campus this next week and we hope to see you at an orientation session in the weeks ahead. As school resumes, remember to be patient with carpool these first few days as many parents and student drivers are learning a new process.

Before the start of school each August, our employees begin the new academic year with worship, followed by a Head of School update with critical information about the school’s financial position, enrollment, and campus master plan. This memo represents the substance of that address to our employees.

School Finances
I prefer to manage the school’s finances with transparency, and I am happy to report on our financial health. Last fiscal year, the school received gross income of just over $37 million, 78% from tuition and the rest from auxiliary income, philanthropy, and investments. Expenses total nearly $37 million. By far, employee compensation represents our greatest expense. We devote more than 63% of operating revenue to salary, benefits, and payroll taxes to take good care of the people who take care of your children. (2025-26 audited financials will be presented in our Gratitude Annual Report mailed at the end of 2026). The school carries just over $5 million in debt, all connected to the Murray Arts Center and privately financed at an interest rate below what we earn in the market with safe investment of our cash reserves. We operate with a balanced budget and undergo a clean audit every year. We know your tuition dollars are hard earned, so we steward them wisely under the close oversight of our Board of Trustees. Healthy financial metrics matter not only to parents and donors, but also the foundations from whom we solicit major gifts. More importantly, responsible fiscal management is essential to our Christ-centered mission. Should you ever have questions about school financial matters, please let me know.

Enrollment
We begin this fall with strong enrollment once again. We began school last year with 1,320 students and are currently sitting at 1,325 students enrolled for this year. While many public and private schools across the country are experiencing flat or declining enrollment, we are blessed to see strong demand for MPCS, particularly in preschool. As you drive on campus, you will notice a new modular building sitting adjacent to Sewell Cottage. Facing the prospect of waitlisting nearly 30 preschoolers, most of whom had older siblings already at the school, we acted to keep families together and class sizes small. As these students move up to older grades, we know we will need to flex space until we can add permanent classroom space.

Inevitably the question arises: How big could MPCS become? Let me assure you that adding classroom space will first allow us to decrease the number of students in most of our classrooms. Small classes remain essential to our mission that every student is known and loved. The total enrollment of MPCS in the future would depend on population growth and migration to the area, but we can make an educated guess. If we added all the classroom space indicated in our campus master plan, our enrollment could potentially grow by 130-150 students during the next decade (about 1% per year). With additional classrooms and teachers, we could reasonably sustain a student population of 1,500 on our campus without placing undue strain on existing infrastructure. This would protect the intimate setting of our classes while also covering the overhead associated with smaller class sizes.

Campus Master Plan
Our current campus was built nearly 25 years ago. Upon completion of the Murray Innovation Center in early 2022, we embarked on the creation of a new campus master plan with input from the entire school community. Phase one of that plan was completed with renovations to the dining hall and the Knox Athletic Performance Center. We believe adding classrooms should be our next capital priority. Our preschool building is filled each year and now needs additional common space, food service facilities, storage, offices, bathrooms, and student support space. We have already begun designs for the preschool expansion and engaged donors in support of the project.

In prayerful anticipation of a future preschool expansion, we will soon begin the relocation process of our lower school playground to an adjacent field currently used for middle school soccer. The new playground will be much larger with new accessible features and open spaces for students to run. This kind of project is only possible because of your contributions to our school’s Annual Fund.

Our master plan also includes a new middle school building located where Shelton Circle currently sits. Our current middle school occupies half of one hallway on the second floor of Mulkey, just down the hall from our grades 4 and 5 classrooms. The new facility would give our middle-schoolers the classrooms and common areas needed for appropriate social-emotional development and would free up additional space to meet lower school needs. Each division would then have its own unique space to call home. Added classrooms would also mean better individualized support for student learning needs, and happy teachers!

Capital Campaign
While the school is in terrific shape financially, undertaking the next phase of our campus master plan will require significant resources beyond tuition revenue. In July, our Board of Trustees approved beginning a capital campaign to support the priorities outlined above. A portion of the money we raise will go to our endowment to care for what we build in perpetuity without placing that burden on tuition-paying families in the future. You can expect to hear more about these plans in the months to come, including an exact fundraising goal when determined. Most capital campaign work will take place quietly and behind the scenes. The public phase of the campaign will commence only when the finish line is in sight and full community engagement becomes essential to complete the task.

These are exciting times in the history of Mount Paran Christian School. I am honored to serve this remarkable community as together we build so that future generations of students may become servant-leaders who honor God, love others, and walk in Truth. I invite you to join us on this journey in faith, knowing that our God can do exceedingly more than all we could ask or imagine, for his glory and our good.

Onward.
Dr. Matthew S. Kerlin

Dear MPCS Families,

Fifty years is a long time and it goes by in a flash. At this time in 1976, I was 7 years old. Gasoline was 60 cents a gallon and people were angry about it. Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” was the #1 song on the radio. President Gerald Ford was coping with an outbreak of influenza H1N1 and urging Americans to get vaccinated. Remains of the last two U.S. marines killed in the Vietnam conflict were returned home. The U.S. was coping with the aftermath of a recession, a historic spike in inflation, the lingering effects of Watergate, and ongoing debate about civil rights and energy policy.

Some things never change, and yet Mount Paran Christian School has changed in remarkable ways. Most of us at MPCS must admit, as Deuteronomy 6 states, that we drink from wells we did not dig, and enjoy the produce of vineyards we did not cultivate. As shown in the video above, our school’s founders did the digging, planting, and cultivating. And now, 50 years later, it will be time for the next generation of builders to follow their lead.

As I remarked in my speech at the Golden Gala, God has blessed us throughout our rich history. But He is not done with our school yet.

At present, our campus is secure and in great shape. Our tuition remains lower than peer school averages. Employee compensation sits in the top quartile locally and top 10% nationally. We hold cash reserves nearly double our privately financed debt. Our student enrollment this year reached a record 1,320, while at the same time, our student-teacher ratio of 12:1 remains stable, our commitment to admitting mission-fit families remains unchanged, and our ability to support students with learning exceptionalities is stronger than ever. And most importantly, we remain laser-focused in our mission to provide academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment. Our present situation testifies to God’s goodness.

Still, we face challenges. Demand for a spot at our school is strongest in our lowest grades, and several grades are already full for the 2026-2027 academic year. We face the possibility of having to waitlist many preschoolers whose older siblings are already thriving at our school. The number of mission-fit students applying to MPCS who have mild learning needs now exceeds the space we have to support them. If you’ve walked the halls of our middle school during a class change, you know things are tight, and our middle school students have no common space to call their own. Many of our employees now have offices in literal closets. Our preschool has one adult bathroom shared by 22 teachers. I believe it is time for us to begin exploration of the next phase of our campus master plan.

With full support from our Board of Trustees, we are now exploring the possibility of adding the educational spaces we need to support our school’s mission. In the weeks and months to come, we will reach out to you for input, guidance, prayer, and support as we move forward with an official feasibility study. In no way will any future plan detract from our mission to know and love your students, or to depart from our school covenant in admissions or hiring decisions. Whatever the final plan you help us create, we have a long road ahead of us. But for 50 years now we have seen what God can do.

I am mindful of Jesus’ parable in Luke 12 about a rich man whose land produced plentifully. The rich man said, “I will build bigger barns.” God said to him, “You fool, this night your soul is required of you.” Jesus concludes with these words, “Such is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” As we launch into the next 50 years of our school’s history, let us above all be rich toward God who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or imagine.

Onward.

Dr. Matthew S. Kerlin
MPCS Head of School

Dear MPCS Families,

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we have much to be grateful for. We began our 50th year as a school with a record enrollment of 1,320 while keeping class sizes small, student-to-teacher ratios low, and financial aid expenditures on target. We enjoyed great success in fall sports seeing several teams make deep playoff runs and our varsity cheer team won its 14th state title. We made significant improvements to campus infrastructure and employee compensation while continuing to operate better than budget. We exceeded projected auxiliary income, and Annual Fund giving. We collected almost 7,500 pounds of food for needy families in our community. We celebrated a distinguished group of veterans at our annual Veteran’s Day Chapel. And most importantly, we continue to maintain laser focus on our mission “to prepare servant-leaders to honor God, love others, and walk in Truth.” Midway through my second year as Head of School, I am more grateful than ever to serve such a remarkable school family.

Future Challenges to Consider
While we are blessed as a school, we are nonetheless mindful of a few economic headwinds. The number of school-age children nationwide peaked this year but will decline for the foreseeable future due to lower birth rates since the 2007-2008 housing crisis. Cobb County’s stagnant housing market, slow growth rate, and crowded private school market will increasingly challenge our admissions processes. Core inflation appears to have stabilized, but food and housing prices remain high. Job disruptions from rapid artificial intelligence innovation have accelerated in recent months. We will remain keenly attentive to the impact these challenges may have on our families, and seek God’s wisdom in how we respond to them. Now more than ever we need our families to tell the MPCS story to others looking for a Christian education for their children.

Dear Mount Paran Christian School Families,

Amazingly, we have little more than two months left in the academic year. Let us pray for endurance to finish well these final busy weeks. Allow me to give you a few school updates.

MPCS Family Survey Results
You may recall your invitation to complete the MPCS Family Survey earlier this semester. I have now read the 111-page survey report twice and here are some initial impressions. The survey results show high confidence in our school. Parents express extremely favorable opinions of their children’s teachers and division-level administrators. They appreciate our heightened security measures. They strongly believe their children are growing in their faith, learning the Bible, and serving the community in meaningful ways. They believe our curriculum and instruction is robust, and our arts, athletics, and extracurricular programs are strong.

The survey also indicates areas for improvement. Parents expressed a desire for more information about school finances and Board governance. Some have concerns about peer relationships. I read a few comments from those who wish for more information than we can provide when it comes to confidential HR matters. There are always a variety of conflicting opinions about dining hall food options, chapel programming, discipline, and grading practices. I want you to know that we take survey data seriously, reviewing all comments and seeking ways to improve. While we cannot respond to every comment or opinion, we look carefully for trends in the data and will respond with appropriate improvements, always holding fast to our Christian mission.

Staying True to Our Covenant
One question I hear asked frequently, and one that appears in parent survey comments, relates to the church recommendation forms once used in our admissions process. Some believe that eliminating those forms years ago was intended to loosen our entrance requirements to boost enrollment. The truth is far simpler. Many churches in the area, especially large ones, stopped agreeing to complete the forms. With hundreds of forms to complete, church leaders either did not know students well enough to recommend them or could not keep up with the paperwork. We were forced to eliminate the recommendation form, but not the requirement that families affiliate with a local church consistent with the MPCS covenant. That requirement remains unchanged, and every week we make admissions decisions about mission-fit families accordingly.

Knox Slated for Spring Reopening
Renovations to the Knox Athletic Performance Center are well underway. The facility will include an expanded PT Solutions sports medicine training room which will better serve our student-athletes. Finishes are in progress with a target date of reopening in May — just in time for summer workouts and athletic training. 

Best of Cobb Again
We are humbled and blessed by your votes for MDJ / Cobb Life Magazine in the "Kids and Education" category where MPCS has been selected as the #1 "Best Private School" in Cobb county for the seventh year in a row. Thank you! Congratulations also to Middle School Bible Teacher, Mrs. Amanda Varner, for being selected as the coveted "Best Teacher" in Cobb! Not only that, our preschool was named the best for year number six — and the performing arts, music, and dance programs also won top honors once again. Congratulations to our students, teachers, staff, and families that make MPCS truly the best around

On Track for Next Year
Finally, I am happy to report that enrollment, student and employee retention, financial aid, philanthropy, and budget numbers are all trending favorably. With great anticipation, planning is now underway for next year’s celebration of our school’s 50th anniversary. I will give you more details about this milestone in a later update.

Onward.

Dr. Matthew S. Kerlin
MPCS Head of School

Dear MPCS Families,

Now nearly one month into the academic year, I have met hundreds of you in hallways, classrooms, carpool lines, athletic venues, and in my home. MPCS exudes friendliness and southern hospitality, yet there is an even deeper companionship we share. In our August faculty and staff worship service, we studied Colossians 3:12, where Paul writes, “Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” This is our dress code. As the school year proceeds during an intense election year, let us wear these virtues and model them for our children.
Onward.

Dr. Matthew S. Kerlin
Head of School

Read the full memo

Dear MPCS Families,
 
I feel beyond excited to begin my first school year at this wonderful place. Thank you for welcoming my wife and me so warmly. I could tell MPCS was a great school before I stepped foot on campus. Two months into my tenure now, all I’ve experienced confirms my initial impressions. At the onset, let me affirm my laser focus on our mission to provide academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment. Whatever we do, we must get that right. I have read just about every parent survey I can get my hands on, so I know you agree.
 
My goal in the weeks ahead is to get to know our faculty, staff, students, and families. To serve you well, I need to know you and to see our people at work and play. I will be in our hallways, classrooms, and carpool lines, as well as in attendance at athletic and arts events on our campus and in our community. As we meet, please introduce yourself, and forgive me if I need to ask for your name more than once.

I plan to write you at least once each month to give you important updates and information. I prefer to communicate with transparency and brevity. At some point, I am sure to make a decision with which you disagree, but I will always try to explain our thought process and the data informing our decisions. If you ever have a question or a problem, please let us know. Our community works best with open and honest communication.
 
We are going to have a great school year. I am praying for you, especially our new students. See you in carpool.
 
In Christ,

Matthew S. Kerlin, Ph.D.
MPCS Head of School

Read the Full Memo

From the New Head of School

David Tilley’s parting words to employees at the conclusion of the school year included a clip from the movie Forrest Gump in which Tom Hanks’ character, after running across the United States, says “I’m tired. I think I’ll go home now.” He then handed over his well-worn running shoes to me. Having run the race with endurance, Dr. Tilley concludes his distinguished tenure as Head of School. I know I have big shoes to fill. I also know God has orchestrated the transition with remarkable grace and wisdom.

In Deuteronomy 6:10-12, God reminds his people that they live in cities they did not build, drink from wells they did not dig, and partake of vineyards and olive groves they did not plant. In all we do as a school, we will keep Christ at the center while building on the legacy of faith established by those who’ve gone before us.

As MPCS approaches its 50th anniversary, I feel honored to join a talented team of leaders who will move us forward into the future God has for the school. As you read this edition of Wingspan, I hope you will see God’s hand at work leading us onward.

Blessings,

Matthew S. Kerlin, Ph.D.
MPCS Head of School

From the Board of Trustees: Introducing Dr. Matt Kerlin

Mount Paran Christian School is pleased to announce Dr. Matt Kerlin as the new Head of School, having begun June 1, 2024.

To identify its new school leader, the MPCS Board of Trustees partnered with CarterBaldwin Executive Search. Through an exhaustive national search that engaged with candidates from across the country, the Mount Paran Christian School Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Kerlin as the school’s next Head of School. 

Dr. Kerlin was previously the Head of School at Southlake Christian Academy in Huntersville, NC. He was formerly the Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and Assistant Dean of Spiritual Life at Samford University in Homewood, Alabama, and the former Senior Campus Minister for Baptist Campus Ministries at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

A shepherding, pastoral leader with deep relational capabilities, Dr. Kerlin is also highly intellectual and highly educated. His experience as both a preacher and a teacher will be invaluable to the MPCS community. Dr. Kerlin earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Louisiana State University, a Master of Arts in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Doctor of Philosophy in Historical Theology from Baylor University, and an MBA from Samford University.

MPCS Board of Trustees Chairman George Ethridge shared, “Dr. Kerlin is a strategic thinker and team builder who has the vision and foresight to drive MPCS to new heights. The Board is incredibly excited about the hiring of Dr. Kerlin, as we believe that God has guided the Kerlins to MPCS.”

MPCS has warmly welcomed Dr. Kerlin to the MPCS school community. He joined the MPCS community summer of 2024. Dr. Kerlin and his wife of 33 years, Jonlyn, are parents of children, Reid, Michelle, Emma Grace, and Kate.