By Hillary Leung

Copyright hongkongfp

A parent-teacher group at Hong Kong International School (HKIS) has said students are unlikely to be affected by a lawsuit that threatens to evict the school from its Repulse Bay campus.

HKIS is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with its US-based founder, the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS). The church body has sued the school in the city’s courts, accusing it of financial mismanagement and serving only an “elite section of Hong Kong.”

In a statement released to the media on Monday, the school’s Parent Faculty Organisation (PFO) said it was confident in HKIS’s “ability to uphold its mission and values” and continue to provide a “high-quality educational environment.”

“We understand that this legal situation may raise questions, but we do not expect it to impact our children’s education or well-being,” the group wrote.

“The school administration’s top priority has always been – and continues to be – our children and our beloved faculty who support them,” it continued.

‘Elite section of Hong Kong’

HKIS provides American-style education to children from pre-kindergarten to high school. It has two campuses: one in Repulse Bay and another in Tai Tam.

Its founder, the LCMS, also runs two other international schools: Concordia International School Shanghai in mainland China and Concordia International School Hanoi in Vietnam.

The LCMS announced on Thursday that it had filed a lawsuit against the Hong Kong International School Association Limited (HKISAL) – the school’s operator – over “serious concerns” for its finances and what they deemed to be transparency and leadership issues.

HKIS is holding more than HK$2.8 billion in financial reserves and serves “only a small, elite section of Hong Kong,” going against the original agreement of being open to “all children” when the school was set up, the LCMS said.

The American church also alleged that HKISAL continuously demanded payments from parents by regularly raising school fees and selling “priority access debentures.”

The school also repeatedly sought funding and donations, including in cryptocurrency, and charged students fees for training and competitions, the church claimed.

According to the LCMS, the school is building a new student activity centre with “two gymnasiums, four tennis courts, a fitness centre, an indoor golf simulator, a dance studio, indoor rock-climbing facilities and HKIS’ third indoor swimming pool at a cost of over HK$1 billion.”

US$1.75 million lawsuit

The LCMS also said it may set up a new school, Hong Kong Pacific School (HKPS), on the Repulse Bay campus should HKISAL fail to address the church’s concerns. This would be subject to the outcome of the litigation and approval from the Education Bureau, the church said.

The Education Bureau has reportedly received the application for the proposed school, but said it was not being processed at this moment. HKFP has reached out to the Education Bureau for comment.

The LCMS said that, if set up, Hong Kong Pacific School would offer lower tuition fees and more financial aid for students than HKIS.

Ming Pao reported on Thursday that the LCMS is seeking close to US$1.75 million, approximately HK$13.63 million, from HKISAL for allegedly breaching the operating terms, according to a writ it filed with the High Court.

In response to the accusations, HKISAL said the church’s claims are baseless and misleading, according to local media reports. The school operator said it had been in talks with the church to reach a consensus for many years and that it was disappointed that the church had resorted to taking legal action.