Palm Valley School Secures Emergency Donation Amid Financial Crisis

After news leaked earlier this week about a financial crisis and declining enrollment at Palm Valley School in Rancho Mirage, board members now say a private donation received Thursday will keep the school operating through the 2026-27 school year. But parents say the school is still far from fully recovered.

“It has been immensely stressful,” said parent Elke Behrens.

Barrons says the school’s enrollment struggles stem largely from the criminal case involving former third-grade teacher Steven Spurlock, who was charged with 21 felonies, including 19 counts of rape.

“Is that the reason enrollment was so low? Yes,” Behrens said. “We did lose quite a bit of people from that, and it was very unfortunate because this kind of thing can happen at any school.”

Spurlock remains behind bars awaiting trial. His former wife, Ashley Spurlock, who previously served as principal of the school, no longer works there.

Despite the controversy, parents say they are determined to rebuild trust in the school and preserve its long-standing role in the Coachella Valley community.

“We want to bring awareness that our school is back better than ever,” Behrens said. “We want to see more enrollment.”

Parent Elena Bulatova says Palm Valley School offers something unique in the valley.

“It’s the only school that’s non-religious, all-inclusive, academically strong,” Bulatova said. “It’s the number one school in Coachella Valley.”

Bulatova says those qualities are why parents launched an emergency fundraising campaign called “Friends of Palm Valley School” to help secure the school’s long-term future.

For critics who question supporting a private school, Bulatova says educational choice matters.

“I’m not against public schools. I’m pro-public,” she said. “I think there should be options for parents. Palm Valley is an independent nonprofit school, and it gives families options with smaller class sizes.”

Parents say even with the emergency donation in place, they are continuing to seek charitable contributions and pledges to strengthen the school moving forward.

“We want to keep the momentum going and the charitable donations going because we want to make this school even better in the year ahead,” Bulatova said.

To donate: savepalmvalley.com