Parents and community members upset that Jefferson County’s Outdoor Education Laboratory School will be mothballed by $40 million in cuts to the school district’s budget are rallying to keep the program running.
Individuals and community foundations are mounting campaigns — bake sales, pizza meals and galas — to raise $600,000 by June 15. If they succeed, they hope to keep the lab school experience alive, at least for the 2011-12 school year.
“Ultimately, we need $900,000, which is the difference between what is brought in by fees and what it costs to run the program,” said Kathy Weiss, executive director of The Outdoor Lab Foundation.
The group also is seeking donations from corporations, foundations and individuals.
Long considered a milestone experience for Jefferson County sixth-graders, the outdoor lab schools at Mount Evans and Windy Peak were among the cuts announced by the district March 11. The schools offer sixth-graders a week in a wilderness setting with classes focused on science and nature.
Student fees pay for less than half of the $1.7 million it costs to run the program. General funds pick up the rest, and the district’s capital fund covers maintenance.
Weiss, who is also a former outdoor lab principal, said the nonprofit Outdoor Lab Foundation, which has a volunteer board of directors, hired Colorado Springs fundraiser John O’Donnell to help with the campaign.
“He feels confident he will be able to have the $600,000, plus his fees,” Weiss said.
David Epp, principal at Mount Evans, was hosting students from Vanderhoof Elementary with a staff of three adults, plus high school mentors. He said students understood they might be among the last to go through the program.
“Many of them express regret that they won’t get to return as high school leaders or that their younger siblings won’t be able to attend,” he said.
In a March 14 online survey by the district, a handful of commenters approved of closing the outdoor lab schools, said district spokeswoman Melissa Reeves.
Written comments to the school board about the future of outdoor lab schools range from parents concerned about the lost experience for their children to those who recalled attending the school years ago.
“It sets us apart from other school districts,” wrote Arvada parent Andrea Antikowiak. “It is like a signature of our county’s educational experience.”
