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Community Program in Schools Shut Down: OUT OF MONEY: Class Fees Didn't Cover Costs; 8 Laid Off.

Posted on: Saturday, 27 May 2006, 18:00 CDT

By Rosemary Shinohara, Anchorage Daily News, Alaska

May 26--The volunteer group that ran Anchorage's community schools program for the past two years has ended the program, saying it is out of money.

The Anchorage Community Education Association offered after-school and evening classes for children and adults on subjects ranging from cooking to home buying.

The board laid off its eight staff members last Friday and told them of the closure. There is an announcement on the Web site, akcommunityschools.org. The announcement says the last classes will be today.

About 22,000 people signed up for 6,000 classes over the past year, said Blythe Campbell, association board chairman. The program operated at five public schools around the city.

But class fees did not cover the $750,000 annual cost, she said. "We think we could have gotten there maybe in another year or two. ... But unfortunately, we didn't get to a break-even point in time."

Expenses rise in the summer and revenues decline as fewer people take classes, Campbell said. The association decided to close the program before it dipped into debt this summer, she said.

Liability insurance was a huge expense -- $67,000 for the first year the association operated community schools and $30,000 for the past year, Campbell said.

The Anchorage School District waived fees for renting school facilities on weekdays during the school year but charged the group for weekend use and during the summers, Campbell said. Most recently, the program operated out of Baxter, Abbott Loop, Sand Lake and Inlet View elementary schools and Gruening Middle school in Eagle River.

Anchorage has had a community schools program for more than 30 years, but for most of that time, it received government support.

It has survived threats of closure several times, Campbell said. But this one seems different.

"Community school programs all over the country have been in big trouble for a long time," said Campbell. "Part of it is the choices governments have to make. It's one of the first things that get cuts by parks and recreation or school districts. It's not core."

Competition with other activities is stiffer, too, she said.

School District Superintendent Carol Comeau said much the same thing.

The School District ran the program until 2004. At that point, the district gave the association a one-time grant of $100,000, agreed to waive some rental fees, and handed the association the responsibility for continuing community schools.

Just last week, Comeau told the community schools group the district could not afford to waive weekend rental fees.

"I did not realize they were in such dire straits," Comeau said Thursday. But, she said, the academic demands have increased over time, and the district no longer has room in its budget for community schools.

"There are too many instructional program needs as we're trying to get all kids to get a diploma."

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Copyright (c) 2006, Anchorage Daily News, Alaska

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Anchorage Daily News

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