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Board weighs keeping Camp Osprey grade‑camp experience; district proposes 1‑day option and creative funding
Summary
After student and parent testimony and staff presentation, the district included a one‑day extended outdoor education line in the proposed 2025‑26 budget and outlined funding options—transportation grant, vendor credit‑card rebates, foundation and community partnerships—to preserve at least one day if longer overnight trips are not funded.
Kent School District officials and student speakers pressed the Board on preserving outdoor education trips (Camp Osprey) after the state reduced outdoor education funding. Staff told the Board the proposed 2025‑26 budget includes at least a one‑day extended outdoor education plan for all graders, but noted the full overnight model cost more and would require additional funds.
The nut graf: Students, mentors and parents described strong educational and social benefits from the multi‑day Camp Osprey program; finance staff said the district can fund a one‑day program in the proposed budget but restoring the full overnight program would add roughly $500,000 district‑wide over the one‑day plan and would require new or redirected funds.
Key details and numbers: Perringer said the district included a line to guarantee “at least a 1 day extended outdoor education for all our graders” if the Board adopts the budget June 25. Finance presented preliminary cost estimates: a one‑day extended program estimate about $338,000 and the prior overnight model historically cost a little over $800,000; staff said the delta between the previously run program and a one‑day model is about $500,000. Perringer also described a potential transportation grant of about $260,000 of which approximately $80,000 could be used for outdoor education transportation.
Funding options discussed: staff outlined a multi‑source approach: (1) apply for the transportation grant; (2) use district purchasing card rebates (staff said rebate rates are about 2% and historically return roughly $65,000 per year, with potential to grow if larger purchases are charged by card); (3) partner with the district education foundation, Chamber of Commerce, parent organizations, and businesses for sponsorships; and (4) consider one‑time use of district reserves in an emergency year to preserve the full program while community fundraising is arranged.
Voices from students and parents: multiple student mentors and middle school/high school students described Camp Osprey as transformative for leadership, social‑emotional learning and student belonging. A parent who had attended as a mentor and chaperone urged the Board to “please let us fundraise” to keep the program. Perringer acknowledged he would bring further cost breakdowns and that staff could return with the exact delta for the district (one‑day vs overnight) so the Board could consider equity implications across schools.
Board action and timeline: staff said the June 25 budget adoption is the next chance to lock funding; several board members asked staff to return with specific district‑wide cost deltas and potential fiscal impacts if the Board wanted to restore the overnight program for one year.
Ending: staff framed the one‑day plan as a compromise that preserves an outdoor experience within current budget assumptions while staff and community pursue grants and sponsorships to restore the multi‑day model.
