Parents question fee and bus shortages for Alnoba trip; board discusses funding and logistics

Parent Heather Haggitt raised concerns at the June 2 Brentwood School Board meeting about a $100 family fee for the district’s four-day Alnoba residential program, asking why the trip was treated as a field trip rather than as core programming and why other schools apparently did not charge families.

Principal Ron explained the program costs are roughly $15,000 and that the district offset a portion with grant funding; he said the school charged families $100 each and that the district ensured any student could attend regardless of ability to pay. Ron said he used grant funds and the district’s school-activity fund to reduce the out-of-pocket cost and reported that 59 students attended this year. He told the board that last year the district charged $50 and that this year’s net charge of $100 still represented a partial contribution by families.

Board members and parents also discussed transportation problems: several parents reported long waits to pick up children because buses were not available for the return trip or scheduling created extended on-site waits. Ron said transportation capacity and scheduling were constrained this year and that the district’s transportation coordinator had just started and would work on improvements; he also suggested the board could budget for future trips if it wanted to remove family charges.

Board members discussed alternatives including budgeting the expense centrally, fundraising, or exploring different providers. No formal vote or funding change was adopted at the meeting; board members asked staff to explore options and to return with recommendations during the coming budget cycle.

The board did note that any family unable to pay was accommodated, and Ron said the district made attendance available regardless of payment.