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Board tables Costa Rica Spanish-class trip pending more details on cost, curriculum and student participation
Summary
A proposed eight‑day Costa Rica trip for upper‑level Spanish students was presented with a per‑student cost figure and activity itinerary; the board asked for clearer curricular ties, fundraising timelines and participant minimums and agreed to table the decision until March.
The board reviewed a proposed eight‑day Costa Rica trip presented by the Spanish teacher (Missus Kulik) who described an itinerary of conservation and cultural activities and said the trip would be paid by students through a commercial tour provider.
Missus Kulik told the board the travel window was in October and presented costs "33,509 per student," with a $95 sign‑up and $427 monthly payments as examples of the program’s payment schedule, and said the trip would include visits to coffee farms, volcanoes, national parks, zip‑lining and snorkel sites. She recommended participants be Spanish 3 or 4 students, with possible expansion to level 2 after further discussion.
Board members raised several substantive questions: how the trip would align with curriculum and the educational benefit for students who did not attend; minimum and typical participant counts (presenter said a dedicated bus would require about 30 students and she had roughly 25 interested students); the number of school days students would miss and how the district would handle instruction for students who stayed behind; and fundraising timelines to allow students more time to pay. The superintendent and several board members suggested delaying the trip to 2026 to allow more time for fundraising and enrollment and to ensure curricular links.
After discussion, the board voted to table the Costa Rica trip (item j) and asked administrators to return in March with additional information on educational benefit, minimum participant thresholds and a plan to minimize missed class time.
The district did not commit public funds for the trip; the presenter stated payment would be made directly by participating families through EF Tours.
