The school’s head, Mike Beck, explained the decision to restructure the 26-year-old program as part of an effort to “pull our students into the future rather than push them.”
“(Outdoor Education) is one of the curriculums that was being restructured to align with our overall curriculum goals, as well as the budget to support them,” he noted.
Supporters call the leadership development curriculum a shining example of a school program that works, and they worry that any restructuring may undo some of the characteristics that make it a program of merit.
The Outdoor Education Program is geared toward all grade levels and uses week-long outdoor trips that incorporate backpacking, rock climbing and kayaking to teach leadership skills, such as basic communication, feedback, conflict resolution and decision-making.
In response to the proposal to alter the program, a loose-knit band of Dunn alumni and parents launched a Facebook page in December called “Friends of Dunn Outdoor Education,” which had 646 members as of Wednesday.
“Times are tough and belts are tight. But you already knew that,” the page’s information section reads. “What you might not know is that on Thursday, the 16th of December, the board announced to the Dunn faculty their decision to remove (Dunn Outdoor Education) as we know it.”
The Facebook page was created only days after Beck announced that the school board decided to restructure the program and to pink-slip the program’s founder and current director, Randy Judycki, whose term ends in June, according to Trevor Povah, an alumnus from the school and a contracted employee who works for Judycki.
Citing “long-standing policy,” Beck said he could not comment if Judycki will figure into the restructuring of the program. Povah said Judycki has been placed under a gag order.
The decision to restructure the program and release Judycki has disconcerted many of the program’s supporters, including alumni who have gone through the program.
“Without this program, I may not have even elected to attend college, much less dedicate my studies to environmental law and mediation,” alumni Cody Pape wrote on the Facebook page. “I know that Randy has helped shepherd numerous students through Dunn, not only instilling in them a passion for the outdoors and nature, but a respect for themselves, their abilities, and what they are capable of accomplishing.”
In early January, some parents and alumni held a town hall meeting to discuss the proposed changes to the program, with hopes to forge a compromise between those wanting the outdoor program left intact and Dunn administrators.
But school administrators did not attend the meeting because, as Beck told the Journal, “it seemed apropos to encourage their participation and not bias the constructive input we’d get subsequently by our presence.”
Povah said Beck cancelled their participation because they were unprepared to answer specific questions about the planned restructuring.
“That we are in this room, and not one official from Dunn is here. That’s just incredible,” lamented one of the main speakers at the town hall meeting, which was rebroadcast online on Feb. 8. “This is not exactly an era of cooperation, transparency and openness.” At that meeting, many speakers said they had taken their concerns to Beck – who has been meeting with parents and alumni to explain the changes – but were given little in the way of specific information.
Still, most of the program’s supporters sounded hopeful that their advocacy will cement enough support to keep the current program going indefinitely.
“We need to make our interests and desires known as a large group. Don’t let just a few people handle it,” another speaker pleaded. “I am encouraging and asking everyone in this group to not let this die on the vine or be dismissed.”
They estimated that the program costs the school $200,000 a year (or $1,170 per student), which includes the salary for the program director, and told attendees that Beck had proposed setting up an escrow account to hold the funds for the program into the future.
Beck said decisions regarding the funding of the Outdoor Education Program and other “OE program priorities” would be determined when the Dunn’s Board of Trustees completes the school’s 2011-12 budget in March.
According to a strategic planning document, the school has created an ad hoc committee consisting of parents, faculty, students and alumni to generate ideas about how to “create and implement a model leadership process within each of” the school’s programs, including outdoor education.
Santa Ynez resident Sandy Hanes, who is a parent of two Dunn alumni, told the Journal that she couldn’t imagine Dunn without the current Outdoor Education Program. She emphasized that it is a leadership program that transcends cultural, financial and social boundaries.
“This to me is a huge piece of it that sets them milestones ahead of anyone else that is at the high school level,” she said. “Historically, Thatcher has its equestrian program, Cate has its academic program, and Midland emphasizes self-reliance. At Dunn, this is part of the philosophy and essence of the school’s experience.”
Even former faculty members have weighed in on the matter. Dr. David Aversa, who was a teacher and an athletic director at the school in the 1990s, is a child psychiatrist who consults with schools on their educational programs. He said he’s seen nothing that compares to Dunn’s current Outdoor Education Program.
“It’s part of the school’s culture. It’s not ancillary,” he said. “My concern is that if they cut funding for the program and get rid of Randy, who gave his heart and soul to outdoor education, the program will go with him.”
Beck said he is listening to all stakeholders and said “those with concerns who I’ve been able to speak to personally have almost (all) walked away with a high level of satisfaction and understanding.”
“This is a complex issue that doesn’t explain itself with a single answer and addressing concerns one-on-one engages everyone toward our ultimate goals for the school,” he added.
Povah, who graduated from the school in 1999, said he and others are chafed at what they perceive as a breakdown in communication with school administrators.
“Everyone was blind-sided about the announcement to change the program,” he said. “There was no talk about it prior to it. No indication of it happening.”
Povah said he suspects Beck and some members of the school board are starting to steer Dunn in a different direction.
“I think this whole restructuring idea is just a tactic to prepare the alumni and school for what’s to come,” he lamented. “Mike Beck and some others are very good at telling you what you want to hear. I don’t think they expected the type of reaction that’s now unfolding, that they would get from the alumni and the community.”
For his part, Beck said he’s continuing to meet with parents and alumni who are expressing doubts about the fate of the program. “Whenever there is an issue that brings out passion,” he stated, “it is often difficult for the voice of clarity to get immediate attention.”
jfoster@syvjournal.com jfoster@syvjournal.com