Budget Cuts Could Impact LAUSD Summer Recreation Programs

Summer is here and while many LAUSD students will be going to the beach or on vacation with their families, thousands will also be spending time at summer recreation programs sponsored by the District’s Beyond the Bell (BTB) Branch.

BTB’s Youth Services Extended Summer Program runs a diverse set of activities that serve between 15,000 – 20,000 students each day and up to 400,000 over the summer. There is no enrollment requirement and children can enjoy these programs free of charge.

“By summer’s end, our students will not have only had lots of fun, but they will also have learned the importance of being active, the benefits of leadership and team-building, qualities we hope they apply to the classroom,” said Alvaro Cortés, LAUSD Assistant Superintendent of Extended Day Programs.

Always in popular demand are the day visits to Clear Creek Outdoor Education Center, which is the District’s residential science school located in the Angeles National Forest. Clear Creek offers hundreds of students a unique and unconventional experience where they can learn and better appreciate nature.

Debra Hetrick, District Coordinator of the Outdoor Education, notes the positive feedback from families whose children attend Clear Creek.

“For most children it represents the very first trip away from home and their first experience in a natural setting,” Hetrick said. “Parents realize the lasting effects of outdoor education programs and believe that all students should be offered this opportunity.”

Complete with cabins, a dining hall, a campfire area and trails running through a mountain setting, students experience everything from mile-long hikes, animal-watch tours, campfire activities and evening astronomy lessons.

“Students who attend our programs demonstrate better attitudes about school because summer activities motivate and build their self-esteem for the new school year,” said Tim Bower, BTB Director, Student Auxiliary Services.

For LAUSD students, the benefits of the District’s summer programs are quite clear. However, proposed State budget cuts to education could impact BTB programs and the learning experiences they offer students.

Hetrick is aware of the challenges. “Budget concerns have made us a little nervous but we are committed to finding ways to keep these programs available to our students.”