State budget impasse contributed to Outdoor Classroom’s closure in Upper St. Clair
The Outdoor Classroom’s pavilion will remain locked.
A birdhouse that once served as an educational tool at the Outdoor Classroom
A sign that no longer is relevant
The Outdoor Classroom’s pavilion will remain unused.
A rain garden that once served as an educational tool at the Outdoor Classroom
The nine-month state budget stalemate was the final nail in the coffin of the Outdoor Classroom at Boyce Mayview Park in Upper St. Clair, the nonprofit’s board chairman said.
The Outdoor Classroom, with the mission to teach environmental education and awareness, ceased operations June 2 after fulfilling its immediate program obligations and has no plans to reopen. The classroom’s two full-time employees were laid off as a result.
Richard Jacobs, chairman of the Outdoor Classroom’s board, said that when Gov. Tom Wolf and the Legislature failed to come to an agreement on a budget, school districts were forced to tighten their belts and cancel non-essential items such as field trips. That, in turn, put the Outdoor Classroom in financial straits, he said.
“We had been discussing this for more than a year,” Jacobs said about the closure.
The Outdoor Classroom, previously known as the Regional Environmental Educational Center, was used by a number of school districts in Allegheny and Washington counties, along with environmental and garden groups, in its 12 years of existence. Much of the time, the nonprofit entity functioned at a deficit and was able to remain open because of a $100,000 state grant received about a decade ago.
“We had been living off of that for the last 10 years,” said Jacobs, adding the Outdoor Classroom’s budget varied between $100,000 and $150,000 each year.
Jacobs said the nonprofit received several grants and held fundraisers, but it was not enough to continue operations.
“We needed to improve our funding stream,” he said.
Those who put down deposits for programs scheduled for later in the year will be reimbursed within six weeks, Jacobs said.
“We tried really hard,” he said. “It wasn’t for lack of trying.”
Matthew Serakowski, Upper St. Clair manager, said the township will continue to provide programming at Boyce Mayview Park, but hose plans have not yet been finalized.