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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW On the campaign trail: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in New Hampshire ... Guest Opinion: Income inequality and our community ... Lost Creek dam failure would flood parts of Central Point, Gold Hill ... On the campaign trail: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in New Hampshire ... Guest Opinion: Income inequality and our community ... Lost Creek dam failure would flood parts of Central Point, Gold Hill ... Budget ills end Ashland charter school Ashland High School's Wilderness Charter School will not reopen next academic year as its two longtime teachers had hoped, because the district continues to face budget cuts, Superintendent Juli Di Chiro said. Comment By HANNAH GUZIK MailTribune.com By HANNAH GUZIK Posted Feb. 17, 2011 at 12:01 AM Updated Feb 17, 2011 at 2:24 AM By HANNAH GUZIK Posted Feb. 17, 2011 at 12:01 AM Updated Feb 17, 2011 at 2:24 AM » Social News Ashland High School's Wilderness Charter School will not reopen next academic year as its two longtime teachers had hoped, because the district continues to face budget cuts, Superintendent Juli Di Chiro said. "Unfortunately, with our budget the way it is, I can't imagine restoring it at this point," she said. "I wish we could." The teachers, James Haim and Katherine Holden, who are married, plan to resign from the district at the end of this school year, Haim said. They took a year of leave after the district slashed the school's budget by 40 percent the previous year, he said. "There's some sadness and disappointment that it's not continuing, with or without us there," Haim said. "But we're really grateful for the time we did get to work there. I think it was a pretty unique program to have been integrated within a public school system for as long as it was." The school, founded by Haim, operated for 14 years as a special program at the high school, teaching 22 students annually about hiking and environmental awareness. During the 2009-10 school year, the couple shared two-thirds of one teaching position, after the district enacted deep budget cuts. At the end of that year, they decided they couldn't continue the program on such a small budget, but they hoped the district would restore the charter school's budget for the 2011-12 academic year. "A significant portion of the budget was cut, making it impractical to continue," Haim said. Di Chiro said there's no money to restore the program this year. District officials expect they will need to trim at least $1.3 million from next academic year's budget because of a state funding shortfall. School Board Chairwoman Carol Davis said she hopes the charter school's strawbale classroom and other resources will be used by an alternative program in the future. "I think if we don't have the wilderness school, we should find some alternative that uses that property and allows us to find an alternative for kids who will thrive and do better in an environment that might not be a traditional school environment," she said. Contact Ashland Daily Tidings reporter Hannah Guzik at 541-708-1158 or [email protected]. By HANNAH GUZIK MailTribune.com By HANNAH GUZIK Posted Feb. 17, 2011 at 12:01 AM Updated Feb 17, 2011 at 2:24 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501