After months of deliberation and community debate, the Albany County School District Board of Trustees will vote Wednesday on whether to close the Lab School — a unique K-8 institution that has operated for decades on the University of Wyoming campus.
The school board will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m., giving community members another opportunity to sound off before the board makes a final decision on the school’s fate.
Failed tenancy negotiations between the school district and university last summer kicked off a discussion about if and how to continue the school, which is beloved by many families and staff for its outdoor-based and experiential learning as well as its proximity to campus amenities.
Though UW is no longer interested in housing a lower-education school on its campus, supporters hoped for a way to keep it alive in some form. The district weighed several options for doing so but closing it appears to be the most fiscally prudent, according to a presentation made to the board.
Jess Willford, whose son attends Lab School, is among the supporters. The fact that the effort has instead led to a closure vote saddens her, she said.
“I was hoping [we] could convince UW of the value,” she said. “We were not able to. We were trying to convince the school district of the value, and now it seems like we have not been successful there either. So there’s a lot of frustration there for me.”
Though district officials argue all their schools are high-quality, Lab supporters say the school has special qualities. Willford doesn’t think her son, who is in third grade, will find as much success if he ends up in another district school.
“I feel like he will absolutely fall through the cracks in a neighborhood school, because he’s one of those kids that will not do it if given the option of not doing it,” Willford said. “There’s a reason we chose Lab. This is the place that works for our kid.”
Even if the board votes to close the school, there may still be a chance for it to continue. State lawmakers have expressed interest in legislation that could ensure a future for Lab.
The good of the few vs. the many
Most Wyoming schools operate in buildings owned by their districts, not other entities. The Lab School’s peculiar arrangement is a product of its history.
The school was established in 1887 — three years before statehood — as the Preparatory School to serve secondary education students from counties without access to high school. In 1913, it transitioned to the Training Preparatory School, used as a learning laboratory by UW’s College of Education.
In 1999, the private school partnered with Albany County School District to become a district public school. The Lab School operates as a “school of choice,” meaning any district family can enter a lottery to enroll their kids, regardless of where they live.
The school now operates in a roughly 75-year-old building on campus. UW students still train in its classrooms, but they now also train in classrooms across the district and beyond. The number of Lab School student teachers plummeted from 18 in ‘21-22 to just one this school year. Enrollment in 2024 also plummeted by nearly 60 students — though many say that’s due to uncertainty over the school’s future.
UW and the district have historically signed a memorandum of understanding to guide the tenancy. But efforts started in 2023 to again extend that arrangement failed to produce an agreement.
Instead, the university announced over the summer it was pursuing an extension only for the 2024-’25 school year, meaning the school must find a new home if it wants to continue beyond that. The Lab School is no longer part of the university’s core mission, according to UW officials. Problems around security and maintenance funding also contributed to the university’s actions.
School district officials also brought up problems with the current school. Albany County School District Superintendent John Goldhardt alleged state standards weren’t being taught and said cuts and turnover on both sides had eroded the efficacy of the facility as a teaching laboratory for College of Education students.
Still, the board held listening sessions with the community over the fall. Last week, board members hashed out the feedback and three options for the Lab School in a nearly three-hour work session. The options included:
- Moving the school into the Beitel Building, which is currently vacant.
- Pausing any decision until after the legislative session with the idea that lawmakers could pass a bill.
- Closing the school and transitioning students into the schools that correspond with their age and home boundary.
Option three would save the district the most money, estimated at between $750,000 and $1.2 million. That option also “frees up resources to provide access and programming that benefits ALL ACSD students,” according to the presentation given to board members.
Board members expressed distress at the notion of closing a school so beloved for opportunities like on-campus field trips, special attention to neurodivergent students, flexible classrooms and emotionally engaging environments.
But district officials also emphasized the importance of weighing what’s best for the entire district student population, not just one school. The question that should guide the board, Goldhardt told trustees, is: “Will the decision … be good for all of our learners?”
Board Chair Beth Bear asked if district schools could meet the Lab School students’ needs if the facility closed, and administrators said they can.
Final decision?
At the end of the work session, some trustees said the option of closing the school appears to make the most, especially due to district-wide projections of declining enrollments.
Repeated calls to keep the Lab School on campus are frustrating, Bear said, given that UW has been clear it doesn’t want the school. “We can’t have what we currently have,” she said. “It just doesn’t exist anymore.”
However, state lawmakers have expressed an interest in pursuing legislation that could preserve the Lab School. The county’s delegation of six representatives and senators penned a letter to state education leaders expressing their “profound concern and firm opposition” to the closure decision, and Rep. Karlee Provenza (D-Laramie) vowed to work to keep the one-of-a-kind school alive. The legislative session doesn’t begin until January, which means that even if a bill passed, it wouldn’t be until spring at the earliest.
Mom Willford feels like the decision to end Lab School was made a long time ago by the agencies in charge.
“I do absolutely feel like the decision was made, and now neither party is willing to budge, which is too bad, because the people caught in the crossfire, they are children,” she said.
The public hearing begins Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the school district administrative office board room. It can be streamed online.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that the Lab School is K-8. -Ed.
Well, they closed it: https://www.wyomingnewsnow.tv/news/trustees-vote-to-close-uw-lab-school/article_12c30dcc-b8ab-11ef-9d8a-87cf8cda28f6.html That’s 10 public school closures this year alone between Laramie and Cheyenne.
Meanwhile, down in Fort Collins there is a WAITLIST to get into CSU’s lab school. Go figure.
Given the current trajectory of alternative education styles across the country and the rise of charter schools and vouchers, I find it interesting that UW found the lab school no longer relevant to its campus. I would expect the unique teaching experience to prove beneficial for student teachers who will be graduating into the changing landscape of education.
As for the district’s upcoming decision, I don’t envy those board members having to decide. The reality of shrinking budgets is real and the road ahead is paved with uncertainty.
Will the University Board be scraping that wonderful, inspiring and costly sculpture off the entrance to the school?
Ok. Why can it operate successfully for decades than hit the wall