- Salt Lake City School District will end its Community Education Program in July.
- The program, serving 700 students, includes diverse classes like dance and languages.
- Community members seek clarity on the decision, citing lack of stakeholder engagement.
SALT LAKE CITY — All community education classes offered through the Salt Lake City School District Community Education Program will be canceled starting in July, ending a program that has served adult learners for more than five decades.
The district notified approximately 50 employees last month that the community education program would be shut down after 54 years. Classes are currently held in the evenings at East High School, West High School and Highland High School.
Teachers and students say they are devastated by the decision and are questioning why a long-running, popular program is being eliminated with little explanation.
"It should just be a staple in this community," said Raj Giandeep, a Kundalini yoga instructor. "And it has been for like 50 years. And with no real answers on why it's going away, it's very strange."
This semester, the district's community education program includes about 70 classes serving roughly 700 students. Offerings cover topics within dance, art, languages, martial arts, music, sports and finances. Silversmithing, belly dancing, woodworking and pottery are also included, and classes range from $5 to $250.
Hank Parry, a longtime participant, said he first began taking classes in the 1990s.
"It offers a lot, I think, to the adult community that still want to learn — that still feel like we're 18 years old," Parry said with a laugh. He says he started with cooking classes and is now learning the mandolin, while his wife takes guitar lessons.
Community center supervisors say their teachers sometimes rely on these programs for full time employment. They add that students return semester after semester, finding a sense of community in learning a new skill together close to their homes.
"We have students who come and take one class and absolutely love it," said Madeline Sepulveda, the community center supervisor at East High School. "They'll come back and back and back to the same teacher."
At West High School, supervisor Mariela Miranda said the program provides an affordable alternative to expensive lessons.
"I know a lot of people are taking private classes that are so costly," Miranda said. "Here, you just go to your local high school and take a community class."
Both supervisors told KSL they were not initially given a reason for the program's closure. In a statement provided to KSL on Tuesday, a district spokesperson said:
"As the district looks to be a good financial steward of our limited resources, it was determined that the Community Education program at East, Highland, and West High Schools, where adults take classes to learn new skills or interests, was using resources that could be directed toward the classroom. Since this program is outside the mission of the district, which is PreK through 12th grade, it was determined to end the program at the end of this school year (June 30, 2026)."
Students and teachers said that explanation is difficult to accept.
"We have just worked so hard to get to where we are, to see it go," agreed Sepulveda.
Kathleen Curry Griffin, former community education supervisor over this program, tells KSL she never thought she'd see this vital bridge between schools and the community come down.
"(The classes) have made our schools true community centers — exactly as they were intended to be. And now they're being cut. Not with thoughtful dialogue. Not with stakeholder engagement. Not with a transition plan. And not with meaningful notice to the community they serve," she writes. "This is deeply troubling."
Several community members and class instructors plan to attend the Salt Lake City School District Board Meeting on April 14 to ask questions about the abrupt decision.
They say they want clarity on why the program is being cut now after more than 50 years of serving adults, and where the program's special funds will be redirected. The meeting is at 5:30 p.m. at the Salt Lake City School District Administration Building.
For now, classes will continue through June 30 before shutting down permanently this summer.
