Underfunded school program discontinued

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers BEST INTERESTS AT HEART—Teacher Mark Walpole is in the final weeks of a more than 30yearold after-school play program he created for the students of Chaparral Elementary School in Calabasas. The program is ending this month due to unsustainable costs. Mark Walpole launched an after-school care program for students at Chaparral Elementary School in 1978, and the simple activities he created at the Calabasas campus have continued to entertain students for decades.

But the program, known simply as "Walpoles," will be canceled at the end of the school year due to budget constraints, Chaparral Principal Somer Harding said.

"As much as the community has appreciated the convenience and affordability of our afterschool play program, it was determined that there are many costs of doing business that are not reflected in the balance sheet," Harding wrote in a letter to parents.

The program failed to meet insurance and administrative costs, she said.

"The current fee structure of $4 per day did not come close to covering these anticipated expenses that would likely be charged to the program beginning next year," Harding said.

Students and parents will fight to keep the program. With a petition in hand, parents and children will make a plea to the Las Virgenes Unified School District Board of Education next week to find a way to keep the program from being the latest casualty of California's budget crisis.

Parent Curtis Tucker hopes the district will keep the program and save the day. He doesn't want to see the YMCA or Boys & Girls Clubs, which charge members up to $20 per day, to be used instead. Tucker says Walpole's program, with its paper airplanes, HulaHoops and other "homegrown fun," can't easily be replaced.

Walpole, 52, started as a physical education coach at the school and continues in that role today. Through the years he has worked as an instructional assistant in social studies, math and science. He's also served as a library clerk, campus supervisor and computer lab assistant at the school.

"They were much better times (financially)," Walpole said.

The fun and games became a tradition for students, and Walpole's unique approach to after-school care was considered a "welcome throwback to the old days," Curtis said.

Tournaments in handball, kickball and jump rope allowed students "a chance to try new things, be creative and work to improve their social and physical skills," Walpole said. Middle and high school students also got in on the action by helping the younger children with their homework.

Walpole's style is one for the record books. Over the years, he documented more than 500 school records for activities such as a Hula-Hooping contest for kids traveling on their knees or standing on stilts.

"If they can show me the activity and I can time or count it, then they can do it," Walpole said. "We've had former students come back, and when I introduce them to the children they remember their names (because of) their records. They're like rock stars—some are in their 30s," he said.

As for the prospect of the program ending after so many years, Walpole says he is "very, very sad."

"I just figure it was very beneficial for the kids," he said. "Where everything is always planned for them, (children) had an opportunity to be very creative and plan on their own."

Walpole stands to lose more than a program that's dear to his heart. Discontinuing the work will translate into a $700 per month loss of income, Walpole said.

The teacher is touched by the attempts to keep the play program alive.

"I'm just really thrilled with the efforts that they're making and the love they have for the program and the school," he said. "The parents in this district are absolutely incredible with their support."

Walpole said he hopes to supplement his income by working at other schools if he can't continue with his after-school job at Chaparral.

"I'm open to all possibilities," he said, "Anything that's available, I would do."

Although Walpole has spoken to parent-faculty association members about other work, he admits there are no jobs currently available.

Single and living in West Hills, Walpole says he doesn't have children of his own. The 600 students at Chaparral are his kids, he says.