LARAMIE—The Lab School is a family affair for Corelle Lotzer.
Lotzer not only enrolled her daughter and son, but she also taught math at the school for more than a decade. Her daughter, who excelled as a student in the K-8 setting years ago, has returned as an adult to work as a paraprofessional just down the hall from her mother.
Lotzer lost her tenure after taking a year off to care for an aging aunt. So, when the 138-year-old school was officially closed this winter, she did not receive a contract from the district to continue working at one of its other schools.
Lotzer, who was raised in Laramie, has accepted a position at Cheyenne East High School. In early May, she was still figuring out the logistics of working in Cheyenne while her younger children attended school in Laramie.
“It’s been tough,” Lotzer said in a second-floor Lab School room. Children’s shrieks and laughter at recess could be heard through an open window. “I would have rather stayed in Albany County.”
According to Principal Brooke Fergon, Lotzer is one of 11 Lab School teachers who do not have tenure. “That’s probably been the most difficult challenge, that our tenured teachers have been placed in other schools throughout the district, and our teachers who do not have tenure … were not initially placed in positions.”
Closing a school that predates the state of Wyoming is not without its challenges. Many people fought to keep the Lab School open, and the past year has been an emotional rollercoaster for school staff, students, and their families, with hopes raised and dashed, according to Fergon.
The school, located on the University of Wyoming campus, began as an educational learning site for college students preparing to become teachers. It is well-known for its experiential and outdoor-based teaching methods, as well as its emphasis on inclusivity.
However, the school’s future was cast in doubt last summer when the university and Albany County School District 1 reached an impasse over a lease agreement. Advocates for the school pleaded to keep it open in some way, but their proposals fell flat.
The Lab School no longer served its former functions, according to university and district officials, and issues ranging from maintenance costs for the 75-year-old building to district-wide enrollment trends influenced closure discussions.
The final Hail Mary occurred during the Wyoming legislature. A bipartisan bill sponsored by Laramie Democrat Chris Rothfuss would have required the University of Wyoming and a coordinating district to operate a K-8 public laboratory school.
The bill passed the Senate, but House lawmakers killed it in February, effectively ending the Lab School.
As for the past year, Fergon said, “I think we’ve really been sitting in a place of uncertainty, just with all of the different avenues that could have kept the school going, and so that did feel kind of like a final door closing.”
And as for her staff, she added, “even though we’re not happy to say goodbye to the school, and we didn’t want to see the school close, I think that having some certainty and a path forward … feels better than just sitting in limbo.”
Students at Lab School will say their goodbyes to their classrooms and disperse to other schools in the district as the school year comes to an end on Thursday.
Some teachers will leave Laramie entirely, while others will start new jobs. The school community has spent the last few months saying goodbye, some with regret over how it ended.
“We love the school,” said Lindsey Rettler, a parent of two elementary students at Lab. Rettler expressed a range of emotions in May. “Surprise, a little bit of shock, really, really sad, super disappointed and honestly, quite betrayed by those who are supposed to be leading people based on what’s best for the people.”
The end of an era
The school was founded in 1887 as the Preparatory School to serve secondary education students from counties without high schools. It was renamed the Training Preparatory School in 1913 and is now used as a learning lab by the University of Washington’s College of Education.
In 1999, the private school collaborated with the Albany County School District to become a district public school. The Lab School then operated as a “school of choice,” which meant that any district family could enroll their children through a lottery.
Students from the College of Education continued to train not only in its classrooms, but also in classrooms throughout the district, state, and beyond.
Historically, UW and the school district had a memorandum of understanding that outlined the terms of tenancy. Efforts to renew that MOU, however, failed to result in an updated agreement.
Instead, the university announced last summer that it was only pursuing an extension for the 2024-’25 school year, implying that the school would need to find a new location if it wanted to continue after that.
One of the major sticking points is whether the district or the UW should pay for major maintenance in the aging building.
UW also cited the fact that the school “no longer serves a significant role for teacher training in UW’s College of Education,” as well as security challenges associated with having a school-district-operated facility located on university grounds; the Lab School’s inconsistency with the state’s public funding model; and the fact that the school district “has excess capacity in its existing facilities to accommodate current Lab School students.”
The Albany County School District Board of Trustees voted in December to close the Lab School after considering relocation to another district building. Before making the decision, trustees expressed both heartache and a fiduciary obligation.
Concerned residents protested the decision, and Albany County state legislators took note. Sen. Rothfuss’ bill was a result of that concern. The bill brought together unlikely allies, with cosponsors ranging from Freedom Caucus members like Ocean Andrew to Laramie Democrat Karlee Provenza. Both sit in the Wyoming House of Representatives.
The issue raised questions about the state’s role in local education, as well as what constitutes an exceptional situation warranting legislative intervention. Supporters of the Lab School argued that its unique role as a teaching laboratory, combined with its century-plus of educational history, made it a place worth preserving.
“This legislation is not about saving a school,” Rep. Andrew, R-Laramie, stated on the House floor on February 28. “It is about protecting a legacy and educating future generations of Wyoming teachers.”
He went on to say that true local control reflects the wishes of the people in the community, and in this case, the overwhelming support for keeping the Lab School open was ignored. Wyoming’s people, parents, and students have spoken, and those in power have responded with indifference.
Others, however, argued that the state should not get involved in a local issue.
“This really feels like we’re being asked to micromanage a local school,” said Republican Representative Art Washut of Casper. “I don’t think this is the proper role of the state legislature.”
The measure was ultimately defeated by a vote of 24-32.
Moving on
With that, school staff began the transition process, working with its 145 students to help them decide on transfer schools and options, according to Fergon. The school counselor even implemented a “transition curriculum” to help students navigate and cope with the stress of such significant change.
There were approximately 20 teachers on staff, as well as janitors and paraprofessionals. Many students express sadness at leaving a school community that felt like a family.
Some, like Fergon, continue to work in the district. She will be an assistant principal in another high school.
