Contrary to the rumors that have been circulating about the discontinuation of the Team program, Superintendent Laurie Kimbrel said that a decision has yet to be made regarding the program’s existence after this school year.

In emails to those who have voiced concern over the issue, Kimbrel stated that the Board of Trustees will vote in a Feb. 6 meeting on whether or not to continue to offer Team to students in the Tamalpais Union High School District.

“The Board will consider all input and vote on whether or not to accept the recommendation of administration,” Kimbrel wrote.

Team, started in 1991, is an alternative education program offered to Tam District students in which a traditional classroom setting is mixed with community service, internships, and numerous outdoor expeditions.

According to Team teacher Chuck Ford, who joined the program in 1992, the misinformation started when Tamiscal Principal Corbett Elson informed him that the program was due to be eliminated at the end of the year.

“[Elson] had a meeting with Dr. Kimbrel and clearly there was some kind miscommunication,” said Ford.

The information came as a surprise to former Team students who were visiting Redwood on Jan. 24 to recruit sophomores for next year’s class. The next day, the Team website informed visitors that a scheduled orientation was cancelled, further fueling rumors of Team’s demise.

Just two days later, on Sunday, the prospective student orientation was reinstated and took place Monday night. A meeting afterwards was held by current and former Team students and parents to get advocates for the Team program on the same page and to coordinate their efforts.

While most current and former Team students were shocked by the news, Ford, who is retiring at the end of the year, said he was not surprised by the announcement from the District.

“We had a plan to begin the replacement process of me in December and that got pushed back to March,” Ford explained. “We knew that the whole business of alternative ed was getting rethought so when the hiring process got delayed, it was like, ‘Oh.’… We weren’t shocked, but certainly saddened and disappointed.”

Ford also said that he understands the concerns many have about Team, specifically pointing to the amount of money spent per pupil and the high number of students not admitted to the program. Team has space for 24 teens, but had over 80 applicants for the 2012-2013 school year.

“There are some misconceptions about Team because we go out and do all these incredible things, but we fundraise,” he said. “It is likely that we spend more on a per pupil basis than the other three schools and that can be seen as an inequity.”

Still, Ford said this per pupil discrepancy is marginal and that Team has raised $1.3 million over the last 15 years to fund Team activities and college scholarships.

In response to the program’s potential cancellation, current Team student and former Tam student Kate Luebkeman started an online petition through www.change.org. As of Monday night, it had 2,397 signatures from those who wish to “save” Team.

Erin Browne, a Tamiscal senior who participated in Team last year, said that she discovered the news on Friday after going to visit her Team teachers and fellow “Teamies.”

“I went inside to see Chuck [Ford] and [Team teacher] Nikole [Denton], and that was really heartbreaking because Nikole was sitting at her desk crying and Chuck was sitting at his desk looking really sad,” Browne said. “It was so silent…First I was shocked. I think we all had this moment when we thought Team was going to end, but we didn’t know when. When I saw Nikole crying, that’s when I started crying—everyone was crying. Then it was kind of disbelief after that. I think most of us in our heads thought ‘This can’t be true—we’re going to fight it, it’ll be back next year.’”

Ford said that he believes Team is an essential and necessary part of the TUHSD until there is no longer demand for its services.

“If you want to get rid of Team, the ethical way to get rid of it is to make the big schools so inviting that no one wants to come,” he said, as he pounded his fist on the table for emphasis. “If the schools provided the things Team students seek, Team would not exist, but they don’t and we do.”

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.