PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - Outdoor School has been a rite of passage for Oregon fifth and sixth graders for decades — cabins, campfires and often a first night away from families.

Now, budget cuts could mean this year’s students won’t get the same experience.

“As a sixth grader, I wasn’t one to get out a lot. I was kind of, like, in my room. I played video games a lot,” said Kai Shores, who first went to Outdoor School as a student and is now returning as a counselor. “By the time I came back, I had kind of, like, blossomed into a new person. I was talking to kids that, like, I would have never talked to.”

That kind of transformation is why program leaders say Outdoor School matters. But state lawmakers cut funding by $12 million this year — a 20% reduction.

“It really is a crisis,” said

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