Dear CBOBS Leadership Team,

We, the instructional staff of the Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School, have prepared this letter as a request to reverse the decision on October 9th, 2026 to close the Orianda staff house during the winter season. Our primary concern is finding immediate solutions for those displaced this winter. This letter also serves as a call for transparency in the decision-making process behind our budgeting and larger issues within the organization that concern instructional staff, as well as a collective request for cooperation in creating systems that include instructional staff in those decisions.

Many of our instructional staff began this year signing an agreement that stated they would have housing in the winter after they express their intent to return. The decision to revoke this benefit on short notice without offering support for the people who directly deliver our stated mission is contrary to Outward Bound’s values and vision to build more connected, resilient communities.

Year-round residence in the Orianda is a significant contributing factor in staff retention. Our salaries are not conducive to flexibility in our housing options. Having a staff house that is reliable, rent free, and available throughout the year offers stability for instructional staff. Instructional staff work hard throughout the programming year because they look forward to the time afforded to them in the winter season to rest, recreate & reinforce their finances with additional work. The closure of the Orianda for the winter season leaves the affected instructional staff with little time to find suitable accommodations and pivot from their existing plans.

We request that an open forum be held in the office once a week, beginning October 26, between instructional staff and Mary Odell, JT Dean, Tim Smith, Brian Kellum & Kristen Komlosy until December 18, 2026 to address concerns, create organizational consistency and provide clarity on these decisions. We seek clarity on the following issues:

Immediate Questions for Leadership

-Is it financially feasible to keep the Orianda open to staff for one more winter season to give staff more time to prepare for a 2027-28 closure?

-If not, what kind of support is going to be offered for staff who are being displaced?

Decision-Making Transparency

-Who were the people/stakeholding groups involved in making this decision?

-When did the deliberation process begin and how was it structured?

-How did the leadership team arrive at delivering this decision to instructional staff on the course end day of a 7 crew back-to-back round?

-Was there consideration for presenting possible solutions to affected staff?

-What can the leadership team offer to instructional staff to provide them agency in decisions that directly affect them?

Budgetary Clarity

-What are the current budgetary concerns that led to this decision?

-What areas of the budget will be directly benefited?

-What is the financial pressure for this to happen now and in this way?

-What is the overall budget for the Orianda, how are those funds allocated, and where are they drawn from?

-What was the cost of winter Orianda operations from 2025-26 and what are the projected costs for 2026-27?

We look forward to hearing your prompt reply to our requests and hope that we can all come to the table with compassion, connection, and future hopes for the organization.

Supporting signatures of CBOBS crewmembers can be found here: