DEKALB COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
The countdown is on and the future of the Fernbank Science Center could be determined Wednesday afternoon.
The DeKalb County School District has to fill an $85 million budget gap - and that means the center's budget could be slashed, or even closed.
"We wanted to broaden his horizons because he wanted to become an engineer," Gordon Barnwell said about his 11-year-old son Marcus.
Marcus just started summer camp at the Fernbank Science Center, but they worry next year the same programs might not be around.
"It's sad if this place has to close because it offers so many programs over the years, especially in DeKalb County," said Gordon. "It's hard to find such programs to replace if this is gone."
The future of the center is up in the air.
Faced with an historic budget gap, the school board came up with $73 million in cuts - all while saving the science center, but then district staffers dropped a bombshell.
Fewer dollars from the state and dwindling property values depleted the district's reserves, and now the board needs to come up with $12 million more just to stay in the black.
The district hopes to save the science center but anything could happen at Wednesday's budget meeting.
Middle school student Simon Chang worries younger kids will miss out on the small classes with specialized instruction even if the district saves the center.
"It would be the other kids after me, the younger kids," said Chang. "They wouldn't have the same opportunity I did."
A district spokesman told CBS Atlanta News that cuts are possible across the board but they hope to keep the science center open.
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