District reports 1,200 students served in summer programs; career center highlights work‑based learning and community partnerships

District staff told the Farmington Board of Education on Sept. 15 that about 1,200 students participated in summer programming, including extended‑school‑year services, camps and enrichment academies.
Brian Zario, who coordinates the Summer Learning Academy and serves as Excel director, said summer totals included 582 students in extended school year (ESY) programming and 253 students in Excel camp; enrichment and academy participation across arts, band, theater and other offerings also contributed to the total. The district used a grant to extend services to students from Hartford for portions of the summer, and transportation for those students was covered by the grant, district staff said.
Board members praised the scale of the summer programs and the involvement of high‑school students as staff and role models. Brian told the board that the programs rely on many departments—HR, custodial, payroll and security—to run and that his report recognized dozens of staff who supported programming.
The board also heard a new state‑required report on community‑based organizations and extended learning opportunities. Steve Netko and the high‑school career center presented a workforce‑readiness update describing a continuum of work‑based learning activities—from awareness (site visits and guest speakers) to exploration (job shadows, counseling) to preparation (internships and networking). Highlights cited by the career center included partnerships that produced internships at UConn Health, VLINK, Junior Achievement programs, and local employers; 207 students participated in professional‑skills workshops last year.
Discussion vs. decision: These were informational reports. Board members encouraged continuation of grants that support outreach to students from neighboring communities and asked staff to consider recognition for high‑school students who serve in summer programs.
Clarifying details: District staff emphasized the grant that funded Hartford student participation, that state reporting required the community‑based organizations update, and that many summer positions and operations tasks are staffed through existing HR and payroll processes.