Waukegan schools outline summer program with nearly 3,000 seats, meal service and newcomer supports

Waukegan CUSD 60 officials told the school board Tuesday that Summer School 2025 will open June 3 with programs across 11 sites, breakfast and lunch available to students and community members, and separate tracks for promotion/retention, general summer instruction and newcomer services.

Superintendent Teresa Bosencia said the district had prioritized literacy, math and social‑emotional learning in summer plans and that transportation schedules and mailings would be finalized the week of May 27. Patty, a district staff presenter, told the board that "our first day of summer school starts this coming Tuesday on June third" and that professional development for summer staff would be held the day before.

The administration reported enrollment counts during the presentation: just under 1,500 students in preK–5, about 430 in middle school, and 1,003 in grades 9–12 as of the morning of the meeting, and said high‑school registration would remain open through May 30 to allow students to retake or recoup courses. The district said it would provide final enrollment figures after the May 30 cutoff.

Administrators described how elementary summer sites would be clustered to concentrate seats and staffing. For example, Carmen Buckner will host kindergarten through fifth grade students and will also take South‑side third graders who face potential retention so students remain with familiar school leaders and staff. Patty said clustering was designed so families would "have familiar faces in the school."

Officials said sites include Lightfoot for preK; Harmon, Clearview, Cook, Glen Flora, Little Fort and Lyon for elementary; Juarez and Lewis for middle school; and AOEC and Brookside for high school. The district will not operate summer school on June 19 in observance of Juneteenth.

On meals and benefits, the district said breakfast and lunch will be served at all sites and that community members may access meals at those locations under the district's participation in the applicable summer feeding programs. Board member Miss Fabian asked whether nonstudents would be served; administrators said student‑age children (generally ages 3–18) are covered by the state program but other community feeding programs run year‑round and may be more broadly available. The district reminded families that qualifying students may receive a summer EBT card through the state's program and encouraged administrators to communicate that ahead of distribution so parents do not mistake the card for unsolicited mail.

Administrators also reviewed extended‑school‑year (ESY) services for students with IEPs and a differentiated newcomer program created by the bilingual/multicultural department, with grade‑level tailored supports. The district said it developed a custom summer report card and that elementary students will receive grades in language arts and math; middle and high school students will receive grades appropriate to their courses.

Board members asked for follow‑up details. Miss Hannah requested a breakdown of how many high‑school students are attending for credit recovery versus "get ahead" (acceleration) courses; the administration said it would provide those numbers. Miss Lindsey and others asked that final enrollment and transportation routes be shared after they are finalized. The presentation emphasized that invitations to summer programs were prioritized for students most likely to benefit, but principals can enroll additional students if seats remain.

Administrators closed by thanking operations, teaching and learning, bilingual and diverse learners staff for planning and logistics. The district urged families with summer questions or concerns to contact school leaders directly.

The board received the presentation; no formal vote was required.