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Oak Park to run full‑day K–8 'Summer Discovery' after $1.2 million grant; high‑school options for credit recovery
Summary
Director of Curriculum Shana Murphy said the district secured up to $1.2 million through a United Way/Ballmer Group grant to fund a full-day K–8 summer program; high-school credit recovery will run in half‑day sessions.
Shana Murphy, Oak Park's director of curriculum, told the board on April 22 that the district secured a grant to fund an expanded summer learning program for K–8 students and will offer targeted high-school opportunities for credit recovery and graduation support.
"We were approved for up to $1,200,000," Murphy said, adding that the grant — administered through the United Way of Southeast Michigan in partnership with the Ballmer Group — provides roughly $2,000 per K–8 student for staffing, transportation, meals, materials and field trips.
Murphy described the K–8 "Summer Discovery" program as a full-day, five-days-a-week model (four instructional days plus a Friday field-trip day to meet the grant requirement of 25 instructional days). The program will begin June 23, run Monday–Thursday for instruction with a Friday field trip, and provide breakfast and lunch. K–8 locations will be consolidated at Pepper Elementary; middle- and high-school programming (OPHS and NOVA) will be located at the high school in separate wings because of capital work at other buildings.
Key components: targeted, standards-aligned instruction using district materials and diagnostic tools (I‑Ready) for literacy and math; afternoon enrichment in arts, STEM, sports and social-emotional learning; transportation that mirrors regular-year bus assignments; and paid staffing drawn from district teachers, paraprofessionals and parent educators. Murphy said ESY (extended school year) services for students with IEPs will run at Pepper Elementary and are decided case-by-case under federal IDEA criteria.
High‑school programming will focus on credit-deficient students. Murphy said ninth- and tenth-graders who are missing core credits will have targeted instruction, while juniors and seniors can access online/blended credit-recovery platforms. She told the board there is currently no enrollment cap: "There is no cap, no limit, at this time. As long as we have staffing and space available, ... students can come." Newly enrolled students for 2025–26 who complete enrollment paperwork will also be eligible to attend.
Trustees discussed marketing and outreach; Murphy said the grant includes a marketing line item and the district will run broad communications, posters and newsletters to boost family sign-up. The board did not take action; staff said detailed enrollment and staffing data will be provided in a weekly update.
