Roanoke County proposes June summer school schedule; some high-school credit recovery runs into July

Roanoke County Public Schools presented proposed 2025 summer-school calendars at the Feb. 10 work session, recommending board approval on the consent agenda.

Kim Bradshaw and Mike Riley told the board the elementary program is scheduled to run June 9–June 26, providing 10 pupil days and 13 teacher days (three prep days for teachers the week of June 2). "The reason it's 10 and not 12 is because ... June 17 are the primaries ... and on June 19 is Juneteenth," Bradshaw said, explaining two calendar closures. The elementary and middle school programs would operate Monday–Thursday with student hours about 7:30 a.m. to noon and teachers working until 12:30 p.m.; middle-school hours differ slightly to accommodate transportation.

The nut graf: the proposal keeps summer programming similar to previous years but shifts some costs: while state reimbursement and remaining grant funds will cover many seats, the division staff said certain credit-recovery and non-remedial programs now require student fees unless the student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.

Bradshaw said funding comes from state reimbursement and remaining federal- and state-related grant dollars from COVID-era and tutoring programs, but that the high-school credit-recovery program is a 20-day schedule (June 9–July 8) to allow students to complete courses. "This is the first summer since COVID that students who are taking this program will have to pay, unless they're free reduced lunch," Bradshaw said. The division will waive fees for eligible free/reduced-price-lunch students following verification.

Transportation will be provided where funding and routing permit; elementary students will generally receive door-to-door service, and middle school pick-up/drop-off may be door-to-door or at the middle school depending on parent preference and routing. High-school summer programming will be centralized at Northside High School, where the division said it has invested infrastructure to host the sessions.

Board members asked about funding sources and whether remaining COVID-related funding remains; Bradshaw said the COVID-era funding streams that supported earlier pandemic-era programs have largely ended and that the division is working from residual grant funds and state reimbursements. The division recommended placing the proposed calendars on the consent agenda at the next regular board meeting for approval.

Ending: The board did not vote at the work session; staff recommended formal approval at the upcoming consent agenda after the work session.