MMSD outlines expanded summer school plan for 2025, including Freedom Schools pilot and expanded CTE camps

The Madison Metropolitan School District presented an update and plans for summer-school programming in 2025 at its Instruction Work Group on Jan. 6.

District leaders said they intend to shift middle-school summer programming to high school campuses to take advantage of newly available CTE and arts facilities and air-conditioned spaces; expand middle-school discovery camps beyond 12 offered in 2024; continue a $40-per-hour pay rate for summer teachers; and pilot a Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools program at Mendota Elementary.

Why it matters: MMSD officials framed summer programming as both academic support and enrichment. They reported the district served nearly 4,000 students in 2024 across K–12 summer offerings, with targeted arts, CTE camps, credit-recovery and Extended School Year (ESY) services. Officials said elementary students showed gains on beginning/end-of-summer assessments, and high-school credit-recovery courses had nearly a 100% success rate.

Key details and numbers: Nicole Schaeffer, director of summer programming, said the district "serves nearly 4,000 students for K through 12th grade," and noted increased staffing of MMSD employees in summer roles, paid at $40 an hour. The district reported a summer attendance increase to 83% in 2024 from 78% the year before; the board has a 90% summer-attendance target. Tentative enrollment projections for summer 2025 in the presentation were about 1,500 elementary (4K–5), 600 middle school and 1,600 high school students.

New and continuing initiatives: The district plans to expand discovery CTE camps (aimed at middle school students) from 12 camps in 2024 to 14 or more in 2025, and to continue paid internships and partnerships with community-based organizations; staff reported more than 250 middle- and high-school students received paid internships last summer. MSCR (Madison School & Community Recreation) will continue to provide afternoon full-day programming at elementary and middle levels and club-based options at the high-school level; Mary Roth, executive director at MSCR, said MSCR employed about 277 youth workers last summer, representing roughly 28% of summer program staff.

Freedom Schools pilot: The district received approval to operate a CDF Freedom Schools program at Mendota Elementary in summer 2025. The pilot will enroll 50 students in grades K–4 for full-day programming (roughly 8 a.m.–4 p.m.) with a 1:10 adult–student ratio. District presenters said CDF provides intensive training to host-site staff and support materials; the pilot is being funded from summer budgets and other available district funds, not a separate grant, and officials said expansion would require additional funding.

Special education and ESY: Presenters said Extended School Year (ESY) services remain available to qualifying students and noted concerns from a public commenter that charter applicants should clarify how they will support students with IEPs and IMEs. The district confirmed that students with IEPs may attend summer programming, but that when not enrolled in ESY they do not automatically receive IEP services during summer school unless specifically arranged.

Attendance, invitations and budgeting: District staff told board members they had limited the number of invitations for summer to match seat capacity and staffing budgets. The memo presented to the board described that 38% of students invited to summer semester in 2024 enrolled, up from 36% the prior year; district staff said reasons families declined included vacations, school moves or scheduling conflicts. Staff noted the summer program budget is constrained and spans two fiscal years; staff reported the approximate summer budget as $3.4 million for the year discussed.

Policy timing and Act 20: Officials foreshadowed a spring presentation about promotion policy changes prompted by Act 20 (the state reading proficiency law). Staff said DPI was expected to release draft guidance and that any new requirements would take effect for summer 2026, not summer 2025.

Board response: Board members asked about how Freedom Schools integrates faith-based community partners while preserving separation of church and state; presenters clarified the program partners with community and faith-based organizations for culture-building and family engagement but does not deliver religious instruction. Members also pressed staff on attendance goals and asked for further investigation into why so many invited students decline enrollment.

Ending: Staff said more detailed outcome data and a supplementary report are available in the board packet and pledged to return with policy recommendations and additional metrics as Act 20 guidance emerges.