Danvers reports high staffing and 75% attendance for extended school year program

Bethany Stangas, extended school year coordinator, told the Town of Danvers School Committee on Aug. 11 that the district’s ESY program ran July 7–Aug. 7 and served preschool through grade 12 students at Smith School and Danvers High School.

Stangas said the district recommended 270 students for ESY. About 75% of those recommended attended in some capacity, with higher attendance at preschool and primary levels and lower attendance in secondary grades.

Stangas said 47% of students were recommended for full-day programming (Monday–Thursday, roughly 9 a.m.–12 p.m.), 27% for part-time (one or two days per week) and 26% for drop-in services such as academic support, speech therapy, occupational therapy or physical therapy. Full-time programs included preschool and elementary moderate and severe learning centers, an elementary therapeutic learning center, an elementary language-based learning disability center, a middle school severe learning center and a high school life skills program.

Stangas said the district hired 81 staff for ESY: 15 special educators, two social workers, a reading specialist, two BCBAs, seven behavior technicians, five related-service providers, two nurses, one administrative assistant and roughly 50 instructional assistants.

Christina Ryan, who presented with Stangas, said the district will examine why about 25% of recommended students did not attend year after year; the district staffs ESY to meet recommended enrollments and is reviewing whether repeat nonattendance suggests changes to future programming or outreach.

Ryan also praised improved transportation collaboration and said administrators visited program sites and found the summer work “very successful.”

The committee had no formal votes tied solely to the ESY presentation; members thanked staff and moved on to other agenda items.