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Bloomfield Hills discusses tuition model as summer-school pandemic funds expire; ESY remains general‑fund cost
Summary
District staff told trustees that summer-school and tutoring programs funded over the pandemic by ESSER and other grants are ending, prompting proposals for tuition-based summer programs for K–8 and questions about supports for families and special-education Extended School Year (ESY) services.
Trustees at the March 17 study session heard that federal pandemic relief and other temporary grants that previously subsidized summer school and tutoring in Bloomfield Hills Schools have largely expired, prompting administrators to consider tuition-based models for K–8 summer offerings while maintaining ESY (Extended School Year) services for students with IEPs as a general‑fund obligation.
Why it matters: The district has provided summer learning and tutoring to address learning loss and targeted interventions. As pandemic-era funds such as ESSER taper, administrators warned that the district must decide whether to charge families for summer academic programming or scale back offerings.
Administrators said multiple funding streams supported summer programming in recent years. "We first had ESSER funds and 11T funds, and then we had 23gs funds," an administrator said, noting those sources have been used at different times and are now tapering off. The district expects definitive guidance from the Michigan Department of Education about a potential literacy grant by June.
On ESY for special-education students, a district staff member clarified: ESY "is a cost to the general fund of the district, that has not been funded with grant funds," meaning those services continue regardless of grant availability.
Programs discussed and participation: Trustees reviewed extended‑day tutoring and third‑party vendors (BrainSpring, Sylvan, Varsity Tutors) and district-run "skill builders." Participation numbers for elementary skill builders were discussed in committee notes; administrators said the itemized list shows 217 participants in some elementary skill‑builder activities. Varsity Tutors usage at the secondary level is less clear because it is an open service, and staff said they would follow up with detailed participation numbers and include them in a board update.
Options considered: For K–8 summer school, administrators proposed a tuition model (example cited in committee: a five‑week program with 15 sessions for $700 total) or a per‑session/hour fee. Trustees and staff said the district aims to keep groups small (10–12 students) to preserve an academic focus rather than a daycare model. For high school, credit recovery and some PE opportunities are covered by grants and were not expected to change substantially.
Support for low‑income families: Trustees asked whether fee waivers or subsidies would be available for families who cannot afford tuition. Staff said the committee had not developed a formal subsidy plan; administrators suggested district communications can highlight external scholarship resources such as Bloomfield Youth Assistance (BYA), which has a grant-funded scholarship pool, and staff said the district can share that information with families who opt in to district communications.
Next steps and clarifications: Administration will provide follow-up data on enrollment numbers and tutoring participation, include narrative context in monthly financial reports about fund availability, and monitor MDE guidance on potential replacement literacy grants due in June. Trustees asked that communications to families include external scholarship options and that the board be given enrollment and attendance data to inform whether a tuition model is viable.
