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Elmhurst SD 205 outlines Summer 2025 programs, shifts K–8 acceleration to fee‑based model
Summary
District leaders said ESSER funds that previously covered K–8 academic acceleration have expired; starting summer 2025, registration fees will cover academic acceleration for K–8 students, with scholarship funds set aside for eligible families.
Dr. Patrick Baker, district director of Arts, PE and Health, and district staff presented an overview of Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205’s Summer 2025 programming at the Jan. 14 board meeting, outlining program offerings, funding changes, updated fees and a scholarship process intended to preserve access for families with demonstrated financial need.
Last summer the district recorded more than 3,800 enrollments across its summer offerings, staff said. Summer 2025 will continue to provide extended‑school‑year (ESY) services for students with IEPs, acceleration courses for recommended students, athletics, fine‑arts and exploratory programs, and York High School credit‑bearing courses. Staff said ESY costs remain covered by IDEA funds and Title I will continue to cover fee waivers for qualifying York students and the English Learner Academy, but ESSER funds that previously covered K–8 academic acceleration are no longer available.
To sustain programming, the district presented a new fee schedule and projections through the 2027 contract window: York summer courses will have a base cost of $255 plus applicable lab fees; courses for grades 6–8 will range from $180 to $380 depending on duration and labs; acceleration and exploratory courses for K–5 will be $300; optional bus transportation will be an additional $125 per student. Staff said salaries for summer staff rose under the new teacher contract, contributing to higher overall program costs.
To reduce financial barriers, administration said it has set aside scholarship funds for students who meet three eligibility criteria: attend a District 205 school, be recommended for acceleration, and demonstrate a financial hardship that would otherwise prevent enrollment. Registration timelines and finalized course offerings will be posted after the board meeting; staff said the first day of summer programs is scheduled for Monday, June 2, 2025.
Board members asked how the district will explain fee increases to families; administrators said they will coordinate communications that lay out the reasons for higher fees (loss of ESSER funding and higher staff costs), compare program value with other local providers such as the Elmhurst Park District, and highlight scholarship supports for qualifying families. Staff described the goal of making the overall summer program financially sustainable (budgeted to be essentially self‑funding while preserving reserved scholarship funds), and they reported that students who participated in acceleration in prior summers have outperformed invited students who did not attend on fall MAP assessments.
Dr. Baker said the district will finalize course lists and open registration according to the announced timeline, and staff offered to return with any additional material requested by trustees.
