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D11 proposes $1 million contingency for scaled Summer Bridge 2025; plan targets 1,200–1,400 students
Summary
District staff presented a redesigned Summer Bridge program that would run four weeks in June, serve roughly 1,200–1,400 students in K–8 (with an option to include high school credit recovery), and request a $1,000,000 contingency appropriation for spring board approval.
Colorado Springs School District 11 leaders told the board on Jan. 29 they plan a scaled Summer Bridge 2025 that would run approximately four weeks in June, prioritize literacy-rich learning with student-agency activities, and proceed with a contingency funding request of $1,000,000 to cover programming in the absence of ESSER grant funding.
Chief Hopper and area superintendent Sarah Scott, joined by program lead Jennifer Chappell, described a redesign driven by the end of ESSER funding; prior Summer Bridge efforts had been larger when federal ESSER dollars were available. Staff said the new model aims to match prior scale but in a financially sustainable way. Highlights presented to the board included: - Proposed run dates: four weeks, tentatively June 2–June 27. - Sites: intent to have one K–8 site per quadrant (four sites) but staff proposed a three-site hub-and-spoke alternative that would consolidate operations and could free funds to add a centralized high-school credit-recovery hub. Staff said three larger sites might each host about 400 K–8 students (up from ~350 per site if four sites remain). - Projected reach: roughly 1,200–1,400 students (elementary/middle), with transportation provided and class sizes targeted at 20–22 students. - Curriculum and goals: strong literacy focus with skill-based instruction (DIBELS, STAR data), teacher recruitment that prioritizes teachers who have demonstrated impact during the school year, and student-agency/problem-based learning components.
Staff warned the board that ESSER funding sunset required rethinking scope: earlier iterations were “overbuilt” relative to community demand and unsustainable without grant funds. The board asked for additional data about whether Summer Bridge is reaching students most behind academically and discussed whether summer programming should be optional or mandatory for identified students; those higher-level policy decisions were not resolved.
District staff requested board approval to place the $1,000,000 allocation into contingency and bring it as an action item on Feb. 5, with a final operational plan returned to the board in late February. Staff said facility selection, transportation logistics and hiring timelines require quick decisions to meet spring hiring and family-notification timelines.
No formal contingency appropriation was approved at the work session; staff will return with a formal action item.
