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Oak Park D97 reports enrollment growth and positive outcomes from summer programs; seeks $666,472 for SY26
Summary
District administrators reported summer programming participation increased to about 1,000 students with stronger demographic outreach and positive program outcomes; the board was presented a recommended SY26 summer budget of $666,472, most of which will be covered by grants and federal funds for meals.
Oak Park Elementary School District 97 presented an evaluation of its summer 2025 programming and a recommended summer 2026 budget of $666,472 at the Oct. 14 meeting.
Administrators reported nearly 1,000 student attendances across programs (up from about 630 the prior year) and improvement in demographic representation for some programs. Highlights included:
- Middle School Explorer: high satisfaction among students and teachers; career-exploration elements and increased outreach. - ESY (Extended School Year): high satisfaction among families; staff reported positive short-term outcomes tied to ELA goals. - Multilingual Boost: 75% of assessed students increased English-language proficiency; 82% maintained or increased proficiency. - Foundations (early literacy): higher-than-expected growth for low-income students in fall benchmarks.
Staff emphasized the value of earlier outreach to classroom teachers (before winter conferences) to boost enrollment in academically focused programs, and the use of federal funds to provide lunches. They also described partnerships with the Oak Park Park District to provide camp slots for students receiving financial assistance.
The recommended SY26 budget of $666,472 is an increase of less than $2,000 from the prior year total; some program costs will be funded with grants and federal funds. The board received the report and staff said they will bring a formal budget request for board approval in an upcoming meeting.
