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Colonial SD recommends shorter, content-specific Summer Academy; board debates transportation and budget
Summary
District staff recommended returning to a pre-pandemic Summer Academy model (June 15–25; Monday–Thursday; content-specific ELA mornings and math afternoons) and said ESSER grants ended so the district will fund the program; board members pressed to retain transportation options or consider nominal fees and scholarships for access.
District staff reviewed outcomes from last year’s Summer Academy and proposed a narrower, more sustainable model for 2026.
Staff said they used universal screeners (DIBELS for ELA and Delta Math) to assess summer-program impact and reported that students showed gains in readiness skills but remained below the 70th percentile overall. Based on teacher and family feedback, staff recommended running Summer Academy June 15–25, Monday through Thursday, with content-specific blocks (ELA in the morning; math in the afternoon), and targeting students entering grades birth through 8. Staff also said the program would be paid out of district funds going forward because ESSER grant funding that previously covered the academy has ended: "Prior to the 2025, the summer program was funded directly through ESSER's grants. Those grants are, as you are, are no longer with us. So we paid for this program with our tax dollars in the district and we'll continue to do so," a presenter said.
Staff recommended not providing district transportation in their basic model to reduce costs. Board members and community commenters pushed back, stressing transportation as an equity issue and noting that families who most need the program are most likely to need transportation. Members proposed options for preserving access, including scholarships through the district foundation, a nominal fee or deposit tied to attendance to secure commitment, sliding-scale payments tied to free-lunch eligibility, and targeted transportation runs. One board member urged the district to return in January with multiple budget options for the board to consider.
Staff estimated prior transportation spending at roughly $46,000 and described how reducing days from 12 to 8 would lower overall program costs. Board members also cited a previous total program cost figure (one comment cited roughly $200,000 for about 200 students at ~70% attendance) to emphasize fiscal constraints.
No formal motion to adopt the proposed structure or to eliminate transportation was taken during the meeting; staff said budget options will be presented during the January budget process for board consideration.
