District pauses prior summer-school model this year; board raises concern about timing and communication

Superintendent updated the board on strategic planning and announced that the district will not offer summer school in the same, grant-funded format this year while administrators ‘‘reset’’ programming and consult families and staff.

The superintendent said the decision was driven by low cross-school participation patterns and the need to design a more effective program, but acknowledged that the prior approach had relied heavily on grants and that ‘‘about $350,000’’ had previously been spent on summer programming. The district will continue to provide meals and is planning stakeholder meetings to design future summer offerings.

Several board members expressed surprise and concern that the decision was made without an explicit board vote, noting the program’s budgetary implications and the potential impact on struggling students who historically relied on summer school for recovery or credit recovery. One board member said, ‘‘this is a decision that the board should have been a part of,’’ and urged that future decisions with budget effects be discussed during the budget season.

Administration said it had discussed summer programming at a board work session and would bring more inclusive planning into development of the strategic plan and future budget discussions.

Board members asked for more data on the effectiveness of prior summer programs and for better communication to families about the change. No formal vote was taken to reinstate summer school during the May 21 meeting.