Los Alamitos Unified will end traditional elementary/middle summer school and reinvest funds in year-round supports

Superintendent Pulver announced at the Los Alamitos Unified School District board meeting that the district will discontinue its traditional elementary and middle school summer school program and redirect those dollars into expanded supports during the school year. "We will no longer be offering a summer school, our traditional summer school program at the elementary and middle school," Pulver said, citing consistently low summer attendance.

Pulver said the district plans to reinvest the funds in targeted academic interventions, additional intervention teachers, and programs such as the district's sixth-grade academy. He also cited the state's Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) as a competing year-round option for qualifying families: "the state also implemented a program called Expanded Learning Opportunities Program, ELO P," he said, adding that the district will continue to offer ELO-P and a six-week summer option at the elementary level for eligible students.

The superintendent clarified that high school credit recovery programs will continue and that the district will still provide extended school year services required by individualized education plans. Pulver said the move is not primarily a budget cut but a reinvestment aimed at providing supports when students are more likely to use them: "we're not looking at it as a budget savings, but really how to reinvest those dollars more intentionally to provide the academic intervention support during the school year." He also noted partnerships with LAFE and other community programs to expand access to summer enrichment and scholarships for families who need financial assistance.

Board members did not oppose the announcement. The superintendent said families would receive an informational email the following day outlining transitional kindergarten and kindergarten enrollment events and other program details. The discussion appeared in the superintendent's report and no formal standalone board action was recorded in the meeting minutes to adopt a policy change; the board approved other listed action items during the same meeting by voice or roll-call votes.

The district will provide more detailed enrollment and program information to families in follow-up communications and will phase program changes in coordination with school schedules and eligibility requirements.