Superintendent outlines grant‑funded full‑day summer school with bilingual registration and attendance prizes

Summary

Superintendent Christine Larson said the district has grant support for a full‑day summer program including morning enrichment and optional afternoon activities, bilingual registration, and a 90% attendance raffle offering bikes (grades 1–5) and AirPods (grades 6–9); staff said incentives are grant‑funded, not BEA money.

Superintendent Christine Larson told the board the Yakima School District is developing a more robust summer school program supported by an outside grant intended to boost enrollment and attendance.

Larson said summer school will be full day with morning enrichment, field trips and community partners; families may opt out of afternoon programming if they prefer. The district is developing bilingual English/Spanish registration to reduce barriers to enrollment.

To encourage sustained attendance during the 23‑day program, Larson described a grant‑funded incentive program: weekly rewards and a raffle for students with at least 90% attendance across all 23 days, with prizes described as bikes for grades 1–5 and AirPods for grades 6–9. Larson emphasized that these incentives come from the outside grant and are not drawn from categorical or BEA funds.

Larson also reported staff participation in professional learning on trauma‑informed practices and said the district will continue inclusion work to better engage students and support social, emotional and academic outcomes.