Burlington Area School District outlines summer-school schedule, moves free meals to Carter Middle School

Jill Osher, superintendent of the Burlington Area School District, opened a BASD Real Talk segment to introduce the district’s summer-school plans and turned the discussion over to Annie Phillips, principal at Waller and the district’s summer school coordinator.

Annie Phillips said the district’s program serves grades K–7 and that high-school students may take credit-recovery and credit-attainment classes over the summer, including physical education, personal finance, economics and health. “Our summer school program we have is for grades K through 7,” Phillips said, adding that high-school students can attend for credit recovery or to earn specific credits.

Phillips said summer school will begin on June 8, with sessions starting at 7:30 a.m. and running until about 11 a.m., Monday through Thursday, and will end on July 9 after five weeks; the program will be closed the Thursday before July 4. “We start on the 8th of June with 7:30 in the morning … it’s five full weeks just in the mornings,” Phillips said.

She described the mornings as a mix of academic and hands-on activities — crafts, cooking and other enrichment — and said teachers will tailor instruction to enrolled students’ needs. “A lot of teachers will cater to what the students who signed up for it and what their needs are,” Phillips said.

The district plans to site the summer program at Carter Middle School, which Phillips described as the district facility chosen for its air-conditioning and capacity to host the full program. The transcript also records an exchange that names Kercher Middle School as the only air-conditioned building; the record is inconsistent on which building is fully air-conditioned.

Phillips said the district is also moving its free summer meal service from Burlington High School to Carter. “Thanks to … Dr. Oshlagger for talking to DPI, we have moved our free meal program for the summer,” she said. Phillips said the meals are available to all children ages 1–18 who live in the city of Burlington — including children not enrolled in BASD — and that free breakfast and lunch will be served June 1 through Aug. 14. “Even if you don’t go to BASD, if you live in the city of Burlington, you’re eligible for a free breakfast and free lunch program,” Phillips said.

Registration closes soon, Phillips said, and families should contact their school’s building secretary or their child’s teacher for registration information; she said the district requests that most registrations be submitted by May 4. The segment concluded with thanks from both speakers.

The district did not provide an enrollment count for the summer program in this segment and did not list staffing ratios or transportation details; those specifics were not specified in the transcript.