EV cancels summer school
East Valley School District’s plans to put the brakes on spending mean the district won’t be offering summer school for K-8 grade students this year.
The district is facing a $1.3 million financial shortfall this year, Al Swanson, interim manager of fiscal affairs, said at Tuesday’s board meeting.
The district’s beginning fund balance was $600,000 less than budgeted and expenses were $500,000 more than expected, Swanson said.
By cutting back nonmandatory programs, the district hopes to shore up an ending fund balance of around $100,000 at the end of this school year.
Summer school isn’t considered a core educational program, but the district hopes to resume the program for K-8 students next year with funding from grants. There were 195 students in the program last summer.
Superintendent Christine Burgess said Tuesday that in addition to not offering K-8 summer school and other nonmandatory programs, the district is delaying the purchase of new textbooks and deferring maintenance projects.
When Chris Brown, an East Farms parent, asked the board what other programs might be cut, Burgess said the administration and board are looking at all nonacademic programs and evaluating the impact on students. “Those decisions haven’t been yet,” Burgess said.
Summer school will be offered to high school students Monday through Friday, from June 25 through Aug. 3. The district won’t be providing transportation for students this year.
Funding for high school summer school comes from tuition ($125 per course) and from a Promoting Academic Success Grant, making the program self-sufficient, said Suzanne Savall, East Valley summer school principal.
The Legislature created the PAS program grants in 2006 to provide free remedial classes for high school students who didn’t meet standard in reading, writing or math on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning.
A new summer school technology camp, TINCAN, will be available to 13- to 15-year-old students, Savall said. Classes will be held at the high school for about $20. These classes are provided through a technology grant. For more information, call the district at 924-1830.
Central Valley and West Valley school districts will accept K-8 East Valley students in their summer programs if space is available. Tuition fee amounts haven’t yet been determined.
Information about these programs will be available in mid-April by contacting Central Valley at 228-5575, www.cvsd.org or West Valley at 924-2150, www.wvsd.com.