Summer school classes fall victim to budget crisis
No courses will be offered at middle, elementary schools
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

The budget crisis has again reared its ugly head, and this time it's summer school students- youngsters looking to get ahead or to improve a grade- who will suffer.

Simi Valley Unified School District will not offer summer school classes for middle school and elementary general education students. And at the high school level, students can take summer school courses only if they fail a core class.

If a student earns a grade of "D" and wants to retake that class, he or she will be put on a waiting list and admitted only if there's available space. Students who simply want to take classes to get more units may not enroll in summer courses.

"I am sad to see this," said Leslie Frank, principal of Sinaloa Middle School. "Those kinds of decisions have to be made, unfortunately. We have to look at a range of decisions, and some that do affect the educational programs for our students."

Bill Waxman, director of secondary education, said the district is decreasing summer school staff because of the costs of salary and materials.

The district must still provide- according to the minimum state requirements- options for students who fail classes to come in the summer and earn credits.

Summer school for high school students will be offered at Royal High from June 23 to July 25. However, only core subjects of English, math, science, history and foreign languages will be available.

Special education students at the primary and secondary levels will continue to have the option of taking summer classes, according to Dennis Carter, director of student support services.

"None of the board members want to see the summer school program cut for any reason," said trustee Eric Lundstrom. "It's tough also for those students who want to take classes to catch up or advance themselves. It's one of those Catch22s. Sometimes, you just have to make tough decisions."

At the end of every year, Sinaloa sends home ideas for how students can stay sharp over the summer. This school year especially, Frank stressed, there's an "urgency" to reach out to students who might need extra attention.

"We certainly want to keep the focus on learning during the summer," Frank said. "That educational curiosity is needed for students to be successful."

For the next few years, teachers and administrators must remain vigilant in working for students' educations, Frank said.

"I've been in public education for over 30 years, and I've seen other years where the state's been in significant struggles," the principal said. "This seems like a very severe one to me. I certainly hope that we rebound from this financial crisis in the next couple of years so we can continue to provide improved programs for our kids."