Budget cuts hit summer school
Detroit area districts shorten or charge more for classes experts call vital to an education.
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As school districts begin to advertise summer school programs, parents are finding that some are either cutting back or charging more.
Dearborn is looking to increase its tuition. Oak Park, which charged for the first time last year, is considering doing it again this year. And Detroit is shrinking its program from six weeks to two for elementary kids and focusing the sessions on preparing students to take the Michigan Educational Assessment Program tests.
Summer school is traditionally a way of helping failing kids avoid being held back a year and offering a chance for others to work on their academic skills.
"There is no way you can cover that in two weeks," said Dana Hart, who has a fourth-grader at Davison Elementary in Detroit. "You want to catch them when they are young and give them a foundation."
Experts say keeping students focused on learning during the summer is crucial, especially with students who are already behind. A study from the University of Missouri-Columbia found that when students come back after summer vacation, they can lose one to three months' worth of learning.
Districts say they don't want to cut programs or charge more but must because of state funding losses and increased health care and retirement costs.
"We don't want to have to raise the price when it comes to providing education to kids," said Dearborn district spokesman David Mustonen. "If we could, we would offer it for free."
Dearborn will raise the price $25 to $275 per class for middle and high school students, which pays for a month of instruction of two to three hours a day. This is the first time Dearborn has had to raise prices in several years, Mustonen said.
Detroit is cutting its program to save money and adding the MEAP focus because students will take the test in the fall rather than the spring, said district spokesman Ken Coleman. Coleman couldn't estimate the savings from trimming the elementary program.
Charging high school and middle school students in 2004 saved Oak Park almost $100,000 and allowed the summer school program to break even, said Brian Tabaczka, the district's executive director for business and finance.
That savings is important to the district: Next school year, it has to cut $5.7 million from its $42 million budget.
"It is difficult to say that to parents who really want the help," said Oak Park Superintendent Alexander Bailey. "They are disappointed."
Southfield won't be raising its prices significantly and has been able to more than double the number of summer programs it offers because of partnerships with the Southfield Library and the University of Michigan.
One weeklong program paid for by U-M invites high school students to campus to do research projects. Without the outside help, tuition likely would have to increase, said district spokesman Ken Siver.
You can reach Christine MacDonald at (313) 222-2269 or cmacdonald@detnews.com.
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