The Salem School Board decided not to have summer school again this year.
At the School Board meeting Tuesday, the board discussed several options including a short-term right before the school year remedial jump start session with no transportation provided. Board President Shane Gerber made a motion to institute that type of program, but it failed on a 3 to 2 vote. Board members Lisa Hinze, Barbara Ingram and Sam Corbett voted against and Gerber and Kirsten Ruzicki voted in favor.
Before the vote, district administrator David Milz recommended not implementing any summer school program because it would represent additional deficit spending. Without spending for summer school, the district may be facing a $289,000 budget deficit.
“The (financial) condition that caused us to cancel summer school (last year) still exists today,” Milz said.
Registration fees could not be increased substantially to cover summer school costs, Milz said, due to auditing by the state. Summer school is not supposed to be a revenue producer, he said, and the distric in the past has had to adjust summer school registration fees down after auditing.
Gerber’s motion called for a three-week program just before the beginning of school for students recommended for remedial study with no transportation and a maximum total cost of $65,000. He suggested that savings from two retirements approved Tuesday along with a job share also expected to be approved would open up money in the budget for his proposal.
Board member Hinze said she could not support summer school spending at the expense of keeping class sizes small during the school year ot not restoring regular school year programs.
“Our focus should be the school year,” Hines said. “I think we’re lacking so much in what was cut.”
