photo by: Journal-World

The Lawrence school board will meet on Monday at the school district offices, 110 McDonald Dr.

Given the enthusiastic feedback from principals and teachers about this year’s summer learning program, the Lawrence school board says it’s committed to maintaining the program and wants the district to find the financial means to make that happen.

At Monday’s board meeting, educators gave a report highlighting the district’s various programs that help students maintain academic progress and acquire new skills over the summer. Such initiatives aim to prevent “summer slide,” in which students lose academic skills and knowledge during the monthslong break.

To finance this year’s program, the school district allocated $281,682 from the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER, funds. This funding supported a variety of summer initiatives for elementary, middle and high school students, including middle school STEAM learning, high school credit recovery, virtual credit acquisition, and extended school year programs for students with “exceptionalities.”

The district’s executive director of finance, Cynde Frick, said that although ESSER funds are no longer available for summer learning, the district could use state at-risk funds instead. These funds have been on the rise in recent years as more families qualify for free school lunches.

During their presentation, educators said that many students have been struggling to stay engaged in school since the COVID pandemic. Southwest Middle School Principal Carissa Miles, who led the middle school summer learning program, said teachers wanted to reignite the passion for learning while addressing learning gaps, reinforcing academic skills and preventing summer learning loss.

Trish Averill Neuteboom, a theater teacher at Southwest Middle School who also worked in the summer middle school STEAM learning program, discussed her experiences taking students on field trips to the Baker Wetlands, Spencer Art Museum, Peaslee Tech and the Lawrence College and Career Center. She also mentioned geocaching with scout groups and exploring the science of golf through the First Green program organized by the Golf Course Superintendents Association.

This summer, 336 elementary students participated in learning programs. Sunflower Principal Amanda Green, who led the initiative, highlighted the programs’ aim of ensuring students are well-prepared for the upcoming school year. She also suggested that the district consider establishing a summer jump-start program for incoming kindergartners.

School board president Kelly Jones said in a news release after Monday’s meeting that she is interested in seeing the summer programs continue. She said she wants to further discuss how this can be available for students every summer, and she directed district administrators to examine how to fund and sustain the programs.