Some classes are also meant to help bridge from one year to the next; not to avoid being held back, but to keep the student from regressing too far over the summer, for a smooth transition to the next grade.
Tuition-based summer school means cost can vary depending on how many students sign up. The average is about $125 per class.
Here’s a look at how districts handle summer classes:
Belleville District 118
Superintendent Matt Klosterman said there hasn’t been a summer school program in Belleville District 118 in at least seven or eight years.
“We quit providing the program when the state quit funding it,” he said.
It wasn’t necessarily money that was the issue behind Signal Hill District 181 nixing its program, which would have been paid for mostly by a Signal Hill Education Foundation grant.
“We just did not have enough people enroll to offer the program,” said Barb Johansson, office manager.
Johansson said, after several parents expressed interest in a summer program, the school decided to offer two weeks of classes in subjects like science, foreign languages and the arts for a “very minimal” fee of about $60, but fewer than 20 students enrolled. She said the district offered summer classes in the past and speculated the interest might have dropped when other programs became available, such as those offered at Southwestern Illinois College.
“Our district has never been fortunate enough to get a summer school grant,” said Triad District 2 Superintendent Leigh Lewis. “It has to be sustainable.”
Lewis said while Triad does make an effort to reduce costs for low-income students and offer scholarships for enrichment classes, it would love to offer a nontuition-based program to its students.
“Frankly, the students we would most want to come wouldn’t be able to come unless it’s free.”
Collinsville’s tuition-based program has not been affected, though the district does assume part of the cost for elementary and middle school classes. High school classes are determined by enrollment, according to Superintendent Dennis Craft, who said summer programming is essential.
“If you look overseas, most European and Asian countries … have almost year-round school,” he said. Without some summer programming, schools must spend the first four to six weeks of the fall semester reviewing old material, and that doesn’t include the problems for kids who are struggling, at risk or who have learning disabilities.
Mike Sutton, superintendent for Highland District 5, said summer school will continue on its tuition basis again this year. “We have charged for summer school, and for the most part recover our costs,” he said.
In O’Fallon District 203, Superintendent Darcy Benway said about 150 students have enrolled in the district’s eight-week summer program, which costs $125 per class for all the classes offered, except physical education, which costs $150 to cover activities. She said tuition and enrollment have remained steady over the years.
Most of the classes give students a chance to catch up in math and English credits, while classes like physical education and driver’s education can help students free up their schedules during the regular school year, Benway said.
“A lot of students will take those courses during the summer so they can take other academic courses or adjust their course load throughout the year,” she said. “So we’ll have some (students) that are taking (summer classes) to allow their schedule some flexibility, and others that are taking it to catch up on credits that are lost.”
Granite City District 9 Director of Secondary Education Ron Stern said initial enrollment for middle school was down a little for its tuition-based summer program. It is primarily focused on avoiding retention, with a few enrichment classes, he said.
Belleville District 201
Most of the students taking Belleville District 201′s summer courses are doing so for credit recovery, according to Andrea Rudanovich, curriculum director.
She said the district offers Belleville East, Belleville West and night students credit recovery courses in math, reading, science, social studies and driver’s and physical education for $115 each.
Stephanie Harrison, Belleville East’s new principal, heads the program, which she said typically serves about 800 students each summer.
She said the driver’s education roster usually fills up quickly because students who plan to be involved in sports and other activities during the school year prefer to get it out of the way in the summer.
Rudanovich and Harrison both reported a steady decline in enrollment figures for the district’s summer program. Rudanovich added that the drop in numbers could be related to the economy.
Harrison said in addition to the steady enrollment decline, the district has shortened the list of classes it offers in the summer and no longer offers art, vocational or enrichment courses. She said while District 201 has trimmed its program down a bit, it also started offering a Reading and Math Academy program a few years ago that a state grant funds. That program gives incoming freshmen a boost in their reading, English and math skills at no cost.
Edwardsville District 7 also reported some scaling back in its summer program. High school continues as it has in the past: tuition-based and with courses decided by enrollment. Extended school year, however, is being scaled back. It’s a summer school program for students with disabilities and special needs. If it was documented that a student needed additional services during the summer, he or she received a six-week math and reading program free of charge.
This year, it will be three weeks of reading only, according to Lynda Andre, assistant superintendent of curriculum, and only for students in the reading intervention program whose scores show they’re at risk of falling behind in reading.
“Our K-8 summer school was funded by a combination of things, including district funds,” Andre said. “We didn’t feel we could pay for that kind of an extra program at this time … but we were able to put together a free program for just those students.”
About 120 families will participate this year, Andre said. “Of course we’ll evaluate that, and see how it works for the students.”
In Pontiac District 105, where the district pays for its six-week summer program, Amy Seelman, the summer school coordinator, said the district has considered shortening its programs, which include six-week remedial reading and math courses and enrichment courses that last up to three weeks, to save money.
“It’s not a definite, but it’s definitely something that is on the watchlist as something that could be cut or modified, if finances get tight,” she said.
Seelman said the program costs the district about $60,000, and enrollment is about 80 for the reading and math programs and about 100 for enrichment classes, which include subjects such as Spanish, drama, fitness and writing. She said the administration and school board has supported the program because it is important for students and helps them either keep up or catch up in certain subjects.
She said cuts to the program could mean offering fewer classes or charging a fee.
Contact reporter Elizabeth Donald at or 692-9481. Contact reporter Rickeena J. Richards at or 239-2562.
special Needs Books
belleville district 118, education foundation, parents, scholarships, southwestern illinois college
On March 30th, a great evening was shared by parents and kids at the Alberton Branch Library Pajama Party. 
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