Rates for Summer School Programs Could Rise This Year

The School Committee’s Budget and Finance voted Monday to recommend raising rates for summer school and other summer programs this year.

Some of the increases were recommended to cover the cost of the program, and others because the programs will run a week longer this year, said Elisabeth Schaefer, the head of Student Services. The last time summer school tuition rose was in 2007.

The academic summer school program, where high school students can pass classes which they failed during the year, has lost money the last three years, including more than $10,000 in 2009, Schaefer said.

She proposed increasing rates for town residents from $240 to $285 for each course, which would cover the sixth and additional week for the course. School Committee Vice Chairman John Portz said they should look more closely at rates.

“We’re in deficit here, we might want to raise it more,” Portz said.

He proposed going to $300, but School Committee member Michael Shepard said he would recommend $295 a course so it stays below $300.

Schaefer said the district charges on a sliding scale, so people pay based on their income level.

Last year the summer school program for kids in grades K-5 lost $6,646 and in 2009 it lost more than $10,500. In 2008 the district received a kindergarten grant, which allowed it to make $3,754, Schaefer said.

The morning session, which lasts 3.5 hours, costs $125 a week and the afternoon program, which lasts 5.5 hours, costs the same.

Schaefer proposed raising the afternoon session rate to $195. The hourly rate remained about the same, at just over $7 for both the morning and afternoon programs.

The district offers a four-day vacation week program during the week of July 4. The course cost $200 a week last year, and Schaefer proposed raising it to $260 to cover the cost.

The subcommittee voted 3-0 to recommend the increases to the full School Committee, which will consider the proposal on Monday, March. 26.