One of Iowa's largest districts cuts summer school

Some parents are upset after the Sioux City Community School District eliminated summer school for their children.

Parent Bailey Gertsma said her 7-year-old benefited from the extra instruction.

"You know, I'm not happy about it, and neither is my son," she said. "That was an excellent program — and I think he got more from summer school than he does from the regular school year, to be honest."

The school district received more than $59 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER) from the federal government in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that the money has been spent or allocated, the district is looking at ways to reduce spending. By modifying summer school programming, the district estimates a savings of $500,000.

Gertsma's child was one of about 350 students who participated in summer school last year. She said that receiving individualized attention beyond the traditional school year helped build his confidence.

"I want people to know that these programs are needed for more than just one reason because there's a boost with these programs that really helps the kids out," Gertsma said.

A spokesperson for the school district said there wasn't evidence that showed summer school improved assessment scores, and teachers didn't see significant growth in students who attended the expanded program from 2021-2023.

However, other parents told IPR News that summer school assisted their children who need more attention due to diagnoses of dyslexia, ADHD and anxiety. The district still offered programming this year for English language learners (ELL) and at-risk high schoolers.

Gertsma said she struggled to find an alternative that aligned with her family's budget and schedule. For now, her son is going to an in-home daycare, which she said is a fine option but doesn't offer the same learning experiences.

"He got to work on robots the last couple of summers, and that really engaged him," she said.

The Iowa Department of Education said providing summer school has always been a local decision, and districts are not required to report to the state whether they offer it or not.

The department launched a new grant program to support districts offering evidence-based reading programming with up to $2 million available for districts statewide.

Meanwhile, the Sioux City school district is facing other tough decisions to deal with a budget shortfall of $7.6 million after the loss of ESSER funding.

One proposal included reducing staff, cutting busing for parochial schools and closing two indoor pools out of three.

Members of the business community are urging the district to keep the pools open and offered to help fund maintenance and repairs. The school board is expected to discuss the issue of the pools later this month or in July.