Council Rock pilots tuition for summer academy; district reports higher attendance

Kathleen Manning and Michael Catalano summarized the district’s 2026 Summer Academy and a new tuition pilot intended to offset lost pandemic relief funding. "We had 151 students and 28 staff members. Our average attendance was 86.5," Manning said, noting the program focused on ELA and math priority standards for rising K–7, a middle‑school builder, and high‑school credit recovery; Keystone readiness classes were canceled for low enrollment.

Board members pressed for more information about the tuition model and program outcomes. The district described the pilot as a $300 fee (characterized in discussion as roughly $100 per week for three weeks) with scholarships available for families demonstrating financial need. District staff said they used end‑of‑year assessments to measure growth and reported positive post‑assessment movement in both ELA and math, but acknowledged they did not conduct a district‑wide parent satisfaction survey this year and plan to do more systematic follow‑up next summer.

The district framed the program as providing continuity of learning and structured practice over the summer, and staff said they will explore ways to make the program more attractive to secondary students, including potential credit‑recovery options. The district emphasized the program’s nominal fee was intended to partially replace expired ESSER funds and that financial assistance would remain available.

Next steps: staff said they will consider additional outreach and targeted surveys to document family perceptions and to analyze whether changes in schedule or offerings increase secondary enrollment.