CAMBRIDGE — Dorchester County Public Schools will not offer summer school this year, citing budget restraints. But county education officials say there is still time to improve grades for students who are at risk of having to repeat a grade.
"There is still time to pull it out," Dorchester County Board of Education President Sheri Hubbard said during a board meeting March 27. "... Buckle down and work as hard as you can to get the grades to where they need to be so that you don't have to worry about there not being summer school."
On March 20, the district announced it would not be able to offer elementary and middle school summer sessions nor the high school credit recovery summer program in 2025 due to the district's need to adjust its programming.
The move does not affect the Extended School Year program for students receiving special education services nor the Summer Career Enrichment Program being offered in Talbot County.
"As we work to balance our budget for the upcoming fiscal year, we are having to realign our resources and adjust various programs," the announcement addressed to families said.
Currently, the district is facing a multi-million dollar deficit for fiscal year 2026.
Since January, the district has reduced this deficit from $10.19 million to $5.59 million. During a Board of Education budget work session March 20, Superintendent Jymil Thompson said the district would next be looking into reducing its staff by 12 to 24 positions to save money. According the district, it currently has 859 total positions.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR STUDENTS
The lack of summer school will mean if a student fails a course this school year, that student will not be able to make up the course this summer. The district wants parents to plan accordingly.
"If your student is failing a course, please reach out to the school to determine what can be done to help your child pass the course prior to the end of the school year so he/she does not risk being retained in the same grade level next year," the announcement said.
During the Board of Education meeting March 27, Thompson said his suggestion to students is to take advantage of the time remaining in the school year "to get the work done."
Hubbard said the board wishes the district could offer summer school this year.
"Of course we like to be able to offer summer school," she said. "But in today's budget climate, it is not something that is foreseeable at this moment, so I do apologize."
Hubbard, who used to be a teacher, said teachers are generally willing to work with students who ask them if there is something they can do to bring up their grade.
"Whenever there was a student who came to me with sincerity and said, 'Is there something I can do? Can I please make up some work?' or whatever, we always came to some sort of way that that student was able to bring up their grades if they really wanted to," she said. "It is possible."
Hubbard said the district doesn't want to have to hold students back.
"And we certainly don't want to keep anybody from graduating," she said. "So just please, all of you work together and get it done."
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