School’s Out, but Not for Everyone : Summer Sessions Make It a Short Vacation for Some

With the close of the school year last week, the thoughts of most South Bay students are turning to family vacations, lazy days on the beach and other interests close to the hearts of the young.

But for several thousand, school bells will ring again on Monday, summoning students back for a summer program of academic enrichment or for another opportunity to catch up in subjects flunked or missed in the regular course of classes.

The schools will be offering basic academic or “enrichment” courses under a funding formula set up in the state’s school reform program now in its second year. Under the program, the state pays for summer classes for up to 5% of a district’s students on a two-hour-a-day schedule spread over six weeks.

Students are generally enrolled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Some Not Filled

Most South Bay districts said the 5% formula provides enough slots to accommodate students interested in summer school and a few have not been able to fill even the limited number of openings available.

The Centinela Valley High School District still has room for 300 students, and trustees of the Manhattan Beach elementary system canceled the summer program at the last minute for lack of interest.

Administrators contend that it will take a while to revive the kind of summer programs that flourished before Proposition 13, the Jarvis-Gann tax-cutting initiative, pulled the rug out from under them in 1978. The meager funding available from the state is only a small step in that direction, the administrators say.

“If the state would fund a full summer program, we would have many more students participating,” said Centinela Valley’s Bernard McGuire.

Programs for All

Hawthorne Elementary has one of the few summer schools that did not collapse in the wake of Proposition 13. Deputy Supt. Roger Bly said the district has managed to scrape together enough money to continue programs for all its students.

He said his district goes way over the 5% limit--more than 25% of about 4,900 students are enrolled this year--and picks up the tab for the extra expenses.

All of the districts are required to provide special education classes for handicapped students and “proficiency” courses for youngsters who need remedial instruction. Those courses are separately funded by the state and there are no limits on enrollment.

Two South Bay community colleges--Harbor and El Camino--and California State University, Dominguez Hills, are offering a wide range of courses for regular students and adults who wish to expand their educational horizons during the summer doldrums.

High School Districts

Centinela Valley--Six-week session, June 24-Aug. 2, at Leuzinger High. Makeup and special education classes, plus two-hour sessions in math, science, reading. About 300 students registered for basic academics and another 300 slots are still open for late comers.

South Bay Union--Six-week session, June 24-Aug. 2, at Redondo Union, Mira Costa and Pacific Shores. Makeup, special education, basic academics. Driver training, industrial arts classes at Mira Costa.

Unified School Districts

Inglewood--Six weeks, June 24-Aug. 2. Senior and junior high classes at Crozier and Monroe, elementary at Parent and Worthington. Makeup, special education and basic academic courses. Computer education included in enrichment courses at elementary level. About 750 expected to attend academic sessions on first-come, first-served basis.

El Segundo--June 24-Aug. 2 for high and middle schools, July 1-26 for elementary. Makeup, remedial and special education at all levels, driver training and some enrichment courses for high school students. The city’s Recreation Department is sponsoring computer courses at the schools; the fee is $30 for 20 hours of instruction.

Palos Verdes Peninsula--Six weeks, June 24-Aug. 2, for high and intermediate school students. Marymount College operates summer high school program at Rolling Hills and Palos Verdes campuses. Peninsula Enrichment Program (PEP) offers enrichment courses for intermediate students. Fees range from $94 to $198. The district will provide instruction in basic skills for elementary students at Montemalaga and Rancho Vista July 1-30, in addition to special education for all grade levels.

Torrance--Six weeks, June 24-Aug 2. Remedial and special education for all grades. Computer classes in middle schools, basic academic courses in high school. About 350 students are expected to take the enrichment courses, with another 300 doing remedial work.

Elementary Districts

Hawthorne--Four weeks, July 1-26, open to all students. The district offers basic academics, besides the required special education and remedial courses. About 1,100 students in a total enrollment of 4,900 are expected to attend.

Hermosa Beach--Four weeks, July 1-26, at the Hermosa View campus. Basic skills courses, in addition to makeup courses for seventh and eighth graders.

Lawndale--Four weeks, July 1-26, at Rogers Intermediate. Computer education and basic academics for grades five through eight. Makeup courses for seventh and eighth grades. New Century Education, a private firm, is continuing an individualized math and reading lab for some students. About 375 students in an enrollment of 3,900 are expected to participate in the summer programs.

Lennox--Regular classes will continue through the summer under the district’s year-around education program.

Manhattan Beach--Plans for a summer program were canceled when only 100 students registered for the four-week session. The district needed at least 180 to pay the salaries of teachers. “A number of parents wanted to enroll their kids, but didn’t know what to do with them for the rest of the summer,” a district official said.

Redondo Beach--Twenty days, June 28-July 26, at Hillcrest and Adams. Special education and makeup courses, basic skills and enrichment for grades three through seven. Students in the eighth grade go to the South Bay High Union High School District for their summer program.

Wiseburn--No summer program, except for special education students who are bused to the Hawthorne schools. The district provides a listing of free or low-cost educational and recreational opportunities available to its students in the Los Angeles area.