SOMIS : Trustees Cancel Summer Classes

Trustees for the single-school Somis Union Elementary School District have voted to cancel summer school this year, saying the program is a casualty of the state’s funding crisis.

As many as 47 of the district’s 326 students may have been eligible for the summer session, said Trustee Debbie Carpenter. Actual attendance has ranged from 22 to 28 students in the past.

The unanimous decision was made June 17 during a closed session of the district’s Board of Trustees, but a notice was mailed to parents this month. Summer classes were scheduled to begin July 27.

If the district went ahead with a summer session--which could cost more than $6,000--and state money failed to materialize, “the district could be hung out to dry,” Trustee Robert Fulkerson said.

He criticized legislators for requiring local school districts to submit a budget before knowing how much state funding would be received.

Carpenter said the trustees decided that the money would be better spent on library or computer services that would benefit more students.

“With all the problems in state funding, we didn’t feel we could take a risk with that money,” Carpenter said.

If legislators eventually authorize money for summer school programs, the district could spend it on Saturday classes or after-school tutoring during the regular school year, she said.

The district is now running an $11,000 deficit in its $1.2-million budget, said Tamara McCracken, the district’s business manager.