Bethel fourth grader SofÌa Vasquez shared her story of how a summer program helped her become an avid reader at the ceremonial signing April 30 in the Oregon State Library of two bills to fund summer learning programs. (Photo by Jake Arnold, OSBA)
Bethel fourth grader SofÌa Vasquez told a roomful of legislators, education advocates, state officials and media that before attending last year’s summer learning program she wondered if she would ever learn to read.
When she said she now reads 100 words a minute, the adults burst into applause. Her face glowed with a shy smile.
Gov. Tina Kotek ceremonially signed two bills on April 30 in the Oregon State Library to fund summer learning and help more students like Vasquez.
“I think summer programs made it possible for me to grow so much,” Vasquez told the group.
House Bills 2007 and 5047 promise $82 million over the next three summers to create more stories like Vasquez’s. Education advocates, including OSBA, worked hard with the governor and the Oregon Department of Education to craft a bill that supports literacy while giving districts flexibility to develop engaging programs.
School leaders had asked for more to meet the ongoing needs to make up ground lost to COVID, but they say they appreciate the efforts by the governor and the Legislature to set up reliable funding in an increasingly challenging budget environment.
“This is an important first step,” said Stacy Michaelson, OSBA Government Relations and Communications director. “We fought hard for this additional funding and embrace its accountability demands, because educators are eager to show what they can do when dollars go where they are most needed.”
The bills offer $35 million for this summer, with a promised $35 million for next summer and at least $12 million for 2027.
Willamina Superintendent Mike Gass said the district will be pressed to put together a program and recruit staff for this summer while meeting all the grant’s requirements but he appreciates also being able to plan for next year.
He said the district is looking at intense academic instruction where it’s most needed but also how to add the experiential learning, such as a trip to the beach or the zoo, that helps draw students in.
Education service districts, Tribes, school districts and charter schools can apply for the grants, with a minimum grant of $20,000 and a maximum of $1 million. ODE prioritized eligibility based on a district’s overall literacy rate as well as the literacy rate with more than a dozen focal groups, including students facing additional challenges and students from historically underserved groups.
ODE’s formula attempted to continue the work done in 2024 with $30 million in summer learning grants while broadening the reach. ODE identified 183 eligible entities, more than double last year, meaning more districts will receive funding but many districts that received money last year will get less this year.
Siletz Valley School, for instance, will receive $33,000 this summer, about a 38% reduction from last year, according to Superintendent and Principal Ginger Redlinger. The Lincoln County School District charter school of about 220 set up a “summer camp” last year to provide academics paired with engaging activities to lure students in.
Bambi Van Dyke, early literacy director and testing coordinator, said last year’s work showed great promise. The camp had a special focus on kindergarteners, with about two-thirds of the incoming class attending.
More children started the year ready to learn, and by the end of this school year, the kindergarteners are roughly a half-year ahead of the previous class’s progress, she said.
Redlinger is excited to continue that work, but with less funds they will have about half the staff, forcing them to focus on early learning and high school credit recovery. For the middle grades, they will still offer food, and they hope to put together some activities with community volunteers, she said.
“Our needs go across all our grades, but we can’t afford a summer program for all our grades,” Redlinger said.
Across the board, school leaders are grateful for the additional summer funding.
Lesly Claustro-Sanguino, Umatilla School Board chair, said extra classroom time is essential for students in danger of falling behind.
“Many of the children in our district don’t have the support at home during the summer to continue learning or practice what they have learned during the school year,” she said. “This is where summer learning comes in.”
Stephanie Williams-Strege, afterschool director, said regular attendees demonstrated an average 11% growth in comprehension and fluency measures at the end of summer programming.
Umatilla will receive $210,000, about two-thirds of what it received last year. But the district can reuse some materials it bought last year, stretching the dollars, Superintendent Heidi Sipe said.
The district will need to decrease class sizes and limit trips this year, but Sipe is determined to offer opportunities for all students in a high-poverty area where students have few other options. About a quarter of the district’s students attend summer school programs.
“Summer learning has become a staple of summer in Umatilla,” Sipe said.
North Marion School Board Chair Crystal Rostocil said the district’s summer learning grant will help it reach vulnerable populations and historically underserved students.
The summer school support could cause some community confusion in districts that are also facing budget cuts.
The Reynolds School District, which is facing a $25 million budget shortfall and deep district cuts, received $1 million for summer learning.
Justin Birmingham, senior director of partnerships and grants, said that because they are different buckets of money, the summer learning grant must be used on programs the district couldn’t fund through its general fund.
Reynolds is also continuing efforts from last year, when it received a $1.5 million summer grant that was braided with other targeted grants. The district also relied on community partners and culturally specific groups to enrich programs. Student surveys were overwhelmingly positive.
The district is again aiming to serve around 20% of its roughly 9,500 students but with days reduced from six hours to four and in fewer locations. Birmingham called summer programs an “opportunity and acceleration,” adding about 20 days to the school year for some students.
“As a community, we have a responsibility to serve our youth year-round,” he said. “Having an opportunity to remain engaged is fantastic, but it doesn’t make up for the loss that will happen the majority of the year.”
– Jake Arnold, OSBA
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