sluggo, that is exactly what i am saying. its a great deal for the students and summer school parents (using the term parent lightly) . for the taxpayers, not so much. I would bet the bottom line says the school district, hence the taxpayers, are still losing money in this deal. Communities should stick together to nurture our young. We should not be responsible for babysitting them, or providing alternative educational opportunities just because they didn't want to stick to the program already offered to them.

I thought $7 was a steal. $15 is still a steal. 3 weeks of swim lessons for 15 bucks. My kids have benefited greatly from these summer courses. Daycare costs what? I thought so....

You cheap people make me sick. 15 bucks for 18 days of babysitting? Don't act like you send your kids for the academics. Funny how the article doesn't say how much the district makes off summer school via state aid.

The $15 also covers swim lessons. So your child can attend summer school at his/her neighborhood school AND get swimming lessons!

Just so everyone is aware; summer school fee was waived in the past if you receive free or reduced lunch. I am not positive but I would assume it's the same this year. I think $15 is a bargain!!! Plus the school distrtict also offers free lunch at many of the schools and parks. Some even offer free breakfast. So really it is a fantastic bargain.

You don't have to send your kids to summer school you know, but I bet it's cheaper than a baby sitter !

This is stupid. We pay enough to the school district of janesville for our kids to go to school. Raising the fee for summer school is the worst thing that could have been done. What's next raising the fee for the next school year for all grades

Rawhide

I don't believe I criticized the cost of summer school.

Donna... :)

" if you want your kids to learn these things, you pay for them. " Come on Donna, we ARE paying for them. Don't you think they do pottery in art classes ? Don't they teach cooking in Home Ec ? If you don't want your kids to take cooking classes, fine. Let them eat the cr__ your serving up !

donnaw: You consider "cooking" to be a frill? I suppose you eat out every night! If you learned from your mother, fine, but some people can't boil water. I would have loved to have taken a cooking class in high school. It sure would have made a few meals less agonizing during my life.

Since when should taxpayers be on the hook for pottery, cooking etc. classes? If you want your kid to learn these things, you pay for them. Taxpayers are responsible for the basic educational classes, remedial or not, not these frill classes.

Wislady- Try cooking without being able to read or do math, it reinforces those concepts in a FUN way!

wislady, those are available to. Have you seen the summer school course offering booklet? Really, have you? $15 per student is an absolute steal for the retention and learning the students get during the "lost" summer months in the education cycle.

"more academically rigorous curriculum"

"pottery, cooking and photography"

How about using the summer courses to IMPROVE the reading and math skills?

Perhaps a refresher in Econ 101 for saxcat... I believe you forgot the costs of the instructor, the building, the electricity, the insurance... And $450 for a group of 30 would actually be a pretty good deal even if it were just for pottery supplies. Maybe think before you type next time...

$7 is an awesome bargain and $15 is too - for probably 99% of families and I'm sure the district can work with that other 1%. What about those families whose children take courses with fees during the school year? Sometimes those fees are $30 - no one worries about how families are going to pay those. How about a sliding fee scale for free or reduced lunch students? They can take an AP course and take the exam for free while other students pay $80+, but they do not get any break for an auto, art, or welding class. Perhaps these fees should be looked at too as to whether they are affordable for all.

if the class size is 30, that's about 450 bucks for the whole class. to teach pottery? no wonder school districts are broke. perhaps they should pull out their abacus and do a little constructive financial planning.
Of course we could always add another charter school. why should anyone be required to follow society? BECAUSE SOCIETY IS PAYING FOR IT!