The Wright City R-II School District may begin developing its own summer school program for 2013. At last Thursday’s school board meeting officials debated the issue due to the expiration of the contract with current program developer EdisonLearning at the end of 2012. Because of uncertainty within the state education funding formula, Assistant Superintendent David Buck said the district is planning ahead. “We have it worked into our contract that if funding decreases in the state, we can void out (the last year of) our contract (with Edison),” he said. “In 2011, our district’s summer school made $93,000 compared to 2006 when summer school lost $350,000, but we’re not making the academic bang we want,” added Buck. Superintendent Dr. Chris Gaines said although developing a summer school program for the district may be a lengthy process, he feels the district as a whole will be better suited educationally and financially. “I’ve developed a summer school program in the past somewhere else,” he said. “With Edison, students who had perfect attendance received a $100 gift card. So as we design a new program that element is going to be a cost, but the curriculum and teacher costs are going to be about the same. “We’d reduce expenses, but the question is still going to be can we generate a good bit of revenue,” Gaines added. “And that’ll come from the kids we get here.” The district’s three-year contract with Edison has generated $430,018.78 in revenue for the company for the first two years of service. The district pays $564 per student to Edison, but receives money from the state based on average daily attendance. The district also receives tax proceeds from Proposition C and the state health department’s Seamless Summer School program. According to officials, 50 percent of students attending summer school qualify for free and reduced meals. Buck said by having summer school, the district is not only providing a service to students, but to parents as well. “In 2008-2009, we had three kids in the district who were considered homeless and we’ve had over 50 the last two years,” he said. “Now, homeless can be on the street, in a car or a campground — just in a home not suitable for living conditions according to government standards. “This is us providing educational services and also offering a free breakfast and lunch,” Buck added. “There are academic and economic advantages for parents.” The threat of reduced federal funding, Buck and Gaines said, has also led to many school districts closing summer school programs. That has actually benefited the R-II district because students outside the district are attending summer school classes. “This past summer, we had 40 kids from other districts attending summer school classes here,” said Gaines. “A lot of districts have already said they’re out even though the summer school formula could be funded. A lot have said they’re not doing summer school, but we’ll do it until we’re told otherwise.” Gaines said because there was a sense of uncertainty with available funding, planning a summer school program will be a cautious effort. “We can think of it as an extension of the regular school year, or remediation and enrichment, or a summer camp,” he said. “The direction we decide to go with it will impact the development. “We’re hesitant because of uncertainty with the (state) Legislature,” Gaines added. “We’ve seen Legislature do away with summer school schools. We don’t want to invest hundreds of hours and then be shot down. If we see legislation filed, we’ll hold back. If we don’t see legislation filed, we’ll continue.” And while there may be uncertainty over state funding availability, Buck and Gaines said they should have a better feel for summer school plans in mid-May next year, when Gov. Jay Nixon is expected to sign or veto the funding formula. For now, however, the district will continue to cautiously prepare for summer school. “Parent surveys indicate they are happy with summer school,” Buck told the board of education during the meeting. “The staff enjoys summer school, too,” he added. “Year after year, we hear the same positive things. The Troy Buchanan School District did this four years ago, so we’ll learn from its mistakes and successes.”