School's Out for the Summer

Throughout North County and the state, school districts are scaling back summer school programs to help curb spending, the North County Times reported.

Districts have mostly maintained summer classes for high school students who are behind in credits or having a difficult time passing the state-mandated California High School Exit Exam. However, many elementary and middle school programs have been trimmed or axed entirely.

Educators said they fear the disappearance of such programs could cause students who are struggling to fall further behind.

"Without that extra bit of help, a lot of these kids now are going to start falling through the cracks," said Rick Pratt, assistant executive director of the California School Boards Association.

Several districts, including Vista Unified, San Marcos Unified, Poway Unified and Encinitas Union, have eliminated summer school this year for students in elementary and middle school, except for students with severe disabilities who legally must have year-round classes, the paper reported.