Summer school funding gone as poverty rate falls from 20% to 19%

Middlesex County Public School Superintendent Dr. Tracy Seitz informed the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors that elementary summer school funds are not available and there will be no program.

The Sentinel reached out to Dr. Seitz to explain further the reasons for the elimination of the summer school program. In an email she said, “We first received the notification from VDOE (Virginia Department of Education) that we fell below the (child poverty) criteria to receive (federal) Title V Part B funding for the 2024-2025 school year. 

“The 2024-2025 award uses 2020 Child-Poverty Census Data. The (child poverty) rate needs to be at least 20% and we dropped to 19% in the 2020 census,” said Dr. Seitz.

“It is reevaluated each year and we will likely be back up to 20% next year and qualify for the funding. The lack of funding this year is not related to federal cuts that may be taking place,” she said.

“We then analyzed data from multiple sources, including the Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System (VALLS/PALS), Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP), Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP), and DreamBox. This comprehensive review of elementary school data, comparing current student performance to historical data and peer groups, found no evidence of widespread learning loss over the summer months that could not be addressed for all students at the beginning of the year, nor did it identify measurable gains in past summer school programs.”

“Our goal is to ensure that every educational investment yields the greatest possible benefit for our students. By carefully examining the data, we’ve determined that a traditional summer school program, at this time, would not provide the measurable academic impact to warrant its implementation,” said Dr. Seitz.