Despite fears that Los Angeles Unified would have to cancel summer school this year, officials say they'll be able to hold a limited number of credit-recovery classes at 16 high school campuses across the sprawling district.
Assistant Superintendent Alvaro Cortes said he got the word last week that administrators had found $1 million to fund the program. Summer school will operate at the same level as last year, when the offerings were the smallest in the district's history.
"If you'd asked me (before) last week, I'd have said we weren't going to be having summer school at all, so this is good news," he said.
Students will be able to take only one class, and priority will be given to high school seniors who get a D or an F in a required course and need to make it up so they can get their diploma, he said.
If there are seats left in a class, incoming seniors will be next in line for admission.
There will be only one session offered -- from July 8 to Aug. 2 -- and only a limited number of core subjects will be offered. Last year, LAUSD was able to offer about 175 classes.
Summer school for elementary or middle-school students will not be offered.
Registration will open in about a month, after officials finalize where summer school will be held. Cortes said it's unlikely that it will be the same 16 campuses where classes were held last summer.
Five years ago, before the state's financial crisis devastated education funding, LAUSD spent more than $42 million on summer school.
Cortes said voter approval of a half-cent sales hike helped salvage the summer program although officials remain concerned about sequestration, which would result in a 5 percent cut in federal funding.
Granada Hills Charter High will be offering both credit-recovery and enrichment classes this summer, but expects to have only enough seats for its own students, a spokeswoman said.
Options for Youth, a network of charter schools, has seen demand for its summer programs double since 2011, with 20,000 students expected this year.
"Students are already registering," said Deputy Superintendent Bill Toomey. "Every year, it starts earlier and earlier. "
Toomey said OFY will hiring more teachers and renting out additional space for credit-recovery classes in subjects like high school English, math and biology. In addition to its existing campuses in Burbank, Northridge, Sylmar and Van Nuys, classes will also be offered in San Fernando, Arleta, Encino, Studio City and Chatsworth.
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