NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Public Schools will be offering five summer programs this July for more than 300 children in kindergarten through Grade 12. 

 

The programming runs from July 5 to 29, between 8:30 to 3 for 19 weekdays, with some programs half time.

 

The programs are funded largely through grant funding, including 21st Century and special education grants. The high school's credit recovery program in self-funded through fees for participation on a sliding scale. NAPS students are also charged a lower rate that those out of district.

 

"We plan to serve 80 to 140 students across North County in our credit recovery program," Superintendent Barbara Malkas told the School Committee last week. 

 

The program allows students who did not earn a passing grade in certain subjects to recover that credit. 

 

"We have a Summer Science Camp being hosted in Brayton Elementary School. That is our 21st Century program, which is [funded] by regular grants and an extension grant program for a total of $108,000," she said. 

 

The "Imagineering" science camp will serve about 180 children in prekindergarten through Grade 6. 

 

An IDEA 240 grant (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) is funding a social, emotional and behavioral special education program at Brayton and the CASTLES program (Collaboration for Autism Spectrum Teaching, Learning and Excelling) at Colegrove Park Elementary School. There are about eight students in both those programs. 

 

The Sunshine Camp at Windsor Lake is also supported by the IDEA 240 grant and a local appropriation. This program serves about 25 children and provides recreational and social skills for students with disabilities up to age 22.  

 

"Total, we are servicing somewhere on the order of 350 students during this summer, as well as we have our Summer Food Service Program," the superintendent said. "There will be some slight changes to that because of the way the federal government is extending summer service fee kind of flexibility."

 

The food program is open to any North Adams resident age 18 and younger, whether they are attending the public schools or not. 

 

The School Committee approved tuition rates for the next school year. Thomas Simon, director of student support services, said the district has traditionally increased tuition fees by 3 percent annually and that the rates are in line with other school districts. 

 

Effective July 1 through June of next year, regular education will be $13,052 and special education $23,525.

 

Other specialized programming will range from $31,369 to $42,745. 

 

Tuition for the specialized summer programs will range from $2,725 to $4,263. 

 

"We have special education rates, which are for students that have to have an IEP and receive specialized programming," Simon said. "And then for students who have more intensive specializations, including our autism program, like a CASTLE program, and our adult transition program, that is another step."

 

The committee also approved to continue to participate in the school choice program. The district currently has about 69 children enrolled through school choice and about 129 school choicing out of the district.

 

Updates on the civil rights and fiscal management policies were approved by the committee as was a new COVID-19 vaccination policy that will require all staff, faculty and contracted service providers be fully vaccinated. Those granted an exemption must participate in pool testing and provide a weekly negative test. 

 

In other business, Malkas reported that the number of novel coronavirus cases has been consistently below five and that no clusters have emerged in any of the schools.

 

The district, at the recommendation of the state Departments of Public Health and Elementary and Secondary Education has moved away from contact tracing. It will continue with pool testing and symptomatic testing for those students who are participating in the program and will be providing home tests from DESE. 

 

"The rate of transmission in schools is significantly lower than in the general population most of our students are more likely to become infected with COVID either through a contact at home or through a contact in the community," said the superintendent, adding that DESE board will be reviewing the surveillance testing program at its April 22 meeting.

 

• Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System testing has been occurring in the schools. 

 

"This is a measure of how our students are doing as well as how our district is doing next year," Malkas said. "That data will be very important to us because it will be the first real set of data we've had in really effectively two years."

 

• The district is also working on behalf of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on a local testing center for the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure with professional testing company Pearson VUE. 

 

"This would be a huge benefit to our teachers who are on waiver or emergency licenses, as well as any of their prepracticum teachers and practical teachers who have to pass the MTELs before they can start their prepracticum and practical work," she said.