Colder temperatures might be setting in, but Naperville School District 203 officials recently had warm-weathered thoughts in mind as the depth, breadth, and format of summer school offerings were reviewed.
Naperville 203 administrators provided a report at a board of education meeting Monday, Nov. 2, that served as a look back at this past summer’s list of course offerings and provided a glimpse into what might be ahead in 2027.
Naperville 203 summer school elementary and junior high attendance down
Kevin Wojtkiewicz, Naperville 203’s director of summer learning, said the number of students registered in elementary and junior high programs decreased in yearly comparisons this past summer, based on details shard in the 2026 summary report.
The decrease, Wojtkiewicz added, was “expected” and had been attributed to “the shorter summer calendar and removal of elementary enrichment classes.” After a series of discussions, the board last year approved structural changes to the summer school program.
High school enrollment, by contrast, held steady to prior years.
Elsewhere on the pendulum, student enrollment in several specialized offerings — including science camp and summer music — increased in yearly comparisons. Administrators have indicated both programs are popular.
Regardless of the grade level or specific program, Wojtkiewicz said there are a number of guiding principles that serve as the foundation of Naperville 203’s summer school program.
Prioritizing math and literacy instruction for students in need, reducing barriers to access via transportation and childcare, and balancing fiscal responsibility with program quality and equity are among those principles.
“We aren’t running parallel programs in silos,” Wojtkiewicz said. “We are running one unified summer learning community that maximizes shared staff, facilities, and district resources.”
Summer program ecommendations, looking ahead to 2027
Unlike last year, Naperville 203 officials are planning to stay the course for the 2027 summer program, with similar offerings.
“We’ve proposed maintaining a similar calendar and schedule for each of our summer learning programs, based on previous feedback,” Wojtkiewicz said.
Tuition increases are proposed in several areas, such a $260 per course rate for programs in kindergarten to grade 7, a rate of up to $235 for science camp to account for increased materials costs, and matching the driver’s education course fee to match the regular school year price, which is $500.
Jayne Willard, Naperville 203’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said the cost increases are intended to keep pace with the rising costs the district is incurring for summer school programs.
“We’ve gotten about as tight as we can,” Willard said. “Everything has gone up.”
The plan in motion, pending board approval, is to kick off summer school next year on June 7 and conclude the final batch of offerings by July 8.
Board members provide feedback on plans
The recent look-back report and outline of recommendations for 2027 was a precursor to upcoming board approval of the proposal unveiled. The board could act on the 2027 plan at its next meeting Monday, Nov. 16.
“Upon approval, our curriculum specialists will immediately begin auditing and refining course materials to ensure alignment with student needs,” Wojtkiewicz said in speaking to the next steps planning timeline.
Several board members commented on summer school offerings at the recent meeting.
Marc Willensky said he viewed the tuition increases proposed as an inevitable response to what is happening on the district’s expense side of the financial ledger.
“I recognize that if we don’t do that, then we may have to create a larger subsidy or a larger investment from the board,” Willensky said. “That’s either going to come from other sources, other programs, or you’re going to be left shrinking the summer school program that you have.”
Overall, Holly Blastic said she is pleased with the results from this past summer’s program.
“I know we threw you for a loop last year when we really did not want to pass these fees onto students and kind of shrunk the amount of time you had for planning,” Blastic said to district staffers. “Even with all those changes and the amount of time, it looks like we had a really successful summer.”
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