Hollister
– After just a few days of celebrating summer, many students
grabbed their backpacks and headed back to the classroom.
Hollister – After just a few days of celebrating summer, many students grabbed their backpacks and headed back to the classroom.
For the students taking summer school classes, many seemed happy to be back on campus. At break, students chatted with their friends about classes they were taking and their other summer plans.
Savanah Martinez, 15, said she’s excited to be getting ahead on credits. Her friend Melissa Sepulveda, 15, added that summer school was a good way to meet people.
“It gets you out of the house, which, when you don’t have a driver’s license, is a good thing,” she said.
Despite cuts to the summer school program, more than 1,000 students returned Wednesday morning for classes at San Benito High School. The summer program, designed to allow just fewer than 900 students to enroll, currently has 1,257 students signed up.
Some of the classes, such as the popular summer band program, are being separately funded. After an announcement that band and other enrichment courses would be cut from summer school, the San Benito High School Site Council voted to provide one-time funding – amounting to $6,000 – to fund the program.
Summer school saw a decrease in state funding this year. Although money had been provided for all remedial courses, the state dollars now are primarily limited to supplemental instruction for students who haven’t passed the exit exam, or those at risk of not passing it.
As a result, the school funded all makeup classes for students in courses they previously had failed. The lack of money also resulted in a decision to cut enrichment courses.
But despite funding problems, summer classes seemed to be going smoothly the first day.
“It’s going really well. Students are just trying to find their room numbers and trying to get situated,” said summer school Principal Amber Berg.
Although fewer than the 1,257 enrolled students showed up for their classes Wednesday, Berg said she expected those spots to be filled by students on the waiting list.
Around 35 teachers oversee the summer courses. The majority of them also teach at the school during the school year.
“We’re very fortunate to have about 75 percent on-campus teachers,” Berg said. “It’s helpful because they know the school and the administration.”
