Roseville Area Schools presented an overview Thursday of its summer programs, reporting participation levels, staff-retention rates and new partnerships the district says expanded access and inclusion for students with special needs.
Nacita Thomas, executive director of student services, introduced the team. Community education supervisors and program leads reported enrollment numbers: Friendship Connection served 563 students across four buildings for nine weeks; Youth Enrichment ran 175 classes with 1,200 registrations; Summer Discovery enrolled 751 students (130 of whom were new middle-school enrollments this year); Summer Academy credits totaled about 407 credits earned; the adult basic education program served almost 400 adult learners for nearly 7,000 hours; and Extended School Year (ESY) served 246 students. "This summer we partnered ESY with our summer discovery program," Taylor Anderson, assistant director of student services, said. "For our 10 students that were receiving special education services, this partnership made a huge difference." She described the work as expanding access to the least restrictive environment and helping students build communication and social skills in real-world settings.
Program leads also reported staff-retention and staffing details: Taylor Anderson said the combined student services programs achieved a 70% staff retention rate; ESY hired roughly 180 staff members and many programs relied heavily on returning Roseville staff. Megan Webb, marketing manager, noted program outreach and documentation, citing more than 2,600 photos taken and 325 videos.
The presentation highlighted partnerships that brought learning opportunities and take-home resources: the district partnered with the Bell Museum to bring interns to speak with older site students, take trips to the planetarium and distribute 75 free STEM kits; high-school students read to early learners during Summer Academy; and other community organizations supported sports, playgrounds and media-center supplies. "These partnerships bring so much joy and a whole new level of energy and excitement to our schools," Executive Director Sydney Artisan said.
Board members asked whether participation was growing and about staff composition. Erica Anderson (community education supervisor) said Summer Discovery grew from 561 registrations the prior year to 751 this year after focused recruitment and rebranding efforts at the middle-school level. Taylor Anderson and others said much of the summer staffing came from returning district employees, with some outside hires where needed.
The board received the report; no action was taken. Staff said the district will continue the partnership model and monitor enrollment and retention to inform next year's programming.