As a result of budget cuts, Loudoun County will no longer offer summer school as an option for students to retake classes. Instead of summer school, students will have the opportunity to make up failed classes during the school year. This decision has triggered controversy because most students only have time to repeat classes during summer time. However, Loudoun cannot fund for these classes or teachers any longer.

To eliminate “unnecessary costs” the school board members deliberated for many hours and decided summer school should no longer be an option for students. Initially, summer school was cut from the budget to save almost $3 million. Elementary and middle summer school was restored after committee debates but high school remained out of the picture.

Chairman John Stevens spoke on the regrettable loss of summer school, “Many people in the community do not realize how important summer school is to our students and to our professional educators,” he said. “Some kids use it because if they do not, their schedule will not permit them to be part of the band or a team. Others take it because they need it to graduate. It is a very important component of a lot of kids’ lives.”

Last year in Loudoun, about 70 seniors relied on summer school to graduate as well as many other students. Members of the school board are still deciding whether other districts will have room for seniors and other students who need summer school. As of right now, summer school is being offered through an online academy which is an option for grades 9-12. Although the online option is available, prices to enroll in that course are not cheap.

Many students, teachers and parents are not happy about the new budget cut decisions. Plenty of people have protested against the new changes, and offers to cut different things have been mentioned, but it seems as though the school board is set on there decision. However, even though summer school is no longer an option, Loudoun students have plenty of other opportunities to retake the classes they need to graduate, jump ahead or fill requirements.