Ash Grove Board of Education doubles summer school

Summer school at Ash Grove just got a whole lot longer. The Ash Grove Board of Education voted unanimously at its Feb. 24 meeting to double the amount of time for summer school—starting this coming summer—from two weeks to four.
During the meeting, Ash Grove Superintendent Dr. Aaron Gerla said there are many benefits enjoyed from extending summer scholastics. Not only will parents have more child care, but the district will make more money from the state, the teachers will make more money from the school district and—most importantly—the students will suffer from less summer loss, which will help when school resumes in August.
Gerla added that even with a full month of summer school, the students will still experience two full months of summer vacation.
Starting this summer, the district will host two two-week sessions of school.
The final day of all summer school will be June 19, with the next school year beginning Aug. 24.

In other moments…
- The board saw examples of Super Bowl commercials made by district fourth graders, many of whom were on hand, as the board meeting room was packed.
- The board heard a report from new baseball coach Berrah Brown, who was pumped to take on the challenge. “I can’t wait to hit the field running. And I think they’re excited, too,” Brown said.
- Dr. Gerla announced there will be a meeting held to update the athletic handbook, as it is out of date. The meeting—open to students, parents and administrators—will be held at 6:30 p.m. March 10 at the high school library