Parents wait for news on summer school as jobs hang in balance
Summer programs at many school districts have been dialed back, and officials haven't yet let parents know if they will continue.
CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- With the fall school year and summer session still a mystery, parents like Kelley Ahern are left wondering how they'll be able to return to work.
Ahern is a Clovis Unified parent and planned to send her daughter to Campus Club, a program that offers care for kids while parents are at work during the summer.
Now, she doesn't know if the program is going on this year.
"We haven't heard a thing. I was frustrated because I was given the 'ok' to go back to work June 1," says Ahern.
The state superintendent is hoping to bring some students back to class in August, but how that will look is still in the works.
Another challenge schools are facing is massive budget cuts.
District administrators said that Clovis Unified is expecting their budge will be reduced by roughly $30 million next year.
Fresno Unified board officials said their 2021 budget would have a deficit of more than $15 million.
"It's a balancing act between the immediate needs of creating learning environments that are being redefined with the real reality that we have a huge economic sector being impacted," says Kelly Avants of Clovis Unified.
In the meantime, summer programs at Clovis Unified have been dialed back and officials plan to let parents know if they will continue closer to the program's start date.
But for parents, the future remains a waiting game.
"It's not fair to our employers to be like - 'Well, we don't know what we're going to do'. I hope we get answers quickly," says Ahern.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story erroneously said Clovis Unified would have a $30 million deficit in 2021. We have corrected and regret the error.
