IMESD makes plans for summer

By Terry Murry on Tuesday, March 30th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

PENDLETON – Public school classrooms are starting to reopen to full-time, in-person instruction. InterMountain Education Service District Superintendent Mark Mulvihill said that means that students will be getting used to school right when it’s set to close for the summer.

This summer will be different than those in the past. Mulvihill said the state is paying attention to that, providing more than $250 million in funding for summer programs.

“Many of our kids that live in at-risk homes are struggling,” he said. “They’re going to need constant catch-up.”

The state funding isn’t just for school districts. It can be used for any community-based programs to help students of all ages. Mulvihill said there will be online credit retrieval opportunities for high school students, but social and emotional support is also needed. InterMountain has reached out to parks and recreation departments for ideas.

“These types of partnerships that we can create for our kids and their families, in particular our kids in high-need, is what we’re trying to do,” he said. “We’re really trying to tee up the fall.”