Kenosha's Riverview Elementary cancels summer school due to budget cuts
KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Months after a referendum failed to pass, administrators at one Kenosha County school are making a hard decision. Riverview Elementary had to cancel summer school for the first time ever.
By mid-July, this art classroom in Silver Lake is typically buzzing with creative students, but summer programming this year was wiped out.
"So I was just kind of devastated," said Brooklyn Jenkins, Riverview 8th grader.
It's the last summer this soon-to-be eighth grader could have helped the younger grades with arts and gardening classes.
"So would you have signed up to do it again this year?"
"Absolutely, like no doubt in my mind," said Jenkins.
But families were notified, summer enrichment classes had to be cut from Riverview's budget.
'I was very upset. I wanted to contact the principal and ask why and then when I realized because the referendum didn't pass, we weren't able to do it again, it very much frustrated me," said Jenkins.
"The vote failed by 15 votes, which was heartbreaking for us. We had to take a look at doing some pretty significant budget decreases as a part of that," said Jon Schleusner, district administrator of Silver Lake Joint School District 1.
Facing a $680,000 deficit, Silver Lake Joint School District 1 began making cuts wherever they could. No summer school equals a $25,000 savings.
"So it's not a huge savings, but it was a step that we could take and we're a pretty lean operation, so we really don't have a lot of things we can take a look at for reductions. It was a tough one because the kids enjoy it. Our staff enjoys the kids here, but it was as we took a look at options, we thought for a year that might be our best, one of the things that we should take a look at doing," said Schleusner.
Summer programming could potentially return to Riverview next year depending on how the budget is looking.