Previous Messages
A Message from the Superintendent
December 20, 2024
Dear AACPS Families,
For the last three years, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) has had the opportunity to provide a wide range of summer programs for elementary, middle, and high school students. As we have said before, federally provided Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds allowed us to offer broad portfolio of summer programming inclusive of enrichment, acceleration, and specialty camps.
As we have also said over the last year, ESSER funding that was provided for relief during the pandemic is expiring and will no longer be available. As I reiterated in my Fiscal Year 2026 budget address on Wednesday, fiscal constraints are going to mean that we are unable to continue some of the programming to which families have become accustomed. We simply will be unable to replace that expiring funding. We are pleased, however, that we will be able to continue offering many of our traditional summer offerings for our students.
During the summer of 2025, our Extended School Year (ESY) for eligible students per their Individualized Education Program (IEP) will continue. Additionally, our SOAR program will be offered for all of our Title I schools, and students in those schools will have options for free admission, transportation, and meals. Furthermore, AACPS is proud that 38 of our schools are now Community Schools and as such will have opportunities for additional summer program offerings for their students. Finally, our middle school summer programs and high school credit recovery programs will continue to be offered at no cost.
That said, it is important to be transparent with families that some summer programs and specialty camps will no longer be free for those attending. While we will continue to plan robust offerings across the district, the amount of programming and available student seats will differ from years’ past. Some offerings – for example, the NorthBay music camp – will be tuition-based and include a registration fee.
We have also valued and appreciated our ongoing collaboration with many community partners such as Anne Arundel Community College, Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks, Annapolis Maritime Museum, Chesapeake Arts Center, Maryland Hall, and The Marshall Learning Center. While funding may also impact these dually led programs, we continue to seek ways to continue these community offerings for our AACPS students.
We look forward to sharing further communication regarding Summer Program offerings and anticipate that the application window for most 2025 summer programs will open in mid-February (though some may open sooner).
Please reach out to the Summer Programs Office at summerprograms@aacps.org should you have any questions.
Yours in Education,
Mark T. Bedell, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools