Summer offers a perfect opportunity to add programming that will expand your reach and generate additional revenue.
We talked to Dr. Kyle Konold, Cyanna K-12 consultant and veteran school administrator, about adding summer programs for high school students. Here are the tips he used to grow a summer school program from just barely breaking even to generating a healthy profit:
Create a hybrid-model of instruction for summer school.
Profit is about increasing the number of summer school courses purchased and decreasing the overhead. A hybrid model, in which students have face-to-face interaction with a teacher once a week but the majority of the work is done in an online environment, allows for teachers to increase the number of students on their rosters without increasing the number of face-to-face hours.
Identify and recruit entrepreneurial summer school teachers.
The teachers will be a great resource for recruiting students for summer school.
Base the teacher pay on a per-pupil stipend.
If you charge $100 per class per student, pay the teacher $60 per student. In a hybrid model, one teacher can effectively teach 200 students in a single class period. That puts an additional $12,000 in the teacher’s pocket and $8,000 to the school’s budget.
Try face-to-face class time once a week, and online at other times.
Identify state and federal funds to pay the summer school fees.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act has a youth component that may have funds available to pay for summer school tuition.
Offer options.
If your institution is a high school, you have freedom to offer a variety of classes and options. Consider standards like Algebra and Biology, as well as niche interest areas like sculpture or music theater.
If you’re a postsecondary school, you can still attract high school aged students. Simply focus on elective credits like art, music, and computer programming. And if you’re accredited, explore offering standard high school classes.
There’s still time to add programming for this summer. Cyanna can help with all aspects of implementation, from curriculum set up to marketing to student management. Let’s talk about it.