Kent School District declines joining new summer program

Published 4:16 pm Friday, May 1, 2026

The Kent School District decided against joining several neighboring districts to participate in a new free, full-day summer learning and enrichment opportunity designed to help students thrive over the summer months.

The Tumwater-based Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD) announced April 29 that 105 schools in 19 school districts will participate in the 2026 launch of the DiscoverWorks program. That includes schools in Kent’s neighboring Auburn, Federal Way, Renton and Tukwila school districts.

Districts with schools where at least 50% of students qualified for free lunch last year were eligible to apply for summer 2026. Kent has schools that qualified, but didn’t apply for the program.

“The district reviewed the requirements and associated costs for KSD for the Summer Discovery grant,” according to a April 30 email from the Kent School District communications team. “After careful consideration, the district determined to not pursue the grant at this time for this first-year pilot summer program.”

DiscoverWorks serves students entering grades one through nine in the 2026–27 school year at participating public, charter, and tribal schools in Educational Service District 105 (Yakima area) and Puget Sound ESD 121 (Seattle area) regions, according to AESD. To be eligible to host the program, 50% or more of the school’s population must qualify for free lunch. The program is offered at no cost to families, and includes academic instruction, enrichment activities, meals, and full-day care.

“Often, grants require additional district resources,” according to the Kent School District. “The additional funding and resources needed to operate a high‑quality summer program and fully meet the grant’s expectations exceeds our current financial capacity.”

Kent leaders also had concerns about student attendance during the program.

“In addition, student attendance determines the final 30% of the grant award, which creates financial commitments the district is unable to meet if the expectations for attendance are not met,” according to the district.

With DiscoverWorks in its first year, Kent had further doubts.

“Because this is a pilot program, we also want to ensure it will be sustained beyond a single year before committing district resources,” according to the district. “Additionally, the Kent School District already offers summer learning opportunities through another grant.”

Eligible districts were notified in the fall, and applications were submitted in January, according to AESD.

The program combines daily reading and math instruction with hands-on activities such as field trips related to arts, STEM and sports. Students learn and explore in a safe, structured, and fun environment.

“Summer programs are powerful drivers of student success,” said Connie Ballmer, co-founder of Ballmer Group, which is fully funding the initiative. “Schools want to provide more summer learning opportunities for students, but many can’t afford to. DiscoverWorks helps fill that gap. It provides a safe, engaging place for kids to learn and grow over the summer, with strong results for students and meaningful support for families.”

As far as Kent’s neighboring districts, Federal Way has four middle schools and 11 elementary schools eligible for DiscoverWorks; Auburn five elementary schools eligible; Renton one middle school and three elementary schools eligible; and Tukwila one high school, one middle school and three elementary schools eligible.

“As we learn from this initial pilot, we’ll continue to evaluate future opportunities for the program,” said Jessica Vavrus, AEDS Network executive director, in an email. “If the program continues in future years, districts with eligible schools will have the opportunity to consider participation at that time.”