McGuire says all kids need summer class

All city students should attend school full-time this summer, says mayoral candidate Ray McGuire — followed by additional summer sessions as needed to make up for a “lost year” of education.

“Typically, summer school is associated with remediation and making sure students are not retained in the same grade,” the former Citigroup vice chairman states in a policy paper shared with the Daily News on Sunday.

But these summer sessions would “re-create a sense of in-person belonging” with “all the richness” of a school environment and focus on core proficiencies, along with programs like field days and art, it said.

“The summer is an opportunity for schools to help students continue to regain skills and competencies lost during the last year,” the paper said.

Under McGuire’s plan, all city school students would be enrolled in full-time classes starting this summer, with an opt-out option available for special circumstances. His proposal also entails fast-tracked diagnostic assessments for all students that parents would be encouraged to consult before seeking opt outs for their kids.

McGuire (photo), who wants to apply his Wall Street managerial know-how to the issues facing City Hall, promised to tap into billions of dollars in federal funds set aside for education in the recently approved $1.9 trillion stimulus package.

The proposal comes as new Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter says she wants to make summer school available to as many students as possible, though details about the de Blasio administration’s yearround education plans remain vague.

If he wins office, McGuire would also create a “Catch Up Volunteer Corps” of retirees who would tutor, teach and coach students.

“Just as medical workers … came out of retirement to assist during the first wave of the pandemic, Ray believes many retired educators will … help kids overcome the learning loss crisis,” his paper stated.

Since city schools closed last March, followed by chaotic reopenings in the fall, students have struggled.

Nationwide, the average student “made only 50% of normal learning gains in math and 60-70% of normal learning gains in reading last year compared to a typical school year,” according to Brown University research cited by McGuire.