CHEYENNE - The Wyoming Senate on Monday approved a $4.5 million summer school program to give students lagging in their studies a chance to catch up.

On a 20-10 vote, the Senate adopted the summer school allocation through an amendment from Sen. Kathryn Sessions, D-Cheyenne, to House Bill 93, the omnibus school finance bill.

Sen. Bob Peck, R-Fremont, said educators strongly support summer school to give students more time with teachers.

"We've got the money to do this," Peck said. "Let's not leave the sparrows behind." The latter was a reference to how one teacher referred to slow learners.

Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, cited the most recent fiscal report from the Legislative Service Office listing balances in the School Foundation Program sufficient to pay the cost of summer school.

The cost of the summer school program brings the total appropriation for HB93 to more than $60 million for one year, including $6 million approved earlier for a voluntary full-day kindergarten program.

The bill comes up for third and final Senate vote today.

Summer school will help students close any gaps in their tests under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, said Sen. Rae Lynn Job, D-Rock Springs.

Job is a sponsor of House Bill 126, which spells out a student assessment and accountability system for the federal law. That bill gained preliminary approval Monday and will be on second reading in the Senate today. It is the work of a task force that met at six locations in the state for a total of 12 days assisted by two attorneys knowledgeable about the federal law, said Job, a task force member.

Although the bill expands assessments to cover more grades in 2005-06, the tests will be shorter than the current nine-hour "marathon," Job said.

The NCLB requires states to have a set of sanctions and rewards tied to accountability standards; HB126 focuses on helping schools rather than punishing them, Job said.

Over in the House, the representatives voted for Senate File 37 to modify school facilities guidelines for routine and major maintenance.

House Speaker Fred Parady, R-Rock Springs, tried unsuccessfully to protect the Granger elementary school from demolition for two years while policy makers continue their debate over how to treat maintenance of school "enhancements" that aren't part of the school model.

The School Facilities Commission (SFC) wants to demolish the school and set up a modular school for the 14 or so students.

Rep. Mike Baker, R-Thermopolis, who opposed the amendment, said the Granger school district is taking the right approach by appealing the five-year-plan adopted for the district by the SFC.

Rep. Tom Lockhart, R-Casper, said that while it is "heartbreaking" to have to close schools in remote areas, bringing these questions to the Legislature is "cutting the legs off the School Facilities Commission."

SF37 will be up for second reading in the House today.