by Conor Orr
LA VETA — On March 30, the RE-2 School Board met to discuss several items, most of which were regarding or having been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic. Most of the board members were not on school grounds in order to comply with social distancing standards, and instead used their computers at home to access the online meeting via host Zoom.
The board opened with a discussion of the logistics of collaborating with the La Veta Public Library during this trying time. The folks at the library have long worked closely with the school and are seeking to increase their support right now in order to help the school better serve the educational requirements of the community. Stephanie Masinton, Anthony Masinton, and Shannon Montalbano have been developing and implementing “literacy backpacks,” which are backpacks filled with books and various supplies such as art supplies and stuffed animals, aimed at stimulating growing minds.
The goal of this project is to provide parents and students with an opportunity to engage with something new together, to make the process of learning fun and collaborative. The library also has kept their wifi on so that community members can access high-speed internet during this crisis from the area surrounding the building, and they will be offering support for students in other ways, such as providing printing services and book loans which will be available for pick-up by students at the school.
They are also sharing many different resources on their Facebook page for educational and stimulating activities that can be performed from the safety of your home. In moments like these, the public institutions which hold our community together are really put on the spot, and we should all be grateful to have such passionate and dedicated people working to provide continued excellent service.
Moving forward together (but separate)
Along those lines, the school is moving forward with their food pick-ups and are communicating with parents about specifics along normal communication channels. Chromebook laptops are also going out to students, but the school board acknowledges there will be many challenges in educating from afar. For instance, in households with multiple students, it may not be possible for all of them to be online and working on schoolwork at once, and long sessions online may be taxing and unproductive, particularly for the younger students. Therefore, the school has opted to shorten class lengths and limit digital class sizes to groups between four and eleven. There are also special concerns regarding continuing to provide excellent service to students with special needs, many of whom who require face-to-face contact and comprehensive attention. These concerns are being discussed among teachers, administrators, students, and parents, and are within the context of rigid federal legislature.
There was also some discussion of the ambiguity surrounding educational assessments during this time. While it is still a little unclear, it does seem like there will not be any ACT or SAT tests this spring, which may mean that there will be new dates, or it could mean that colleges will have to take on the burden of assessing students’ preparedness for college in some other way.
Regardless, RE-2 is committed to educating students for the sake of education and will continue to do so in hopes that some sort of compensation plan will go through nation-wide, since the entirety of the 2021 graduating population has been affected by this crisis. There is still a great deal of uncertainty surrounding this year’s graduating class as well as class advancement all the way through the k-12 system. For the moment, the graduation ceremony is canceled, but the school board is open to any creative ideas for a virtual one and would like to see a physical ceremony held at a later date, if possible.
Budgeting for crisis
The school board also discussed some potentials for the 2020-2021 budget. The school district has been on a real roll lately on several fronts, budgeting well and retaining employees at sustainable levels, but this crisis has changed everything. Superintendent Bree Lessar said that Colorado’s anticipated 2021 budget is not hopeful in any shape, way or form.
For now, the board seems to be opting to try and continue paying all of its employees at full-pay, and there isn’t a ton of room to make cuts while remaining operational, so the board will likely be dipping deep into their emergency reserves. There is a balance to strike with regard to saving enough money to remain operational and compensating employees well enough to retain them.
At the moment, the school district supplies high-quality health insurance to all of its full-time employees, but in the coming months, the deductible may have to go up. The board did not make any strong statements about having to lay off any employees and is searching for other possibilities, but there may need to be some difficult conversations in the coming months.
The plans for the erection of the new school building are still going forward, though a few hiccups have naturally been introduced. As of right now, there is no reason to think that the BEST grant has been jeopardized and it is important to remember that in times of economic recession, it is often public works programs which play vital roles in economic recovery. The school board believes that building the new school is crucially important for the community, perhaps more now than ever.
Dignity and grace
As we go forth in these trying times, we might do well to heed a lesson which board president Eleanor Foley shared. We must remember to also “shelter in grace” as well as shelter in place. There will be many difficulties in the coming months and it is imperative that we extend compassion to our fellow man. So much is up in the air, and with so many momentous occasions being postponed or canceled, emotions are naturally stirred. Be good to your neighbors. Support them as you can. Many thanks to all the members of the RE-2 school district who are working so hard to make light of this extreme situation.
