District Retrofit
The district retrofit is progressing smoothly. At this time, 80% of the lighting in the district has been replaced with LED lights. This move is projected to save the school district approximately $50,000 a year in utility costs.
The asbestos abate at the Elem/MS is completed, and new ceilings and lighting will be in place in the next couple of weeks. The only asbestos left in the school district is in the ceilings of the two libraries of the Elem/MS. These ceiling will be resealed prior to school beginning.
A new heating/cooling system is slated for the high school with a timeline estimate of around October. The new system replaces the current heating/cooling system that is estimated to be approximately twenty-five years old.
All windows and doors have been resealed in the district, with water conservation measures slated for this summer as well. Plans are in place to paint the exterior and gym at the Elem/MS, along with painting the exterior of Norris Gymnasium.
Plans are being developed to address the acoustics of the Elem/MS gym. We are hoping to find a solution to the noise level of this facility.
The board of education has taken big steps to address facility concerns of the district. I hope you appreciate the efforts and commitment they have made to provide students with quality educational facilities.
Parent Survey Results.
There were 248 responses to the parent survey, which represents over a 50% response rate. I thought it would be good to share the results of the survey where you know what the data looked like as we begin to make plans to reopen schools.
Return to school full time with appropriate safety precautions and social distancing in place.
· First Choice-60% (156)
Return to school in a blended model with a combination of limited attendance supplemented with online work.
· First Choice-26% (67)
Remote Learning Only
· First Choice-36 (14%)
The continuous learning model used last spring worked well for our family.
Strongly Agree/Agree Disagree/Strongly Disagree
55% (136) 45% (112)
Small group instruction with a teacher combined with online learning would be better than strictly online learning.
Strongly Agree/Agree Disagree/Strongly Disagree
91% (225) 9% (23)
The number of hours my child spent on homework last spring was appropriate.
Strongly Agree/Agree Disagree/Strongly Disagree
66% (164) 44% (84)
Teacher expectations for my child last spring were appropriate.
Strongly Agree/Agree Disagree/Strongly Disagree
79% (195) 31% (112)
Daily interaction with teachers in the fall is more important than completing daily online lessons.
Strongly Agree/Agree Disagree/Strongly Disagree
85% (210) 15% (38)
I believe that parents should be given the option to choose if they want to have their children attend in-person or remotely.
Strongly Agree/Agree Disagree/Strongly Disagree
81% (200) 19% (48)
The parent survey results will be merged with a teacher survey to develop a plan to reopen schools. The District Leadership Team, comprised of 10 teachers, will work with the rest of the teaching staff to develop plans that address traditional, hybrid, and remote learning. Depending on the situation in August, we should have something that we can use in almost any situation.
Will these plans be perfect, no. We still have too many unknowns at this time. We have not received guidance from the state at this time. When this is released, it could change some of the planning we are in the process of developing. There are still outstanding questions on how transportation, food service, and custodial duties will be handled. However, I can assure you we will do our best with the information we have and attempt to address as many instructional opportunities for our students as we can.