School leaders look to bolster substitute list to brace for unconventional school year
August 11, 2020 | By Lisa Scagliotti
Crossett Brook Middle School. File photo by Gordon Miller.
As the opening of the 2020-21 school year draws near, officials in the Harwood Union School District are eyeing staffing levels with concern that there will be enough teachers available to move ahead with reopening schools.
District Superintendent Brigid Nease shared that information during Monday night’s online question-and-answer session hosted by HUUSD School Board Chair Caitlin Hollister and Vice Chair Torrey Smith. This was the third of four planned online video calls where community members were invited to ask questions pertaining to the start of school set for Sept. 8.
Nease said the administrative team is now looking closely at staffing with the goal of having enough teachers to staff the schools consistently. She said they are contacting substitute teachers on their list to see if they are available and willing to work this year. On the district’s list of 83 substitutes, Nease said, only about 8 percent have indicated they are available.
“This is a very big concern,” Nease said, looking into the camera to address viewers directly as she made an appeal for more candidates to apply. Substitute teachers need a high school diploma and they must pass a criminal background check.
“We need that list to expand,” she said, noting that substitutes are essential to any school.
“In a year where we are being extremely cautious and we’re reminding staff to please not come to work if they don’t feel well -- we all know that a lot of teachers soldier on with sniffles or a cough and all kinds of things and we’re asking them not to do that -- So we know absenteeism might naturally because of covid increase,” she said.
In addition to a lean substitute list, Nease said there are staff members requesting leaves of absence, something that’s allowed in a number of circumstances under their negotiated labor contract. So far, 12 or 13 requests have been made including eight teachers, five of whom are at Harwood Union High School. “If those eight teachers go on leave … we have a big problem in staffing our school and providing the best we can for our students,” she said.
The September start to the new school year marks the return for students and staff since schools across Vermont closed to in-person instruction in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. School officials have been working all summer to plan for reopening which will require a myriad of modifications -- from mask-wearing to daily temperature checks to closing cafeterias -- in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus which so far appears to be under control in Vermont.
The district is opening with a hybrid learning plan where students will be in school one day per week and learning from home the other four. Students also may choose to forego the one in-person day and do all of their learning at home.
In Monday night’s Q&A session, Nease answered a variety of questions. Here are some of them summarized.
The Vermont Secretary of Education last week mentioned that Vermont schools might enter the “Step 3” phase of reopening schools within a few weeks of starting school. What does that mean for the Harwood district?
Nease explained that Step 3 involves operating schools “as close to prior to covid as we can get.” Step 1 refers to totally remote operations with buildings closed. Step 2 refers to a hybrid model with a combination of in-person and remote operations and is the stage where Vermont schools are planning to open.
Nease said she couldn’t comment on how Step 3 would look in the district until the state issues more detailed guidance for that phase. In general, she said, it’s aim will be to have students in school, in person five days per week.
Teachers union representatives last week suggested to the School Board having teacher-family conferences before the start of school. Will these happen?
Nease said two days before the Sept. 8 start date will be allocated for teachers to contact families for mini-conferences that will vary depending on grade levels. “We do want to make those contacts with every family and help with the transition to school in a variety of different ways,” she said.
Several questions asked how remote days and in-person days for students would work.
Nease said that all students -- those choosing the hybrid model and those opting for all-remote learning -- would do remote learning on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the students in the hybrid model would attend school in person one of those days and teachers would teach in school those days. Those at home would have assignments to work on and might also be online with teachers for subjects that are not their core subjects -- but details around that are still being hammered out, she said.
Some questions asked about class schedules and changes expected using the hybrid learning model.
Harwood Union Middle School Principal Duane Pierson said scheduling at Harwood for middle school and high school students likely will involve compressing schedules for some classes. For example, he said, some year-long classes may become semester classes, and some semester offerings may happen for just a quarter. “Our hope is to offer as many options as possible to kids,” he said.
Crossett Brook Middle School Principal Tom Drake said he didn’t anticipate major changes aside from chorus and band not happening initially and physical education not being held in the gym. He said he thought applied academics subjects -- art, languages, sustainability, etc. -- work best in person and would likely happen on in-person days with more core subjects taught remotely. Staff are working on those details now, he said.
One big unknown, Drake said, is how much time there will be for classes on in-person days given the health checks needed as everyone arrives. “We won’t be starting at 7:45,” Drake said. “That’s a biggie.”
Denise Goodnow, principal at Thatcher Brook Primary School, said her staff is looking at possibly scheduling arts classes in seven-week blocks.
In the valley schools where integrated arts teachers usually work in multiple schools sometimes in one day, Moretown Elementary School Principal Mandy Couturier said educators are aiming for a schedule that has those teachers based at one school for a whole week at a time.
How are individual schools planning to welcome students back?
Several school principals on the call answered this. Couturier said her pre-K through grade 6 school will send families as much information ahead of time as possible to explain the new expectations. Details will cover wearing face masks, what entrances to use, how recess will work, etc. “There’s going to be a lot of things that are just different and trying to help kids visualize and prime them for that is important,” she said. “So no matter what, we’re welcoming them with virtual hugs … but with the reality that things are different.”
Drake said he plans to record some video messages and assemble an online presentation as a student orientation for Crossett Brook. Goodnow advised parents of young students especially to contact their school principals with questions. She said she’s willing to call or video chat with parents and students to answer as much as she can. “Ask away,” she said.
A question on technology requirements got a simple answer.
Principals answered that schools have either iPads for the youngest students or Chromebooks for those in grades 3 and up. Classes will use internet-based programs that will not require any special software so there is no need for parents to purchase any technology-related items.
Could volunteers assist with outdoor classes? Will walking field trips be allowed? Might classes use community spaces such as covered pavilions in town parks?
Nease said that state guidance does not allow for volunteers in school buildings and the Harwood district would not allow them in any programs to limit the number of people exposed to each other. “Field trips will be allowed when you can assure the distancing requirements can be met,” she said. And as for non-school locations, Nease said in general they likely would not be used because it would not be feasible to meet sanitation and safety requirements.
One questioner asked for advice to families who might be considering moving to a district offering more in-person learning this year or enrolling their child in a private school.
“Every family has to make the choice best for their family,” Nease said.
Every district’s aim will be to function with as much in-person learning as possible, she added, but school leaders across the state know that factors outside of their control will likely impact how the school year proceeds. “Everything is going to change,” she said. For example, all schools are preparing for the possibility of returning to all remote learning should the virus have a resurgence.
“It does feel like a rollercoaster,” Nease said. “Know we are on the rollercoaster with you.”
Watch this entire discussion as well as the previous Q&A events and recent school board meetings on YouTube.
There is one more online Q&A session scheduled for next Monday, Aug. 17, starting at 6:30 p.m. People may view the session online using Zoom or watching on the district’s YouTube channel; an option to just call in by phone is also available. Details on how to connect are on the district’s website homepage under Reopening Q&A Sessions. The School Board also has an online meeting next Wednesday, Aug. 19, using the same platforms with details on how to watch on HUUSD.org.