‘Overwhelmed’ teachers and staff get extra days to prepare

D21 Interim Superintendent Theresa Peters

By Tom Peterson

District 21 Teachers and support staff in asked for and received additional days to prepare for the upcoming school year, which is set to begin in The Dalles, Thursday, Sept. 3., 2020.

Interim Superintendent Theresa Peters said the decision was made after speaking with multiple teachers who were overwhelmed with preparations for starting the year with on-line classes.

So instead of starting with a full day of online classes, the district will have a “soft open” where students will meet with teachers via ZOOM.com meetings for one hour on both Sept. 3 and 4. 

In addition, Peters said they also pushed back teacher-parent orientations to Wednesday and Thursday, leaving Monday and Tuesday for additional preparation. Orientations will be recorded for parents who are unable to go to the meetings live.

“Teachers expressed deep concerns about being overwhelmed,” Peters told the school board at their regular meeting on Thursday, Aug. 27.

“We came up with a solution to allow a little more time for teachers - to work with assistants and support staff while still honoring the Sept. 3 start date,” she told the board.

Students will then ramp up to a full on-line schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 8.  

School Board Chair John Nelson thanked Peters for being flexible and nimble in the situation.

Homeschool Option

Peters reported that a virtual academy, where students and their parents are in full control of their instruction is now available. She said a teacher and an administrator have been assigned to the program and the district has bought licenses for the program based on the current need. Parents and students who are interested can call the district for more information. It puts more onus on the parent to ensure the student is completing the work and the program does not have the same peer interaction as the district’s online classrooms.

“Thanks for getting virtual academy up and running,” said board member Jose Aparicio, noting it is a necessary option when both parents work. Peters said the program would be advertised on the district’s website.

Computers 

The district is still shuffling to find enough computers for students. Peters said the 

The Dalles Middle and High schools are sharing Chromebooks with the elementaries to provide them to students. 

And the district was set to receive 250 Chromebooks on Friday as well as web cams for teachers. But a larger order of computers is not expected until February. 

Food

Curbside lunches will be provided on Sept. 1 and Sept. 2 as part of the summer food program. They will be available at the elementary and middle schools.

Sports, Drama, Music

High School Athletic Director Matt Morgan said they are devising plans to engage students as much as possible in extra-curricular activities such as sports, Drama and Music. 

For example, strength training plans will focus on fall, winter and spring sports. He said the fall term was key in the endeavor as athletes could safely social distance in outdoor activities. 

Competitions and the use of the gymnasium, however, remain out of reach under current COVID-19 guidelines. 

Board Member Dawn Rasmussen asked that extreme caution be used in setting up programs as it is the grouping of people that can lead to outbreaks of COVID-19. “I would hate to have a super spreader event here,” she said.

Both Morgan and High School Principal Kurt Evans said they are abiding by the Oregon Department of Education guidelines. In addition, they will be in contact with North Cental Public Health Officer Dr. Miriam McDonell in regard to the current status of cases in our region. 

D21 Board Member Jose Aparicio

Equity Committee

Human Resources Director Brian Schimel reported that the district’s equity committee had held several developmental meetings. The group is tasked with looking at district policies to ensure that students are treated fairly and equitably.

The committee had some 40 people interested in serving and 19 were selected. 

“We’re not veering into management,” said board member Aparicio who also sits on the committee. “We will be focused in our own lane,” he said of looking at policy, rather than getting involved in day-to-day operations.

“We  need to find a way to get community involvement… We need to understand issues before we can address them… We need to hear from kids and parents.”

Superintendent Search

Board members agreed to an October through January timeline to conduct a new superintendent search. 

Peters is currently the interim superintendent, and should she want the position on a permanent basis, must compete against others selected in the search process. Directors will eventually have a major decision before them as they choose a permanent leader to guide some 3000 students and 160 teachers at seven different schools in the district in the 2021-22 school year.The selection process for the permanent position will again utilize McPherson & Jacobson LLC consulting- the same firm that undertook the search process a year ago.