Superintendent Update from Dr. Carl Bruner
Happy Friday!
Last week, State Superintendent, Chis Reykdal made it official - all school districts are expected to offer full day instruction, five days per week next school year for all students whose families elect to have them return. The following health and safety measures will still be required:
face coverings for all students, staff, and visitors;
ventilation;
regular cleaning and disinfecting; and
processes for responding to and reporting cases of COVID-19.
While the Washington State Department of Health still recommends maintaining a physical distance of 3 feet in classrooms and 6 feet elsewhere, flexibility is provided to allow schools to accommodate all students in person.
Schools may offer remote learning for students whose families prefer to have their children remain at home. What these learning options look like will depend on the capacity of the individual district. After months of remote teaching and learning, we are thrilled at the prospect of bringing students back full time. Though there will be logistical challenges to work through, we know that we can safely accommodate all students in person. In addition to the required health and safety measures, our school based COVID-19 testing program has and will continue to enable us to guard against the spread of the coronavirus in our schools. As San Juan County Health Officer, Dr. Frank James, said recently, “Schools are among the safest places to be in our communities.”
Our elementary and secondary teams are hard at work, focused on finishing strong while developing their plans for 2021-22. At the district level, we are finally able to begin the budget development process in earnest, now that the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has updated their budget tools to reflect the changes and resources approved by the 2021 legislature. Our goal for 2021-22 is to restore as many of the services previously reduced as possible. Without a legislative solution to the enrichment levy cap, that will be difficult to do. Thankfully, federal relief funds will, we believe, provide a bridge to a more sustainable solution.
For many years I worked with a very talented school district finance director who was fond of the saying, “We can do anything we want, but we can’t do everything we want.” This is at the heart of budgeting. It’s where priorities come in. In working towards a balanced budget, the district and school board are committed to doing all we can to restore those cuts that have had the largest impact on providing a quality educational program for LISD students.
That’s all for now.
Enjoy the weekend and Go Lobos!
