HWRSD cautiously returning to in-person learning after break

Jan. 14, 2021 | Sarah Heinonen
sarah@thereminder.com

HAMPDEN/WILBRAHAM – Superintendent Al Ganem and Nurse Coordinator Teri Brand informed the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee that the district would be continuing remote instruction on Jan. 11 and Jan. 12. The hope was that students would be able to return to their hybrid schedules on Jan. 14.

For the two-week period ending Jan. 7, Hampden had 34 cases of COVID-19 with a positive test rate of 5.02 percent. Wilbraham had 149 cases and a positive test rate of 7.70 percent.

“Being fully remote gives us the opportunity to identify impacts from vacation,” Brand said, referring to the expected increase in coronavirus transmission over the winter holidays. Brand characterized the move as “pro-active” and said that there were several cases among students and staff and that those numbers were expected to rise.

School Committee member Sean Kennedy asked Brand about the schedule of coronavirus vaccinations for teachers. Brand and Ganem explained that school personnel are slated for vaccine eligibility in the second phase of the rollout, between February and April. School nurses are eligible for the vaccine in phase one, which is currently ongoing.

School Committee Vice Chair Maura Ryan asked what will happen if teachers refuse to be vaccinated. Ganem said there is currently no answer for that. More information about the vaccination schedule can be found at mass.gov/covidvaccine.

Cohort Changes

The superintendent went over the changes to cohort assignments at the elementary level. A total of 20 students were transferred from the remote-only “cohort D” to one of the two hybrid cohorts. Moving forward, those students will be attending school two days per week. Conversely, six students changed from the hybrid model to remote-only. The transfer of students between cohorts was decided on a case-by-case basis depending on the preference of the family and the number of students in each cohort, as physical space is a consideration.

Director of Student Services Gina Roy told the committee that the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District (HWRSD) has more four-day students than any other district in the area, partly because of how the district defined who was eligible for four-day schooling. She explained that students with a disability who are struggling in the hybrid model can request a case conference to examine whether four-day in-person instruction is warranted. She said that some students have been approved for four-day instruction, while it was decided that other students’ disabilities would not be aided by the increased face-to-face time.

The move to transition kindergarten students into four-day in-person instruction is limited by the number of classrooms available for kindergarteners and the limit in the number of students allowed in each class. With 11 to 12 students per class, Mile Tree can accommodate 47 of its kindergarteners in its seven classrooms and Green Meadows can accept 10 kids in its two kindergarten classes. The other 38 Mile Tree students and 16 students from Green Meadows will be put on a waitlist, similar to pre-K placement, Ganem said.

The district is also planning to open a classroom for morning pre-K, which Roy said was needed due to the limit on class size. The new class will begin with eight students and max out at 11.

Ganem noted that Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said in a Zoom call with superintendents that all students are expected to be physically in school five days per week by the end of the school year in June.

Equity and Inclusion

School Committee Chair Sherrill Caruana spoke about needing data on equity in the school district to move forward with the committee’s stated goals of creating an inclusive and equitable environment. She suggested an equity audit “to inform us of any discrepancies student’s experience,” be it in funding or discipline, “that lead to achievement gaps.”

Committeee members William Bontempi and Ryan asked to see an example from another district. Bontempi stated that the first step would be to define “diversity.”

Several committee members agreed with having outsider review data from the district. “We need to see what we’re doing to see what we can do better,” Ryan said. As Bontempi put it, sometimes “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” Director of Curriculum Tom Mazza suggested a couple of organizations and firms that provide audits.

Kennedy expressed frustration that the committee was just now moving forward to implement the resolution on equity and diversity that the committee adopted in June. Ganem countered by explaining that staff had undergone professional development on the subject and it was time to look at the next steps. He said that hiring practices and selecting literature written by people of color are obvious changes. “But how many minority boys are being suspended? We need someone to come in and take a look at that,” he said referring to the district’s discipline record. “We’re dealing with this in pockets, but we haven’t dealt with it systemically.”

Funding

Director of Operations and Finance Aaron Osborne shared the news that Massachusetts schools are receiving another $816 million in federal coronavirus funding. Furthermore, the expiration date on these funds isn’t until the end of 2022, so the district has more flexibility in how and when the money is spent.

Osborne noted that because Title I districts are given priority in the funding distribution, HWRSD may not see as much money as other districts. Title I is a federal program that steers funding toward schools and districts which serve low-income students. Bontempi argued that “the virus doesn’t discriminate by socioeconomics,” and therefore TItle I shouldn’t be a factor in funding distribution. While Osborne agreed and said that hybrid districts, such as HWRSD, go through supplies more quickly than remote districts and are therefore in need of more money, the Title I distribution was stipulated by the government.

Athletics

Athletic Director Mike Roy requested a temporary 25 percent reduction in coach stipends and a 35 to 40 percent cut to student fees related to playing sports this season due to an MIAA decision to shorten the winter sports season by half the number of games. Osborne said that the move would allow the district to “reap a little savings where we can.” The committee agreed although Kiernan stated that “every dollar parents can give to fund sports can eliminate a cut in the classroom.”

The new fee schedule charges $125 for swimming, $200 for skiing, $150 for both boys’ and girls’ basketball and $300 for boys’ and girls’ hockey. Roy said that he calculated the figures based on a three-year average of sports fees.

The stipend reduction hinges upon approval from the Hampden-Wilbraham Education Association, the union that oversees teacher contracts. Roy explained that he came to the 25 percent figure because, while the season is shorter, coaches have to put in longer hours than usual and adjust how they practice due to the pandemic.

Roy spoke about the hit that athletics funding has taken this year.

Normally, there are two sources of revenue for sports programs – gate receipts and student fees. There haven’t been any gate receipts this year as people are not allowed to attend games in person. As an alternative source of money, Roy said that he has sold “Chaug Strong” apparel through an online store.
LPVEC

The Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative (LPVEC) released its annual report. School Committee Member and LPVEC liaison Michelle Emirzian said it was a “clean audit” without regularities.

Kiernan asked if the district would receive a credit for remote-instruction days during which the buses didn’t run. Emirzian explained that if school is remote, drivers are paid for the first two days and then are furloughed until in-person school returns. This was news to Kiernan, who argued that LPVEC was making decisions that affect district finances without consulting the districts. Emirzian responded that LPVEC “heard loud and clear” that districts wanted driver furloughs.

After discussion, the committee decided that better transparency and communication with LPVEC was needed and Ganem said he would invite the company’s executive director to meet with the committee.

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