School year to start
Aug. 24 with fully remote learning
By Chris Fox
For The Elmhurst Independent
The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board held a regular meeting at York High School on Tuesday, Aug. 11. All seven board members participated in the meeting, with Christopher Kocinski taking part remotely.
Near the end of the meeting, the board directed District 205 Superintendent David Moyer and the administration to start the 2020-21 school year with fully remote learning. The first day of the school year is Monday, Aug. 24. The board rejected a proposal to delay the start of the school year until Sept. 14.
At its previous regular meeting on July 14, the board unanimously approved a plan to open the school year with in-person instruction five days a week at the district’s elementary schools. That plan also directed the district’s middle schools and York High School to offer a hybrid model of in-person and remote instruction to start the upcoming school year.
In an Aug. 7 message to District 205 families, Moyer stated that the district did not have a sufficient number of teachers who were committed to report to work on Aug. 24, to support any form of in-person learning. Moyer added in his message that the district was negotiating with the Elmhurst Teachers’ Council. Moyer also stated in his message the possibility of the district delaying the start of the school year.
Survey provides parents’ point of view
In his message, Moyer referred to a recent survey of district parents. He stated that 85 percent of parents had chosen in-person instruction for their children to start the 2020-21 school year.
Moyer’s message specifically noted that the district would not be able to provide in-person instruction at the K-5 level at the start of the school year.
“We are deeply disappointed at this latest roadblock to moving forward with the Open D205 plan,” stated Moyer in the message. “We understand the cost to the school community when a decision of this magnitude is delayed, and we will continue to work as expeditiously as possible to successfully start the school year.”
At the beginning of the Aug. 11 meeting, Board member Courtenae Trautmann read aloud more than 40 comments submitted by the public. Trautmann noted that about 100 comments were submitted; all of the comments were posted on the district’s website. Some of the comments Trautmann read were from district parents who urged the board to offer in-person instruction to start the year. Other comments, including comments from teachers, urged the board to offer fully remote instruction to begin the school year.
Board president Kara Caforio read a statement at the beginning of the meeting.
“As leaders we understand the gravity of the decisions we need to make, and that those decisions cannot possibly please everyone, or meet every need,” said Caforio in her statement. (See full text of Caforio’s statement elsewhere in this issue.)
Moyer stated that the earliest possible date that the district would be able to offer in-person instruction would be Sept. 14. He said that if the district were to offer in-person education on that date, there would be in-person learning instruction at the early childhood level, and a hybrid model of in-person and remote learning at the K-12 levels.
He further stated that pushing back the start of the school year to Sept. 14 would extend the end of the school year until at least early June. Moyer said one of the drawbacks of delaying the start of the school year was that it would adversely affect the district’s construction timelines. A Sept. 14 start to the 2020-21 school year, he added, might lead to a later start to the 2021-22 school year.
Moyer also said during the Aug. 11 meeting that he could not guarantee that the district would have the necessary staffing to offer in-person instruction by Sept. 14.
Board members share their views
Board member Karen Stuefen referred to the district’s recent survey, in which 85 percent of parents reportedly stated they want in-person instruction for their children. Stuefen also stated that two-thirds of the district’s staff members are prepared to execute in-person education.
He reiterated during the discussion with board members that the district could not open to in-person instruction on Aug. 24. He said the district had two choices—to open on Aug. 24 with a different approach, or to delay the start of the school year to Sept. 14 and hope to have sufficient staffing to offer in-person instruction.
Moyer they said he would advocate for a remote start on Aug. 24.
Board member Beth Hosler said she had concerns over a Sept. 14 start to the school year, and the challenges it would create for students and families. Hosler said she was in favor of starting the school year on Aug. 24.
Board member Jim Collins said it was “pure folly” to try to start York’s school year any later than Aug. 24. He said pushing back the start of the school year would be disadvantageous to the district’s students. Collins said he was willing to listen to plans for delaying the start of the school year at other levels.
Board member Margaret Harrell said she supported an Aug. 24 start to the school year for a multitude of reasons. She said the district needed to start the learning process and provide some return to normalcy.
Trautmann said she felt the board should have an expectation that if the school year were to start with remote instruction on Aug. 24, a hybrid model of instruction would need to start on or about Sept. 14. Moyer said the district’s human resources department was working with school principals to meet the district’s staffing needs. He said the district is working on recruiting substitute teachers and building up some pools of interested people to fill certain supervisory roles. Assistant superintendent Luke Pavone said the district’s biggest staffing priority is getting more certified teachers.
Trautmann added that her expectation is that when the school year begins on Aug. 24, teachers would be teaching remotely from district classrooms. Moyer responded that it was also the district’s expectation—that teachers would report to their assigned buildings while they are teaching remotely. Trautmann said the level of teaching wouldn’t be as good for the district’s students if teachers were teaching from their own homes.
Steps to make teachers feel safe
Trautmann also asked if there was anything that the district hadn’t provided to teachers to make them more comfortable about working in a hybrid model that included some in-person instruction. Chris Whelton, the district’s assistant superintendent for finance and operations, said the district has purchased a large amount of hand sanitizer. He said sanitizing wipes would be available in every classroom. Whelton also said the district spent $124,000 to purchase tents for its elementary schools. He added that the district has purchased electrostatic sprayers, which will be used to disinfect school buildings every night. Whelton said the district has purchased face shields for every staff member. Additionally, the district has purchased 20,000 disposable masks, as well as signage to encourage social distancing.
Other Board members weigh in
Kocinski said he did not support an all-remote start to the school year. He said he was not receiving enough assurance that the district would transition to in-person learning. He said he felt like the proposed options amounted to a backdoor method of having him consent to all-remote learning for a long time.
Kocinski said District 205 provides an essential service, and that part of that essential service is providing in-person instruction, if deemed safe by health officials. He also noted that the majority of district parents wanted in-person instruction. Kocinski added that he is passionate about choice and felt that the district should offer in-person and remote options to give families a choice in their children’s education.
Caforio said that she was not in favor of a Sept. 14 start to the school year. She said students needed to start having a routine, and to re-engage with school. She said the district had to work toward providing some kind of in-person instruction.
Stuefen said she wanted to recognize the approximately two-thirds of district staff members who are committed to offering in-person instruction. She said that while the board always recognizes the district’s staff, the board also represented the district’s parents.
Harrell added that moving forward on an Aug. 24 remote start was a declaration of the board’s willingness to trust that the district’s community can move forward together. She stressed the importance of working together and focusing on the district’s children.
The decision is made
Without taking a vote, Caforio directed that the district would keep its start date of Aug. 24, and that there would be no calendar change. She said the school year will start with remote instruction, with a goal of getting to a hybrid model of in-person and remote learning by Sept. 14, if health metrics and staffing needs would allow.
Presentation about remote learning instruction given
The Aug. 11 meeting also included a presentation from Scott Grens, the district’s assistant superintendent for innovation and systems management, about the district’s latest plans for remote learning during the 2020-21 school year. Grens said he didn’t know anyone who enjoyed the last two months of the 2019-20 school year, which featured remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. District 205 school buildings closed to in-person instruction at the end of regular classes on March 13 and remained closed for the rest of the school year.
Grens noted that the Illinois State Board of Education had changed several of its directives and guidelines since the spring. He noted that remote instruction in the spring did not offer live instruction. There was no attendance guidance in the spring and grading during the spring of 2020 could only raise a student’s grade for that term.
Grens stated that during the upcoming school year, teachers will provide live online instruction. Teachers will take daily attendance, and regular grading policies will return. All students will receive a district-issued technology device.
In his presentation, Grens provided a sample daily remote learning schedule for students in grades 6-8. The sample featured an English Language Arts class from 8:25 to 9:30 a.m., followed by a math class from 9:32 to 10:37 a.m., followed by a science or social studies class from 10:39 to 11:44 a.m., followed by a 31-minute physical education class, followed by an elective class from 12:19 to 12:50 p.m., followed by another elective class from 12:52 to 1:25 p.m. Asynchronous learning, including check-ins with teachers, would be available from 1:25 to 3:25 p.m.
The presentation from Grens also included a sample remote learning schedule for York High School students. That sample would feature four synchronous (livestreamed) 70-minute classes from 7:40 a.m. to 12:35 p.m., followed by about 150 minutes of asynchronous (non-live) learning. A York student would engage in live classes in four periods (1, 2, 3 and 4) on Monday and Thursday, while taking live classes in four other periods (5, 6, 7 and 8) on Tuesday and Friday. Wednesdays would involve periods 1-8 engaging remotely for 30 minutes each.
Kocinski said the district’s updated remote learning plan is an improvement over the spring. He noted the challenges of remote learning for the district’s youngest students. Kocinski also said the district’s teachers should be in school buildings during remote instruction to leverage all of the district’s technologies in order to deliver the best possible education.
Whelton presents tentative budget
The Aug. 11 meeting also included a brief presentation from Whelton about the district’s tentative 2020-21 budget. The budget, which is on display on the district’s website, will be approved on Sept. 22.
Whelton stated that the tentative budget shows about $133.1 million in revenues, and about $139.6 million in expenditures, for a deficit of over $6.5 million. The district currently has a fund balance of about $63.4 million and will end the 2020-21 budget year with a fund balance of nearly $56.9 million.
During its 2019-20 budget year, the district had revenues of about $131.3 million, and expenditures of about $129 million.
Whelton noted that expenditures for salaries are up about 7.7 percent from this year over last year. He said the district had to add additional teachers to provide for all-day kindergarten during the 2020-21 school year.
He noted that the district has incurred several expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those expenses have contributed to a portion of the deficit for the 2020-21 budget year. Whelton will provide further details about the district’s expenditures for COVID-19 related items, including personal protective equipment, at an upcoming finance committee meeting.
Kocinski said he would not support higher taxes to make up for the deficit. He said the deficit should be absorbed by the district’s fund balance.
The board will hold its next regular meeting on Aug. 25.
