July 13, 2020
Thank you to the parents of Grand Canyon Unified School District. You have been the most loyal and understanding community in which I've ever been associated and you have tactfully handled the most stressful situation I've ever observed in my life...COVID-19. The District appreciates your open and patient attitudes. I'm proud to be associated with the Grand Canyon Community!
My mind continuously drifts back to March 6, the first full day of Spring Break and the beginning of the long hiatus created by COVID-19. Instead of children returning to school on March 16, the children were met by school buses carrying food.
During the Spring Break, the state determined that children would continue to be quarantined. With children staying home, our first goal was to provide a school breakfast and lunch program. Barbara Shields (Food Service) and Ivan Landry (Transportation) didn't skip a beat. Then, we began the long and arduous job of providing long distance learning resources. The teachers developed Learning Resources for Students and Parents found on the District's web site. Matt Yost (Principal) and Lori Rommel (Dean of Students) met telephonically with every teacher twice a week. While all this was going on, the Business Office continued to be fully staffed. They didn't miss a pay check for our teachers.
Then there was the successful 8th grade promotion and high school graduation held on May 22. Throughout those long two months, we never took our eyes off the ball. We were searching for answers to provide a safe and caring academic environment. We even distributed on April 11, the Early Start Patron Survey to determine if parents wanted their children to start school in early July ( July 8 or 13). The purpose of the early start was to use that time to help students catch up from lost learning time. The District received 233 responses with 43% yes and 64% no to an early start.
Beginning in June, our focus changed. A group of administrators began meeting almost daily. At first, calls morphed into "Go To" meetings. Then individuals started attending in person. In order to open school, we needed a brain storming tool to help us fully examine reopening options. The District used a Causal Analysis Diagram introduced by Thomas O'Connor. With this tool, we determined that no decisions could be made until an accurate school budget was developed. The actual turning point for Arizona schools came on June 24, with the Governor's Prioritizing Kids and Schools During COVID-19. This was an executive order which gave us guidance to create a budget. That budget will be approved on July 15.
At the same time, the team was also evaluating school calendars. The Board felt that the original teacher start of July 27 and student start of August 3, was too early. This was based on the first survey (Early Start Patron Survey, sent out in April) in which we received many comments from parents requesting later starts such as October and even January 2021. The Board directed the staff to survey parents regarding later school opening dates. Two dates were determined August 17 and September 8. The survey was sent out on June 22. The final tab was determined on June 30. Thirty-five (35) ballots advocated for an opening date of August 17, and ninety-eight (98) ballots for September 8.
The Board approved the September 8 school opening during the July 1 Special Board Meeting. In addition, teachers are slated to return on August 17 for three weeks of staff development and COVID-19 awareness training. Jonathon Triggs (District Grant Writer) identified funds in three grants to pay for the teacher's early return. Without the August staff development, the teachers would have gone for over 13 weeks without a pay check.
(By the way, Governor Ducey held to his word and is completing the promise of raising teacher salaries by 21% (over a 3 year period). Their last installment of 5% will be in their 2020-2021 pay checks!)
Everyone is asking about sports. I can only tell you at this time, that there are conflicting reports on the street regarding the opening of sports. I will keep you posted.
The Governing Board will review options for academic (instruction) scheduling on July 15. You are invited to join the meeting starting at 5:45 pm. The Regular Meeting should begin around 6:15 pm. Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone using this link, https://www.gotomeet.me/GrandCanyonSchool, or join by phone 1 (872) 240-3311. The access code is 117-972-077.
More coming next week. I plan weekly updates posted on the website and text blasted reminders to keep everyone as up to date as possible. We will let you know the highlights of the school board meeting at the next chat.
