Shawano school mulls re-opening

Anderson eyes 4 alternatives including virtual learning
By: 
David Wilhelms
Correspondent

SHAWANO – The Shawano School Board wrestled Monday night with how to reopen local schools this fall.

Randi Anderson, district administrator, said the schools are weighing four approaches to reentry, ranging from a continuation of 100% virtual instruction to having all 2,300 students and 300-plus staff back for face-to-face instruction.

Anderson said several times during the meeting, “Absolutely. I want our students, our staff back in our buildings.” She said she was not advocating 100% virtual instruction, “but we have to be ready for it.”

The administrator said she was continuing to plan with staff and hoped to have a reentry recommendation for a board meeting in July. She cautioned that may be premature as the district continues to learn from other countries as they reopen, as well as abide by the evolving local and state health guidelines.

Nick Curran, district business manager and human resources director, said the district is still looking to the state for guidance.

He added the district has to be aware of its liability if a staff member, student or visitor became sick and negligence can be proven.

Madelynn Easter, who just completed her junior year at Shawano High School, presented results from a survey she conducted to assess virtual instruction. She received responses from 55 students — 29 juniors, 25 sophomores and 11 freshmen.

Her conclusions indicated 83.6% of students found it “overwhelming” to complete assignments since the lockdown in March. Her respondents also noted higher levels of depression, higher levels of hopelessness and, especially, a loss of motivation.

Michael Sleeper, board member, asked if the pass-fail grading scheme contributed to the lack of motivation.

Easter responded she thought it did.

Sleeper then followed up, asking what one or two things the district could do better.

Easter advocated that each student meet with teachers at least every two weeks via Zoom or a similar technology platform. She said that some teachers regularly reached out to students, but that some students felt abandoned.

Chuck Dallas, board member, observed the virtual learning approach didn’t work very well and said, “We could do better.” He suggested finding some champions among teachers and use their efforts as a model.

Sleeper countered that the district made a lot of decisions on the fly. He likened the situation to a football team not given a playbook or practice time but still expected to win a game.

Easter added, “It was new to everyone, students and teachers.” But, she said, a lot was learned “for the next time we have to do this.”

Diane Hoffman, board member, said she thought comprehension of a subject was lost with the total focus on completion. She thought the experience with virtual instruction pointed out the flaws in the schools. “This is not how every student learns,” she said.

Bruce Milavitz, board member, said he was concerned the student base lost communication with teachers. “All I’m hoping, if we’re forced into this virtual world, I’m hoping we can stay connected with students,” Milavitz added.

Anderson said there are roughly 500 high school students and the survey included 55. “We also have students who have done well,” she added.

While she agreed with Dallas that improvements can be made, she reminded the board that no one could have foreseen the schools would still be closed June 1.

The board voted to renew its Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association membership for next year, which comes at no cost to the district.

Anderson said the same uncertainty on restarting instruction also applies to sports. She said Shawano benefits from partnering with the state association and learning what other districts are doing in answering the question, “What do sports look like this fall?”

Curran gave the board an overview of employee insurance programs and asked for approval. Curran noted a decision was needed by July 1, the start of the next fiscal year.

Tyler Schmidt, board president, guided the board through a motion to table the decision pending a finance committee meeting moved up to this week and the possibility of a special board meeting to meet the deadline.

On the recommendation of Jeff Easter, district facilities director, the board presented a Hawk Pride commendation to Dan and Donna Everson for their years of tending gardens and a prairie area at district schools.

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