About 2,000 Billings students have signed up for remote learning for the upcoming school year, a steep increase from last week but still below School District 2 expectations.
The district had previously extended an Aug. 9 deadline to pick between remote learning or in-person school — a year-long commitment — to Aug. 14. That deadline is firmer, but still has some flexibility, superintendent Greg Upham said Wednesday.
“That being said, parents need to know that they need to get this completed as soon as possible. … At some point, we will have to say yes or no,” Upham said.
So far, more than 12,000 students have filled out the remote vs. in-person learning forms.
District administrators have said that the course scheduling process requires a year-long commitment. The 2,000 students is fewer than the 5,000-plus that district officials thought would sign up for remote learning based on an earlier survey, and that has administrators eyeing schedule changes.
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Middle and high schools are looking at the possibility of switching to an exaggerated block schedule in order to reduce movement between classrooms and mixing of students.
Early proposals would have middle schoolers attending three periods per day and high schoolers attending two periods per day. That would create far longer class periods than the current six-period day.
Schedules aren't finalized, Upham said.
Staffing
Upham had significant concerns about staffing when only about 900 students had signed up for remote learning last week. A survey from the local teachers union showed that about one-third of educators doubted they could return to teaching in school buildings because of their health or the health of someone in their family.
“Now that we’re at 2,000, I’m much more relaxed, if you will, that we can accommodate the majority of our staff who have requested remote,” he said.
The district is also eyeing additional hires for support staff, custodians, and on-hand substitute teachers. SD2 received about $7.3 million from Montana's coronavirus relief fund, and about $3 million from the federal CARES Act.
The $7.3 million has to be spent by the end of 2020, Upham said, though schools are in talks with the governor's office about trying to extend that deadline. The $3 million lasts through September 2022.
That leaves most of the coronavirus cash that the district is getting expiring halfway through the school year.
"You’re never supposed to say 'wow' to millions of dollars coming at you,” Upham said previously, referring to the more exasperated than exited intonation. "When we hire these people I want them available through the end of school.”
On Wednesday, he said that the district would look at trying to shift money around to spread it as evenly as possible.
“We’re looking to increase our (full time equivalent staff) significantly,” he said.
The district hopes that some additional staff would help students who lost learning time during the spring to catch up.
“I’m not worried about hiring extra staff and having them stand around. ... There will be no standing around at all,” Upham said. “We know we are going to experience significant learning gaps.”
Masks
Gov. Steve Bullock announced that the state's mask mandate, which requires counties with four or more active cases to require mask use in most indoor areas when social distancing isn't possible, will apply to schools.
Upham previously announced that SD2 will require masks for students and staff in most situations, a move backed up by an agreement with local unions for school employees.
He doubled down on the importance of masking Wednesday. While he's said that individuals exceptions can be made, “we are going to be very firm on our masking.”
“We can’t negotiate with this (virus)," he said. "We have to have face coverings.”