It won’t be long before the town of Grand Marais and the surrounding area will be filled with plein air painters who are taking part in the annual Plein Air Grand Marais competition which takes place from September 11 to September 18. Photo courtesy of Don Davison
For the third time in recent weeks the I.S.D. 166 School Board met and spent more than three hours discussing the way school would open on September 3.
The Zoom meeting was held August 20. When it was over nothing had changed, the board stuck with the distance learning model it approved on August 13, voting down a resolution offered by District 4 School Board Representative Sissy Lunde to change and use the hybrid model instead.
Board Chair Dan Shirley, District 5, said the school wasn’t prepared, at this point, to switch to a hybrid model. “We are not there. It (the plan) could be there, but it’s not there yet.”
District 2 Board Representative Carrie Jansen said, “At a minimum, the school board needed to let teachers, students, and families know the school board would be reassessing the distance learning plan.”
“Are we assessing weekly? Or mid-quarter?” She asked, adding it felt like the board was lurching forward into the unknown with no timeline.
Concerning setting a timeline, District 1 Board Representative Deb White posed, “Are we going to predict the future? The virus is the variable and we have no control over the virus.”
Dan Shirley brought up numerous colleges that opened and quickly closed in-person learning because the coronavirus spread when students disobeyed the separation rules, contaminating the campuses.
“I’m happy to say we aren’t going to be the guinea pigs,” for in-person learning, said Shirley.
Lunde asked about the Incident Command Team, which will meet weekly and give an opinion about the safety of slowly opening school to in-person or the hybrid model, which features online and in-person learning.
“If the data stays the same and there is no change in one week will we pivot to the hybrid model?” Lunde asked.
“The board already made a decision on how to start the year,” said Superintendent Dr. Crandall, “But the turnaround should be quick.”
School Board Representative Rena Rogers cautioned, “The Incident Command Team members all have a role. The Incident Command Team (ICT) contributes and problem-solves, but they don’t vote. The Incident Command Team commander should be Dr. Crandall.”
Rogers went on; explaining how an ICT operates under FEMA rules, “There is “generally a lot of nuance before there is any change. It’s a process. It’s not a voting group,” she reasserted, adding she had received “about 50 emails “ regarding the powers of the Incident Command Team, and she hoped she had just cleared up some of the misconceptions with her explanation to the board.
As far as the local charter schools who are opening their doors, Rogers said, “They are guessing like we are.”
Lunde made a motion to start school using the hybrid plan the board received from administration weeks ago. White seconded the motion and more discussion followed.
Shirley asked Marie Burnett, Grand Portage Education Director, to contribute to the discussion.
“Abide by the vote, and then if we don’t get any spikes, then subtlety move forward,” she said, noting, like Shirley had said earlier, that a lot of colleges had opened and immediately closed because of the quick spread of the coronavirus.
“I’m not comfortable risking kids’ lives,” she said. “Teachers can’t teach if they are in the grave. I can’t teach from the grave and kids can’t go to school from a grave.”
Shirley called the final vote on Lunde’s motion with Rogers, White, Jansen, and Shirley voting no and Lunde voting yes. The motion failed 4-1, with the board agreeing to reassess the plan at mid-quarter on October 2.
Although the motion failed, Lunde cautioned, “If it’s going to hit the fan, it’s going to hit in two weeks. We want to make sure we can change and not tie our hands.”
What she was referring to was the protest by parents, some of who had marched the night before through town, Duluth news crews were on hand to record and broadcast the protest march. And as the school board learned at the August 20 meeting, so far 16 kids had left I.S.D. 166, choosing instead to attend local charter schools or use online academies.
In other school board action:
With only cross country running available this fall as a team sport, the school board approved the annual contract of long time North Shore Storm Head Coach April Wahlstrom and Assistant Coach Emma Spoon. Chad Benesh and Jay Arrowsmith-Decoux were also approved as volunteer assistant coaches.
The board also approved an amended joint powers agreement relating to the Northland Learning Center.
School districts included in the joint powers agreement are Chisholm, Ely, Rock Ridge, Mesabi-East, Mt. Iron Buhl, Nett Lake, St. Louis County, Cook County and International Falls.
The purpose of the agreement is to create a Northland Joint Powers Board to “organize, manage, undertake, implement and accomplish all of the purposes, functions, services and programs designed to ensure that all children with disabilities (residing within the service area) have free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services to meet their unique needs. Providing education and support that prepares them for employment and independent living, that meets the needs of students and provides them with a quality educational learning experience.
Principals report
Principals Megan Meyers and Mitch Dorr praised Cooks Kelly Roberts, Jennifer Schroers and Jenna Berglund for their work on the summer meal program, which ended August 21. Summer meal numbers were fairly consistent, with approximately 60 breakfasts and 95 lunches served each day.
Course registration for middle and high school is at 95 percent for 2020 fall classes. “We have a few small corrections to make and will adjust some classes due to either incoming or outgoing students,” the principals wrote in their report to the board.
Declining enrollment
Meyers and Dorr reported that since August 13, student enrollment has declined by 16 students because parents have opted to either enroll their kids in local charter schools or enroll them in online academies.
The first day of Sawtooth Elementary, Middle, and High School is September 3, but the first instructional day will be Tuesday, September 8. September 3 or September 4, teachers will set up intake conferences.
A family meeting will be held through ZOOM on September 2 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. A sixth grade orientation will be held at 4:30 p.m. and a ninth grade orientation will be held at 5:30 p.m.
More information can be found on the school’s website.
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