board to board
September-October 2020
News from the Board of NWESD
A Note from Our Superintendent It is Friday, August 21, as I sit down to compose this message. Sharing the date I’m writing this seems important because if I’ve learned anything since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that today’s realities can shift dramatically in a matter of days or weeks. I hope my words remain relevant by the time you’re reading this. But if not, try to transport yourself back in time to the context of August 21, 2020! Districts and schools in the NWESD 189 region will begin the 2020-21 school year over the coming weeks. Up until mid-July, most districts were planning towards some level of hybrid or rotational instructional model that would have students attending school in-person at least part of the week and participating in remote learning the rest of the time. Increasing infection rates in our state and nationally along with strong recommendations from local, state, and national health authorities to reopen schools remotely quickly unraveled those plans. I don’t envy the dilemma school boards and superintendents find themselves in, and I certainly don’t speak for you. In my ongoing discussions with educators and non-educators, though, many have questioned why districts have opted for continued remote learning given all the valid reasons why in-person instruction is clearly preferable for the vast majority of students. I suspect that for most decision-makers, it comes down to the inability to provide a satisfactory answer to this question – namely, “What is an acceptable level of risk of death for the students and staff we serve?” As of today, over 174,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. It is a tragic statistic. But that number is much more than a statistic. Each of those fatalities was someone’s grandparent, spouse, child, or friend. For those personally impacted by a COVID-19 death, the pandemic is not an abstraction, an intellectual exercise, or a cost/ benefit analysis. It is real and painful and permanent. In prior messages over the past few years, I’ve proudly bragged on my granddaughter. She turned five last May and is scheduled to start kindergarten this fall. She is so ready, and I’m so disappointed for how her K-12 experience will start. But balanced against the risk of her getting sick or spreading the virus to someone I love dearly, I can’t fault her district for being cautious. That said, I also know that this is her one shot at kindergarten, just like this is other students’ one shot at third grade or seventh grade or senior year. But I take comfort in knowing that district leaders, teachers, principals, and support staff across our region and state are working harder than ever and as quickly as they can to make sure that students have the best possible school experience this year. As educators, we must all rise to the level of the challenge we face. The children and families who rely upon us deserve nothing less than our very best efforts in this moment. The 2020-21 school year promises to be one unlike any of us have ever experienced. And yet I remain hopeful and inspired by the dedication and commitment I see. Together We Can and must meet the greatest challenge public education will hopefully ever face. I wish you safety, health, grace, and resilience in the year ahead.
Larry Francois
NWESD Superintendent