Donna Crocker introduced our speaker, SLO Coun- ty Superintendent of Schools and fellow Rotarian, Jim Brescia.
Jim began by telling us that the County Office of Education decided that it was in the best interest of students and the public to move to distance
learning as of March 16, 2020 due to COVID19. It took a lot of work on the part of teachers and administrators to make this transition so quickly.
Schools are required to provide meals to students during the school year so right now, 15,000 meals are being distributed throughout the county.
Schools were thrown into the deep end of the pool and they had to learn to sink or swim very quickly.
With on-line classes some students were empowered to teach their teachers since kids adapt to technology faster than adults in many cases. Luckily both Spectrum and Verizon are providing free services for students so on-line learning commenced immediately. But on-line learning has pointed out inequities too. There are students in rural areas of the county that have no connectivity. In the case of these students, lessons needed to be continued the old paper and pencil way. So teachers in these areas are actually teaching in two different ways. The students at Grizzly Youth Academy are also participating in distance learning since the Academy needed to close down due to the pandemic.
The other obstacle to overcome had to do with Special Education stu- dents, many of whom cannot use a computer and those who need the services of physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, etc.
Roadmap to re-open: After the stay-at-home is lifted, it will likely be 30 days before school can open. They are now looking at what the physical differences might look like. The Governor has suggested split sessions but it is likely that school will also be facing budget cuts that would make that next to impossible.
Jim explained that schools receive funding based on Average Daily Attendance (ADA). During the shut down, districts have been given a pass on ADA requirements so funding is being based on the assumption that all students are in attendance. Come fall, however, there is a strong possibility that some parents will not feel comfortable hav- ing their students attend school if the virus is still an issue. If too many students do not attend, that will negatively impact school funding so the districts might need to be prepared to do both in school and at home classes.
Also, while kids are usually able to adapt, some adults find it more difficult. So there is a concern that older workers might not be willing or able to return to their jobs in this new era.
Thank you Dr. Brescia for educating us on the difficulties our schools are facing. This was a very interesting presentation.