The (Sick) Fantasy of Opening the Schools

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura) 08/02/2020 at 17:55 • Filed to: None

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H ere’s a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! from an Arizona schools superintendent who, having had one of his teachers already die of COVID, and several of whose staff are COVID- positive, faces getting 5% of his state funding cut for failing to reopen his schools.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

facw > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/02/2020 at 18:39

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I can buy the idea that schools are essential, and that if we’re going to demand that grocery workers work, we should expect the same of teachers. That said, we shouldn’t be putting anyone at risk if we can avoid it, so we should be asking what we can accomplish remotely, how we can have appropriate distancing in classes, how we can protect teachers (and other school workers) who are at higher risk (or are in contact with someone who is), and it really doesn’t seem like we are doing much of that at all. And it’s sick. Seems like many leaders have just decided that doing it right will be hard or expensive, so just pretend like nothing is wrong and punish anyone who says otherwise.

Personally the recommendation that I’ve seen that makes the most sense to me is that except where transmission is very low, have high school and maybe middle school kids (who hopefully can learn with a bit less supervision ) take classes remotely, and then use the extra class space to create room for smaller, more spread out elementary classes. Obviously you still have teacher shortages in that case, but it would be well worth it to hire on more teachers for that, bringing in subs full time, asking retired teachers to teach remotely (possibly freeing up others to teach younger kids), etc. 

For Sweden > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/02/2020 at 18:41

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Close the schools and send the money to parents for distance l earning technology and child care.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > facw 08/02/2020 at 18:49

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That is a hybridization model that I have not yet heard and I like it.

Personally, for 2020-21, we being well into the 21st Century, and given the pandemic, I do not  think it’s too big an ask for secondary students to do school remotely. Political denial is not a good plan, IMO.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > For Sweden 08/02/2020 at 18:50

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So assuming that (for once) you are being serious, tell me more what that looks like to you. Are the educators still going to work in front of a Zoom camera?

DipodomysDeserti > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/02/2020 at 19:19

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I’m a little confused, as there is no mandated date for school openings in AZ. The governor decreed that schools could not open campuses until at least August 17th, but indicated last week that the date may be extended. My kids’ first online day of school is tomorrow. Their school is in a poor, mostly hispanic district, but every kid was given an iPad and a free Verizon hotspot if they needed it.

DipodomysDeserti > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/02/2020 at 19:20

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It’s a huge ask if you’re taking any lab based science courses.

For Sweden > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/02/2020 at 19:25

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Yes.

facw > DipodomysDeserti 08/02/2020 at 20:12

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Maybe just push those off and do them in the spring , or even make them up over next summer. Not ideal, but nothing is going to be ideal here, and I don’t think you want to expose everyone to more risk just for one class .

koawaft1 > DipodomysDeserti 08/02/2020 at 20:38

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I was confused about the 5% cut. I wonder what percentage school buses and general transportation is? Seems kinda fair? Also tax revenue is down  way more than 5%. My wife is a substitute in a neighboring state and there is basically no need for traditional substitutes on a virtual model. There are costs that will go up of course but there seems to be more savings. 

zipfuel > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/02/2020 at 21:15

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The “we’ll cut your already meagre budget if you don’/can’t comply” is so evil I just can’t even. And the teachers only earn on an average of $40k, what the actual fuck?

Sorry, outsider looking in perspective.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > DipodomysDeserti 08/02/2020 at 21:41

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His school district may be a single school, or maybe two schools, as it sounds like he is both high school principal and district superintendent. A very tiny “district,” sounds like. I don’t know what bearing that has on your question, but it’s worth noting.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > koawaft1 08/02/2020 at 21:42

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Yes, entries on both sides of the ledger. You raise good points.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > DipodomysDeserti 08/02/2020 at 21:43

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Or Woodshop. I was careful to list the pandemic as a given. In general, not an optimal plan.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > For Sweden 08/02/2020 at 21:45

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Then I don’t see where pots full of money will come from to send home to families when educator payroll is the lion’s share of most district budgets.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > zipfuel 08/02/2020 at 21:46

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Yeah, all of that. The entire thing is ridiculous. We should delay the election because coronavirus, but put seven-year-olds on the school bus and send them to classrooms. I’m waiting for someone to explain that one to my satisfaction.

For Sweden > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/02/2020 at 21:47

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No need for busses, electricity, heat, a/c, nurses, security, athletics, etc.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > For Sweden 08/02/2020 at 23:56

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Facility stuff, yes, but buses and other things are still being used in some cases as the schools are still cranking out food to the general public. But you raise a good point about money being saved, though the districts are also buying thousands of chromebooks, wifi hotspots, et cetera. And if you inquired about the savings, you’d get dueling numbers from administration and the teachers’ unions.

brianbrannon > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/03/2020 at 12:12

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CDC says different

DipodomysDeserti > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/03/2020 at 14:14

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Regardless, there’s no deadline for school openings. You just can’t open campus before the 17th. There is no requirement to open campuses after that date.

For some reason the teachers in that guy’s district were still meeting face to face over the summer, despite that region of Arizona having one of the highest infection rates in the state. Their zip code had a higher infection rate than anywhere in Phoenix over the summer.

Ducey is a moron, but he had nothing to do with the teachers in that district getting sick.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > brianbrannon 08/03/2020 at 15:44

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Different than what? Did you read the story?

brianbrannon > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/04/2020 at 22:31

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CDC says it's time to open schools

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > brianbrannon 08/04/2020 at 23:06

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I doubt it’s as simple as that.

brianbrannon > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 08/12/2020 at 10:45

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You don't have to doubt if you get news from outside your bubble. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > brianbrannon 08/12/2020 at 12:39

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I accept your surrender on this thread.