TRUSTEES MUST LOOK OUT FOR STUDENTS LEFT BEHIND

While some on public school board want answers, others happy to remain in dark

Schools are shuttered until September. Many parents are overwhelmed. Some kids are being left behind.

And some Greater Essex County District School Board trustees think everything’s fine.

Thankfully, there are also trustees who are doing their job — looking out for students.

Public school administrators presented an exhaustive report to trustees last week on everything they’ve done since classrooms were closed in March because of the pandemic — delivering laptops to students who don’t have them, packages of materials to other students, and providing online learning resources for teachers and students alike. But there still wasn’t a clear, comprehensive picture of how kids are faring trying to learn at home.

“Do you have a sense of where the gaps are and how you’ll close those gaps or minimize those gaps?” trustee Cathy Cooke asked.

“Some students have not engaged,” superintendent Clara Howitt acknowledged. The board has begun “preliminary discussions” on how to resume classes in September, she said.

Cooke asked what kind of support there will be for students making the transition to high school and post-secondary education.

“We’re going to do everything in our power to have a robust summer learning program,” said director of education Erin Kelly.

Cooke asked trustees to add a motion to the agenda requesting a plan to address expected literacy and numeracy gaps, especially for students with special needs, those living in poverty and those entering high school or post-secondary education. The plan would also address the availability of computers and internet and mental heath care.

This is where it became clear who was doing their job, who was looking out for students.

“There are many, many kids who are falling behind,” Cooke said. “We now know kids are not coming back the rest of the (school) year. We need to have a plan. We need to start doing it now.”

Trustee Jessica Sartori said: “We’re talking about a plan that I would think would be in place going into summer to try to start closing those gaps ... since schools have been closed for so long and we know virtual learning is just not the same as being in a classroom.”

Administrators may be discussing this already, trustee Julia Burgess said, but the motion will make it clear trustees expect a plan.

It defies comprehension that some trustees would oppose considering this request for any reason. But four did — Gale Simko-hatfield, Sarah Cipkar, Alan Halberstadt and even chairperson Ron Le Clair.

“You can’t just throw this stuff out there,” Simko-hatfield said.

It’s “complex,” she said. Trustees aren’t prepared. They need to “digest” it. It’s “unfair” to administration, too, she said. They might not be prepared, either.

“I just think we’re making some really big leaps here,” she said.

Trying to get a motion on the floor without prior notice was “subverting procedure,” she added for good measure.

Really? This is a surprise? The only surprise is that every trustee didn’t ask for a plan.

Cooke needed the support of two-thirds of trustees to get her motion on the floor. She didn’t get it. Now, she must notify the board at its next meeting June 2 that she intends to make the motion again at the meeting June 16. Another month wasted.

Trustee Alicia Higgison also asked to add a motion to the agenda — requesting a detailed report on exactly what students are doing. She wanted to know how many families have asked to borrow computers and how many received them; how many families asked for packages of learning materials and how many got them, how frequently they get them and how many assignments are returned completed.

She wanted to know how many students connect with their teachers at least once a week online and how many have not connected with their teachers online at all.

“Having this data to inform decision-making going forward just makes sense,” Higgison said. “It would be a good idea for us to get a handle on what we’re actually dealing with.”

You would think.

Higgison’s motion made it to the floor and passed — but not without vehement opposition from Simko-hatfield. Le Clair also opposed it.

Trustees don’t need this information, Simko-hatfield said.

It’s up to administrators if they want this information. They run the schools, not trustees. Trustees shouldn’t ask them “to drop everything to put this together.” Asking for this information would be a “burden” on staff already “run ragged.” She even suggested that requesting this information showed a lack of consideration for the administration.

Is it really too much for the board that is responsible for public schools to ask for basic information?

No, trustee Simko-hatfield, you’ve got it backwards.

Trustees absolutely should ask for this information. They should know what’s going on in their schools, especially now. Trustees absolutely should request a plan for how students will catch up. They are accountable for our schools.

This is your job — to advocate for students, to make sure every one has the opportunity to succeed, to make sure none are left behind.

Yes, educators are busy. So are public health officials, hospitals, city officials. They’re all scrambling to handle this pandemic and keep society operating.

“What we need now,” a frustrated Higgison said Monday, “is the kind of leadership that asks for this, that thinks outside the box.”

The kind of leadership that inspires confidence in public education.