Pottstown School Board oversight
Last week the Pottstown School Board gave carte blanche to our administrators to furlough employees as they see fit. Specifically, we authorized the administration to take any and all necessary steps to furlough and/or reduce hours of exempt and support staff employees and positions due to a lack of work for these employees in their positions as the result of the ongoing COVID-19 Crisis, and the District's determination to utilize online/virtual learning to begin the school year to maximize the health and safety of the school community. The school district employs 525 staff, of whom less than a third are regular classroom teachers. The others include specialists, aides, paraprofessionals, clerks, and maintenance staff. Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez said he will make every effort to repurpose employees to provide support to families, including technical support to families in off-hours and even visiting those who are not engaged (with masks and distancing). The board has asked administrators to provide in September a list of what all employees will be doing in the fall semester, in addition to the names of those furloughed. All school board members, of course, know how in-person classrooms function, but virtual learning is new to all of us. Now that the board is conducting its meetings virtually, using Zoom, we have an idea how a small group of people can interact. But none of us has witnessed a virtual classroom. Our school board meetings are now broadcast live on Facebook and taped so citizens can watch them at any time. I didnt like the idea at first, but I find myself reviewing the tapes myself to recall what happened. I realized Ive missed a lot of things the first time around. We still keep written minutes, of course, but the tapes are much more detailed and exact. Likewise, the virtual lessons of all our teachers will also be taped, so students can review lessons as often as necessary on their Chromebooks to absorb what is being taught. Im sure they will be useful to the teachers, as well.