Area schools expected uncertainty, and got it
Waukesha school officials anticipated that they would face a lot of uncertainty this year, says Joe Koch, the district’s deputy superintendent.
On that basis, things are going exactly as expected.
Uncertainty about what’s next is a central theme for the year — or the week or even the minute — for schools throughout the Milwaukee area that have been holding at least some form of face-to-face classes.
That doesn’t mean school leaders don’t think they are accomplishing good things.
But the multiple forms of stress, the limitations on what can be accomplished, the abrupt shifts in plans and the demanding nature of what needs to be done to meet health rules — all of these and more make this far from an ideal school year.
A third of the way through the year, here are a few observations, based on interviews with leaders in five suburban school districts.
Stability is a friend of successful classes and instability is not a friend. “That’s a pretty good rule of thumb,” Patricia Deklotz, superintendent of the Kettle Moraine School District, agreed. That puts a lot of unfriendly factors into schools.
The number of teachers or students who are out because they tested positive or were exposed to someone who did goes up and down and often is high. And just when things for one school seem to subside, a cluster pops up elsewhere. Schools have frequently switched back and forth from in-person to virtual or to a “hybrid” middle ground.
“That has certainly led to a level of uncertainty as to what is going to happen tomorrow,” Koch said. ”And that does not go unnoticed. We know our staff is pulling a tremendous load this year.”
The stress has been intense for teachers. The work load is generally much greater than in the past. Often, there are kids both in front of teachers and on computer screens. The ways to teach to each group are different — and often have to be done at the same time. Plus all the changes in classroom dynamics due to COVID-19, and rules to enforce. And all of those changing circumstances.
Wauwatosa Superintendent Phil Ertl said, “Our teachers are overwhelmed, they’re tired, they’re frustrated.” He added: “It’s hard and it’s all new.” Health worries hang over a lot of adults in the schools. But, he added, ”I’ve been incredibly impressed with our staff . ... Some of the things our teachers have done are amazing.”
Simply keeping classrooms staffed has been difficult frequently. Several superintendents said they had days when 10 or more teachers have been absent from an elementary school. “Staffing is a crisis right now,” Ertl said
Deklotz said, “A Sunday night call to determine whether you need to put a class into quarantine isn’t unusual at all.” At many schools, principals and other administrators have been drafted to teach classes, sometimes on short notice. “It is an all-hands-on-deck type of situation,” Deklotz said.
Tina Owen, superintendent of Cudahy schools, said, “The staffing part is definitely the hardest part. We’ve had to be really flexible . ... Every day, it’s a matter of do we have enough people to do this. But we’re staying afloat for now.”
Are kids learning? Yes, but ... On the positive side, a lot of good things are happening in classrooms and (probably to a lesser degree) in virtual settings. But comparing progress this year to prior years is not an apples-to-apples matter, as Matthew Joynt, superintendent of Mequon-Thiensville schools, put it. “Our students are absolutely getting a different experience,” he said.
For one thing, schedules and the dynamics of classrooms are much different. At Homestead High School in Mequon, students generally have two three-hour periods a day and the campus operates in a more constricted way than normally. In the course of a week, students get about the same amount of time in each subject they used to get, but it’s challenging to make the same kind of progress as in the past.
Wauwatosa’s Ertl said, “I think our kids are learning and our teachers are being really good with it.” But overall, he says, “No, I don’t think it’s a good situation.”
Overall, the kids really want to be in school. One way that has shown up is compliance with rules and good behavior. Students have been “extremely cooperative,” Joynt said. “Their option of on-campus learning is that important to them . ... Our administrators are spending much less time on negative student behaviors than in any previous year.”
Cudahy’s Owen said, “We’ve had almost no discipline issues at all. It’s incredible.” She said that might be because students want to be in school. It might be the impact of social distancing. Or both. “It’s a testament to how much students will follow the rules when they understand the reasons behind them,” she said.
The social-emotional needs of both students and adult staff members are a bigger priority than ever. The stress of the pandemic era is taking a toll on many people. Some schools have been able to bring in additional professionals to help. Overall, there is greater emphasis than ever on relationships between teachers and students. This comes even as that is often harder. But being in person is an advantage in spotting kids who are showing signs of trouble and doing something for them.
Parent choices on how to educate their children are divided. Schools are offering virtual learning. In the districts contacted, the percent of parents choosing that as a full-time option generally ranged from 15% to 30%. And, of course, when there is a COVID-19 problem within a school or class, that can jump. Several superintendents said most parents seem satisfied with their choices, given the circumstances.
But there are people on both sides who are passionate about staying in person or about keeping kids home. In fact, highly passionate.
Overall, Waukesha’s Koch said, “Even though the year has been quite disruptive, we have found a lot of benefit of having those kids together.” He said, “I think the school year is a successful school year in that we are providing a face-to-face experience for our students and we are able to provide instruction similar to how we have in the past.”
The uncertainty surrounding schools has, if anything, grown as the school year has progressed and as the number of COVID-19 cases has increased.
No one is giving up on in-person school options. But what does that mean for tomorrow? Many school leaders are worried about what will happen after the Thanksgiving break in terms of COVID cases or are planning to go allvirtual from Thanksgiving until after Jan. 1, especially for older students.
And who knows what is next? Uncertainty is a dominant fact of life. Just ask anyone involved in a school that is trying to hold classes in person.
Alan J. Borsuk is senior fellow in law and public policy at Marquette Law School. Reach him at alan.borsuk@marquette.edu.