Almost All PG Students Plan To Return Next Year

PRAIRIE GROVE — A survey of parents in the Prairie Grove School District shows that 95% of those who responded are planning for their children to be back on campus for the 2021-22 school year, according to Assistant Superintendent Pete Joenks.

About 500- 600 families responded to the survey to help the school district in planning its virtual instruction for the next school year.

Joenks was giving the school board an update on the district’s digital learning plan at its March 17 board meeting. School districts are required to submit a plan to the Arkansas Department of Education by May 1. Joenks said he would have the plan ready for the board’s April meeting.

Joenks said the middle school is considering a plan to have synchronous learning for its students, where kids online are participating in the class while it is going on.

Joenks said their proposal is innovative and creative.

“It’s interesting,” Joenks said.

Depending on numbers, the junior high is also considering synchronous learning, Joenks said.

The high school’s virtual learning plan would be asynchronous learning, the same as this year, with the possibility of some synchronous learning for certain courses, such as math.

“Kids at home are doing something different than the kids at school,” Joenks said.

However, students at home would have the opportunity to meet with their teachers, possibly everyday, with questions and concerns.

For the elementary school, Joenks said he wanted to “float the idea” to offer on-site learning only next year, not virtual learning.

Joenks and he and Superintendent Reba Holmes are looking at the pros and cons of virtual learning for elementary students.

Results from diagnostic testing for online students “are not overwhelmingly good, but frankly, that’s to be expected,” Joenks said.

The disadvantage to not offering virtual instruction next year, Joenks said, is that some elementary parents may “adamantly disagree” and withdraw their children from the Prairie Grove School District.

Joenks said about 20 students presently are home for virtual learning. He said about 10 of them would probably “think twice” about coming back if they have to be on-site.

“In the big picture, we don’t want to lose any kids, but that wouldn’t be devastating,” Joenks said.

If covid cases go back up and a lot of parents want to keep their children home for school, plans could change, he said. In addition, if a child is medically fragile, the district would implement a program to provide learning that’s conducive for the child at home, Joenks said.

Board member Whitney Bryant agreed with Joenk’s proposal.

“I think if data shows those children are struggling and falling behind on test scores, I think we would be doing a disservice to continue to allow them to stay online and get further and further behind,” Bryant said.

“That’s what we think,”

Joenks replied.

He said he plans to compare test data from virtual learning at the elementary to how those have done on-site and will wait and make a recommendation to the board after he makes that comparison.

Joenks reported on the third round of federal covid-relief money that the district will receive because of the pandemic. He said he does not know yet how much Prairie Grove will receive but has been told to expect about three times what it received from the second federal stimulus program. Prairie Grove received $179,000 in round two, Joenks said.

He noted that the school used the money from the first covid- relief funds to purchase computers for students. Money from the second round is being used to improve ventilation.

Joenks said the district is proposing to use revenue from the third stimulus funds for summer programs to help students who are falling behind and for students who need to recover credit. This money could pay for teachers and bus transportation, he said.

Another idea is to use some of the money to hire additional staff to serve as interventionists during the school year. Joenks emphasized these jobs would be only be there until the money runs out.

In other news, Joenks said graduation is scheduled for 2 p.m., May 15 at Tiger Arena. If current restrictions are still in place, each graduate will receive six guest tickets. Another option, Joenks said, would be to have it in the football stadium, but he noted weather can affect those plans.

Board President J. C. Dobbs said he thinks a lot of people feel more comfortable at the football field.

Board member Shawn Shrum added that he’s heard students say that they didn’t get to pick where to have graduation.

“The tradition has been the football field,” Shrum said. “I hate to see that go away.”

Joenks said he would pass along the information to Jed Davis, high school principal.

The board approved a resolution to request that the Washington County Election Commission not open a polling place for the March 18 school election.

No one filed for the board’s one open seat, Position 7, which is currently held by Shawn Shrum.

Holmes said she has learned from the Arkansas School Board Association that Shrum can remain as a board member for one more term because no candidates filed to run for office.

At the meeting, Shrum agreed to continue serving. He said he decided not to run for re-election because his son is graduating this year, and he thought it would be a good time to get off the board.

“I never dreamed no one would file,” Shrum said.

The board approved the 2021-22 school calendar, as recommended by the district’s personnel policy committees. The first day of school will be Aug. 17. The calendar includes one week for Thanksgiving, about two weeks for Christmas and one week for spring break. The last day of school will be May 27, 2022.