MACON, Ga. — COVID-19 has presented some challenges for school districts across the state. They have a lot to consider before the next academic year begins.
Bibb County hasn't made any final decisions, but Superintendent Curtis Jones says he expects his district will use a combination of in-person and e-learning once school resumes in August.
Jones says he thinks that public education may never go back to "the way it was" before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though not everyone has access to the same technology, the internet has certainly generated new options for students and families. That's why the school board accepted a grant Thursday that should help them get a laptop or iPad into the hands of every Bibb County student that needs one.
This way, students would be well equipped to learn remotely, if necessary.
"We will learn from this COVID-19 experience and we will be able to, I hope, implement a 1x1 initiative so every student will have their own device as if it was a textbook. We're going to work very hard to see if we can make that happen. We've learned that by having students bring their own device, that's not good enough. Some devices, like iPads, didn't have enough power or circuitry to make it work, so we're going to try to improve on that," says Jones.
But Superintendent Jones says the district is still prioritizing in-person instruction for the upcoming year.
"My belief is a lot of parents are going to want their students back in school so they can go to work, so we're going to be ready for that, and that's why the priority is to be ready for in-person instruction," says Jones.
"For those students who are hesitating to come, we do have a program that we're working with that will let them do some things online. So we're going to try to meet students and parents where they are, so we're going to be reaching out to them this summer to try and figure that out," says Jones.
Jones says he thinks some students really miss social interactions with their peers and their teachers. So they district will be focused on cleaning all the schools and classrooms over the summer break in order to allow a safe re-entry.
"Our facilities will be cleaned, they will be sanitized. We will do our very best to make sure that we can practice whatever rules the CDC has given us for social distancing at that point in time. I think we'll be prepared to take people's temperatures as they come in the building and we will do the best we can to make sure we have a safe learning environment," says Jones.
All school districts in the Peach State are also facing a possible 14 percent budget cut being mandated by the Georgia legislature. Jones says the school board is "hoping for the best, but planning for the worst."
"88 percent of our budget is in personnel, so as we look at that, what we're trying to consider is, 'What can we do that will show support for our teachers and not hurt our program?' I don't anticipate a pay raise coming this year or step increases for staff. We have a hiring freeze in place and we are now evaluating what that looks like. In some cases, I think it may mean class sizes will increase some. We have not determined what those final numbers will be," says Jones.
"We will have less support from central office because we're going to reduce those numbers as well in personnel, and we're going to look hard at our operational costs. We have some contracts that we're going to look at and we're going to stop doing some of those things so that we basically get back to basics," says Jones.
Jones says the school board is also looking at alternating days that students come to school.
For example, some may come Monday, Wednesday, Friday, while others come on Tuesday and Thursday.
It's certainly a lot to consider in the coming months. Jones hopes to have more concrete answers by July.
FACTS NOT FEAR | At 13WMAZ, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the coronavirus. To see our full coverage, visit our site section here: www.13wmaz.com/Coronavirus.
STAY UPDATED | Click here to subscribe to our Midday Minute newsletter and receive the latest headlines and information in your inbox every day.
Have a news tip? Email news@13wmaz.com, or visit our Facebook page.