The School Committee unanimously voted on November 23 to take steps needed for the return of all kindergarten students, as well as a cohort of 149 students with moderate learning disabilities, to full-day in-person learning.
The changes from the current hybrid model, which will necessitate the hiring of nine teachers and assistants for about a half-year, will cost less than $400,000, including approximately $220,000 for personnel. As much as $178,000 in possible additional expenses for equipment and materials for students and teachers was also authorized.
Most of the money will come from available funds, including a reserve fund transfer. No town meeting action will be needed.
Superintendent of Schools Philip Conrad said the restoration would take place “as soon as it can happen.” He said it would be premature to designate a target date. Besides hiring, there will be several physical changes that could involve desk replacement and some changes in student configurations in classrooms.
School Committee Chair Dan Brosgol emphasized that although there is much appreciation for these votes, parents of other children who are struggling with remote learning also have expectations. “Will we get a lot of pressure from parents to do more? Absolutely,” he told the committee. “The question of what else can we do will still be open. So keep on talking about ideas; be creative.”
Committee member Sarah Scoville asked about the prospects of finding teachers to employ midyear. Conrad acknowledged that it is a concern. He noted, however, that “the ability to become certified in the emergency period has been relaxed. The ability for retirees to come back and work without penalizing their benefits has been relaxed. But we would be in competition with other districts.”
Conrad outlined the scenarios for kindergarten and the so-called Cohort C at the November 10 committee meeting. Tuesday, he presented the details, including cost estimates.
Kindergarteners will all be in school Monday through Thursday from 9:30 am to 2:40 pm. There are currently 10 kindergarten teachers, and three more, plus a teaching assistant, will have to be added, since more classrooms must be activated to maintain six feet of social distancing, Conrad said.
Many of the details the superintendent provided were comparative. For example, he noted that other districts are accommodating a few more students because of additional floor space. He decided that modifications to Davis School classrooms would not be advantageous. The size of student furniture is also a variable. In Bedford, kindergarteners sit at trapezoidal tables, ironically to encourage sharing. It may be decided to replace them with new or borrowed desks, he said.
The additional students with moderate learning disabilities are now part of the so-called Cohorts A and B, who are in school two days a week and learning remotely the rest of the time. They will be learning four days a week at all four schools.
As discussed at the earlier meeting, two new classrooms – fourth grade and fifth grade – must be added at Lane School to safely absorb the new arrivals, Conrad said. This means adding two classroom teachers, two assistants, and a special-education teacher. The estimated cost through June 30 is $122,000. Some students will be shifted from their current rooms, he added.
“I want to applaud these efforts. It looks like students are really going to benefit,” said School Committee member Ann Guay.
In answer to a question from member Brad Morrison, the superintendent said the plan does not account for every student with special learning needs, such as those with disabilities labeled “mild,” some English language learners, and seniors in danger of failing to meet graduation requirements.
“There are still a number of groups that we haven’t talked about because we are trying to expand as much as we can, but moving in a stepped way,” he explained.
There are a few other residual effects anticipated. Some classrooms would have to be moved, and about 25 students could find themselves with different teachers. Also, a staggered dismissal time will leave some kindergarteners waiting for their older siblings to ride the buses.
Everything fits within the memorandum of understanding between the school district and the Bedford Education Association, the superintendent asserted.
Davis School Principal Beth Benoit said results from a recent survey showed that kindergarten parents “absolutely want their kids in full time four days.” Teachers also want the students to return, she said, but parents and teachers are concerned about the negative impact on children who will change teachers midstream.
School Committee member Joann Santiago asked about details of the funding sources. The superintendent said there are school and town reserves immediately available, including “money the town has set aside for Covid-related expenditures.”
Finance Director Julie Kirrane pointed out that the town reserve fund “very wisely” was augmented in anticipation of this kind of need; the schools likely will file with the Finance Committee around May. Both officials emphasized that there have been discussions with municipal finance officials about this kind of scenario.
She added, “I don’t know if we could stretch beyond Cohort C and the kindergarten.” There are also space concerns, Conrad said. The kindergarten restoration “is an extra effort to get our youngest learners in. But I can’t see it as a progression. We are running out of capacity.”
Benoit pointed out that 42 kindergarten students currently are learning on an entirely remote model. She said a survey indicates that a majority of parents don’t want their children to return to school at this time.
Brosgol, looking toward future changes, acknowledged that “we do not have unlimited resources.” But the need is still intense. “The question of what else can we do will be still open. I see first grades who have the same amount of struggle” as kindergarteners.
He added that budget planning for fiscal year 2022 should assume “we are going to bring back a lot more kids,” including a full day for Davis School.
Comments at the start of the meeting from four parents calling for intensified efforts to bring children back to their classrooms were part of the context of Tuesday’s discussion and votes.
Patricia Carluccio noted that the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has called on cities and towns to prioritize in-person learning, as long as there is no in-school Covid transmission and at least three feet of social distancing. “Why has this not been considered,” she wondered.
Erica Callahan called for the restoration of Cohort C and kindergarteners to the classroom. Brosgol later in the meeting credited her with helping drive the ultimate decision to do that.
Doug Horton asked the committee to “develop a plan for a safe return in person. I do not see what we can do until you prioritize a plan.” He added, “Many of us are seriously considering withdrawing our kids and enrolling them in private schools.” Rebecca Li said the committee should “develop a plan based on science and communicate it transparently.”
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
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