Did the pandemic further decrease our expectations of rural schools? or are we making consumption of education more convenient for rural students?

The smaller of three rural school districts serving my home county, Deer/Mt. Judea, recently voted 3-2 to implement a 4-day/week schedule beginning in the 2021-22 academic year.  This tiny district has been under threat of consolidation for years, and I have written previously about that in a series of posts here. 

"Split vote for four-day week" is the headline in the April 14, 2021 Newton County Times.  The story does not indicate what is driving the proposal for a shorter school week, but I'm guessing the less regular school attendance wrought by the pandemic has made this possibility seem more palatable.  For the most part, Arkansas schools have been back in session during the entire 2020-21 academic year, especially rural schools like those in Newton County.  Still, there have been some interruptions to school when groups of students had to quarantine following a positive test, and some temporary closures have been driven by high infection rates locally or statewide.  

It goes without saying that the prospect of cost savings is surely one of the reason for this proposal, though none of the news reports over the course of several months in the Newton County Times mentioned that.  

An earlier survey of teachers and staff at Deer/Mt. Judea indicated 27.8% "strongly in favor" of the proposal and another 27.8% merely "in favor" of it.  Another 16.5% were undecided and the remainder were "strongly opposed" or had "no preference."  The survey garnered 79 responses.  Of those surveyed, nearly 70% favored removing Friday from the school week.  "The main concern voiced by staff was for those students who would need day care that one day a week."  

A week earlier, a "community meeting" had been held at Deer school, one of two schools governed by the district.  At that meeting, concerns were expressed about "added time on the school bus and a shrinking safety net for at risk children."  Further, "parents were encouraged to fill out a short survey."  The Newton County Times does not indicate what questions were on that survey.    What the paper does report is this: 

Parents talked about transportation concerns and time students spend on the bus.  More buses and bus drivers will be needed to adjust or add bus routes.  Vernie Heydenrich, district transportation supervisor, said way back when it was decided to pick up students at their home.  [sic] He advocates bus stops where students would gather to be picked up and dropped off.  besides saving time it would save wear and tear o the bus fleet.  

Many parents expressed the need for their children to be in school five days a week due to lack of child care, study times, meals, social interaction with other children, and other needs.

It is not clear why the changed schedule will require more bus routes.  The story does report that the school day will be a bit longer, but since K-12 are all on one campus and all attending the same hours, that would not seem to have transportation implications.   

A June 2, 2021 story suggests further diminished expectations of the localK-12 schools.  The headline is "Digital instruction sign-up at Jasper," and the story reports that the "Jasper School District has received approval from the Arkansas State Board of Education to offer a digital learning model of instruction for the 2021-22 school year."  The Jasper district is the largest in the state.  The story continues:

This plan was developed with input from our teachers, community members and administrators.  The digital program will be open to students in grades 9-12 who meet the criteria outlined.

Those wishing to be considered for the program are being asked to submit an application.  The story does not indicate what the criteria are, but it does include this statement from the district's Federal Program Coordinator, which says essentially nothing: 

Thank you all for your continued support of the Jasper School District.  We appreciate the cooperation and patience you have shown to us as we navigated the most challenging year in education.  We look forward with great anticipation to the coming school year and returning to more normal routines and practices.

This is a little confusing since the proposal seems to be for a new practice rather than a routine one. 

An April 7, 2021 headline announces "Jasper School District dropping masks."  This was in response to Governor Asa Hutchinson's dropping of the state mask mandate a week earlier.  

In other stories in the June 2 issue, the Jasper mayor has been "exploring options for parents who need child care for young children in Jasper and the surrounding areas."  The story notes that "parents are often unable to accept offers for employment because of a lack of child care options and businesses are facing difficulties due to being understaffed."  The mayor explained that the Baptist Church could acquire a temporarily license while the search for a permanent location continues at jasper City Council meeting.  The church could be offering as many as 25 child care spots by August 1, with care between 7 am and 6 pm.

Also, the Newton County Library has received grant funding to create "the Library Commons, an outdoor space for library and community use."  The Home Depot Foundation, through the Home Depot in neighboring Harrison, has donated four picnic tables, which have been located next to the library in Jasper.  

In other news, the April 14 issue of the paper reports "Library will laminate COVID-19 vaccine cards for free."  According to the New York Times website, the vaccination rate in the county is very low, with 21% of all residents fully vaccinated and 43% of those over the age of 65 fully vaccinated.  

In January, both Jasper and Deer-Mt. Judea school districts were advertising for substitute teachers, which are apparently in short supply.  These needs were announced in two short, front-page stories, one for each school district.  

In May, the Deer/Mt. Judea School Board announced its 2021-22 salary schedule, which calls for a $2,000 increase t the certified salary schedule along with stipends. The board also recommended to the Personnel and Policy committee to allow a $10,000 per year stipend allotted t the school district's COVID-19 point of contact person who records data regarding tests results and quarantines to go to an individual hired specifically for that job and not adding that responsibility to a current staff member.  The money for this role comes from CARES Act funding, which also pays for a "learning loss interventionist," but that person needs to be a reading specialist and the position is full-time.