MAPS BoE moves forward with consolidation plan, approves late starts
By Jalen Maki
MMC Staff
The MAPS Board of Education took action on multiple agenda items during its Wednesday, Sept. 23 meeting, including voting to move forward with a consolidation plan that will restructure the district’s elementary schools. The Board also discussed the district’s COVID-19 Student Health Process and protocols, in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak on campus.
According to information provided by the district; each morning before arriving on campus, students and staff are asked to review a Daily Home Screening, provided on the district’s website.
Students who are feeling ill are asked to stay home. A Health Screening Checklist is used to determine if a student who becomes ill at school, should be sent home.
“If a student or staff member is sent home (based on the health screening checklist) and NOT COVID-19 tested, the individual must remain home for at least 10-days since the first symptoms began AND be fever free without the use of fever-reducing medications for 24 hours AND with improvement of symptoms.”
Each MAPS building completes an attendance/sent home tracking sheet daily that “tracks incoming illness calls (with symptoms) and the student sent home (with symptoms).”
Once a week, the information is collected and sent to “the Lincoln County Emergency Management contact for monitoring data collection,” according to the summary sheet.
The district also has guidelines in place to determine when an infected student should return to school.
The board discussed the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak on campus, and what protocols would be taken in that event.
Director of Pupil Services Karen Baker stated two main factors that would contribute to a shutdown of MAPS schools due to COVID-19, would be a shortage of available teachers or “not enough students to be taught.”
“Unlike some districts that started out by saying ‘We’re going to have a 20% threshold,’ we do not have a threshold,” she stated. “The recommendation from the Lincoln County Health Department is not to, and some of those districts that have a threshold have actually pulled back on those because there are too many variables involved.”
Baker noted students, who through contact tracing have been identified as having had close contact with an infected individual, can choose whether or not to be tested for COVID-19.
The board also discussed a consolidation plan last Wednesday that would restructure the district’s educational facilities into two grade-level specific elementary schools at the Washington Elementary site and the Kate Goodrich Elementary site.
The sites would house grades K through 4 in a configuration to be approved at the board’s Nov. 18 meeting.
The plan, which would go into effect at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, would also include Prairie River Middle School housing grades 5 through 8 and Merrill High School housing grades 9 through 12.
Jefferson Elementary School would be closed, and the district would consider options regarding the building’s future.
MAPS Superintendent Dr. John Sample said that the public’s input will be heavily involved.
“Listening sessions are going to be a real big part of this plan. I want everyone in the community to understand that it is fiscally responsible for us to do this,” he stated. “We have declining enrollment. We have to be fiscally responsible.”
He noted that he’d prefer to avoid a referendum as a means of solving the fiscal issue, and pointed out academic benefits that could come with the consolidation plan’s concentrated grade levels.
“Transportation becomes much simpler. There’s no longer a choice as to which building you’re going to be going to, and our teachers are able to address those grades appropriately and be able to plan their PLC time specifically for those grades with much more targeted instruction,” he said.
The motion was ultimately passed with a 7 to 1 vote.
The board approved a contract with Lincoln County for nursing at Pine River School for Young Learners for the 2020-2021 school year and approved five additional limited term special education aide positions at Jefferson Elementary, Kate Goodrich and Washington Elementary, for the 2020-2021 School Year.
Sample noted the limited term employees could apply for other vacant positions in the district.
The board also approved monthly late start Wednesdays at Merrill High School to allow teachers Collaboration and Professional Community (PLC) time.
According to information released by the district, teacher collaboration time had been reduced or eliminated to accommodate for schedule changes regarding COVID-19.
“As a result, there is virtually no collaboration time for MHS teachers during the duration of this pandemic. A once per-month, 2-hour late start would afford MHS the opportunity to provide school improvement and student achievement related collaboration time for teachers during the 2020-21 school year.”