By L. Parsons As Arizona COVID-19 cases spike, school district superintendents statewide look to reopen schools and Winslow is no exception. In their meeting last week, the Winslow Unified School District Governing Board announced that in order to gauge public concern and to answer questions about the plans for reopening, they would hold 15 virtual public meetings beginning this week. The meetings, held on the video conferencing service, Zoom, will take place now through Friday at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day. Superintendent Kathryn Zanin said, “For those who cannot tune into any of the live sessions, there will be one recorded session posted to the district’s Facebook page and website.” Members of the public are invited to submit questions by using a form provided on the district website at www.wusd1.org. Currently, the plan for reopening Winslow schools is to begin on the original start date of Aug. 3, with all instruction online. The governing board discussed the use of Arizona State University online learning programs for high school students. Junior high and elementary aged students will use programs such as Schoolology and Canvas, at least until Aug 17. No action was taken on this topic at the governing board meeting because, according to Zanin, an absolute plan has not yet been decided upon. Throughout Arizona, school districts have moved to commit to online learning until the first quarter of the school year is complete. Some, such as the Phoenix Elementary School District will not offer in person learning until Oct. 12 according to their Superintendent Dr. Larry Weeks. In a press conference on July 9, Governor Doug Ducey was asked about his thoughts on reopening schools. “The Aug. 17 date I stated before was an aspirational date. I will be supportive of local leadership in regard to getting our kids back into school. We will go back when it is safe, and we will not play politics when it comes to educating our kids. We believe that the optimal place for those kids is in the classroom.” Zanin assured the governing board that precautions would be taken. As previously reported by The Tribune, the district has purchased personal protective equipment for teachers and staff, as well as kegs of hand sanitizer and refillable bottles. During the meeting, which was also held using Zoom, parents expressed concern. Mardi Sanchez started to ask about funding issues and plans for keeping students safe but was stopped by governing board President Sharon Greenwood before she could finish her question. Greenwood reminded Sanchez that the board had decided in March that a call to the public in such a forum was inequitable. The decision is posted on the board agendas under the call to the public agenda item. No public comments were addressed. Instead, Zanin invited concerned parents and educators to attend next week’s meetings. The Tribune will have full coverage of those meetings in the July 22 edition. In other business, and in the absence of Board member Al Leonard, the governing board: * Approved the annual district-wide expenditure budget. Business manager Shirley Lomeli said, “Our base level went from $4,202 to $4,359, an increase of $157 per student for the current school year.” The carry forward balance is healthy, according to Lomeli. “Our estimated budget for this year is $14,208,696.” * Approved the hiring of Sabrina Anagal, paraprofessional at Bonnie Brennan; Monika Gose, part time paraprofessional at Jefferson School; Breanna Juarez, paraprofessional at Bonnie Brennan; Debra Kamzelski, paraprofessional and Bonnie Brennan; Athena Luna-Faust, parent liaison at Bonne Brennan; Eric Mills, paraprofessional at Washington School; Lorena Mora, high needs paraprofessional at Washington School; and Alysia Moreno, paraprofessional at Jefferson School. * Approved the transfer of Laura Osuna to kindergarten teacher at Bonnie Brennan; Tracy Turley to paraprofessional at Bonnie Brennan; and Carl Turner to paraprofessional at Washington School. * Approved a request for purchase to contract with a human resources director for the 2020-2021 school year. * Approved the summer employment of elementary school secretaries for the purpose of registering incoming students. Due to the COVID closure, registration wasn’t handled in the traditional way last year. * Approved an intergovernmental agreement between NAVIT (Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology) and WUSD 1, in a routine annual procedure continuing the program. * Ratified vouchers in a routine procedure allowing the board to submit vouchers to the county superintendent between meetings. The next regular meeting of the Winslow Unified School District Governing Board will be at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6, in the district office, located at 800 N. Apache Ave.
