Milwaukee Public Schools To Reopen With Full ‘Virtual Learning’
MILWAUKEE, WI — The Milwaukee Public School system is the first major school district in Wisconsin to have its fall reopening plan in place after the Milwaukee Board of School Directors approved the district’s plan Thursday night.
The board unanimously approved the district’s reopening recommendation for the 2020-21 school year, and also approved to maintain the early and traditional-start calendars for the school year in a 7-2 vote.
Milwaukee’s reopening plan starts in fall with all students returning in a virtual learning environment. This phase, which will be bolstered by more than 65,000 new Acer Chromebooks, would last between 30 and 45 days, officials said.
District officials said they will transition to a hybrid remote/in-person stage once the case counts for COVID-19 show steady decline. While most aspects of the plan are set, district officials are considering two distinct hybrid models. One model would rotate students between two days and three days a week in the classroom. A second model would send elementary school students back to class full-time while keeping high schoolers at home.
At some point, the district will move to a face-to-face instruction model with a virtual learning option. Triggering the face-to-face option depends on recommendations from state, federal and local health officials.
“To help preserve the health and well-being of our students and staff, we believe virtual learning is the best scenario at this time,” MPS Superintendent Dr. Keith P. Posley said in a statement. “This was a difficult decision but a necessary one as we work diligently to provide the best education for our students. We look forward to returning to in-class instruction but only when we can do so safely.”
Schools with early starts begin on Aug. 17. The district’s regular start date is Sep. 1.
Expenses
Under the plan, MPS officials said reopening schools would mean $90 million in new spending.
Here are the top expenses, according to the plan:
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$29 million for extra buses and sanitation.
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$17.5 million for 65,000 Acer Chromebooks.
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$7.9 million for extra staff time.
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$6.7 million for disposable masks.
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$6.0 million for sanitizing services.
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$3.4 million for sanitizer.
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$5.1 million for 19,500 cellular hotspots.
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$5 million for other distance learning technology.
Here is the district’s full statement released late Thursday:
Milwaukee Public Schools’ phased-in reopening recommendation for the 2020-21 school year was unanimously approved by the Milwaukee Board of School Directors. The Board also approved to maintain the early and traditional start calendars for the school year.
The phased in approach includes, Phase 1-full remote learning, Phase 2-hybird learning, and Phase 3-face-to-face learning with virtual option.
MPS will start the school year with virtual learning for all students. As the spread of COVID-19 decreases, students will return to schools for two days each week for face-to-face learning and virtual three days each week. Phase three will allow all students to return to the classroom five days a week, when conditions are healthy to return. MPS will monitor public health conditions to determine movement between each phase.
“To help preserve the health and well-being of our students and staff, we believe virtual learning is the best scenario at this time,” MPS Superintendent Dr. Keith P. Posley said. “This was a difficult decision but a necessary one as we work diligently to provide the best education for our students. We look forward to returning to in-class instruction but only when we can do so safely.”
As details continue to develop, the district will provide information to students, families, and staff regarding the upcoming school year. Families are encouraged to stay up to date with information about the fall semester by visiting the MPS website, downloading the MPS App on their smartphones, and following MPS on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
To enroll, visit mpsmke.com/enroll, call 414-267-5100, or take part in Curbside Enrollment at MPS Central Services on August 3rd and 4th.
This article originally appeared on the Milwaukee Patch
