WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez had a grim prediction Wednesday night for the district’s Board of Trustees.
The wide-ranging financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic–which economists say will likely cause a recession–will have serious impacts for the next school year, Rodriguez said.
“It’s looking very much like we will have to cut $5 million,” she said.
Rodriguez did not outline what the cuts could specifically mean for the district.
“The decrease of student enrollment, in conjunction with projected reductions in revenues from the Department of Finance, and the Governor’s May revise, we may determine it necessary to make reductions,” she wrote in an email. “However PVUSD determines to make reductions, those decisions will be made with the students’ best interests at the center and with the equity lens that supports all students to succeed.”
The prediction was part of an update to the board of how the district is managing during the pandemic, which includes a shelter-in-place order that has closed schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year.
PVUSD officials expect that school will resume in time for classes to begin on Aug. 17.
Since shifting to a distance learning model, teachers have refocused the way they deliver their lessons, and the district has changed the way the high school teachers grade their students during the closure.
The new “hold harmless” policy essentially allows students to receive the same grade they received in the third quarter, or to receive a higher one, as long as they are participating in their online work. Online summer school is an option for those that need to make up credits.
In most cases, the students cannot receive a lower grade than they did in the third quarter.
The district has also eased the burden on graduating seniors by waiving this year’s community service requirements.
Meanwhile, most students in lower grades have received Chromebook laptop computers, and many have been given wireless hotspots for internet access to participate in their online lessons.
In general, students are not receiving additional homework, and elementary students spend no more than four hours online. Many are receiving paper instructional packets, which will be posted on school websites next week.
Also unclear is how this year’s graduation will look. With cancellation of the traditional ceremonies a near certainty, the district is weighing four options and will send a survey to families on Tuesday.
For the first option, the ceremonies would be postponed to August, or winter break of the next school year. The district could also hold a virtual graduation, or cancel it entirely.
Another option is holding a “graduation gathering” when it is safe to do so, or participate in some form of ceremony via video.
Students might also participate in a drive-thru ceremony and diploma distribution.
None of those options are an ideal replacement for a physical ceremony, Rodriguez said.
“One of the hardest emotions to get over is disappointment, which I know our seniors are feeling,” she said.
In other action, the trustees approved a plan to allow construction to continue on the sports field at Pajaro Valley High School, and on the cafeteria at Watsonville High School by deeming the work an essential function.
A skeleton crew of employees has been at work since April 6, performing essential tasks such as grass and weed trimming, leak repair, bus maintenance and other jobs to keep the district in good repair as most buildings sit empty.
“We still need our staff, and every single employee in the district knows it,” Rodriguez said.
