LAKE COUNTY— Most school districts went back to school in Lake County on Aug 11. These first days have gone “very well”, according to the Middletown Unified School District (MUSD) Superintendent Thad Owens. “We are excited to see kids back on campus for a great year,” he said. MUSD started its new academic year on Aug 15.
Others, like Kelseyville Unified School District (KVUSD), are still getting ready and have their calendars set up to start on Sep 6. “Students and teachers are not back to work yet; however, administrators, custodial, maintenance and site secretaries are all working really hard to get our campuses ready for students and teachers to return,” said Assistant Superintendent at KVUSD, Nicki Thomas.
“We are very excited to be implementing the Sonday Reading Intervention program district-wide (K through 8th grades) and piloting the Spring Math Intervention program in several elementary and middle school classrooms. Additionally, we are extremely happy to be moving forward with our Professional Learning Communities work and have professional development training planned for in-service week. All of the pieces will help us ensure that all students learn at high levels,” added Thomas.
Among the big challenges schools need to overcome this year is a lack of staff. “It seems to be the biggest challenge for most districts across the United State,” said Thomas.
For the MUSD Superintendent, staffing shortages and increased enrollment are the two biggest challenges “we are currently faced with. We are confident that we will be able to successfully overcome these challenges.”
Owens also confirmed there are still some employment openings to fill, “but, other than that, we are up and running smoothly,” he said. “Middletown did not see a drop in enrollment this year. As for recruiting and retaining staff, you have to be a little creative and think outside the box. I’ve found that it’s not always about the money, but rather the culture of the organization that gets and keeps good people.”
MUSD has currently opened positions for special educations teachers, science teacher, school psychologist and licensed occupational therapist. Lakeport Unified School District is looking for a speech and language pathologist.
Thomas said the Kelseyville Unified School District has been able to fill most of the teaching positions this year, “but we are still seeking additional classified staff. We have been lucky and have not experienced a drop in enrollment. In fact, we have seen a significant increase from last year.”
According to a Konocti Unified School District Superintendent statement, in this new semester, “things do feel a little different. With the disruptions from pandemic fading (mostly), this year provides us with an opportunity to create a new normal. It was so clear during the Konocti Unified back-to-school staff meeting that folks are ready to return to the fun and inspiring activities that make schools such wonderful places to work.”
Lake County is still averaging between 14 and 22 cases a week on average according to the New York Times’ state COVID-19 dashboard.
Superintendent Rebecca Salato also stated that, “while our focus is always on students’ academic achievement and personal growth, this year I am encouraging staff to be mindful of how their own energy levels and attitudes can affect students, and also to pay special attention to cues about students’ physical and emotional well-being.”
