EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Mike Barry
WASBO Executive Director
The Grand
Reopening
Dilemma
You’ve reached the end
of the COVID19
school year, a little
worn out after hundreds
of hours of virtual
meetings, and you’ve
even worked out a plan for summer
school.
Take a well-deserved bow, WASBO
members, but make it a quick one.
Soon critical decisions must be made
about re-opening schools this fall and
the planning environment is anything
but clear.
In lieu of a statewide health strategy
with specific rules to follow (e.g. Safer
at Home), decision-making is expected
to be localized, with state agencies
providing guidance and best practice
recommendations rather than concrete
rules.
The state budget situation is equally
unclear. It’s nearly certain that state
revenue collections for 2019-20 and
2020-21 will fall short of budget projections.
But by how much? And how
this shortfall affect K-12 education?
Answers to these critical questions
may not be available any time soon.
WASBO is pitching in to help. We’ve
created a small team of members to
work on the many challenges involved
in reopening schools, including
transportation, facilities, meal programs,
financials, and advocacy. The
work of this team will be shared with
all members via the WASBO website
beginning in late June.
WASBO is also planning a one-day
conference ( July 15, Kalahari Conference
Center) for facility directors and
others who bear the responsibility
of safely reopening schools. We are
prepared to exercise all recommended
precautions to safely host an in-person
conference (a virtual option will
be provided as well).
The urgent need to arm our members
with the best possible information
on safely reopening compels us to
offer this conference. Many thanks to
WASBO’s facility leaders for taking
on this challenge.
Finally, and most importantly, WAS-
BO members should be proud to
work in public education, our society’s
great equalizer and creator of
opportunity, equity and hope. Equal
justice under the law begins with
access to a great public education for
every child. Let’s all keep striving to
make that happen.
6 June 2020 • Taking Care of Business • WASBO.com
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