By Jamie Henneman
The Times 

Davenport Schools adopt K-12 online curriculum

Switch will allow for possible COVID disruptions

 

Last updated 7/31/2020 at 1:13pm



The Davenport School Board approved the adoption of a new online based curriculum called “K-12” in order to prepare for any disruptions that may occur due to potential COVID-19 shutdowns.

The curriculum is designed to allow teachers to use the same curriculum for in-person classes as well as distance learning. If school is shut down again due to Covid, the curriculum will allow teachers to seamlessly transition between in-person classes and virtual learning.

“This is not a replacement for in-person teaching but it is going to be an unusual year,” Superintendent Jim Kowalkowski told the school board in their meeting on July 27. “It’s going to test us, but we think this is a good way to go.”

With only five weeks until the beginning of school, the district sent a survey to parents regarding the upcoming year. Most said they plan to send their kids back to school, despite new Covid rules like requiring face masks and social distancing.

“We received 131 responses and over 90 percent of parents, or around 200 families, said they plan to send their kids back to school,” Kowalkowski related.

“Around nine percent, or 49 students said they would not be coming back to school.”

For those families who are opting not to come back to traditional in-person education, Kowalkowski hopes they will stay with the school district and take advantage of the K-12 curriculum that can be used remotely.

“For those parents who are not planning to send their kids back, we want them to give us a chance with this remote learning option,” Kowalkowski said. “Their students can get support and help from our teachers whether they are staying at home or in school.”

Kowalkowski said the reasons parents don’t plan to send their kids back to school vary but mostly focus on wearing masks or other restrictions due to Covid. Some parents may also be concerned about the new sex ed curriculum passed by the legislature last year, but Kowalkowski said that item is on hold until January.

“Implementation of the new sex ed curriculum is on hold until after the referendum,” he said, referencing Referendum 90 that would repeal the passage of the curriculum. “Our district asked the governor to veto the bill. What we will teach this year will involve no changes from what we have taught in the past.”

Costs

To transition to the K-12 curriculum, the cost to the Davenport School District is $225 per student. This is a significant reduction from early estimates that pegged an online curriculum at $14,000 per student.

The K-12 curriculum will be billed to the district monthly. Current student attendance estimates put the total cost for the curriculum adoption at $200,000-$250,000 for the year.

Kowalkowski said the district plans to fund the change by forgoing the purchase of other curriculum that would have cost the district $96,000. The school also saved roughly $90,000 this spring after the Covid closure in March on items like electricity, substitutes and field trips.

For those students with limited or no broadband internet service, the K-12 curriculum provides “learning kits” that can be sent home with students.

The school board is set to approve a final budget for the K-12 curriculum at an Aug. 3 special meeting.

Students needed

When considering the cost of the new K-12 curriculum, Kowalkowski said the district is being realistic about the potential financial loss if students leave the district entirely.

“Right now we are funded at $10,500 per student, so losing 25 students is a $262,000 loss. We are hoping with this online option to help serve families, it will be less than that.”

Author Bio

Jamie Henneman, Editor

Jamie Henneman is and editor with Free Press Publishing. She is the editor of the Davenport Times, based in Davenport, Wash.

 

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