Minutes - November 18, 2020

Classified Staff Advisory Meeting

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

The following individuals were in attendance: Robin Heath, Page Street Elementary, Shenelle Green, Mt. Gilead Elementary, Beth Hall, Star Elementary, Xavier Dunlap, Green Ridge Elementary, Penny Brown, Candor Elementary, Ella Waddell, West Middle School, Jennifer Loza and Jessica King, Montgomery Central High School, Toni Kellis, CTE Building, Mandy Georgepul, Montgomery County Early College, Maria Johnson, Montgomery Learning Academy, and Cindy Davis, Central Office. The following individuals were absent: Tina Woody, Troy Elementary, and Jennifer Haywood, East Middle School.

Welcome/Celebrations

Dr. Ellis welcomed all in attendance and thanked them for serving on this year’s committee.

Jessica King – It’s wonderful to be in the new school! There are so many good things going on here. It’s beautiful!

Return to School

Right now, we will be returning to school under Plan B on Tuesday, January 5, 2021. The board has not indicated at this point that they want to revisit this. One of the more significant concerns is what is happening in the state. Dr. Ellis would not be shocked that based on the numbers if there were additional shutdowns. He said he had seen news information about retail shutdowns but not the schools. The theory is that students are not getting it at school but out in the community. Right now, MC is in orange, which means we have significant spread. One of the reasons we may have moved down is that we have reduced testing. He understands there are a lot of concerns from employees about what going back to school will mean. We have a laundry list of questions from employees. We will put out the answers in December. We understand a lot of families are struggling. At some point, the kids are going to have to come back to school. And it will take several years to recoup the “summer slide” that students have experienced. We are thankful for whatever everyone is doing during remote learning, but we know it cannot replace face-to-face learning. When the state did not give us a testing waiver, we knew that we would have to bring students back in December for testing. This was the driving force behind allowing sports. We felt like these were ways to help begin preparing for the January return. 

Even if it is delayed, we will be returning to school before there is a viable vaccine. There will be a phased approach to those who receive it, and the quantity of vaccines will be an issue. We are working to ensure that we have protocols in place to help keep everyone safe when we do return.

COVID-19 Precautions

Please ensure that you are frequently washing your hands, wearing your mask, and staying 6 feet apart. Please make sure that you are wearing the mask properly, covering your mouth and nose. When you are alone at your desk, it is okay not to be wearing your mask. We want this to be a safe place to work, and we need everyone to do their part and follow these safety measures.

Budget Update

The problem with another shutdown, if it would happen, is the effect it will have on an already hurting economy. We were held harmless this year, but we know at some point we will see negative effects on our budget. What is troubling about another shutdown is the damage it will do to the economy, which will result in less tax revenue. We are very cautious in preparation for next year to maintain the positions we currently have. We have always said if you want a job here and you’re doing a good job, there will be a job here for you.

Final Construction Update

It's a very exciting time for Montgomery Central. The building is done, and everyone has moved in. Contractors are working on the punch list and finishing up the final details. We will have an open house in January, and we encourage all to come.

The excitement we want to build with Montgomery Central begins in Pre-K and involves everyone. We want to create that excitement of what it's like to be a Timberwolf from the beginning so that students will want to graduate not only with a high school diploma but an associate degree. It's always been about economic development to create a skilled workforce that will attract businesses to Montgomery County.

Questions

The 2019 budget statement was teacher pay. Cooper signed that every teacher gets $350. This included teachers, principals, and support staff. Why didn’t classified get this?

Teachers got it and license support staff. That is just the budget that was passed by the General Assembly. No Central Office staff or Classified staff got it. We have no control over who gets the bonus. We have to pay it out as we are directed. It is our hope that Classified staff will get a raise soon as it is definitely overdue. The last couple of budget years have not been very good for public education. We are hopeful that it will be better in the coming years.

Why do we have to watch Accutrain videos every year?

We just want to make sure that we are hammering home those points. We feel those topics help provide training to keep you safe. We have everyone watch them because we know there are people who don’t follow those protocols, unfortunately. We understand it can be frustrating for those who do.

Why when teachers get to leave, the office staff doesn't?

Periodically Dr. Ellis will dismiss staff early, and he is the only individual who has the authority to do so. Principals do not. The expectation is that everyone leaves when he does that. On a normal day classified employees are 40 hours per week and teachers are 37.5 hours. So, if that’s the case there will always be an overlap or difference when individuals leave. 

Bus drivers have concerns and questions when we start back in person: 

Will the students have their temperature taken before entering the bus? Yes.

Will a monitor be assigned to every bus to help with the screening of the students? No.

Will there be only 1 student per seat unless there are siblings riding together? Yes. That is the guideline established by the CDC. We will make sure there is a bus driver meeting before we begin.

Will seating be alternated by skipping seats? Dr. Ellis will check on this. He thinks this guidance may have changed.

Are the bus drivers required to clean the bus prior to the route and when the route is finished? Yes, when the route is finished. Cleaning after the route should ensure that it is clean prior to beginning the route the following day.

Will there be any training on cleaning the bus? Yes. It will be part of the meeting.

Will bus routes be given out before Christmas break? Yes, that is the plan. Mr. DeBerry is working with a transportation specialist to work on the routes. We hope to have them out as soon as we have them confirmed.  Information on which plan families prefer is being gathered in the next few weeks that will help with finalizing the routes.

Will we provide a mask if the student enters the bus without one? Yes, we will make sure all buses have masks that can be given out.

We will talk to Transportation and make sure there is a meeting for drivers prior to running these routes so that they feel comfortable.

Dr. Ellis expressed his appreciation for everyone’s hard work during this challenging and different year. He encouraged everyone to continue to practice the safety measures established and asked that you encourage others to do the same. He encouraged everyone to please ask questions. You can send questions to Katie Hursey or directly to Dr. Ellis that you would like addressed.