Columnists criticize a lot. I think it’s part of the job description. We also need to know when praise is due. In these pandemic times, Bethel schools are doing well.
Some of the reasons are fortuitous: our state is sprawling, uncrowded, sensibly governed, and relatively isolated. The Canadian border is practically closed; New Hampshire’s circumstances are similar to ours; the Massachusetts crowd appear to be behaving well. Bethel, too, is uncrowded, as are its schools, built for a larger student population.
To see how fortunate we are, compare us to schools elsewhere. In the nation’s biggest school districts, Los Angeles kids have missed a year of face-to-face education (and counting); New York City has re-opened only its elementary schools, so far (young students are the most disadvantaged by the absence of in-school schooling).
But a lot of our local success is due to local effort. SAD 44 and Gould each faced different circumstances, but they’ve made thoughtful plans and adapted them when necessary. Their basis was the need to be open as soon and as continuously as possible. Only now have the Feds fully grasped this.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have concluded, while not quite saying so, that a low level risk of disease is better than a worse-educated next generation. They’re advocating re-opening schools with all due precautions: masks, social distance, ventilation, testing, contact tracing… We’ve been there, done that.
Students, teachers, administrators, parents, the public have all played their parts. That’s by no means a given elsewhere.
The Biden administration’s Covid-19 relief plan includes $130 billion to help schools adapt by reducing class sizes, buying supplies, modifying physical plant… That’s good, but schools must seek their shares and spend them well (that’s also not a given everywhere). Fortunately, SAD 44 has recently demonstrated its ability in this regard: finding money and improving ventilation.
All this is immediately necessary. It’s also good preparation: epidemiologists keep reminding us that Covid isn’t close to being the Big One they foresee. And whenever we look hard at education we find plenty of things that could do with improvement, pandemic or not.
So. Well done so far. Keep it up.
David R Jones will get back to economics next week.
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