District revises current calendar to comply with law

     A second revision of the remaining 2020-21 school calendar was unanimously approved by the Monticello School Board at a special meeting Feb. 10 in the board room.

     The revision was necessary because of a new bill Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law Jan. 19, stating that, effective Feb. 15, school districts across Iowa had to at least offer in-person learning five days a week.

     While districts could still offer online learning for students and families who chose that option, the law meant the Monticello district could no longer offer its Wednesdays of online learning only. Those ended Feb. 10. Gov. Reynolds first pushed for the change during her State of the State Address Jan. 12.

     The newly-approved district calendar calls for both in-person and online learning options on Wednesdays beginning Feb. 17. The result will be similar to the early-out days the district put into the calendar in past years.

     “On Wednesdays we will go in person from 8 a.m. to noon, and then the afternoon will be considered professional development or collaboration time for our teachers,” Superintendent Brian Jaeger said. “We do have some PD planned, but we are going to give the bulk of that time to our staff to be able to continue to do the online content. It’s not as much as they need, I’ll be honest, but it is as much as we can give them, based on what the rules are at this point.”

     In all, the district has approved three calendars for this school year; the original one before COVID-19, the first revision on Aug. 24 to account for COVID, and the one approved Wednesday.

     Jaeger lamented the changes, saying “I feel like we had found a balance” with its options of in-person only, online only, or a hybrid of the two. “We can only take what we are given, and make the best of it.”

     One thing that will not change is the district’s handling of snow days; they will be allowed to remain as online learning days.

In other board business:

     • The board approved changing the start time of the Feb. 22 regular meeting from 6 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Monticello is scheduled to play its first boys basketball substrate tournament game that evening at 7 p.m.

     • Following the meeting, the board went in to exempt session for mediation, and to discuss strategy in matters relating to employment conditions of employees not covered by the collective bargaining law.