The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON—At the Dayton School District (DSD) board meeting last week, Superintendent Guy Strot provided a COVID-19 update, impact to the athletic program, how federal COVID relief funds will be spent, discussed an alternative learning program for fall, and changes to graduation requirements. He also spoke about an Innovia Foundation grant to help students achieve post-secondary education and training.

Strot said under the statewide move to Phase 3 of the recovery plan, attendance at athletic events can be held at 50-percent capacity of up to 400 people. The District will move into spring sports beginning on Mar. 29 for softball, track, baseball, and golf.

He said there had been no issues holding volleyball or football games.

“As of last Friday, we had zero active cases in our community and zero pending tests.”

Current regulations allow for youth basketball in the multipurpose room and for Middle School girls to have open gym basketball or volleyball two nights a week.

“We are following all health protocols to do this as safely as possible,” he said.

Strot said the DW Combine is hiring an athletic director for the spring and winter seasons and a permanent athletic director in the fall.

The Dayton School District has received close to $417,000 from Round 2 of the federal COVID relief funds. Strot said President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package should provide the District with an additional one million dollars.

“I never thought I’d live to see an ending cash balance of over one million dollars,” said Business Manager Paula Moisio.

The money will need to be spent by Sept. 2023 and targeted in three areas, Strot said.

He said this could include facilities improvements such as electrical work or an HVAC system at the elementary/middle school, curriculum purchases for K-12, and help for students who have lost ground during the pandemic. 20-percent of the funds have to be spent on learning loss, he said.

He will lead a curriculum committee in the elementary school, and Principal Kristina Brown will lead a curriculum committee in the MS/HS. They will report to the K-12 Curriculum committee to decide which curriculum purchases to make.

Strot said online school is becoming an acceptable nationwide option, and the District will need to be ready to help students who prefer this model. Because COVID-19 will still be around during the 2021-22 school year, a distance-learning option will need to be offered, he said, but it will be slightly different.

Students will need to sign up and be accepted into this alternative program, said Strot.

For some students, the program will combine both in-person classes and online classes. The DSD will release further details this spring. Students who don’t fit in a traditional classroom will probably thrive in this model, he said.

Last year, the District created an alternative school, offering a Dayton School District diploma with 24 credits. This option gives students more flexibility. Students can receive the traditional Dayton High School diploma with 25 credits.

Strot said the state Board of Education has changed and relaxed some of the graduation requirements for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 situation. Details will be presented to the board for approval in April or May.

Strot said he is not recommending summer school. Kristen Franke will offer a credit recovery course through APEX Learning.

Innovia Foundation, Spokane, received a $150,000 grant to strengthen school and community partnerships and increase post-secondary education success for students in five rural eastern Washington communities, including Dayton.

The grant launches a two-year pilot project as part of Innovia’s “Say Yes to Education” initiative. The first phase will include community forums and surveys to gather input; 2,200 surveys have been sent to half the households in the county. Electronic versions will be sent to staff, parents, and students. This will culminate in a strategic action plan with solutions that advance college and career readiness.

Strot said the Center for Educational Effectiveness and Innovia Foundation will share the community survey results to the community in May or June.

Elementary School

Principal Strot said parent/teacher conferences begin on Mar. 24.

He told the board he is not recommending distance learning for Grades K-5 next year. His research indicates students do better if they are in a traditional classroom or in a homeschool program. However, if there is a demand, it is possible to provide that option.

The elementary teachers had a virtual conference with Curriculum Associates, the provider of Math curriculum and a consultant will visit the elementary campus this spring.

He and Jessie Howard are attending a trauma-informed course through Life Space Crisis Intervention. A two-hour course called “Turning Down the Heat” has been provided to all elementary staff.

Strot said he is grateful for Blue Mountain Counseling of Dayton for the difference Ms. Patterson is making with the students.

The new lunch schedule is going well, he said.

Middle/High School

MS/HS Principal Kristina Brown said the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is participating in a virtual Winter Regional Leadership Competition with Mrs. Slaybaugh and staff at The Club.

The FBLA will also attend the state’s virtual Leadership Conference at the Best Western Plus Hotel and Conference Room, in Dayton, on Apr. 21-23, where they will participate in team-building and leadership exercises.

Fourteen high school juniors completed SAT preparations on Mar. 13. Help with funding came from the Gear Up program. Thanks go to Heather Clarys, the Gear Up team, and Mrs. Ortuno for working with the students.

Distance learning teachers Hannelee Farrell and Jeanne Walter provided updates to the board at last week’s meeting.

Farrell is the distance learning teacher at the elementary school. She began the year with 22 students and now has ten. She is using a hybrid teaching model through Google Classroom, digitally and on paper. Students get their schedules and assignments on Monday. Distance learning has exacerbated learning difficulties for a few of the students, she said.

Jeanne Walter has 20 students in her distance learning program. She said the students are doing well, with a B grade average for the program. She is covering everything from Advanced Placement courses to Individual Education Plans. She likes teaching with APEX, because of expanded course offerings. One student is studying Mandarin. Others are studying psychology, music and art appreciation.

“The parents seem happy with how their students are doing,” she reported.