Stonington While 60% of families here want their children to return to more in-person instruction, more than 85% of teachers want to remain in the current hybrid mode for the remainder of the school year.
Those are some of the results of a survey sent to staff and parents to gauge their interest in returning to more in-person instruction amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Board of Education is scheduled Wednesday night to discuss the survey results and Superintendent of Schools Van Riley s recommendation that students in kindergarten and grades 1, 6 and 9 return to four-day a week in-school instruction beginning March 15. The board meets virtually at 7 p.m.
Stonington Superintendent of Schools Van Riley announced a plan Thursday night to return kindergartners along with first, sixth and ninth graders to four-day-a-week, in-person instruction beginning March 15.
On Wednesdays all students would learn remotely, which will offer maintenance staff an opportunity to clean the schools and teachers a chance to do much-needed planning for remote and in-person leaning.
All other students will continue with the hybrid learning that has been in place since September. Any family who wants their children to continue with full distance learning there are currently 478 students doing so now will be able to do so.
Riley said on April 1, school officials will evaluate the return and make decisions on returning other students based on a number of factors. These include the success of the return of the four grades, vaccine distribution to teachers and staff, updates to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
$1,641,830
Education Cost Sharing grants, road aid, capital improvements grants and payments in lieu of taxes for nontaxable property remained stable in the budget, while nearly all local towns would see additional aid through federal stimulus grants. Only Lyme and Old Lyme are left out of that mix, according to state budget documents.
New London, Norwich, Montville and Preston are among 25 designated distressed municipalities that would receive a collective $100 million in one-time per-capita grants next year. Norwich would receive $3.5 million, New London, $2.4 million, and Preston, $421,000. Lamont proposed funding half of the $100 million with revenue from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, and the other half through bonding.