Recent media reports indicate that within the next few days Governor Whitmer will most likely announce the closure of all school buildings for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. This news has raised questions, concerns, and a variety of emotions from parents, students, and staff in the Dearborn Public Schools.
The District will wait for official word from the Governor before taking a position regarding this news. Governor Whitmer is a strong supporter of public education in Michigan and we are confident her plan will provide details allowing school districts to address questions and concerns at the local level.
I want to assure our community that since the State closure of schools on March 16, we have been working on both short and long term plans to address how the district will operate for the remainder of the school year. Graduation, SAT testing, eligibility for special programs, the third grade reading law, and kindergarten round-up are just a sample of the topics that have been part of our planning and discussions.
For our staff, we know there will be questions about the continuation of pay, attendance incentives, extra pay assignments, and other concerns related to work responsibilities. It is a priority for us to continue to pay our staff regular wages/salary and benefits. We will also protect the financial stability of the district going into next year given the uncertainty with the current crisis.
We understand the emotions this uncertainty has created over these past few weeks. Although we are limited on the decisions we can make at this time, and much of what we can respond to depends on the actions coming out of Lansing, we hope that by providing continuous communication our stakeholders will be assured that we are planning for the future of the district and the educational needs of our students.