COVID-19 crisis having a financial impact on everyone, including school districts.
I’m writing to discuss the effect that the current shutdown and COVID-19 crisis are having on local school districts. I understand that many individuals may think that school districts are saving money as a result of the shutdown. This is far from the truth.
Despite the perception that schools are “shut down”, districts transitioned to an online educational format and all teachers remained at work. Also, many districts continues to provide a much needed service to their communities by preparing and distributing meals. Further, Act 13 passed by the PA legislature and signed by Gov. Wolf on March 27 required that school districts pay all personnel, even those who are not working during this period. So there are no savings in regards to salaries or benefits.
The real issue, however, is the reduced revenue that districts are and will be receiving. Due to the economic implications of this pandemic, many people are not working during this time, and school districts face declining local revenue collection from both earned income and property taxes. Districts are unsure as to how great the impact on revenue will be, but we expect it will be significant. It is also unclear how long into the future this impact will persist after the current shutdown.
Teaching programs were re-designed to accommodate the transition from in-person classroom teaching to a remote, virtual format. In addition, Ringgold purchased additional Chromebooks to allow all students access to a device. While it is true that some facilities and transportation costs have been reduced, there have also been some areas of increased spending (for example cleaning). These efforts, and others, resulted in additional costs to Districts. The costs are real and were unforeseen, and were therefore not accounted for in budgets for the 2019-2020 school year.
Looking forward to the 2020-2021 school year, school leaders have been told to “prepare for the best, but plan for the worst” in order to keep students safe and healthy for a fall re-opening. Schools may be required to limit the number of students in buildings at one time by staggering shifts of children on certain days and lowering class sizes. They may have to implement social distancing practices in classrooms, cafeterias, auditoriums, playgrounds, and at school events. Transportation issues will have to be considered. Masks and other PPE may have to be provided to employees and deep cleaning practices continued.
Schools will once again have to re-design their instructional programs and services to meet these requirements. All of these things will have a budgetary impact. Far from districts experiencing savings, the COVID-19 crisis is having a financial impact for everyone, including school districts. At this point, it is unclear if there will be additional reimbursement for any of the new mandates. Without additional reimbursement, Ringgold, and other school districts, will be faced with difficult decisions to manage our budgets. The public should know that, at Ringgold, we are considering all options and are doing our best to strike a balance that optimizes education while minimizing financial impact on the District.
Maureen Ott
Ringgold School Board Director