All the while concocting three distinct scenarios for a 2020-21 return to school, Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson has also been leading a small hiring committee to find the right person to function in the role he had held six years as Doug White’s assistant.
On the same day that the ORR Joint School Committee / Superintendency Union #55 approved Nelson’s proposal to amend the academic calendar to start with two weeks of teacher preparation and delay opening day until September 16, he gained the committee’s approval on the appointment of a key addition to the new administrative team at Central Office.
Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Dr. Jannell Pearson-Campbell brings nearly 20 years of experience in special education to the job, has held significant administrative roles including principal and assistant principal, and was most recently assistant director of special education for the Waltham public schools.
The qualifications are obvious, but it was in her meeting with ORR faculty and staff where Pearson-Campbell made an impact that influenced Nelson in the final stages of deciding on a recommendation for appointment.
“I’ll cut to the chase. All those who interacted with her said, ‘Wow, I felt like I’ve known her for a long time already,” Nelson told the Joint School Committee in its August 12 Zoom meeting. “Her interpersonal skills with our stakeholders really sold me on making the recommendation (to hire).”
Nelson said in his interview with Pearson-Campbell that she was forthright in telling him she had always wanted to become an assistant superintendent of schools and one day a superintendent. When asked about helping formulate a new administrative team at Central Office, she told Nelson, “Well it’s like a marriage and we need to make it a good one.”
Out of 40 applicants, Nelson interviewed 10 and identified two finalists. After the Joint School Committee voted to approve her appointment, Pearson-Campbell wanted to share the moment on Zoom with her mother.
“(My mom) is a retired teacher and she always told me not to go into teaching, and I want to show her and say, ‘Look Mom, look what I did,’” said Pearson-Campbell. “I just want to thank everyone for the opportunity. When I came to the district, everyone was so welcoming, everyone was so happy to meet me there. I thank all the committees, Mr. Nelson, the school committee, all the teachers, all the business people, the secretaries, everyone was like, ‘Thank you for coming in.’ I really appreciate being able to work with everyone at the beginning of this journey, and I just want to thank you for the opportunity.”
“We’re delighted to have you,” said union-side Chairperson Shannon Finning. Region-side Chairperson Cary Humphrey simultaneously offered his congratulations as did several other committee members.
While stressing that ORR’s return-to-school plan for the 2020-21 academic year will begin in a hybrid model and be subject to continuous review, Nelson chose quality over quantity in getting his first school year as superintendent off the ground.
Nelson reported that Jeff Riley of the state Department of Education has allowed individual districts to truncate the traditional 180-day school year to 170 if the 10 extra days are used at the beginning of the school year to provide COVID-19-related training for faculty.
The Joint School Committee approved Nelson’s proposal to use September 1-15 as training weeks and officially start school on September 16.
Citing ORR’s “cohort ideology” that divides students’ physical attendance into two consistent segments meant not to overlap, Nelson laid out the hybrid return-to-school model but did not close the door on a full, in-person return to school in 2020-21.
“I’d like to think this is the last time that we will talk about proposed changes, but… I know that there’s a strong, strong possibility that we’ll be using all of our learning models this year,” Nelson told the meeting.
Nelson recommended that all half-time professional-development days be moved to Mondays so they will not take away from student-teacher interaction on hybrid half days. Immediate ramifications included moving a teacher-meeting day originally scheduled for September 1 to March 22, 2021. The following development days have also been moved: September 23 to September 28, February 3 to February 1, March 3 to March 1, and June 2 to June 7. The full professional-development day previously scheduled for January 15 will be moved to January 11 to accommodate the hybrid learning model. November 3 was scheduled as a professional development day, but that is also election day and Old Hammondtown School is a ballot station in Mattapoisett.
The strongest concerns were put forth by committee members well aware of the stress being felt by communities where both parents work amidst a lack of discussion around a full, in-person return to school.
“I certainly support the need for educators to have the two weeks to prepare for this kind of unprecedented experience. My concern with the calendar at its entirely, I’m worried that we’re committing to only considering a hybrid or out-of-class scenario, and I would like a commitment that we will be considering, when appropriate, the opportunity to be fully in person. I don’t want to be locked in for the year because of an approval to a calendar today. I’m not comfortable with that,” said Finning. “Many parents are looking… for a commitment from the school committees that we will, one, require you to have a plan and what that would look like, and, two, that we would ensure that we would revisit minimally before January if not before that.”
“That is the goal of our school district, that is what we want,” said Nelson, who emphasized that committee approval for the hybrid model is only a starting place for the academic year. Nelson committed to discuss in-person learning “on a much more regular basis” going forward.
“I appreciate everyone’s patience, I appreciate everyone’s feedback,” he added later in the meeting. “I take it extremely seriously, and I will continue to do everything in my power working with the key stakeholders to provide the best education possible under the current circumstances.”
In answer to a non-committee faculty question asking for more specifics, Nelson said that the approval of the Joint School Committee mobilizes him to update the current hybrid plan for return to school but that committee approval would be required for a shift from the hybrid model to full in-person or fully remote. And those scenarios are subject to executive order from the state.
“That’s my understanding of the process, and I just think it’s very important for people to realize that we may have to utilize all three learning models – maybe sometimes more than one – based off of how COVID-19 impacts statewide and local communities,” said Nelson.
Finning related the concerns of residents looking for more transparency of ORR’s presentation of all three learning scenarios. Nelson said that information, as it’s updated, belongs in a unified presentation and needs to go out to all stakeholders at once.
During the open-comment segment of the meeting, the immediate financing scenario for 2020-21 and establishing trigger points for potential shifts in modes of learning were discussed. Many would like to have a document laying out hypotheticals.
Nelson continued building his Central Office team by gaining committee approval for his recommendation of Craig Davidson as director of Student Services.
“I just want to start off by congratulating Dr. Pearson-Campbell, that’s awesome – congratulations,” said Davidson, who has a special education background and most recently held a similar position in Bourne. Davidson’s energy and enthusiasm were evident as he addressed all involved in the hiring process. “My visit to the district, it was outstanding. I loved the interactions with everybody, and I’d really like to thank the school committee for voting me through… I can’t wait to start working at some point in the best district on the SouthCoast.”
Nelson added that progress has been made by the policy subcommittee created for the purpose of exploring how ORR can improve as an anti-racism institution.
The next meeting of the Joint School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, September 24.
ORR Joint School Committee / Superintendency Union #55
By Mick Colageo