Mercer School opens for July

By TOM LAVENTURE

[email protected]

Mercer — The Mercer Public School will open some indoor and outdoor areas to staff and students in July, following unanimous approval of the school board at its meeting on Monday. 

The school will allow use of the gymnasium, weightroom, fitness center, playground and some other outdoor areas from July 6 through July 27, at the recommendation of Sheri Kopka, interim school administrator. At that time, the board will review and consider allowing the school to remain open until the start of fall semester in early September.

The action was followed by approving the school’s summer recreation program with mitigation for COVID-19 prevention. Teachers will meet with children in groups no larger than 10, and will not intermingle with other groups. 

The board did not include the recommendation to allow the community to use the school facilities.

In his discussion during board reports, school board president Robert Davis said the school district is working to ensure its remaining balance will get the school district through to September. He said reopening the school may require adjustments to the budgeting process and any problems with payments may result in needing to borrow between now and then.

The goal is to have a preliminary budget before the board for discussion in July, he said. The board can view the potential shortfalls and any needed adjustments to programs.

“I’ll be quite honest with you; there’s a likelihood we will be making some and it may not necessarily be related to the COVID-19 and the reopening of the schools,” Davis said. “We have to look at the fiscal side of this and determine with academics in the forefront as our number one priority how we move forward in finalizing the budget to present to the community sometime in the late October time frame.”

In the administrator’s report, Kopka said that after reviewing the state Department of Public Instructions guidelines on reopening schools this fall she is confident that Mercer Public School will be able to use the cohort model. This avoids split shifts and allows all students to be in the school with their specific class, contained without intermingling. 

If a student tests positive for COVID-19 then his or her entire classroom would self-quarantine at home. The rest of the school would continue attending classes, she said. 

The cohort model does complicate sports and extracurriculars and after school programs, she said. 

In other business, the board approved:

—Paying for an early college credit course for a student.

—Hiring grade 7-12 science teacher Sarah Rand Engler.

—Hiring PreK-12 music teacher Jonathan Erickson who will start January.

—The unusual hazards plan.

—Tabling the fall sports program approval until next meeting.