With less than two months remaining in the school year, Rogers High School seniors may be focused on June 12 – graduation day – and while faculty and administration might also revel in that achievement for so many students, they will also be focused on a myriad of issues that plague educators not only in Newport, but nationwide.
Newport Superintendent of Schools Colleen Burns Jermain will join WhatsUpNewp for her monthly one-on-one live virtual video conversation tomorrow (Friday) at 1:30 p.m. to discuss issues ranging from Rogers High School construction to the proposed school budget.
Here are some of the items we will be asking the superintendent:
- Attendance has been a problem statewide and beyond, with initiatives in many communities, including Newport, to improve attendance. Jermain has said in the past that the school system has been making progress, and we’ll want to check in and see how well the initiatives are working.
- This is budget time, with the City Council scheduling several budget hearings over the next few weeks. We’ll want to know projections for a school budget next year that will reflect lost revenues because of declining student enrollment and the end to federal pandemic-related funding—that with a backdrop of Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong’s goal of no tax increase for permanent residents.
- We’ll discuss the school department’s strategic plan, which Jermain, in her newsletter this week, said embraces four key principles: champion rigorous and equitable instruction; cultivate a safe and inclusive culture; strengthen family and community partnerships; and forge district-wide coherence (decision making, curriculum implementation).
- Of course, we’ll look for an update on Rogers’ construction, including finances and the future of the school’s popular cosmetology and automotive programs, both of which are not included in the current construction plans.
- And we’ll want to know about projected staffing for next year, layoffs among teachers, and any projections for bringing some of those facing layoffs back.
Watch our conversation live as it happens or anytime afterward below;
