Eagle Eye on Education: Staggered starts, triple bus routing in store when 2022-23 starts
As the summer continues, preparations are underway across the school campus to welcome students and staff back to school by mid-August.
Our estimated enrollment to begin the 2022-23 school year is presently 5,135 in prekindergarten through 12th grade. Our district purpose is to create a culture of accountability that achieves the best academic and developmental outcomes for each student. The 2021-22 school year continued to challenge us to provide opportunities for our school district to create structures and solutions to meet the needs of our students in many ways, both academically and socially-emotionally.
Our 2022-23 school year will again begin with a staggered start for the first two days of school for students in grades 1-12. Approximately half of our students enrolled in grades 1-12 will attend their first day of school Aug. 18 (last names A-K) or Aug. 19 (last names L-Z).
As we learned last year, this staggered start will permit our staff to personally connect with students in smaller groups to begin to establish the structures and routines necessary for learning to flourish. Our preschool and kindergarten students will continue their staggered start into the first full week of school, as they always do, to fulfill required assessment protocols to begin their exciting educational journey.
Eagle Eye on Education: Congratulations to the New Albany High School class of 2022
The start of the 2022-23 school year also will include new school-day bell schedules with the implementation of triple routing of our bus fleet due to the national bus driver shortage also affecting our schools. Our new schedules of three separate start times permit us to meet academic and operational needs for students, effectively use our staff and implement triple routing solutions to maximize bus transportation services for more than 3,200 of our students while generating savings for our taxpayers.
Our students are our No. 1 priority, and we are committed to fostering an environment of kindness, dignity and respect. We honor each student’s uniqueness and trust in the goodwill and good intentions of one another. The 2022-23 school year begins with us moving forward and represents our district’s resilience in overcoming challenges with positive solutions for all.
Also new this school year, we will implement efficient strategies for parent pickup and drop-off for families with children in multiple school buildings electing to drive students to and from school. Principals will communicate more information regarding procedures in August.
In addition to family vacations, ball games, bike riding, swimming and fun for our students and families, summer recess provides an opportunity for us to continue to implement necessary capital repairs and replacements to sustain our community’s investment in our school facilities.
Some of our summer projects include replacing roofs at the Early Learning Center, middle school, middle school/high school cafeteria and annex; concrete sidewalk, flooring and exterior door repairs or replacements; stadium LED lighting retrofitting; painting; and security cameras.
All of these replacements are part of our capital repair and replacement schedule funded by the permanent-improvements levy approved by voters in 2017 and general-revenue funds set aside by the administration and school board.
Once August arrives, the school campus will become busier with each passing day as we approach the start of the next school year filled with the sounds of student voices buzzing through the hallways, courts, fields and stages. The 2022-23 school year will provide an opportunity for us to continue our efforts to “Own Our ‘R’” (Response) while also striving to improve to build an inclusive campus culture where everyone feels safe, supported and connected.
Our culture of accountability has been built on the foundation that we are each responsible for our behavior, that we “own” our responses to challenges, that we are stronger when we work together and that we will strive to be better every day. Our school district is committed to fostering an environment of kindness, dignity and respect.
For now, enjoy the remaining days of summer recess as the anticipation and excitement of the 2022-23 school year arrives. Enjoy your family, friends and last-minute getaways as we continue to finalize our plans to welcome more than 5,100 Eagles to the learning campus in August.
Michael L. Sawyers is the superintendent of the New Albany-Plain Local Schools.
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Eagle Eye on Education: Staggered starts, triple bus routing in store when 2022-23 starts
