A message from Superintendent Greg Blake:
Hi all:
I want to give you an update about our district and the impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Each year the governor puts out a budget projection in January for the following year. This past January, our budget outlook for next year looked fairly good but yesterday the governor put out his May budget revision. The COVID crisis has hit our state revenues really hard and because K-12 education is a significant portion of the state budget we are expecting significant revenue reductions for our district in the coming years.
The silver lining is at least that our revenue has remained stable for this school year and we are expecting some new federal money to help offset some of next year’s budget shortfall from the state.
Thermalito schools are facing uncertainty and like you, I have many questions.
Will schools reopen in a traditional sense in August?
How will schools look when they open?
Will we be on a modified schedule?
Will we be using a hybrid of in-school and online learning?
How will we ensure that our technology is meeting student and staff needs?
How will we ensure that our students are meeting academic standards?
Will we be allowed to have student activities?
How will we ensure student and staff safety?
Are we all going to be required to wear masks?
What kind of social distancing requirements will be ordered? And on and on…
Well, right now I can tell you that our team is working on answers for these questions and our team is strong,
Our School Board is student focused and mindful of what is currently happening. Our district leadership is working effectively to drive our educational programs and our teachers, certificated and classified staff are adapting exceptionally well to the current situation and new online instructional demands.
I am certain you know that we have a great staff and when we get more information from the state, we are prepared to act with that guidance to merge our current planning to the state requirements for school reopenings. We are confident that we will continue to provide our students with a quality educational experience in whichever format we are required to use.
Coming up in just a few weeks is the end of school. June 4th is our last official day of school and I encourage you to take a break this summer. This has been a difficult time for all of us, especially our students. Take the summer to relax and recharge. Please keep an eye on our social media accounts and our website for updated information this summer regarding the next school year.
All of us in our Thermalito school community have been through tough times before and we will again emerge stronger and more knowledgeable to overcome our next challenge. Our Thermalito family is resilient and we will bounce back.
I miss our interactions and look forward to seeing folks face to face soon.
Take Care and Stay Safe.
