MASSP is dedicated to keeping our members informed as the situation with COVID-19 develops. This week you will receive the COVID-19 updates you have come to expect on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As you begin to implement your Continuous Learning Plans and engage with teachers, students and parents we will honor your time and reduce the amount of communication we are sending.
If you have resources or information you think should be included in an upcoming update or on the MASSP COVID-19 resource center, please send them to Alicia Pilmore for consideration.
Leader2Leader: What Will School Funding Look Like in the Fall?
Join MASSP’s Bob Kefgen to discuss the projected impact of COVID-19 on school funding for this week’s Leader2Leader webinar. This session will also feature school funding experts from the State Budget Office, including Bethany Wicksall, the State Budget Office Director of Legislative and External Affairs, and Beth Bullion, the Director of the Office of Education within the State Budget Office.
But the learning curve for understanding Michigan's K-12 budgeting process is steep. Even central office administrators struggle to keep track of all the moving pieces. And that is exacerbated when trying to translate revenue projections down to the building level.
So this week, we've put together a brief "know before you go" video to review the essentials of Michigan's K-12 budget process that you'll want to know in advance to get the most out of Thursday's discussion.
Evaluation
MASSP has fielded dozens of questions regarding educator evaluations specific to who, what, when and how. While many districts chose to suspend evaluations for the 2019-20 school year in light of EO 2020-35, the new EO 2020-65 requires that schools must evaluate all teachers with an IDP, which includes all probationary teachers and any tenured teacher rated less than effective on their most recent year-end evaluation. It also clarifies that districts may evaluate other teachers.
MASA/MASSP Commencement Webinar Recording
In case you missed it, today’s joint webinar with MASA Colin Ripmaster and Bob Kefgen walked through COVID-19 related considerations districts need to consider as they create contingency plans for commencement and year end activities. Check out the recording and the handouts provided
Art of Educational Leadership: Sunday night, fireside chat webinar series
Leadership can often be lonely; coupled with "social distancing" guidelines and the sense of urgency required of school administrators right now, the feelings of isolation can expand exponentially.
To support secondary administrators in navigating these uncertain times, MASSP has partnered with Dr. Greg Dale, Professor of Psychology and Director of Athletic Leadership Programs at Duke University, and Mark Thomas, Principal at Northview High School to facilitate a free five week seminar, "The Art of Education Leadership.”
End of Year Moments
On Monday, State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice issued a letter to the public addressing the suspension of end-of-year activities and asking schools to share their end-of-year moments with MDE. Click the link below to read the letter.
MDE Memo: Distribution of Educational Materials
The Michigan Department of Education, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, has created a document illustrating how to safely prepare, distribute and collect educational materials during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The document is intended to help school personnel make informed decisions to minimize the risk of exposure to staff and their families.
To read all of MDE's memos, click here.
From Me to You: Weekly Learning Opportunities, Week of May 11
To connect building leaders with their students and families, advance learning through educational leadership, and assist students in maintaining a healthy routine during the extended school closure, MASSP has created a weekly learning opportunity roadmap that principals may choose to distribute to their students and families through established local communication systems (e.g., email, school messenger, blog, social media etc). Each week you will receive this ready to distribute resource to encourage students and families to stay sharp, collaborate and have fun. To view past editions, click here.
News Items and Resources
Voluntary? Remote? School districts are grappling with summer school plans
High School Seniors Are Making Yearbooks on Instagram
Khan: High-speed internet essential for education
Career, technical classes adjust to online learning
Survey: Teachers favor moving on to next year's content in the fall
For Your Students
Join former First Lady Michelle Obama on June 6, 2020, at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT for a commencement celebration to salute your commitment to education. Over the past month, President and Mrs. Obama have received dozens of requests from around the globe to address graduating classes whose in-person commencement events have been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Join them on YouTube’s “Dear Class of 2020,” a virtual commencement celebration bringing together global leaders, celebrities, creators and other voices to celebrate graduates, families and their communities. Click here to learn more.
To all the high school seniors, PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs (SRL) & ASCD are thinking about you and your friends, how you’re doing and what you’re feeling. The unprecedented coronavirus shut down will mark this high school class forever. As part of SRL’s mission to lift up student voice and local community storytelling, we’ve partnered together on a social media challenge to amplify the voices of high school seniors in this historic moment.
For Your Staff
In the Twitterverse
