MARQUETTE, MI-- Now that the class of 2020 has graduated, the Marquette Area Public Schools district is planning for next year.
Superintendent Bill Saunders says MAPS is anticipating deep cuts in funding as the state deals with a huge loss of revenue due to COVID-19. He says the district is trying to conserve as much money as possible. Those efforts include a reduction in staff.
“And when I say reducing staffing, it’s more of a process of not replacing retirees or those folks that maybe have resigned to move away or take jobs elsewhere.”
Saunders says it’s too early to predict if students will return to classrooms in the fall. He says whatever happens, technology will likely play a larger role in education from now on.
“We are moving forward with plans for an online portal for students that maybe choose not to come back until there’s a vaccine. We’re working on different scheduling scenarios whether that be some type of hybrid schedule when we’re back in a traditional sense,” he says.
MAPS is also working to incorporate safety measures for the coming year, like masks, social distancing and taking temperatures. Saunders says the district is doing what it can now to accommodate whatever decision the state makes regarding students in the fall.
