The Paso Robles School Board last night discussed plans for reopening schools. Ultimately, they passed a motion asking staff to come back with a specific plan to reopen on March 16th.
At the outset of the meeting, citizens Peter Byrne and Michael Rivera urged the school board to reopen the schools as soon as possible. Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Gaviola explained the administrations position. She said Plan A before the school board includes negotiation with the local teachers union to prepare for reopening. Trustee Dorian Baker made a motion to ask the administration to return March 9th meeting with a plan to reopen the schools on March 16th, one way or another. Those opposing the motion cited issues with insurance and resistance from the local teachers union.
Trustee Jim Reed says he’s tired of the contingencies and all the delays. After an hour of discussion, school board president Chris Arend called for the vote. The vote was 4-3 in favor of Baker’s motion. Trustees Nathan Williams, Tim Gearhart and Lance Gannon voted against the motion.
Unfortunately, the staff person reading the motion did not have a microphone, so it’s hard to decipher the specific verbiage of the motion. The vote was 4-3 in favor of a motion for the superintendent and his staff to develop a plan to reopen the schools March 16th. The administration will present that plan March 9th.
