Interim superintendent addresses citizen questions in Facebook Live

Scott Graden answering community members’ question during a FB Live discussion.

On Wednesday, May 13, exactly two months after Manchester Community Schools closed its doors for what has turned out to be the remainder of the school year, Interim Superintendent Scot Graden fielded questions from the community during an hour-long Facebook Live event. Covering topics from school funding and the ongoing superintendent search to the impact of the pandemic on busing, sports, and when graduation would take place, Graden admitted that the answer to many of the questions was simply, “We don’t know,” but did his best to give straightforward responses to each question.

One take-away from the event was that Graden does feel “cautiously optimistic” about school starting again on August 31 as scheduled, with five-day-a-week in-person instruction. “Of course, should things change, we need to be ready to pivot quickly,” he added. Graden added Monday that the governor has begun the process to put together a committee to review how schools will reopen.

“We also have to understand that things will look very different in August than what we were used to on March 13 when school was last in session,” he said. He mentioned the possibility of how social distancing might be implemented at every level of education as well as sharing that everyone needs to be prepared to compromise and determine what is most practical.

On the topic of school funding, Graden referred to the state’s Revenue Consensus that took place this past Friday, May 15. “There will be an as-yet unclear, but definitely significant, negative impact” on school finances from the state’s standpoint, he admitted. Asked if there might be funding available from the federal government, again Graden said he did not know, although the district has already received $50,000 from the CARES Act and there may be other funding sources forthcoming.

“No matter what, we know we will need to reduce our existing cost structures,” he said. “The funding cuts proposed in recent days are not sustainable. It’s not enough to keep us whole … nor just about any other district in the state.” He added that there could be additional costs associated with the need for social distancing and other changes to the status quo in the district.

Asked about the superintendent search, Graden shared that there are four candidates identified by the search firm that is working with the school board. Those candidates are Brad Bezeau, Saline Area MS Principal; Aliana Ellison, Onsted Middle School Principal; Eric McCalla, Manchester Jr/Sr High School Principal; and Ben Williams, Superintendent of the Taylor School District. Graden said Zoom interviews will take place this week and that when the field is narrowed, after May 28, the board will select two candidates to interview, hopefully in person.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.