GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Come together. Not physically, of course, but as part of an overall effort to move back towards a life that feels normal.
That’s what Brown County school superintendents, healthcare, business, and community leaders called for at a press conference outside of City Stadium in Green Bay on Wednesday. They’ve been participating in weekly calls to discuss what getting back to school should look like – and addressed the important role the community plays in the effort to keep schools open.
It seemed to be a consensus – getting kids back into actual classrooms is vital for not only their education, but for the community as a whole. But they need help from the community to make that happen.
Bellin Health CEO Chris Woleske speaking to the media during an August 5, 2020 press conference at City Stadium in Green Bay. (PHOTO: WTAQ News)
“Bellin, Prevea, HSHS, and Aurora have all collaborated in relationships with the schools…At Bellin, we’ve completed over 25 boots on the ground, in-person reopening the school assessments,” said Bellin Health CEO Chris Woleske, “I think we all can agree there are many benefits to the kids getting back to school, and it’s something that we all want. But we need to mitigate the risks, and that’s going to take a concerted effort by all of the constituents.”
Among the constituents Woleske talked about – schools, and everything they’re doing with their facilities, with how they staff, with how they teach. She also says teachers are constituents who need to be willing and able to go to school, and need to be able to stay home when they’re sick.
“There was an understanding that the school’s decisions weren’t really standalone decisions. Whatever each district decides for their return to school, whether virtual or in person, that decision impacts a wider community…While we may have different reopening plans, there are commonalities – particularly when it comes to what we all need from the community,” said Green Bay Area Public Schools Superintendent Stephen Murley, “We needed the input and expertise from our hospital systems about keeping everyone safe. We needed the knowledge of public health professionals regarding the current state of the pandemic. And we needed insights from local businesses as to how our plans would impact them and their employees.”
Green Bay Area Public School District Superintendent Stephen Murley speaking to the media during an August 5, 2020 press conference at City Stadium in Green Bay. (PHOTO: WTAQ News)
Two of the Green Bay area’s largest businesses were represented, as Green Bay Packers President Mark Murphy spoke – as well as Camera Corner Connecting Point CEO Rick Chernick.
“Employers are going to have to be flexible and support the work of bringing the kids back to school,” Woleske said.
“This too shall pass, we just have to be patient and work through it together…We’ve all got to really pull our weight and do what we can,” Chernick said.
Camera Corner Connecting Point CEO Rick Chernick speaking to the media during an August 5, 2020 press conference at City Stadium in Green Bay. (PHOTO: WTAQ News)
Chernick also urged other businesses across Brown County to start thinking about ways to help their work force over another hurdle – as many employees have kids heading back to school. He suggests supporting them when possible, even being flexible, in part, by their hours.
“Many businesses and their employees have children at home now, and this creates a problem. I believe many parents are now discovering that they are not as skilled, nor do they have the tools, nor do they have the patience to teach their children full time and continue to raise them, as well as possibly have a job,” Chernick explains, “”It’s not 8-5, although we’d like it to be. And it’s not a scheduled 12-1 lunch hour. We can’t do that. Everybody’s got to be flexible…You might have to get up at 5:00 a.m. and do a couple hours of work before the kids get out of bed. You may have to stay up until 10:00 p.m. to do your job. As long as you do your job, we’re gonna be flexible as an employer – and I encourage other employers to do the same.”
But Chernick understands that not everyone has adjustable hours or jobs they can do from home.
“It’s pretty hard to be building that Green Bay Packaging building virtually. It’s pretty hard to work at a meat company in your backyard. I also suspect making Schreiber cheese in your basement isn’t going to happen. So many people have to show up for work,” Chernick said.
But he still urges those companies to find ways to accommodate employees who also happen to be parents. And parents in these times are working overtime to find ways to help their kids learn in ways they never did when they were in school.
“Parents have a huge role in this – in teaching the kids what it’s going to be like, teaching them to mask, and to follow that six feet of distancing,” Woleske added.
Woleske also called on the community to work together in the effort – not only to get kids back to school – but to get the economy back on its feet and help the health care system avoid risking an overload.
“The community and continuing the work of flattening the curve is going to be critical so that healthcare can continue to be available to the community and meet the needs of the entire populations health and well being concerns,” Woleske said.
“The connection between education and workforce and economic development and opportunity – it’s really what the American dream is about,” said Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach, “It’s not comfortable, it’s not fun. Quite frankly, I think all of us want to get back to where we felt normal. Small steps like this have large impacts into the future.”
Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach speaking to the media during an August 5, 2020 press conference at City Stadium in Green Bay. (PHOTO: WTAQ News)
He points out that everyone ultimately wants to reach the same goal – normalcy – but it’s difficult to reach a goal when people are clashing in opposite directions.
Streckenbach also acknowledged that there is no better way for a child to be educated than in a classroom, but that can’t happen unless everyone pitches in to make it as safe as possible.
“This issue, along with a lot of issues over the course of the year, has divided this country and divided this community…Maybe it’s time for us to set aside our differences and figure out ways for us to come together and work together. Be innovative,” Streckenbach said, “What can we do as a community to make sure that we are supplying that safety net? That educational classroom? That workforce pipeline that is so absolutely, incredibly necessary…Coming together, coming up with solutions, working with the guidelines to figure out ways that we can safely return our economy and our schools and try to get back to normalcy as soon as possible.”
During the news conference, officials suggested community members:
- Wear a face covering
- Socially distance when around others
- Wash hands frequently
- Keep your children (or yourselves) home when they don’t feel well
- Talk to your children about these important items
Some school districts in the county have said they will bring students back to the classroom, while the Green Bay Area Public School District says it will kick off the fall semester with virtual learning for all.
