District Administrator's Corner

by Loren Glasbrenner River Valley School District Administrator Did you know that possibly, maybe, there is an expected amount of snow this weekend?  There will be accumulations of …1 to 78 inches of snow!  How could a meteorologist be wrong with estimations like that!?  As I get older, I start to watch the news for the weather.  Skip the sports—skip the global news—what is the forecast?    Snow days are inevitable in Wisconsin.  We have several planned into the school calendar, just in case.  This year our minutes of instruction have been greatly affected by the pandemic and snow days will remain as they have been traditionally considered—as a school closing.  (In the coming years, we may have new processes for snow days, as virtual education will change the way we account for minutes of instruction.)  The River Valley School District has set steps for notifying families of weather emergencies.  And, as the River Valley School District District Administrator, I get to be a part of this teamwork in the wee morning hours for the first time.  Here is an outline of our process:  1. Conversations begin very early in the morning and the night before about the weather that may be coming.  2. Lamers Bus Lines is included in our initial investigation of the roads.  Lamers calls drivers to check their conditions.  3. Local radar is used in conjunction with the National Weather Service.  4. Phone calls are made to administrators in town, near Lone Rock, in rural Spring Green, north of Plain, and near Plain.  5. A decision is made and our communication plan is implemented.  6. If school is delayed or canceled, our phone chain alerts the administrative team, transportation team, and private schools.  7. Television channels WKOW-TV(27), WISC-TV(3), and WMTV(15) are notified.  8. Radio stations in Madison, Platteville, Lancaster, Sauk City, Richland Center, Reedsburg, and Dodgeville are notified.  9. Skylert messages and social media posts are drafted and sent.  10. Teaching, support, custodial, and kitchen staff are given notice.  11. School delays or closings are decided before 6:30 a.m. (RVSD Policy 722).   And, then we wait.  We wait to see if the forecast is close to correct.  We wait to see if the roads will be as poor as we anticipated.  We wait to see if “better safe, than sorry” was the right call.  (I will always try to make the decision based on what is best for the students.)  Nostalgically, I envision the accumulating snow creating an opportunity for families to shut the  Chromebook/laptop, to grab a sled, and to find a safe place to enjoy a breath of fresh Wisconsin winter air.