By Dan Murphy
Many of our readers who do not have school age children may be wondering how the Yonkers Public Schools are teaching the 30,000 students in the district amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and stay at home orders. We decided to speak with YPS Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada to find out.
We found Quezada at the Eugenio Maria de Hostos School, collecting a donation from Feeding Westchester of 6 pallets of food, which was placed into more than 500 bags, each with food for a family for one week. Quezada, was unpacking the food and loading up the bags for families, with the help of CSEA staff at the school and members of Central Administration. Chocolate bunnies that were donated topped off each family food bag.
The challenge for Quezada and the Yonkers Public Schools comes in both making sure that students are learning at home, but also making sure that they are eating a nutritious meal every day. “We are establishing relationship with great organizations like Feeding Westchester to make sure that our children and their family’s lives are less stressful. We are working with others to help and give back.”
Hostos is also the site of a grab and go meal location every weekday, where students and parents pick up a mean from the cafeteria waiting for them in the front door lobby. Quezada said that 350 meals per day are given out at the school, located on Morris Street in Southwest Yonkers.
YPS students are learning through a combination of educational packets sent in the mail, and online coursework and materials. Quezada said that more than 1,000 laptops have been given out, one per family, to help students with their online learning. And with many families having more than one YPS students, the HP laptops are assisting YPS staff connect to more than 4,000 students, giving them the ability to upload and review learning materials waiting for them.
“We started to plan for stay at home learning in February and designed a distance learning channel. Our teachers have done a great job reaching out to make sure our students feel comfortable,” said Quezada, who added that another 700 more laptops are on the way. Anyone who can help with a donation of computers can contact the YPS at jfierstein@yonkerspublicschools.org. The district has also written a grant to obtain iPads for K-2 students.
While students are being fed, and being taught, and childcare is also provided by the district, Quezada awaits an answer that he gets most every day. When will the Yonkers schools open again? “That is not up to me, it is up to the Governor, who I think has done a tremendous job. We are working on a re-entry plan, and we have invited our bargaining units to the table to join in this conversation.”
Currently, New York State is on stay at home until May 15, so the earliest the YPS school could open would be Monday May 18. Quezada said that if that is the open date, “we need to know so that we can prepare.”
While Quezada and the YPS are not unaccustomed to budgetary challenges, this year, with the Coronavirus as a backdrop, the needs for students will be even greater when they return , but the district will have to deal with a $22.5 Million gap in funding.
“We are very concerned about what will happen. It is impossible to close a gap of that magnitude without cuts to services and programs. The Federal government needs to intervene and help us. This is not a Red or Blue state issue, the future of students and their family’s lives are at stake.”
“How will our students come back after 10 weeks at home and not at school? Or how will out students come back if we don’t have school again until the fall? Will they have deficiencies that we will have to address? Will they have social and emotional challenges? We will need more funding to address these challenges, not less funding,” said Quezada.
Recently, Quezada gave a budget presentation to the Board of Education which outlines a cut of 189 positions to address the budget shortfall. With so many funding questions, from the State and City, we will wait to report on the budget details after May 15.
“We are providing instruction through technology, we are feeding our students, and giving our families in need help and support, through compassion and care. There are many champions in our school district, employees, volunteers and donations from companies , that are making this happen,” said Quezada, who is leading the YPS through a difficult time not seen before with a focus on making sure his students are ok, even if he can’t see them in school for now.”
