The Dallas ISD board of trustees has gotten together in one of the last meeting on 2020 to tackle pandemic-related issues according to an NBC 5 DFW article published on November 19th. In it they say:
“The Dallas ISD board of trustees is set to meet Thursday night in one of their final meetings of 2020. From food storage to internet access and state requirements, it’s clear the pandemic has added onto their list of things to tackle heading into the new year. NBC 5 spoke with Michael Rosenberger, executive director of Food and Child Nutrition Services, about some of the side effects of the pandemic that they just didn’t expect. At Thursday’s meeting, his department hopes to solve one of those by finding a place to store excess food and supplies from a ‘logistical nightmare’ that occurred at the onset of the pandemic. ‘It was kind of crazy for a while,’ Rosenberger described.”
This school year has definitely posed a financial challenge. An article published on November 20th from NBC 5 DFW reveals that the Dallas ISD has had to spend $1.7 million on hand sanitizers alone and an extra $5million on sneeze guards. In the article they say:
“Six of the largest school districts in north Texas have already spent more than $137 million responding to COVID-19, according to records obtained by NBC 5 Investigates. The records detail millions of dollars spent on items including hand sanitizer, facemasks, plastic shields for desks, technology for remote learning, and even pay for teachers forced to quarantine.
At the Dallas Independent School District alone, the bill for hand sanitizer has already topped $1.7 million. Spending records show Dallas ISD has spent more than $5 million on sneeze guards for desks and another $2 million on stackable plastic bins so students can keep school supplies separated from their classmates. In all, COVID-19 has cost Dallas ISD more than $68 million so far with more than $30 million spent on things like cleaning supplies and protective equipment.”
And even with vaccines at the ready now, it’s unlikely that the effects of the pandemic will go away any time soon.