I wish that we were all back in school, that our kids were there, (and) that we could have a traditional graduation.”

Dr. Jonathan Brice

Every morning starts out pretty much the same for Dr. Jonathan Brice, superintendent of the Bristol Warren Regional School District: Wake up, have breakfast, hop on the computer for the 380-mile commute to work.

While all the state’s educators are working remotely, few if any are as physically removed as Dr. Brice, who since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis has been together with his wife, children and grandchildren just outside of Baltimore, Md. As an educator used to a routine for the past 27 years, he said, getting used to the “new normal” of working remotely has gradually become easier, but has presented challenges. There is much he misses:

“Clearly the job is impacted, because so much of the job was meeting people face to face,” he said. “The big downside for me is this is just not normal. I’ve been a professional educator for 26, 27 years. There’s a cycle to the school year and we are absolutely off-cycle right now.”

Still, he said Tuesday, the situation has its upsides, as commuting electronically has brought scales of efficiency to the job that previously were difficult, if not un-doable.

“If we didn’t have technology this wouldn’t be possible,” he said, pausing five minutes into his 3 p.m. interview to answer a separate call from Kathryn Brown, his administrative assistant back in Bristol.

“I’m used to having meetings either in my office, at schools or around town, so you’re not able to do that. (But) in some ways it’s more efficient. You don’t have to drive from meeting to meeting and you don’t have to move. All you have to do is open your browser.

No normal days

Though there are no normal work days, he said, most are structured similarly. Apart from the regular correspondence he has through email and one-on-one telephone calls, his daily schedule includes:

* 8:30 a.m.: Administrators’ group call on Google Hangouts, “just to make sure that everybody is up to speed. We leave the school-based admins out of that because they’re usually talking to teachers."

* Morning: “I also try to get in and (via the Internet) visit classrooms.”

* 1 p.m.: Watch Gov. Gina Raimondo’s daily briefing to see if there’s any news that will impact the district, and look out for other updates from the Department of Education, Department of Health and the like.

* 2:15 p.m.: Conference call with all district administrators, “so that all school leaders can check in and talk about what they’re seeing.”

* Later afternoon: Calls and conferences with representatives of the district’s various unions, as well as talks with parents, teachers and municipal leaders.

* Night: Following scheduled appointments, Dr. Brice said he goes over his e-mails again and participates in Zoom or Google-based online meetings when they're scheduled.

“I think we’ve done over 30 staff updates, 12 or 13 community updates, the Joint Finance Committee meeting, multiple school committee meetings, and PTO meetings with every school,” he said.

Preparing to leave, and return

Dr. Brice had been renting an apartment in East Providence since before being signed to a long-term contract by the school committee last year. But when it became clear that schools would be shut down in favor of distance learning, and that a stay-at-home order would be issued, he and his fellow administrators started putting procedures in place to communicate effectively from a distance. 

Was it a difficult decision to finally leave?

“No,” he said. “My priority is my faith, it’s my family and it’s my profession, and it’s in that order.”

Still, two months into the forced experiment, he believes the district has done well educating its students. “I would compare our district to any other district in America. I think the staff and the teachers are doing an amazing job.”

Though he is not locked in to a date yet, he told Bristol Warren Regional School Committee Chairwoman Erin Schofield recently that he hopes to be physically back in Bristol Warren by the beginning of June.

“I wanted us to get through Phase I (of the state’s re-opening plan) and to be back in time for all the activities related to graduation and the end of the year close-out,” he said. “I know when I go back (that) I’m not going to have people working in the office (but) there are just some things that I physically want to see in action; all the preparations for graduation, Dr. D (Mt. Hope Principal Deb DeBiase) and her team doing a great job; I don’t want to miss those things.”

And going forward, he believes the district’s distance working could pay off even after the virus is gone:

“On (Tuesday’s) afternoon call, we sort of batted around for a moment or two whether we would continue to have an afternoon call with administrators even when we were back in the buildings,” he said. “Do we continue to have a daily staff update? Do we continue to meet like this? Because that will help people to see things that are on the horizon. So there are some things that we’re going to take from this.”

“But I wish that we were all back in school, that our kids were there, (and) that we could have a traditional graduation.”

Schofield's take

Ms. Schofield sent the Warren Times-Gazette this statement when asked about Dr. Brice’s decision to leave the district and work from Maryland:

“Just as students and teachers are able to do what is required to be successful right now, the Superintendent has effectively been running the district remotely. This is a time when we should all be with our families, working from home, when we can. 

Our teachers, administrators and staff are working from home and putting in 110%. Likewise, Dr.Brice has a packed schedule everyday. He has a full slate of virtual meetings, he’s responding to parent emails, and he’s  sending out regular communications to families and staff. We are lucky to have the capability to do what we need to do virtually so that the district runs smoothly during this time. 

I am so proud of the work our district employees and our Superintendent are doing to ensure that our students are continuing to learn and our families are feeling supported. There are many districts around the country that are struggling with the transition, and we are fortunate to be in a position where meaningful teaching and learning, although different, can continue.

While the Superintendent is currently working full-time remotely, he plans to be back in Bristol-Warren by June 1st, in advance of Graduation and end-of-year ceremonies.

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