Crane Elementary School District looking at new ways to help students’ education during pandemic

News 11's Adonis Albright brings us the highlights of Tuesday night's Governing Board meeting

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Crane Elementary School District (CESD) held its Governing Board meeting Tuesday night, touching on several topics ahead of the new school year.

This includes a closer look at how students are handling distance learning as opposed to returning to the classroom, as well as the district's budget heading into the next school year.

With more than half of students returning to in-person instruction since February 8, the district is looking to help bridge the gap for students who are still learning remotely. This includes a 3 week summer camp, as well as a middle school program exploring STEM, among other fields.

“The exciting thing about this, is that this program is now budgeted for three years, which is exciting. That could, and should catapult us beyond where we would have been had this [pandemic] not happened", said Dr. Mike Hoffman, the Assistant Superintendent with CESD.

As for the district's budget, CESD noted that enrollment is down by 5% this school year, and has consistently been down for the past five years. Taking that into consideration, the Governing Board moved ahead with a 3% pay increase districtwide for 2022 -- a 0.25% increase from the year prior.

In a statement, CESD tells News 11 a final decision for when all students will return to in-person learning will be made by the end of the school year. In the meantime, district officials are closely monitoring the number of COVID-19 cases and the vaccine rollout to make a proper assessment.