Back to school means something new this year

Fall classes at Anchorage School District (ASD) started up Aug. 20 and classes at the University of Alaska Anchorage started Aug. 24. This is the traditional season of reconnection, new beginnings and newly focused expectations. But this year everything is different. Students from kindergarten to graduate school are returning to Zoom screens rather than classrooms. Students and their families are feeling disappointment and uneasiness. My eight grandchildren enrolled in ASD schools are feeling a little “off.”

This is different than March. The sudden disruptions in our lives at the beginning of the pandemic were accepted as short-term heroic adjustments to an extraordinary event. Muscle memory born from our shared responses to earthquakes, natural disasters and personal tragedies kicked in and we moved ahead determined and confident. Now we just feel tired. This week our families and our community feel let down, stressed and a bit adrift.

The decision by both ASD and UAA to adopt a virtual teaching model was a difficult one, but it was the right one. These decisions were consistent with Anchorage’s aggressive and successful public policy approach to combating the pandemic. That approach is working. At a time of unprecedented political division, our mayor, a Democrat, is collaborating closely and successfully with our Republican governor in sending out clear messages on how to battle the pandemic. City government and the medical community have collaborated to establish a highly effective COVID-19 testing systems. City government has also assisted with medical logistics by doing such things as helping provide adequate personal protective equipment.

The community has followed our leaders in taking the pandemic seriously. Nearly everyone is wearing masks in public spaces and is doing their best at social distancing. We have accepted personal inconvenience out of respect for the well-being of our neighbors. I still haven’t found a mask that that totally keeps my glasses from fogging up, but to date have avoided getting run over in the Costco parking lot.

The short-term payoff for our sacrifice has been impressive. Alaska has the second-lowest COVID-19 death rate per capita of all the states, as well as one of the lowest infection rates in the country. Our death rate is 7% of the U.S. average and our infection rate is 37 percent of the U.S. average. These rates are largely the result of our responsible behavior as a community, the competence of our governmental units and our educational systems.

The long-term payoffs for our community cohesion and shared sacrifice could be huge during the period of seismic world realignment in the post-pandemic era. Historically, geography has been the greatest impediment to Alaska’s development. In a post-pandemic world where Zoom is the norm, geography will be much less important. Many citizens traumatized by COVID-19 and civic unrest have begun thinking about relocating to places offering greater security and peace of mind. They are looking for a place with community cohesion, competent government and good educational systems that put the needs and safety of students first. They will be looking for a place just like Anchorage.

ASD is a well-run school system that is once again displaying a high level of responsibility and talent in meeting the varied needs of a highly diverse student population during a time of crisis. UAA has also shown solid and effective leadership. In May, during a time of great uncertainty, Chancellor Cathy Sandeen of UAA announced that all fall courses would be virtual, thus allowing professors a full three months to develop high quality course content suitable for virtual delivery. Having spent much of her career leading online learning institutions, she is especially well positioned to lead UAA at this time.

Our short-term individual sacrifices, especially the sacrifices related to education, are having big short-term payoff. They could have even bigger long-term payoffs. As we navigate these uncertain days of the new school year, let’s take a few minutes to congratulate ourselves on what we have done. Let’s also think about the possibilities of the new world we are pioneering.

David Hoffman is the founder and former CEO of Alaska Growth Capital and CEO of other Alaska businesses. He and his business partner Sean McLaughlin own Craig Taylor Equipment, a 65-year-old Alaskan company that operates four branches statewide.

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