Conversations with school leaders continue to be focused on emerging options for schooling.  While many started the year in full-virtual mode, plans continue to be developed to shift to hybrid with an intention to get back to full-in-person at some point in the future.  At this stage very few educators would say that we have hit our stride and it is clear that shifting into different modes on a rolling basis is stretching the limits of our current systems and structures.  While we see some innovative models, such as the approach in Indianapolis that includes collaboration with childcare providers, staffing remains one of the main constraints in many communities.  As a result, we have been exploring options to address this question: how might we rethink staffing to create flexible options for all students? 

This post will focus on staffing at the elementary level.  In some ways, the conventional approach to elementary teacher staffing is relatively simple and straightforward.  In California, for example, transitional kindergarten through…