JOHN FENSTERWALD: Large urban districts object to Gov. Newsom’s school reopening plan | EdSource

Large urban districts object to Gov. Newsom’s school reopening plan | EdSource

Large urban districts object to Gov. Newsom’s school reopening plan

They cite funding inequities and want the state to cover the full costs of  testing

Superintendents of seven urban school districts, including the state’s four largest, are strongly criticizing Gov. Gavin funding plan to allow districts to reopen classrooms as soon as Feb. 15.

They are urging the governor to design a different funding plan that considers their unique needs and warn: “If nothing changes, many students in high-need communities are at risk of being left behind.”

Their criticisms, in a Jan. 6 letter, indicate they won’t pursue the funding incentives for school reopening that Newsom tied to a series of requirements as proposed. The unified districts are Los Angeles, San Diego, Long Beach, Fresno, Oakland, San Francisco and Sacramento City.

“A funding model which supports only schools in communities less impacted by the virus is at odds with California’s long-standing efforts to provide more support to students from low-income families,” they argue. “It also reverses a decade-long CONTINUE READING: Large urban districts object to Gov. Newsom’s school reopening plan | EdSource