The letter sent Wednesday to Newsom makes clear that the superintendents don’t think the state is doing enough to reduce virus rates in low-income communities and that the governor’s initial intention to give $450 per student to schools with in-person learning could wind up helping wealthier communities and punishing poorer ones.
“Our schools stand ready to resume in-person instruction as soon as health conditions are safe and appropriate,” the letter says. “But we cannot do it alone.”
The governor’s office did not respond to a request for a comment about the letter. Tony Thurmond, state superintendent of public instruction, said in an email: “We must ensure that any resources, guidance, and supports provided to our schools at this critical time maintain an urgent focus on addressing the equity and opportunity gaps that have widened during this pandemic. I support the governor’s proposal and its goals, and I think it’s important that we listen to our school leaders in the field who are asking for more."
Newsom announced his “Safe Schools for All” plan on Dec. 30, saying that he wanted to spend $2 billion to help schools reopen starting in February — even as coronavirus infection and hospitalization rates are soaring in parts of the state.
The reopening plan calls for first bringing back students from preschool to Grade 2 and students who are vulnerable and have special needs, with other grade levels returning on a phased schedule starting in March.
But critics, while praising the intent, immediately slammed it for being incomplete and confusing. The Los Angeles Times’s editorial board wrote on Dec. 30: “It’s entirely possible that low-income schools will receive the worst of everything — no new funding, kids still stuck learning from home — while those in more affluent areas open for business and get $450 per student extra to boot.”
The school superintendents who wrote the letter collectively educate one-quarter of all students in California. They are Bob Nelson of Fresno Unified School District, Jill Baker of Long Beach Unified, Austin Beutner of Los Angeles Unified, Kyla Johnson-Trammell of Oakland Unified, Jorge A. Aguilar of Sacramento City Unified, Cindy Marten of San Diego Unified and Vincent Matthews of San Francisco Unified. Los Angeles Unified is the second-largest school district in the country.
Their letter says Newsom’s plan “does not address the disproportionate impact the virus is having on low-income communities of color” and that the plan to give $450 per student (which could go higher) to schools that have reopened to in-person learning effectively will hurt low-income areas. CONTINUE READING: 7 key California school superintendents blast governor’s new school reopening plan - The Washington Post
