Superintendents of seven of the state’s largest school districts, including Los Angeles and Long Beach Unified, have sent a letter to Governor Newsom asking for his new proposed reopening plan for schools.
Newsom’s Safer schools planned for all, released in late December, encourages California’s 1,037 public school districts to draw up plans for the provision of personalized education once COVID-19 cases reach a low enough threshold.
Once the district reopening guidelines have been approved and approved by local unions, provincial and government officials, they may be eligible to receive $ 450 per student. For LAUSD, that could mean at least $ 180 million.
But local school districts are not yet ready to jump on board. The letter argues that Newsom’s plan harms large school districts, such as LAUSD, which serve low-income families – many of which against coronavirus at excessive doses.
If those schools cannot open to personal learning because of the rising cases, local districts are worried that they may lose the money they offer. The letter calls Newsom’s proposal a reversal of the state’s commitment to equitable funding:
” In affluent communities where family members can work from home, schools can get more money. Low-income communities that carry the bulk of the virus will see schools with lower funding remain closed. ”
The state’s plan recognizes the potential for unequal support, and promises to weight funding for ‘districts serving students from low-income families, English pupils and foster children’.
Instead, the undersigned supervisors want money for all schools.
Superintendent Jill Baker of Long Beach Unified says she signed the letter because she supports the reopening of schools, but wants to see a global standard for it, instead of leaving it to individual districts, as suggested by the Safer Schools Plan .
“None of the school districts were consulted on the plan before it was announced,” Baker said. “The letter was an attempt to describe what we think should be done from here on out as the largest urban districts in the state of California.”
Baker says Long Beach Unified may only receive residual funding under Newsom’s plan, after smaller districts with lower rates get the first opportunities.
As of Jan. 5, Los Angeles County had a daily new case of 65.8 positive cases of coronavirus out of 100,000 residents, adjusted for testing. To reopen classes, a country must report less than 28 positive cases out of 100,000 residents over an average of seven days.
“Our proposal is to think about an equity-centric approach, to look at the different needs in the state,” Baker said.
Along with the demands regarding equal funding, the letter sets out several other statements and recommendations:
- The districts say they are ready to teach in person when health standards are met and the state stipulates that schools must be open
- Basic reopening guidelines should be standardized for each school district. Once safe, all districts should be required to offer personalized instruction
- Public health funds, not money out Proposal 98, should be used for COVID-19 testing on school premises and other health related costs
- COVID-19 tests and vaccinations must be integrated with schools and funded by the state
- Supplementary state funding must contribute to the reopening of special education personally
- The state must explain how COVID-19 case load thresholds are determined to decide whether personal education is safe
UPDATE, Jan. 7, 12 p.m .: This article has been updated to reflect the coronavirus rate in Los Angeles County.
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