Teacher ‘ just can’t be exposed to COVID’
Andrea Norem loves teaching English at New Milford High School.
It’s a job she has been unable to perform since in- person learning resumed in the fall because she has an immune system her doctor says would not survive the COVID- 19 virus.
She has been living off short- term disability checks since her sick time ran out on Oct. 13.
Norem has ideas how schools should spend their share of the new stimulus relief bill on its way to Connecticut.
“I think providing accommodations for those who can’t work is a good idea, definitely,” said Norem.
According to Gov. Ned Lamont, Connecticut will get $ 8 billion of federal stimulus relief. Of that, $ 492.4 million will go to K- 12 education and $ 225.1 million to public and private colleges and universities.
Peter Yazbak, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, said districts will get funding based on the formula used to distribute federal Title 1 funds.
Stimulus money can be used for school facilities repairs to improve indoor air quality.
It can also help address learning loss among students.
Don Williams, executive director of the Connecticut Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, said one way to address learning loss is to stop making teachers instruct two groups of students at once: those in front of them and those learning remotely.
“It provides a diminished presentation to both,” said Williams.
His solution is to have the teachers who must work from home be the ones to teach students learning remotely.
Outgoing state education “Commissioner ( Miguel) Cardona said that is something that should happen but there is not a mandate for that,” said Williams.
It is unclear how many teachers unable to work in schools are being allowed to teach from home. Some, say the CEA, have been forced to retire or resign.
“Many teachers ( are) in between and struggling like Andrea,” said Nancy Andrews, a CEA spokeswoman.
Norem has taught 35 years but only 17 in public schools. Approaching 60, she said she is too young to retire. Her husband recently had surgery and is out of work. She cares for her 93year- old mother and has two children living at home.
Diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that causes weight loss and an inability to digest food properly, Norem tires easily.
“It’s hard,” she said. “Sometimes, we have to determine what to pay, how much and when. Christmas was hard. I don’t mean to complain and I don’t want to make it sound like I am angry at the district. It’s just ( teachers) are important. It doesn’t seem people get that.”
If she were healthy, Norem said she’d be in school. If offered the vaccine and her doctor approves, she said she will take it.
“I love what I do,” she said. “I just can’t be exposed to COVID.”
Williams said some stimulus money should be spent on random COVID- 19 testing in schools and agrees with investing some to improve school air quality, which he said was a health concern even before the pandemic.
As for higher education, the University of Connecticut has a list ready on how to spend its share of the stimulus package, estimated at $ 32.2 million.
Some $ 10.7 million will be spent on student financial aid. The rest will go to defray expenses associated with the novel coronavirus, including lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred and technology costs associated with distance education.
“This relief package will enable UConn to respond to the growing demand for emergency assistance, as many students are facing serious and unexpected financial hardship that may endanger their ability to remain enrolled at the university,” said Nathan Fuerst, UConn’s Vice President for Enrollment Planning and Management.
The aid will also help UConn close a projected deficit of $ 8 million in this fiscal year and mitigate a projected deficit in the next fiscal year, which begins in July 2021, he said.
The Connecticut College and University system, which oversees 17 other public institutions in the state, has not indicated how it will divvy up its stimulus money.