Florida can’t fully reopen and parents can’t go back to work until there’s a plan to open schools.
The coronavirus has forced government officials across Florida to make many unprecedented decisions. Wednesday, the state Board of Education will start debate about one of the most important.
That is whether – and how – the state can safely reopen schools in August. Florida can’t reasonably begin to restart the state’s economy until parents stop trying to do double duty as employees and teachers.
Schools have been closed since midMarch under COVID-19 restrictions. Public and private schools have been trying to make do with distance learning, which at best is an acceptable stopgap.
Early results are mostly predictable. Online attendance has been weakest at schools with many students from lowincome families. Some teachers have struggled with the technology and are as stressed as their students. A survey of teachers showed most are worried about their students “falling behind.”
So first among the governor’s COVID-19 Education Recovery Plan recommendations is to “prevent academic slide.” That would begin with an expansion of summer classes “so we are not waiting to fail, but rather addressing gaps prior to the 2020-21 school year beginning.”
Over the summer and when the new year starts, “diagnostic assessment” would identify which students had the “largest digital slide” after schools closed. They would go into classes with lower studentteacher ratios. The “preference” for these classes is “face-to-face.”
Other recommendations for the summer include an expansion of third grade “literacy programming” to fourth and fifth grades. There also should be “social-emotional support” for students and teachers involved in summer programs.
Between August and December there would be “extended learning programming” for students whom assessments identify as at-risk because of distance learning and who are in extended day programs. “Intense interventions” would seek to keep students reading at grade level.
To appreciate the difficulty of this challenge, consider that these recommendations cover only what schools face in making up for distance learning gaps. They don’t address how the schools will operate, except to acknowledge that distance learning will remain a component until a vaccine or effective treatment emerges.
Superintendents already are contemplating their new abnormal. Palm Beach County Superintendent Donald Fennoy told WPEC-Channel 12, “We’re redesigning all of public education.”
Examples: No more crowded cafeterias and hallways. Schools will de-emphasize perfect attendance awards. They don’t want sick students toughing it out to make class. Traditional schools “will not look the same.”
Districts in Florida are discussing many options. Some children might return to campus in the fall while others — likely from more affluent homes — stick with distance learning. Students might attend in shifts. To maintain social distancing, some classes might take place outside or in gymnasiums.
The right-leaning American Enterprise Institute (AEI) just released its own recommendations after consulting with two dozen retired superintendents. Reopened schools, the report said, “will need modifications based on guidance from national and state health officials, which could include physical distancing, temperature screenings, and frequent disinfecting of classrooms.”
In addition, schools must accommodate the needs of faculty and staff who are at high risk of contracting the virus. About one in five teachers and one in four principals are over 55. Some who are younger have preexisting conditions that make them more vulnerable.
Finally, the AEI report notes another hard reality. Given the uncertain timetable for a vaccine, school districts should plan for the coming year and for 2021-22.
Yet many school districts in Florida could face these greater demands — including more students, as private school enrollment drops — with smaller budgets. Broward School Superintendent Robert Runcie has suggested that absent federal intervention, some school districts may see revenue shortfalls between 15% and 25%.
Education Week just reported that 31 districts are at major risk because they receive a disproportionate share of money from the state. Sales tax revenue, the main source of education money, has tanked because of virus restrictions.
The logical sources to fill budget gaps are the Legislature and Congress. At this point, legislative leaders seem disinclined to call a special session and amend their pre-virus budget. That would leave Gov. DeSantis to tap reserves. We prefer a special session.
Meanwhile, some Republicans in Congress
don’t want to pass another relief bill that would contain money for state and local governments. The CARES Act did contain $13.5 billion for education, but the Obama Administration’s 2009 stimulus during the financial crisis allocated $100 billion for education.
Without adequate money, none of the recommendations before the Board of Education today have a chance of succeeding.
“Given that school systems cannot reasonably have been expected to plan for the current situation,” the AEI report reads, “state and federal officials must help provide the resources schools need to help weather the crisis.”
Whatever school districts decide will likely inform private schools. They tend to follow the schedule of their home counties. We cannot overstate how important this moment is for the Florida Board of Education.
DeSantis could help by explaining soon how he will provide the testing and contact tracing systems that will give parents and teachers confidence about the safety of the schools.
Districts might use procedures that best fit their own areas, but Florida must develop a coordinated plan to reopen schools. Public health and the economy depend on it.
Editorials are the opinion of the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board and written by one of its members or a designee. The Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Rosemary O’Hara, Sergio Bustos, Steve Bousquet and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson.