Many questions left to answer on reopening

The divide between rich and poor school districts is evident in so many areas, but the coming year could throw the differences into even starker relief. Nearly everyone agrees that the preferred solution this fall is to return as many children as possible to school in person, and resume something close to a normal routine. Children benefit from social interaction with their peers and teachers, and it’s hard to say how much learning actually happens over the internet at a young age. But achieving that desired result in the face of the coronavirus pandemic is not going to be easy.

The state Department of Education has released a 50-page book of requirements and recommendations for the coming school year covering many issues that are likely to arise with a fall reopening, with an emphasis on limiting the spread of the disease and keeping people safe. Still, nothing about the process will be simple, and asking districts to come up with ways to keep students and teachers physically separated during the course of a normal school day will put a tremendous strain on resources.

Some officials say it will cause undue strain on districts that are already suffering, while better-off towns will be able to weather the difficulties. The danger is that social distancing requirements will exacerbate the already wide gap between rich and poor towns and set back even further those districts that already struggle to keep up.

Gov. Ned Lamont insists that’s not the case, and that the state can provide help to close those gaps. Districts have a few weeks to formulate plans for reopening and come to the state with cost estimates, and the state will respond with aid, the governor says.

Still, educators are right to be wary. The state itself is in a precarious financial situation, even with declining numbers of COVID-19 cases. Federal unemployment figures released on Thursday, while showing an improvement, indicate there’s still a long road ahead to rebuilding the economy. Thousands of people remain out of work because of the virus, and that means less money coming into state coffers and more sacrifices that will be needed at every level of government. Counting on the state to make ends meet seems a dicey proposition.

All that said, hardly anyone likes the idea of a return to full-time distance learning. The danger there is that some students disengage and fall even further behind. To ensure every child is learning, there is no substitute for in-person teaching.

What the state needs is more details. The 50 pages from the state Department of Education have not answered the many questions posed by a fall reopening, and have in fact raised many more questions. No one seems to be sure how to make it work simply in terms of physical space, since classrooms are not designed with social distancing in mind.

It’s less than two months until schools are set to begin reopening. Time is fleeting. The state has the right goals in mind when it comes to education, but it has to do more to allay people’s fears about the coming year, and it has to do so quickly.

Educators are right to be wary. The state itself is in a precarious financial situation, even with declining numbers of COVID-19 cases.