Date of reopening of Somerton elementary schools remains in limbo

SOMERTON – The decision on when to reopen elementary schools here is on hold pending any swings in the pandemic in the coming weeks.

The governing board recently rejected a proposal by Somerton Elementary School District’s administration to reopen schools on March 15, following spring break.

The board instead voted to reconsider an opening date at its March 9 meeting, depending on such factors at that time as how many new coronavirus are reported each day and what percentage of COVID-19 tests are positive.

The decision came as Superintendent Laura Noel released the results of a survey of parents in the district. The poll found that 16% want a return to in-person learning, 17% favor waiting until the COVID-19 risk is at a moderate level and 26% want to wait until it’s at a low level.

But 47% of those surveyed also said they prefer that their kids not return to classroom for the remainder of the school year.

“With the information that we have now, I don’t feel confident in saying we should begin (school reopenings),” board president Juan Castillo said. “Things can change, and we still have another meeting, on March 9, to be able to decide and see how things develop.”

But board member Daniel Paz favored reopening Somerton schools on March 15.

“I don’t see any problem,” Paz said. “Our children are suffering from being at home all the time and they are not doing well academically. We need to return. The people need it.”

Board members Lorena Zendejas, Cristina Clark and Louie Galaviz sided with Castillo in waiting until March 15 to consider a reopening date.

“I believe there is a downward trend (of COVID-19) and that things are improving,” Galaviz said. “A lot of people are asking for reopening because they hear that (the) Crane (Elementary School District) opened. Everyone is optimistic and we are going in the right direction, but I think we should wait more time to decide.”

Noel said the Somerton school principals are ready to reopen their campuses as soon as the board directs. But she said that if they were to reopen in March, they would do so under a hybrid model, with parents having the option of keeping their children at home and learning online through the end of the year.

She added that school, once reopened, will follow all safety measures, including requiring social distancing and use of facemasks, making available hand gel and disinfecting classrooms frequently.

Meanwhile, she added, more than 70% of the district’s teachers and other personnel are expected to have been vaccinated against the coronavirus by the end of this month.

BANGKOK – World shares started the week off with a rally, as Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed above 30,000 for the first time since August 1990.

European markets closed sharply higher on Monday, following an advance in Asia. Shanghai and Hong Kong were closed for the Lunar New Year. U.S. markets remained closed Monday for Washington’s Birthday.

Optimism that the U.S. government will come through on trillions of dollars of more aid for the economy and encouraging company earnings reports have helped stocks grind higher this month, along with hopes that the coronavirus vaccine rollout will set the stage for stronger economic growth in the second half of this year.

Democrats have decided to use a legislative process that does not require Republican support to pass the $1.9 trillion package proposed by President Joe Biden.

“Markets remain target fixated on the Biden stimulus and vaccine rollouts as the magic panacea for the world’s pandemic ills,” Jeffrey Halley of Oanda said in a commentary. That has translated into higher stock prices, with the world awash with stimulus funds seeking returns in a world where interest rates are around zero percent, he said.

Germany’s DAX gained 0.4% to 14,109.48 while the CAC40 in Paris rose 1.5% to 5,786.25. Britain’s FTSE 100 surged 2.5% to 6,756.11. U.S. futures also rose, with the contract for the S&P 500 up 0.5%. The future for the Dow industrials rose 0.6%.

The strong buying in Tokyo was driven by news that the Japanese economy grew at a nearly 13% annual pace in the last quarter, and by strong corporate earnings reports.