Schools are planning for uncertain future

Schools across California are scheduled to reopen in just over two months, but few districts have figured out how to safely resume classes while covering the increased costs of inperson instruction during the coronavirus pandemic.

So far, there is more state guidance on how to operate a hair salon than a school.

State school chief Tony Thurmond said he will release guidelines for reopening in early June, but added that it’s increasingly clear that temperature checks, mandatory face masks and physical distancing will be in place.

“That means small class sizes at every school, small numbers of students on buses,” he said. “At schools, there will be individuals who will be taking temperatures of students.”

Thurmond also said he anticipates a hybrid model, with students participating in both distance learning and inclass instruction.

“The reality is that many of our districts have surveyed parents and some parents are asking for distance learning,” he said. “Other parents are saying, ‘Hey I’ve got to get back to work.’ ”

Districts across the state are in the planning stages, trying to figure when and how to reopen classrooms and hoping state guidelines will provide more clarity. San Francisco schools are expected to have a plan in place in midJuly.

While school officials wait for more details from Thurmond and state health officials, teachers and administrators fear that there will be no money to pay for whatever safety measures need to be put in place before students can come back.

“There’s no way schools can reopen safely without the funding to make sure all these pieces are in place,” said Claudia Briggs, spokeswoman for the California Teachers Association. “There’s no way.”

Schools will need an army of custodians to disinfect every light switch, door handle and desk each evening. Districts will need more staff to take temperatures, more money to buy enough masks for 6 million students and 180 days of school.

“We need adequate levels of funding,” said San Francisco Superintendent Vincent Matthews, “and without that, we will not be able to enact the guidance the state is providing for bringing students back into buildings.”

But instead of more money, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget includes $6.5 billion in education cuts because of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, Briggs said.

That could mean laying off 57,000 teachers or increasing class size by 19%, she said.

“This is a math problem that does not add up,” Briggs said.

It’s still unclear whether the state will mandate specific requirements to reopen schools — as it has done for retail and service industries or simply offer recommendations.

That makes a big difference in public education. California law requires the state to cover the cost of any mandate it issues for schools, so if the governor or state public health officials require students and teachers to wear masks or take temperatures, it appears the state would be required to pay for that.

The Los Angeles County Office of Education released a 43page set of guidelines for reopening schools in the fall, with recommendations for inclass settings, hybrid models and distance learning.

The guidance includes mandatory face masks for all staff and students, 6 feet of separation between students, including at lunch, and a plan to have teachers rather than students move between classrooms.

Distance learning will require one tablet or laptop for every child in the county, which includes about 2 million students in 80 districts.

Yet after more than two months of distance learning, too many students still don’t have online access and that needs to be fixed before the fall, Thurmond said.

That will require a significant investment in computers and WiFi access — with a shortage of at least 600,000 devices statewide. Ensuring all students have access to a digital education is not optional, he said.

“California needs at least $500 million to address immediate needs of our students,” he said, adding he’s urging companies, individuals and nonprofits to help. “We’ve had a digital divide in this county for decades, long before COVID. We’re drawing a line in the sand.”