⏩ S.F. school reopening:
Partial opening plan still leaves many frustrated
Board OKs plan for in-person instruction to start April 12, but many still dissatisfied.
San Francisco public schools are expected to begin inperson learning for preschool through fifth graders, special education students and vulnerable older groups starting April 12, after the school board unanimously approved a reopening plan Thursday. But even as the plans move forward, frustration and bickering continue to plague the process.
Under the plan, some students would reenter classrooms for four full days and one partial day each week, while others would go back two full days and spend the remaining three days distance learning, depending on the demand for inperson learning at each school.
The deal also needs signoff by teachers, who have until Saturday to vote on the deal.
“We absolutely want to do everything we can to get children back into classrooms because it’s the right thing to do,” Superintendent Vince Matthews said at the meeting.
Despite calls to bring middle and high schoolers back as well, officials have said that most older students — except those at risk or
with disabilities — likely will not return before the end of the school year on June 2.
The agreement is a major step in reopening S.F. public schools after they closed over a year ago. It comes after months of deadlock when city officials and parents continued to pressure the board to reopen schools through a lawsuit, protests and a possible recall of board members. Families and experts pointed to the devastating effects of school closures on Bay Area children, from failing grades to mounting depression. Teachers said they shared those concerns but were hesitant to go back because of safety issues.
While both sides agreed to a deal at the bargaining table, many teachers have lambasted what the agreement will mean in terms of an average workday. Teachers will be crunched for time, juggling both online and inperson students separately, with little time for a bathroom break or planning lessons.
The union is organizing a car caravan for Sunday to demand changes to the daily schedule, which is separate from the formal agreement, and would require teachers in reopened schools to do both online and inperson instruction each day.
Under the proposed schedule, teachers would be instructing online or in person 5.75 hours per day, not including lunch, recess and planning time, with teachers on the clock for 7.5 hours.
The instructional schedule leaves no time to grade or call parents, said Shona Mitchell, an elementary dance teacher.
“A lot of teachers felt a little bit blindsided,” she said. “There are no perfect solutions, but I’m just worried this is an incredibly imperfect solution.”
She suggested reducing the amount of inperson instruction to help balance out the day.
“It’s creating a lot of conflict within our little school,” one teacher said at Thursday’s board meeting meeting.
West Portal kindergarten teacher David Moisl, however, can’t wait to get back to class no matter what the schedule is.
“This is a maximum of seven weeks that you will be working under this schedule,” he said. “I think this is a small sacrifice to make by teachers.”
According to district officials, the schedule is a compromise based on teachers wanting to remain with their students. That resulted in each teacher doing both online and inperson classes each day, district officials said.
“We’re trying to bring students back to inperson learning coming out of a pandemic,” said Matthews. “The important aspect is that I hope people keep in mind we’re all doing this together.”
Teachers are concerned about insufficient planning time and shortchanging those who remain in distance learning, Susan Solomon, president of the United Educators of San Francisco, told The Chronicle on Thursday.
“Teachers and support staff — UESF members — are the experts in what is needed to plan for and deliver quality instruction, she said.”
Even with Thursday’s vote to reopen, it’s uncertain what the fall will look for schools, and the district faces additional challenges in light of the news Wednesday that Matthews will retire at the end of the school year.