A classroom is empty at Kent Middle School during the coronavirus pandemic. | Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
SACRAMENTO – A frustrated governor Gavin Newsom said on Thursday that school administrators and teacher unions should agree as soon as possible to reopen schools for younger students – or make it clear to families that they will not be returning to classrooms for the entire term. academic year.
Newsom was responding to the growing demands that all teachers receive vaccines first, but also to a long list of conditions that go beyond what the governor has proposed as safe to reopen schools that have been closed for almost a year. The vast majority of California’s 6 million public school students have not been on campuses since March.
“If we wait for the perfect one, we can pretty much pack it all up and be honest with people that we’re not going to open for face-to-face classes this school year,” said Newsom during a candid conversation with the California School Administrators Association who were on YouTube, but then they became inaccessible.
“You find everything you are looking for. If we want to find reasons not to open, we will find many reasons, ”added Newsom. “If we want to start building strategies to find ways to get where we all want to go, we’ll find that out too.”
On Wednesday, the California Teachers’ Association sent a letter to Newsom asking teachers to be vaccinated before returning to K-12 campuses. Newsom prioritized teachers in their vaccination plan, but it is difficult to predict when more than 300,000 K-12 educators can actually receive the injection while the state faces widespread supply and distribution problems.
The governor’s frustration seemed to be linked to this reality. Education and daycare workers are eligible in the first layer of Phase 1B, which the state has activated. But Newsom two weeks ago added residents over the age of 65 to that level, and counties and health care providers have so far prioritized seniors over teachers, looking at the greatest health risk to the elderly population and an easier screening process for their age. . State public health officials estimate that it may take until June just to reach Californians 65 and older.
The governor proposed to have the youngest kindergarten students in transition until the return of second grade on February 16. But state legislators, school administrators and teachers’ unions have so far refused their reopening plan – which requires legislative approval – and that date seems almost impossible to reach now.
When questioned by ACSA Executive Director Wesley Smith on Thursday about union demands for vaccines, Newsom said primary schools are safe to reopen without them, pointing to research released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that shows which schools wearing masks and social distance protocols, they had little transmission of viruses and outbreaks.
Newsom reiterated that it placed teachers at the first level, but that counties decide where they fall at that level and that the state is still struggling with the offer.
“If everyone has to be vaccinated, we can simply tell people the truth: there will be no personal instruction in the state of California. Just tell them the truth. Don’t fool people, ”said Newsom. “If vaccination is absolute, then maybe we should have a different conversation with the people of the state of California and the parents.”
Newsom’s outspoken statement highlighted the governor’s frustration with attempts to reopen California classrooms. The governor offered a record amount of funding for schools and increased access to personal protective equipment and coronavirus testing as a way to encourage schools to reopen. His latest attempt includes $ 2 billion in donations that would go to elementary schools that he wants to open next month.
But his Schools for All plan was met with criticism from superintendents, unions and lawmakers. Some large districts say they cannot afford the testing requirements to be eligible, and that unions will not approve anything that does not include a vaccination plan.
Teachers and some parents remain wary of returning to campus due to persistent high rates of infection. While the winter surge is slowing, the spread of coronavirus remains higher than it was during most of autumn, when most school officials said it was not yet safe. Black low-income families have suffered more than others from the virus, and many indicated that they are more reluctant to send their children back.
The California Teachers’ Association said schools should only open at the red state level or better, which would require a county’s case rate to drop to less than seven daily cases per 100,000 residents. The governor’s new reopening plan says it is safe to return when cases reach 25 daily cases per 100,000 residents, more than three times what CTA considers acceptable.
Newsom acknowledged criticism of the plan on Thursday and expects the details to change in negotiations with the legislature, but said something needs to be done. The reopening targets outlined in his December proposal were to plant a “proverbial flag,” said Newsom, and intended to speed up reopening talks.
Newsom said that if schools do not act now, the academic loss for children will be worse than expected. President Joe Biden renewed his sense of urgency, promising to reopen schools in his first 100 days in office. But California has to do its own job now, or students at risk, like English students, will be pushed further back, the governor said.
“I can guarantee that the pressure we are receiving today will ease compared to where we will be in a few weeks if these numbers continue and other districts in the country start to move in the direction that the new government wants to move,” said Newsom.
Newsom applauded teachers for their work over the past year, but said that distance learning does not work for many students and discussed his fight against dyslexia as a child and his current struggle with his own four children.
Her 4-year-old son “is not learning” online, he said.
“He talks about the Zoom school, it’s not working for him. It’s not working for your parents, ”said Newsom. “… He just isn’t paying attention.”