Newsom’s plan to speed elementary school reopenings ‘not feasible,’ county superintendents say
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“We just don’t think it’s realistic for us to be able to meet the requirements to apply for this funding at this point,” said Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah.
None of Santa Cruz County’s public school districts are pursuing the faster path back to in-person classes offered by state’s Safe Schools for All plan, at least for now.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal carves out $2 billion to support districts to return elementary students to in-person learning starting Feb. 15. That amounts to $450 per student, with extra funds for students with high needs.
COVID K-12, Lookout’s overview of COVID-19’s impact on education, is among eight Lookout initiatives documenting all aspects of the pandemic this year. For more, go to our COVID 2021 section, sign up for COVID Text Alerts and our COVID PM newsletter here, and leave feedback and ask questions at the end of this story.
Along with the funds, however, would come a number of requirements.
A county’s average case rate would have to fall below 28 per 100,000 residents; Santa Cruz County’s adjusted rate was about 41 per 100,000 residents as of Monday.
Districts would also have to secure approval from their employee unions and offer weekly COVID-19 surveillance testing for students and teachers — both significant obstacles.
“We just don’t think it’s realistic for us to be able to meet the requirements to apply for this funding at this point,” said Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah.
The testing requirement represents a 10-fold increase above local schools current surveillance capacity of about 1,500 weekly tests, according to a letter to families sent by Sabbah and all district superintendents Friday.
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The testing requirement is “not feasible nor is it necessary,” the superintendents wrote, citing low rates of COVID-19 transmission seen in the county’s reopened private schools in the fall and their consultation with local health officials.
Superintendents kept the door cracked open to reconsidering should the plan — or local conditions — change.
“We’re always open to looking at possibilities, but I also think we have to be realistic about things we’re able to put in place,” Sabbah said.
Small groups of high-need students returned to in-person learning at local public schools in the fall. But the vast majority of public school students have continued with remote learning since schools shuttered their campuses in March.
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