Why there’s ‘a real feeling of hope’ Sacramento city schools could reopen next month
After months of stalled talks, there’s sudden movement in the effort to reopen schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District.
District officials and the Sacramento City Teachers Association union have proposed the same reopening dates, beginning April 8, in a rare point of consensus between the sides as they work to return students back to campus for the first time in more than a year. Declining COVID-19 infection rates in Sacramento County – combined with the rapid vaccination of district teachers and staff – have contributed to a sense of optimism that families will have the option of sending students to school this academic year.
“As we begin this process to move forward to a safe reopening, we are overjoyed at the thought of welcoming students back in person,” district spokeswoman Tara Gallegos said. “This last year has been difficult for our families, staff and community. It is time for us to return together to better support our students in the classrooms where they need us.”
A reopening proposal from the SCTA stated “all SCUSD employees will have been vaccinated ... and that Sacramento County will have been in the red tier (of coronavirus spread) for two weeks” before resuming in-person instruction — goals union president David Fisher said are realistic.
“Everything in there is meant to be doable,” Fisher said.
Still, there appears to be at least one sticking point in the negotiations.
The union wants each classroom to have either a central HVAC system equipped with a filter with a minimum efficiency reporting value — also known as MERV — of 13, or an HVAC system with MERV-8 filters and an additional portable air filtration unit to make up the difference. In either case, the union wants carbon dioxide monitors in place.
There is no state or county requirement for schools to upgrade air filtration systems before reopening. The district has met local, state and federal guidelines with ventilation requirements.
Gallegos said the district has already gone above and beyond by implementing extra measures to improve air quality. The district has stated that it plans on using MERV-8 filters in some classrooms and MERV-13 filters in others.
Fisher acknowledged that ventilation prescriptions could be a deciding factor in reaching a reopening agreement, but argued the union’s more stringent demands would be beneficial not only to teachers, but students in classrooms as well.
“We’re going through it with everybody,” he said. “But there’s a real feeling of hope, and the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.”
Reopening dates, teacher vaccinations
Both sides have proposed an April 8 return for pre-kindergarten through third grade students, plus students in kindergarten through sixth grade special day classes. On April 15, fourth through sixth grade students would return, and on May 6, all seventh through twelve grade students would return.
As for the red tier requirement proposed by SCTA, Sacramento County is currently in the purple tier, the most restrictive of California’s color coded system used to track the spread of coronavirus. However, the county’s rate of infections has been steadily dropping in recent weeks, and nearby areas have started to enter less restrictive tiers. Last week, Yolo County was officially promoted to the red tier.
Vaccination of Sacramento County educators is already well underway. Teachers and educational staff began receiving vaccinations on Feb. 16, and the district estimated that all employees would be offered vaccines within a month.
More than 2,000 district employees have been vaccinated and most district employees have received an invitation to receive a vaccine.
Although some teachers initially complained about limited appointment slots, Fisher said the vaccination situation has improved significantly since its initial announcement.
The rollout, “obviously a big undertaking,” was rocky early on, when doses were more limited and the process was slower. But Fisher believes the target date for reopening now seems “well within” the realm of possibility.
Classroom ventilation
The district’s official reopening dashboard indicates that it will be using several different approaches to improve air filtration, such as leaving windows and doors open to increase airflow, using MERV-13 filters where possible, keeping dampeners open and running HVAC units continuously.
The district also hired a third-party architectural firm to assess school sites’ COVID-19 mitigation steps before reopening.
The district in November purchased $6 million worth of ultraviolet light devices marketed as air cleaners that eliminate coronavirus in the air. However, many experts have questioned their utility and cost. The district later removed those UV units from classrooms in order to test their effectiveness, but did not cancel its contract with vendor Johnson Controls.
“I think both the district and ourselves and the teachers see the importance of proper ventilation,” Fisher said.
Another point of continued debate is the pedagogic methodology that teachers are expected to adhere to once back in classrooms. The union’s proposal states that the district and union may “continue to negotiate over the Instructional Models related to the commencement of in-person schools.” Fisher said it would be better to first agree to a few basic premises before hashing out more complex details with the district.
The district and the union also reached an agreement Friday regarding special education assessments.
That agreement, signed by representatives of both parties and posted publicly by the district, states that one-on-one, in-person assessments with special needs students may begin with precautionary COVID-19 measures in place.
Districts respond to Newsom’s push to reopen in March
While Sacramento City Unified plans to reopen in early April, some age groups across the state are being pressured to reopen by by the end of March under a deal Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders announced Monday.
The deal aims to use $2 billion in grants to incentivize schools to reopen for students in kindergarten through second grade by the end of the month. For every day schools miss the April 1 deadline, they will lose 1% of the funding.
It’s unclear how much money would be at stake if Sacramento City Unified moved forward with its April 8 reopening date, five school days after the state deadline.
Gallegos said district officials are encouraged by Newsom’s announcement.
“We are working diligently to reopen our campuses and have demonstrated that we will be ready to do so under local, state, and federal requirements, including those outlined in the bill,” Gallegos said in a statement to The Sacramento Bee. “While we have announced a reopening date beginning April 8, we will consider the incentives and requirements as laid out in the bill announced (this week). We know many of our families are ready to return in person, and we look forward to offering them that choice.”
Most of the 13 public school districts in Sacramento County have announced reopening dates before the April 1 deadline.
San Juan Unified’s reopening dates for different grade levels have not been finalized, but the district plans to return to in-person learning once the county reaches the red tier. It’s likely the county will enter the red tier by the end of March, allowing the district to reopen some of its grade levels before the April 1 deadline.
“We’re still analyzing the details of (this week’s) state announcement,” read a statement from district spokesperson Trent Allen. “Safety is our primary concern in working to offer students the option to return to in-person learning rather than funding. We are currently in conversations exploring how we might advance that timeline to align with the state’s revised Jan. 14 guidance and hope to have news to share shortly but that work has not been influenced by yesterday’s state announcement.”
This story was originally published March 3, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
