California schools stalemate drags on as Gavin Newsom, teachers keep talking

Over a week after lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom said they were approaching a deal on school reopening, negotiations over how to return California’s students to classrooms have yet to yield any results.

The impasse adds to the frustration of parents and educators across who have been living with distance learning for nearly a year and are eager to see classrooms reopen as much as possible.

“People want their lives back and they want their kids to go back to school,” said Matt Rexroad, a California political consultant and former Yolo County supervisor.

Lawmakers and Newsom have been stuck since January, when the governor proposed $2 billion in special funding to help schools reopen while adhering to a set of safety guidelines outlined by the California Department of Public Health. He wanted most school districts to be on a path to reopen in-classroom teaching by this month.

But school districts and educators were wary about the standards for reopening, saying it would be hard to meet requirements around testing, and in some cases, could close schools that had already been able to open under previous guidance.

Newsom on Tuesday said he wants to get kindergarten through sixth grade students back in classrooms as soon as possible, and that it can be done safely.

“We are making progress, and it is stubborn,” the governor said of talks.

Teachers union launches ads

Vaccines for educators have been a major sticking point.

The powerful California Teachers Association for months has said vaccines will be a key part of reopening, and said the state should start by vaccinating educators who are already in schools and add others as they are required to report to campus.

Last week, the state opened up vaccine distribution to Californians 65 and older along with those working in agriculture and food, education and childcare, and emergency services. But teachers and some parents say schools shouldn’t reopen until it’s safe. The emergence of new variants could pose significant risks, CTA members say.

The CTA this week launched a television ad campaign warning that “COVID is still a threat.”

“Reopening requires real safety and accountability measures, and prioritizing vaccines for educators,” the ad says. “Reopen schools, putting safety first. “

Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco and chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee, said last week that he was confident lawmakers would reach an agreement soon. On Wednesday, Ting declined to comment on the talks as negotiations continued.

New plan from Sacramento assemblyman

Lawmakers are trotting out other ideas, outside of Newsom’s proposal.

Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento and chairman of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, on Tuesday outlined a plan that would require all schools to offer in-person instruction to certain vulnerable cohorts in all grades by mid-April.

Students who are chronically absent, homeless, lack access to distance learning tools, and English language learners would be eligible for return under that framework.

In addition to offering in-person instruction for vulnerable students in all grades, the state would require schools in counties in the red tier or better, with less than eight COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, to offer in-person instruction to all K-6 students.

The framework is not in print yet, but McCarty said it has been shared with Assembly and Senate leadership.

McCarty’s plan would provide $2 billion in reopening funds for this spring, $4.6 billion for learning loss recovery, and $6 billion in federal reopening aid for a total of $12.6 billion, he said Tuesday at a subcommittee hearing.

As far as vaccines, the plan would put essential school employees who are on campus first in line for the shots. California would then set aside a significant share of the state’s vaccine access to support getting all school employees ready for safe in person instruction, McCarty said.

Newsom on Wednesday reiterated that the state is prioritizing educators when it comes to the vaccine, and that he is working with the Legislature to clarify what that allocation and prioritization looks like, as it could include other school employees like janitors and bus drivers.

“We are trying to address all of that as part of a negotiation with the Legislature,” he said.

This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 5:00 AM.