It’s no secret that public schooling is all about the money. Teachers are never paid enough. Failing school? Throw more money at it – maybe in the form of high-priced consultants or more testing.
The problem Covid-19 posed, of course, to public schools’ bottom line is, of course, that it’s hard to justify the astronomical costs of running these schools when they haven’t been open for a year. California is set to remedy that with – you guessed it – even more money, now bribing districts to reopen by March 31 to receive extra funding ($2 billion). “Get it while it lasts,” because every extra day they wait after that, they will lose out. An addition $4.6 billion will be made available to all schools, regardless of how they offer instruction.
Eighty-five percent of the money must be used for in-person instruction: perhaps summer school or extended hours for struggling students (because you know virtual school didn’t work out for many).
Specifics such as how many days or for how long students will be in school, haven’t been addressed. Some lawmakers suggest that the reopening could mean just 12 days of in-person instruction between now and the start of summer break. But for a district to receive funding, all K-2nd grade schools must reopen, but only one middle school and one high school grade need to have in-person classes.
Here’s a look at what’s in California’s $6.6 billion school reopening law (KTLA 5)
Newsom signs California schools bill, but SF Democrat says leaders still must ‘beg’ for reopening (Politico)
Where Your Children Are 