With coronavirus still here, open schools in July? Here’s what Stanislaus educators say
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement Tuesday that California schools could reopen as early as July surprised and frustrated Stanislaus County’s education chief.
“I don’t appreciate some of these premature comments. They’re putting expectations on school districts that we don’t know are practical or feasible. Some suggestions could be extremely costly,” Stanislaus County Superintendent of Education Scott Kuykendall said by phone Wednesday morning.
Of this and earlier remarks Newsom has made about education — like when he said a few weeks ago that social-distancing protocols will be in place when schools reopen — Kuykendall said, “I’m talking to 58 county schools superintendents and we’re asking, where is this coming from? Nobody’s talking to us, getting our input.”
It’s not fair of the state to leave school districts scrambling to learn what remarks mean and to answer questions from their communities, he said. “We would much rather focus our time on distance learning and other things we need to get right immediately.”
Modesto City Schools Superintendent Sara Noguchi said she, too, was surprised by Newsom’s remarks. The governor and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond should be working closely with school districts on expectations and recommendations “because it’s difficult to navigate some of the ideas coming out of these press conferences,” she said.
A school district can’t create an edict such as starting the school year early without going through its labor partners, Noguchi said. Kuykendall agreed, saying it wouldn’t be feasible to go back to the bargaining table with unions to negotiate a new schedule for the school year just to pick up a week or two of class time.
As it is, all school districts within Stanislaus County start their year within the first three weeks of August. Modesto City Schools, for instance, starts Monday, Aug. 10.
Kuykendall said he believes the governor’s remarks were directed at some large school districts that traditionally begin their school years after Labor Day. But having to speculate on that goes to his and Noguchi’s concern that they’re not getting clear communication from the state level.
Noguchi noted that after the news conference, Thurmond issued a press release in which he said, “We all heard for the first time today the idea of schools reopening as early as July or August.” That the state superintendent referred to hearing the idea “for the first time” Tuesday “tells me they’re not talking,” she said.
Superintendents set Facebook Live
Kuykendall and Noguchi planned to join Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Kristin Olsen Wednesday afternoon for a live Q&A on the Facebook page of the county Office of Emergency Services. The panel was lined up prior to the governor’s news conference Tuesday, and Kuykendall said topics will include distance learning, summer school and preparations for the next school year.
The majority, if not all, school districts in Stanislaus County have summer school, Kuykendall said. What he believes will happen this summer is that elementary districts, if they typically have summer programs for enrichment only, may postpone those. The priority for high schools, meanwhile, will be offering students opportunities for credit recovery to be on track for graduation, he said.
Noguchi said her staff is “right in the middle” of planning summer school. The district realizes that for K-6 students, there’s always a “summer slide” and a dip in learning. So English and math distance-learning will be offered for kids who are scoring below grade level, “which is many,” she said.
For high-schoolers, summer school is indeed about grade recovery, she agreed. She also noted that all computers sent home to K-8 students will remain with them during the summer so that kids can take advantage of nongraded enrichment materials provided.
As for how the next school year will start, with remote learning or a return to campuses, Kuykendall said school districts worked very collaboratively when facilities were being shut down. But from here on out, they likely will be taking different approaches on things like what graduation ceremonies will look like and what protocols and practices will be in place when schools physically reopen. There will be more individual choices based on the communities served.
Noguchi said how Modesto schools reopen will be up to county health officials regarding social distancing. “We have a team working on what a blended model (of face-to-face and remote learning) could look like,” she said. “Our message for the community of Modesto is that school starts Aug. 10 and we will be ready for our students.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 1:39 PM.
