Education funding cutbacks have already led
to teacher shortages and made campus nurses
rare, raising questions about how officials
might cope with extended days and ensure
kids are healthy, said Tony Wold, associate
superintendent of the West Contra Costa Unified
School District, which includes 55 schools.
“We can’t just build new schools overnight.
Even if the state gives us more money, where
will the teachers come from?” said Wold. “This is
probably the most Herculean challenge I have
ever seen in public education.”
Newsom said he was having intensive
conversations with state Superintendent of
Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and other
education leaders about how to reorganize
schools. And any changes in school schedules
would have to be negotiated with the powerful
teachers’ unions.
“(Teachers) are best equipped to drive those
conversations and to be a part of that decision-
making process and they will ensure whatever
plans we end up with work best for their
students,” said Claudia Briggs, a spokeswoman
for the California Teachers Association.
She said teachers have been working with
Newsom and Thurmond to figure out how
to educate online and they will continue to
work with the officials on how to safely
reopen schools.
Newsom’s announcement came on the day the
state reported its highest daily death count from
coronavirus to date — 71 — though the trend
lines are favorable for overall hospitalizations
and intensive care admissions in California.