Fresno Unified schools plan to reopen some classrooms next month. Here’s what we know
Update: Tuesday, March 2: Fresno Unified today released additional details of its reopening plan. Check out the latest story here.
Original story below:
Amid labor negotiations and mounting pressures from Fresno city leaders and parents, the Fresno Unified School District is moving its reopening date up.
Some FUSD elementary students might be able to return to part-time in-person learning after spring break on April 6, according to a Fresno Teacher Association document obtained by The Bee’s Education Lab.
Trustee Terry Slatic also confirmed to the Ed Lab the district plans to bring kindergarten through second-grade students back on April 6, and other grades will be gradually phased in later.
Slatic said it was important to note that the return to classrooms would not be a return to normal — face masks, social distancing, and other COVID-19 precautions would be required.
However, labor negotiations are still ongoing, and agreements still need to be finalized. Last week district officials told the Ed Lab there’s a possibility the district could reopen sooner pending negotiations with the teachers union and its other labor partners.
The news comes hours after the governor released his plan to pressure school districts to reopen by April.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan aims to use $2 billion in grants to incentivize schools to reopen for their youngest students by the end of the month. Most of the state’s 6 million students have spent nearly a year outside of classrooms, learning from home.
Legislation to enact the deal will dole out the money to schools that have reopened by the end of March for kindergarten through second grades and high needs students of all ages, regardless of the level of coronavirus transmission in their county.
High needs students include homeless and foster youth, kids who don’t have internet access, English learners, and those with disabilities.
For counties in the red tier – where there are fewer than seven new cases daily per 100,000 residents and test positivity is below 8% – schools must reopen elementary grades and at least one middle or high school grade to get the money.
For each day schools miss the April 1 deadline, they will lose 1% of the funding.
It’s unclear how much money school districts in Fresno that aren’t open could lose. Tying reopening schools to funding brings into question how this approach could further disenfranchise school districts with high percentages of marginalized students.
FUSD originally planned to reopen until the county reaches the orange Tier 3 in the state’s color-coded “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” of coronavirus safety measures and restrictions. The orange tier represents “moderate” risk levels for spreading COVID-19. To get to the orange tier, positive coronavirus cases would need to dip between 1 and 3.9 daily cases per 100,000.
FUSD Spokesperson Nikki Henry said the district would hold a news conference on Tuesday to discuss it.
Newsom’s plan is good news for Clovis Unified School District - which has been open for part-time in-person learning since November.
Under the state’s new plan, CUSD is eligible to receive up to $40 million under the state’s plan, spokesperson Kelly Avants told The Bee’s Education Lab in an email.
The last group of Clovis students was phased in last week, Avants said. More than 24,000 students in all grades are now back on school sites, and about 19,000 chose distance learning.
“We were pleased to see that, while much of today’s conversation centered on trying to get schools to open that have not yet done so, funds from his proposed grant program will also help districts that have been open (like ours) to recoup some of the money we’ve already spent to reopen,” Avants said.
Clovis Unified has “invested a great number of resources” into reopening its campuses to meet the needs of students and employees, Avants said.
“New technology, support services to students struggling during the pandemic, COVID testing, and the myriad of health and safety measures we’ve put in place to open our schools for in-person instruction have all cost money over and above our regular budget,” Avants added. “These funds will help us address the unusual expenses we’ve faced in finding a healthy path back to our classrooms for students and staff.”
Fresno’s Central Unified School District has planned to wait until the county is in the red Tier 2 to bring back elementary students.
“Based on the downward trend of COVID positive cases in Fresno County, we’re hopeful that we’ll be in the red tier and can bring K-6 students to schools before April 1st,” Spokesperson Sonja Dosti told the Ed Lab.
Vaccinations being prioritized for teachers
Fresno County has secured at least 40,000 vaccinations be set aside for educators this month. Teachers and professors will begin receiving inoculations this week.
Valley Children’s Hospital has been working with the county health department to vaccinate 2,000 FUSD employees per week, according to a statement from the hospital.
“This pandemic has reinforced what we all have known for decades when it comes to the health of our children: it takes a partnership between Valley Children’s, schools and public health leaders to make the greatest difference for the kids who are counting on us,” said Todd Suntrapak, Valley Children’s president and CEO. “With our school leaders and public health partners across the Valley, we are exploring the needs of other school districts that might need assistance with vaccination of their teams and will share that information as we learn more.”
Clovis Unified partnered with Sierra Pacific Orthopedic Center, Valley Health Team, and Baz Allergy Institute to set aside 3,620 vaccines for its employees, a statement said. About half of the district’s 6,400 employees, which includes full-time, part-time, substitutes, and walk-ons, want to be vaccinated and have not received it yet.
Clovis officials said by the end of Monday all of its employees who want the vaccine will receive an appointment with one of its partners. The vaccinations are expected to be completed by the end of next week.
“In addition, most of our staff will be receiving the first dose of their vaccinations this week and their second will be scheduled for the last week of March or the first week of April.”
Central Unified teachers will have vaccinations for those interested on Wednesday from noon to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Central High East Campus, officials said in a statement. More than 900 employees have expressed interest.
The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.
This story was originally published March 1, 2021 at 5:44 PM.