Why exactly will it take billions of dollars to open up schools in California? It cost the schools in Florida and Texas and across other Republican-run states virtually nothing. Yet, the land of the liberals loves to squander money.
And if those within the school districts can give themselves a lofty raise in the process, they’re more than happy to delay schools a bit longer to get more federal money in their hands.
It shouldn’t be too hard for the governor of California to simply tell the schools to open. Instead, Gavin Newsom is busy striking deals.
Newsom and legislators have established a deal to get students back into classrooms across the state’s public school system by the end of March. And, it’s only going to cost $6.6 billion.
California is broke – it’s been the talk for nearly a year. Newsom wouldn’t know how to balance a budget if it slapped him across the face. It’s why he’s been begging the federal government for a bailout.
Yet, magically, he’s got $6.6 billion to throw at public schools as an encouragement to open their doors. That money is from the federal government. After all, liberals help their own.
The plan is enough to make anyone sick as they wave dollar bills in front of schools to convince them it’s time to open doors.
Schools located in the locked-down areas of California will have to get students into the classroom at least to the second-grade level. That’s only helping three grade levels of students. They’ll also need to provide in-person accommodations for those who are disabled, homeless, foster children, at risk of abuse, or learning English.
Is that not supposed to be divisive? So, if a child is homeless or disabled or at risk of abuse, they’ll get in-classroom learning. For those who may be a fourth-grader or seventh-grader but not in one of these categories, they’ll just continue to struggle virtually.
In the schools that are one level below lockdown, billions of dollars are being used to get the school districts to open. Each district will be required to open all elementary schools and at least one middle and one high school grade.
What? What happened to all students? This picking and choosing is completely ridiculous – and if you’re going to open up the school, it should be the whole school. Otherwise, why throw billions of dollars at the problem?
Now, here’s where the money bartering comes in. If the districts don’t comply by March 31, they’ll see a decrease in the amount they’re eligible for to the tune of 1% for each day past the deadline.
What do the teachers’ unions have to say about this? Apparently, Newsom and the state legislators have decided that their opinions don’t matter. The new deal will allow the districts to circumvent the approval to get the kids back to school.
This should be an interesting move to watch. With more than 1,000 school districts overseeing more than 10,500 schools, the state has its work cut out. Luckily, they’ve got billions of dollars to waste in the process.
Meanwhile, since the state is so keen on bypassing the teachers’ unions that are hell-bent on keeping the schools closed, it will be interesting to see if the teachers decide to show up for class.
After all, the districts can open the schools all they want. If the teachers’ unions really want to prove a point about how they’re in control, there won’t be any teachers present to teach.
It won’t be surprising if the $6.1 billion ends up going into the pockets of school districts and teachers’ union employees. It won’t go to the schools to improve ventilation or to provide supplies. Instead, it will be blown on salaries.
And if there’s any money left, it will be used on coronavirus testing and personal protective equipment. It’s why the state is lobbying for more money from the federal government. They don’t think $6 billion is enough. They’re really wanting $90 billion. Wouldn’t we all?
