SACRAMENTO, CA – California Charter Schools Association President and CEO Myrna Castrejón issued the following statement in support of Governor Newsom’s proposal and plan to urgently bring back California’s students to in-person learning with an eye towards safety and in a phased way, as supported by science.
Said Ms. Castrejón:
“We applaud the Governor’s commitment to returning Transitional Kindergarten through Second Grade students to in-person instruction as soon as February and the four pillars upon which that commitment is made: funding to support safe reopening; safety and mitigation measures for classrooms, including PPE and testing; hands-on oversight and assistance for schools; and transparency and accountability for families and staff.
“This plan and the additional resources targeted in this proposal will support all public schools to prioritize serving elementary school students and those students who have experienced significant learning loss as a result of distance learning through in-person instruction. It is critical to meeting the needs of all our public school students and families that the funding and resources under this plan be shared fairly with all public schools throughout California.
“Moreover, we encourage the Governor and the Legislature to complement the plan and these resources with additional instructional and operational flexibilities to support serving as many students as possible in-person, including phasing in additional grade levels, as possible.
“Charter public schools that have successfully restarted in-person instruction during this school year have done so by rethinking their instructional models and deploying their teachers and other personnel to focus on serving students safely through small groups and using social distancing strategies. As we move to increase our ability to re-open safely, such flexibilities will be crucial to making this plan a success.
“We must continue to stand as one public school community to ensure that the return to in-person learning for California students is carried out urgently, safely, and above all, equitably for all public school students.”