LA Teachers Union Slams Plan to Reopen CA Schools; Gives Money Only to ‘White and Wealthier’ Communities

Finally, California Governor Gavin Newsom has “reached the deal with state lawmakers to provide $2 billion in financial incentives for schools that reopen various grades for in-person learning by the end of March” reports National Review. Shortly after the announcement was made on Monday, the head of the teachers union of Los Angeles cried racism.

“If you condition funding on the reopening of schools, that money will only go to white and wealthier and healthier school communities that do not have the transmission rates that low-income Black and brown communities do,” said United Teachers Los Angeles president Cecily Myart-Cruz in a statement.

“This is a recipe for propagating structural racism and it is deeply unfair to the students we serve” Myart-Cruz added, who is amongst dozens of teachers’ unions leaders across the country fighting to keep schools closed. Many California districts have not opened classrooms to in-person learning since March of 2020.

Under the plan reached by Newsom and lawmakers, re-openings will be contingent upon COVID case rates. Counties with new daily coronavirus rates of seven or fewer per 100,000 “must open elementary schools and at least one grade in middle or high school for in-person learning in order to receive a share of the $2 billion in funds” reports National Review.

As counties with higher daily case rates up to 25 per 100,000, will be required to open kindergarten through second grade in order to receive funding. No school districts received mandates to reopen. Rather, “schools would start to lose their share of the $2 billion in funds for each day that they remain closed.”

Many teachers and teachers’ unions have turned to vaccinations to justify opinions. Under Newsom’s deal, teachers are not required to be vaccinated, and final decisions on whether or not to reopen are left to the individual districts.