Gov. Gavin Newsom says he expects all K-12 schools to return to fulltime in-person learning by fall as part of California's wide scale reopening, which is targeted for June 15.
He said campuses of all levels - including colleges and universities - should reopen, although he is not mandating it.
“I want kids back in school safely for in-person instruction. We’ve made this crystal clear,” Newsom said at a news conference Tuesday.
Newsom says steps like accelerating vaccinations for teachers and financial incentives are helping districts reopen throughout the state and that he is considering additional measures.
“There will be no barrier to having our kids back in in-person instruction and that is the expectation,” he said. “You’ll be hearing more about our efforts to more firmly and foundationally advance that cause.”
School districts up and down the state are also working towards that goal.
Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell has long said that her goal was to have all schools open by the Fall. The June 15 target could also mean a boost for students heading for summer school.
“This idea from the governor could mean that we could perhaps expand the number of students that we have in-person in summer school,” said district spokesperson John Sasaki. “So that could facilitate an expansion of what we’re planning on doing on our campuses.”
With many students struggling with remote learning, the district is expecting to see a 50% increase in summer school attendance this year: 6,000 students compared to the usual 4,000.
Meanwhile in San Francisco, the school board voted unanimously on Tuesday night to reopen schools to all students for full time in-person learning by the fall.
But State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has cautioned that some families cannot or will not want to send their children back to school in the fall, which means district may need to offer some kind of hybrid model.
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