FYI from BSF, 03.05.21

Some things we read through recently...

Fresh Starts 

It was a good week in schools in Boston.

On Monday, approximately 8,000 Boston kids got to go into their school buildings for the first time in a year, as students in grades K0-3 began hybrid instruction (read: two days in school/week) in BPS. If you want to get a sense of the herculean effort it takes for educators, families, and students to reopen buildings, stop reading this now and click over to this profile of one of our partner schools, Boston Prep.

The good news continued for Boston schools — and all Americans — on Tuesday when President Biden not only announced a new, quicker timeline for vaccine production, but also directed vaccination resources for educators.

With the CDC’s guidance not requiring vaccination of educators to reopen schools and Governor Baker’s concerns about vaccine supply, the question of priority vaccination of teachers had been in limbo for weeks, with pressure increasing Tuesday afternoon.

 That changed on Wednesday morning, when not only did CVS officially confirm Biden’s mandate to open vaccines up for educators, but also Governor Baker announced that educator eligibility would now begin next week. 

Later this morning, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will potentially approve Commissioner Riley’s move to require a return to in-person instruction for elementary students, with some exceptions, next month.

We’ve done this before.  Mass vaccination against polio began in April, 1954.

Expect significant mobilization and activity.  Cities and towns will likely begin creating educator vaccination clinics; it has already been announced that the Boston Teachers Union hall will serve as a site.  Also expect snags.  Adding 400,000 people - not just teachers, but also cafeteria workers, custodians, bus drivers, early childhood and remote learning center staff - to the eligibility list will create strain and supply will have to keep up.  In fact, that was true within 24 hours of Wednesday’s announcement. 

Let’s assume we can work through remaining issues.  Vaccinations are done, new bus guidance is followed, and even improvised ventilation passes the test.  Families’ attitudes on safety and willingness to send children into buildings has already shifted significantly since the start of the school year. 

What can April look like?

Let’s hope it looks a lot like this.

Reopening in Boston, MA, and Beyond

Some quotes from Boston’s students and families around remote learning via Boston Schools Facts.

In-person learning in Boston may be the only way to stem increased (and racially skewed) chronic absenteeism this year

In addition to having the lowest academic performance of any high school in Massachusetts, Madison Park is struggling with its cosmetology program.

Everyone projected a hit in state revenue, but how much and when?  The picture in Massachusetts and across the country is complex given differing tax approaches by state.  Individual districts will vary, as well, because of expenses - theoretically, schools that had more remote learning this year should have savings to invest in recovery.  Still, some localities like Worcester, are looking to be held harmless with enrollment dips.

Alarming data makes the case that remediation in math and reading should be clear, short-term priorities.

New York City’s response and recovery from the pandemic could be strained by a leadership change.

Even with the same data being used, school reopening can look really different depending on how it is being presented, even in the paper of record.

Dr. Miguel Cardona officially became Secretary Cardona with his confirmation to lead the United States Department of Education.  Secretary Cardona, following the theme, came right out of the gates with an op-ed and summit on school reopening.  No word he is changing his stance on common assessments, despite some opposition and even opt-outs on the horizon.

Education 2021

This week, for the first time, education surfaced as a major issue in the mayoral race.

After Councilor Campbell called for a hearing on universal preK last week, Councilor Wu put forward a plan for universal preK.  Councilor Essaibi-George gave an extensive interview on school reopening and supports an appointed school committee.  Councilor (and soon-to-be Acting Mayor) Janey released initial themes/initiatives of an education transition (slides 10-15).

It will be interesting to see how the mayoral race will impact the current FY22 BPS budget.  If a budget is a statement of values, how will current Councilor-turned-mayoral candidates square their visions for education in Boston with budgetary priorities? 

And, ICYMI: our third budget analysis, The Real Costs of Soft Landings for Under-Enrolled Schools, dropped yesterday afternoon.  Short on time?  Grab the deck here. 

Other Matters
After a late filing last Friday afternoon, a lawsuit brought forward to challenge the change to Boston exam school admission policies now has standing in federal court and will proceed quickly. Despite that, things are getting very confusing for families - with exam school admissions delayed, families may find themselves in a bind about where to enroll their children in school for next year.