After weeks of negotiation, California’s legislative leaders agreed Thursday on a $6.5 billion proposal aimed at getting students back in classrooms.
The re-opening would follow months of closures because of the pandemic.
But the plan does not have the blessing of Gov. Gavin Newsom. The governor said yesterday (Thurs) that the plan “doesn’t go far enough or fast enough.” Should the governor veto it, the Legislature would need two-thirds of both chambers to override him. That has not happened since 1979.
The state cannot force California school districts to reopen. But it can offer districts lots of new money as an incentive to resume in-person instruction. In December, Newsom announced a plan that would give $2 billion to districts that reopen by February. That plan was heavily criticized by school officials.
The “Safe and Open Schools Plan” that legislative leaders announced yesterday (Thursday) gives schools more time and more money for reopening than was included in Newsom’s plan.
