Fall Reopening Of Riverside County Schools: Planning, Uncertainty

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — It's not yet clear when Riverside County K-12 schools will reopen amid coronavirus or how classrooms might function once campuses do restart, but it's probable that some remote learning will continue in the fall, according to state and county education offices.

"While students and parents anxiously await the reopening of public schools in Riverside County, educators are adapting and modifying plans for what school will look like in the 'new normal' — including a likelihood that some elements of remote learning will still be necessary," the Riverside County Office of Education announced Friday.

The announcement came on the heels of Thursday's news release from State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, who signaled that K-12 schools are putting plans in place to open in the fall, but he gave no definitive answer as to whether all will.

Thurmond was responding to Gov. Gavin Newsom's revised budget for fiscal year 2020–21 in which education took a hit. Among other things, a 10% reduction to the Local Control Funding Formula for 2020–21 was announced by the governor.

However, the governor did allocate $4.4 billion in federal funding to address learning loss and equity issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 school closures. If approved by lawmakers, the funds can be used by districts to run summer and other programs to address equity gaps widened during the school closures, according to Thurmond.

"These funds also can be used to make necessary modifications so that schools are prepared to reopen in the fall," he said.

Riverside County K-12 schools have been ordered closed through June 19 by Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser. It's unknown whether Kaiser will extend the order.

Given the situation, Riverside County school districts are in the unenviable position of planning for a fall reopening while not knowing if some or all campuses will be able to do so. Online learning has continued, but for some students remote learning has been a challenge due to lack of access to a computer or the internet.

The Riverside County Office of Education Foundation is aiming to bridge that digital divide with the launch of “All For One," a giving campaign centered on raising funds to provide computers, tablets, and/or mobile hotspot devices to students and families to ensure consistent access to remote learning, the RCOE announced Friday.

According to the education office, challenges preventing universal access to remote learning include:

• Families with multiple students sharing one computer to access online learning resources
• Geographic diversity of Riverside County where families live outside of areas with traditional internet services

“Our hope is that organizations and community leaders will consider ways they can help bridge the divide between students and their access to reaching their dreams through education,” said RCOEF Director, Ed Lewis. “RCOEF has primarily been focused on raising funds for scholarships and implementing programs that complement core RCOE services, and the ‘All For One’ campaign furthers that focus on this immediate need faced by students and families in our school districts.”

More information on supporting the “All For One” campaign is available from the RCOE Foundation at http://www.rcoe.us/foundation/all-for-one.

Tax-deductible donations can be made on the RCOEF “All For One” GoFundMe page at charity.gofundme.com/all-for-one-rcoef or by sending a check to Riverside County Office of Education Foundation, Attention: Ed Lewis, Foundation Director, P.O. Box 868, Riverside, CA 92502-0868.