As Merced County schools prepare for full fall reopening, what changes can parents expect?

As Merced County schools make steps toward getting kids back in classrooms, local educators predict all 22 local districts will return fully to in-person learning by the fall school season.

That’s assuming COVID infections remain at a controllable level and residents continue to be vaccinated. But so far more than 9,000 of California’s 11,000 schools have opened for in-person instruction in some capacity — or have announced a date for a return to classrooms.

Local education leaders like Steve Tietjen, Merced County superintendent of schools, say parents can expect to see many new changes — both in terms of technology and practices — when all schools fully reopen.

For example, many districts are upgrading air conditioning systems and adding ionizers to buildings and classrooms. Plus, some districts are ramping up the number of hours for health assistants to provide services like COVID testing, while others are stocking up on pandemic-related medical supplies.

“That’s happening on a widespread basis here in the county,” Tietjen said.

The changes happening at Merced County school districts aren’t unusual — nor are they inexpensive.

Just last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom encouraged local districts to take advantage of federal and state funds to reopen five days a week.

Newsom and legislative leaders earlier this year passed a $6.6 billion reopening package for schools. It included $2 billion to help districts resume in-person instruction this month.

“Use this money to extend learning opportunities, extend the school day, extend the school year. Who says you have to end on June 15, who says that? We’re not saying that, we’re saying the opposite. That’s what I want to offer: that flexibility,” Newsom said last week.

California schools are in line to receive even more money from the latest federal coronavirus stimulus bill signed by President Joe Biden, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Merced County education officials are already putting those relief dollars to work. For example, COVID-19 federal relief funds are paying for upgrades to air conditioners at $12,000 per unit — and a little less for the ionizers.

At Le Grand Union Elementary, superintendent Scott Borba said the district received around $2 million in state funding to purchase purifiers and sanitation.

The district is expecting more funding from the state, with the hope of replacing the faucets and toilet handles to devices that do not require touching.

Relief funds in Borba’s district will also go toward wireless hotspots, and hiring more counselors to assist students with their academic and emotional needs.

Borba said there are still some lingering concerns in the community about returning to a five-day in-person school week.

Right now Le Grand Union Elementary School District is on a hybrid learning schedule — a mix between online learning and in-person learning.

“I know my staff is ready to do it, the school is ready to do it. We got all the protocols in place, we manipulated our schedule so that there’s no crowds of people trying to get in and get on campus in the morning and leave in the afternoon,” Borba said.

While teachers in other areas of the state have expressed some concerns about returning to in-person instruction, that doesn’t seem to be the case in Merced County.

“There really hasn’t been a lot of pushback from teachers in this area about going to work online or in person as long as they’re safe,” said Paul Chambers, primary contact staff for the California Teachers Association and director for the Merced/Mariposa Teachers UniServ Council.

“Obviously there’s lots of different opinions about what safe is, but as a labor group we do get to negotiate safe standards for teachers,” Chambers added.

Alan Peterson, Merced Union High School District superintendent, also said teachers have been largely supportive of the plan.

“I think the number one concern for our union was vaccination and making sure we move forward with that until all staff have had that opportunity,” Peterson said.

“We’re at a level above 60 percent of staff (who) have been fully vaccinated and that number will continue to push up. Then there’s the normal protocols (following public health guidelines) and making sure that our administrative staff are taking those protocols seriously.”

How much are districts getting?

The Sun-Star reached out to a small sampling of Merced County superintendents to see how much federal and state COVID relief money they are receiving to make upgrades amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among those districts, Merced City School District ($19 million), Dos Palos Oro Loma Unified ($17 million), Planada Elementary School District (nearly $5 million).

Besides going to technical upgrades like updated air filtration systems, that money is also being used across the board for purposes like more professional development instructions, hiring substitute teachers and instructional materials to facilitate safe in-person learning.

Other districts, like Merced City Schools, for example are using the money for items like headsets, webcams, Wifi technology and safety equipment, according to the district’s COVID relief funds document.

Planada Elementary is using its funds to “beef up” its infrastructure and invest in one or two additional buses, said Superintendent Jose Gonzalez.

Getting ready

Some districts, like Merced Union High School District, have already returned to in-person learning five days a week (with options for students who desire distance learning to continue during spring season).

Plus, MUHSD is also planning in-person graduation ceremonies, set for June 3, said MUHSD superintendent Alan Peterson.

In the fall, MUHSD probably will not offer the distance learning option for students — although an independent study option will probably be put in place, Peterson said.

Others are coming close to returning to full in-person learning.

For example, Merced City Schools welcomed its 7th and 8th grade students back to campus on April 12 for a four day a week schedule, according to MCSD Deputy Superintendent Doug Collins.

Since March Gustine Unified fully reopened all its schools. Dos Palos welcomed elementary school students for full in-person instruction April 12, but its middle and high school students are still doing hybrid learning.

Making up for lost time?

In the meantime, school districts are trying to get creative in order to make up for the lost time caused by the pandemic.

For example, Le Grand Union Elementary School District plans to extend the school year by 14 days, starting June 14.

Planada Elementary School District will have an extended school year that will go from June 7 to June 25, in addition to offering a virtual learning academy within the same time frame.

Most Merced County K-12 school districts, Tietjen said, are planning for summer school or some summer form of instruction.

Merced City School District, for example, will have a summer academy program to help students from preschool to 7th grade to make up for lost learning and to improve grades. Both sessions are offered in person and virtually and students can pick sessions that go from June 7 to July 30 or June 7 to July 2.

Others, like Merced Union High School District, are proceeding with their usual summer school, with a focus on remediation and credit recovery.

Overall, Tietjen said most districts aren’t keen on Newsom’s suggestion to possibly extend the school year.

“There may just be a recruitment challenge of finding enough teachers to want to continue to work through the whole summer,” Tietjen said.

“I don’t see that as pushback, I see it as people are tired, worn out and need to recharge. So nobody’s saying no at this point. They’re simply saying, ‘I need a break, too.’ That’s the challenge that we’re facing.”

This story was originally published April 25, 2021 at 5:00 AM.