San Diego Unified Council of PTAs

Ten Recommendations

We urge the legislature and the Governor to adopt 10 recommendations for the timely and safe
reopening of schools. (We don’t call them 10 commandments but we hope you hear the urgency
in these words.)
1. Coordinate Efforts The legislature and the Governor must agree on a coordinated
approach to reopening schools as quickly as safely possible. The legislative bill, AB 10
and the Governor’s office budget plan, Safe Schools For All Plan, must coordinate to
reflect the same timelines, safety metrics, and funding to quickly streamline the process
of reopening schools.
2. Equitable Sufficient Funding There must be sufficient funding to cover the additional
costs related to opening schools in person. And it must be equitable. All students should
generate the same base funding grant with an LCFF adjustment that recognizes the
impacts of the pandemic on disadvantaged students. Opening schools will require social
emotional support for students and staff, and services to meet students’ and families’
needs including safe transportation for students.
3. Extra Funding for Health Related Costs Funding to pay for testing, vaccines, contact
tracing, and other COVID-related health costs should not be from Proposition 98 funds.
Every Proposition 98 dollar spent on non-instructional costs is one less dollar to educate
our children.
4. Prioritize Safety of School Staff The Governor, the legislature and local governments
must prioritize vaccinations for school staff, especially school employees who are
already working in-person.
5. Parent Communication and Input School districts must provide opportunities for
robust input and feedback as they prepare and execute reopening plans. They must
ensure parents representing the diversity of the community are included in decisionmaking.
6. In-Person Attendance Parents and families should be able to choose whether a child
returns to school in-person depending on the health of the child and their family
situation.
7. Mental Health and Start Times To protect student health and well-being, middle
schools should not start before 8:00 am and high schools before 8:30 am. This is
particularly critical to support the mental health of students.
8. Expanded Learning and Learning Loss Afterschool, summer school and childcare
programs need to be available and coordinated with the school day. All schools should
develop programs to address learning loss.
9. Follow Health Guidelines Schools should not open in person unless it is safe for
students and staff. School districts should adhere to the requirements set forth by the
California Department of Public Health and county health departments regarding the
reopening of schools.
10. Realistic Timeline Any timeline for the reopening of schools should consider the needs
of parents and teachers and respect the most accurate health guidelines. This includes
making sure the school facility is safe for re-opening.

Schools need to open as soon as practically possible while protecting the health and well-being
of students, staff and families. California’s students are counting on the legislature and the
governor to come up with a realistic school reopening plan that meets the needs of all our school
communities.

Recommendations from California State PTA