Reopening: San Francisco Teachers, School Officials Reach Agreement On Distance Learning
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- San Francisco Unified school officials and the union representing the district's teachers reached a tentative agreement Friday on how they will move forward with distance learning at the start of the 2020-2021 academic year.
Currently, San Francisco is on the state COVID-19 watchlist and its schools cannot hold in-class instruction. So the agreement covers the new remote instructional standards for at least the start of the academic year.
The district agreed to provide students with adequate access to connectivity and laptops. Additionally, the schools will provide a one-time stipend of $400 for costs associated with distance learning, including equipment, improving home internet bandwidth, use of phone, or instructional materials not provided by SFUSD.
For those who need a workspace, the district will make a good faith effort to assign staff to available workspaces appropriate to their content area provided it can do so in compliance with public health guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Under the tentative agreement, students will experience daily live interaction with teachers and classmates for no less than 120 minutes per day for purposes of instruction, progress monitoring and maintaining school connectedness.
Teachers and other staff will work and be available during their normal contractual seven work hours.
"Our members spent their summer break connecting with educators, students and families about how we could improve upon distance learning during this continued time of crisis," said teachers union president Susan Solomon. "We took all of those voices and feedback to the bargaining table with us and believe that we have reached a tentative agreement that will set our educators and students up for the best distance learning experience possible."
SFUSD Superindentent Dr. Vince Mattews echoes Solomon's sentiments
"We are unified in our commitment to each and every student having the best possible learning experience while learning from a distance," he said. " We heard from parents and students that they wanted more connection with their peers and teachers than was possible last spring. We are listening and share a commitment to making distance learning better this fall."
