Gov. Whitmer says schools will reopen this fall for in-person learning

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday that schools across Michigan will reopen for in-person learning this fall, likely with fewer students per classroom and more safety protocols in place.

"Our intent is to resume in-person instruction and to do so in a way that is safe, but also to make sure that as we get back to school, as we return to learn, that we have very clear guidance to what the minimum expectations are," Whitmer said at a news conference. "Some schools will be able to do things, even in more aggressive ways, others will need some help, just to get to the minimum expectations. Bringing down class size we know is a possibility."

Whitmer said more details would be available June 30 when her Return to Learning Advisory Council is scheduled to release its plan.

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"The effort to return to in-person learning must begin now and it must begin with all of us," said Howell High School teacher Gregory Talberg, who serves on the council. "We must make health and safety our top priority in order to get back into our buildings and into our classrooms. We must be vigilant; we must wash our hands. We must wear face coverings to promote well-being of our friends and our neighbors. Today will impact the quality of the learning experience of over 1.5 million students in the fall."

School districts across the state have been preparing options for the fall, including a return to classrooms, an entirely online experience and a hybrid that includes some of both. Kevin Polston, superintendent of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools in west Michigan, said money is going to be an issue.

"Successful plans for return to school require financial stability of our districts to ensure we reach every student, including our most vulnerable populations," said Polston, who also serves on the council. 

Ken Gutman, vice president of the Tri-County Alliance for Public Education, said there is work to be done.

"While I appreciate the governor's desire to reopen our schools for in-person learning this fall and the effort behind developing the return to school road map, without budgets even being introduced in Lansing to provide schools with the resources necessary to reopen safely, we're getting closer and closer to the point where we will be left asking whether reopening schools in the fall is even possible."said Gutman, the superintendent of Walled Lake schools.

 He said schools begin their fiscal year July 1 and they are no closer to knowing how much money they'll have to spend than they were in April.

"I can't plan to purchase PPE equipment, increase sanitization efforts and undertake the host of other measures that will be necessary to ensure the safety of my students for in-person learning without having any idea how much money our schools will have to spend or what requirements we will be in place with regard to spending it," he said.

Whitmer said she has had negotiations with the Legislature about spending the last of the federal money the state received through the CARES Act and she expects additional federal help for schools.

"I have had a number of conversations with people at the federal level who assure me that we are going to get the flexibility, and we'll get some additional resources," Whitmer said. "Precisely what that looks like, we won't know until the U.S. Senate takes action and until the president signs it into law."

In an interview with the Free Press this week, Wanda Cook-Robinson, superintendent of Oakland Schools, said the last round of federal funding to schools to help with COVID-19 expenses was distributed to districts based on the number of poor kids they serve under a program known as Title 1.

"With the money being distributed through Title 1, that excludes many districts," she said.

Under that formula districts like Pontiac, which has a higher poverty rate, get more money than other districts that serve wealthier populations, Cook-Robinson said. 

"Every single district has COVID-related expenses," she said. "I would suggest that we use the idea, the special education formula, which would be more equitable. ... It's not just those districts that have high poverty when we talk about COVID, you have to look broader than that."

Students, parents and educators have all wondered when a return to school would be safe. 

“The most important thing we can do when developing a return to school plan is closely examine the data and remain vigilant in our steps to fight this virus,” said MDHHS Chief Deputy for Health and Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun. “I will continue to work closely with Gov. Whitmer and the Return to Learn Advisory Council to ensure we continue to put the health and safety of our students and educators first. This is a big step, and we will remain flexible to protect everyone who steps foot in a Michigan school.” 

Contact John Wisely: 313-222-6825 or jwisely@freepress.com. On Twitter @jwisely