Educators working, paid during pandemic
Published 6:00 pm Friday, April 3, 2020
Educators in Louisiana, most of them still working, will be paid during the coronavirus pandemic. Colleges and universities cancelled their spring semesters and began online classes.
Online classes have forced K-12 teachers to undergo new training and professional development, according to a news report in The Advocate. Custodians and other school employees are cleaning and sanitizing schools.
Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a stay-at-home order on March 22 that took effect the next day. It was scheduled to last until April 13, but the governor extended it Monday to the end of April.
Whatever happens, The Advocate reported that a number of steps have been taken to ease any possible education problems. Days of class missed, for example, won’t have to be made up and federal officials have cancelled key standardized tests and other annual accountability measures.
The continuation of pay is made possible by the $3.9 billion Minimum Foundation Program approved the Legislature that funds public schools. Charter schools that are public schools run by nongovernmental boards will also pay their employees, according to Caroline Roemer, executive director of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools.
The newspaper reported that a state survey showed that 39 of the state’s 69 school districts are offering distance learning during the pandemic. Other districts are providing material for students designed to keep them engaged in academic work.
Louisiana has about 50,000 teachers and other certified personnel. Support workers include those working in cafeterias, others driving school buses, teachers’ aides and custodians.
School superintendents said teachers and others need time to prepare for alternatives, and now they know the next deadline is April 30. Unfortunately, predicting the end of the pandemic is virtually impossible.
Edwards said Sunday the stay-at-home order would likely be extended, which he did Monday, because the number of known coronavirus cases and deaths continues to increase at levels that could soon overwhelm hospitals. President Trump has already extended his 15-day social distancing guidelines through April 30.
Edwards said, “We still have a great need to flatten the curve. We don’t see yet that we’re off the trajectory that we’ve been on.”
That won’t change unless residents abide by the restrictions that are in place—stay at home to limit face-to-face contact. Meanwhile, the fact that higher education faculty and K-12 teachers and other workers are being paid makes it possible to use available resources on so many others who are out of work.
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This editorial was written by a member of the American Press Editorial Board. Its content reflects the collaborative opinion of the Board, whose members include Crystal Stevenson, John Guidroz, Jim Beam and Mike Jones.
