Reflecting California’s pandemic-induced $54 billion budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom presented his May Revision on May 14, estimating that the Proposition 98 guarantee will decline by $19 billion. The Governor also outlined several proposals that he said could mitigate the impacts of dramatic revenue declines on state funding. “We are not just going to roll over and accept $19 billion of cuts to public education,” he said.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said at a May 13 press conference that the state does not expect a common start date for schools to reopen and that a state task force will provide guidance on how to reopen, but did not indicate when this guidance would be released.

Asked by Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) whether school administrators could feel safe welcoming students back to campus in the fall, Fauci explained that widespread, readily available testing should be in place so that students and school staff could be adequately screened.

Within a couple weeks of Thurmond’s announcement, district leaders in places such as Santa Rosa City Schools, Gilroy Unified School District and Conejo Valley USD began crowdsourcing ideas on how their communities could celebrate their high school seniors while following social-distancing measures that bar the congregation of large groups.

Like most of you, we at the Monterey County Office of Education are learning how to “Zoom” and work from home. COEs have been thinking outside the box to hold meetings, trainings and support our parents, students and each other. Many of you have seen your communities come together to support their students by holding parades through student neighborhoods, placing signs of support to staff and students, and posting messages of how they are all missed.