Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[MikeT14]

12 hours ago, skywindO2 said:

How likely is it that schools and colleges don't open up or are only online in the fall? If graduating seniors are actually smart, we'll see record breaking enrollment at community colleges this year. No point in paying for university tuition without the university experience. 

Yes, you could save THOUSANDS of dollars. 

[vikesfan89]

1 hour ago, theJ said:

They're talking about something similar in Ohio, which makes no sense to me.  How do you expect people to go back to work, without the schools opening?

People go to work in the summer

[MWil23]

DeWine (Ohio Gov) announced May 5 that he was cutting $775 million in education, which will have a residual 2 year fallout. For example, most of our schools go off of a "5 year forecast", and that announcement and subsequent fallout means that my district lost $2.07 million in federal funds from now through December 31, with even more money being lost in 2021. We just laid off 20 teachers over a year ago and finally passed a needed levy (I won't get into the ins and outs of school funding in Ohio as it's a joke and been declared unconstitutional/constitutional and back countless times), but the fallout from this is going to have major negative results now if we don't pass yet ANOTHER levy in November. 

Throw in things like not having "in person classes" until January 1, and that effectively cancels sports/extra curriculars for 70% of our student body/those that participate, unemployment continuing to rise, and going back to a community who is suffering from tax levy fatigue...this could be extremely negative not just in the private sector, but big time in the public sector, which will impact the housing market, etc.

[theJ]

24 minutes ago, vikesfan89 said:

People go to work in the summer

People send their kids to daycare in the summer.  Which are also not open.

[theJ]

23 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

DeWine (Ohio Gov) announced May 5 that he was cutting $775 million in education, which will have a residual 2 year fallout. For example, most of our schools go off of a "5 year forecast", and that announcement and subsequent fallout means that my district lost $2.07 million in federal funds from now through December 31, with even more money being lost in 2021. We just laid off 20 teachers over a year ago and finally passed a needed levy (I won't get into the ins and outs of school funding in Ohio as it's a joke and been declared unconstitutional/constitutional and back countless times), but the fallout from this is going to have major negative results now if we don't pass yet ANOTHER levy in November. 

Throw in things like not having "in person classes" until January 1, and that effectively cancels sports/extra curriculars for 70% of our student body/those that participate, unemployment continuing to rise, and going back to a community who is suffering from tax levy fatigue...this could be extremely negative not just in the private sector, but big time in the public sector, which will impact the housing market, etc.

Yeah i don't agree with this move.  At all.  My wife told me about it yesterday, and i think it's a big mistake.

[MWil23]

2 minutes ago, theJ said:

Yeah i don't agree with this move.  At all.  My wife told me about it yesterday, and i think it's a big mistake.

Throw in things like a needed bond that was supposed to be on the ballot (my district has grown by 25% in the last 20 years and now our buildings are busting at the seams) and how it will take 5-7 years to build these facilities, not to mention the tax dollars that it will take...and you see where I'm going.

The fact that I received this information within 12 hours (it's posted here www.ohea.org/cms/assets/uploads/2020/05/k-12-budgets-reductions-may-2020.pdf) tells me that this has been in the works for WEEKS, using formulas, etc. for every single K-12 district in the entire state, broken down by county.

The political precedent that this is setting/could be setting is extremely fascinating to me as a social studies teacher. For example, not to get political on whether or not it "should happen", but the senate created a bill to limit the power of Dr. Amy Acton yesterday, it was approved, and DeWine said that he will veto the bill...and there will likely not be enough votes to override that veto, meaning that this will continue barring a Supreme Court decision, which will take years.

[WizeGuy]

1 hour ago, MikeT14 said:

Yes, you could save THOUSANDS of dollars. 

Do community colleges offer bachelor programs? When I went to college about 6 years ago it was only for associate's programs. 

[WizeGuy]

43 minutes ago, theJ said:

People send their kids to daycare in the summer.  Which are also not open.

They're open in NY, at least where I live. They've been open the entire time. Not sure how it is in other states. 

Edited May 7, 2020 by WizeGuy

[vikesfan89]

43 minutes ago, theJ said:

People send their kids to daycare in the summer.  Which are also not open.

Is day under the same category as schools when they open? I'm pretty sure the schools are acting as daycares in Minnesota for the "essential" workers kids

[theJ]

1 minute ago, WizeGuy said:

They're open in NY, at least where I live. They've been open the entire time. My wife is working from home, so we don't need to send our 7 month old in. We're saving 50% a month since they've lost so many customers, and needed to do something to keep people. 

A lot of them have closed for this reason.  Some closed because they felt they had to, based on everything closing.

Even if they are free to open, it does create a chicken/egg thing.  Who opens first?

Just now, vikesfan89 said:

Is day under the same category as schools when they open? I'm pretty sure the schools are acting as daycares in Minnesota for the "essential" workers kids

Every state is different.  Our particular daycare closed.  I've heard of some that stayed open, others closed.  

But the daycares that keep K-3 through the summer are a little different than your standard daycare.  They scale for summer.  Even if they're open Sept-Dec, that creates some other potential issues, since they don't usually keep K-3 during that time of year.

These are unsolvable problems by any means.  I just think we're creating challenges where they're not needed.  Kids don't seem to be in much danger anyway.  I'd open the schools, maybe keep the kids a bit more distanced (lunches in classrooms, no recess, etc).  But get that part back to normal.  I just don't see the danger.

[seriously27]

58 minutes ago, theJ said:

People send their kids to daycare in the summer.  Which are also not open.

In Maryland all our daycares are considered essential and I know they are open in Indiana too. 

[mission27]

1 hour ago, WizeGuy said:

Interesting take from an extremely smart man. I don't agree with his stance, but with his credentials he deserves to be acknowledged:

https://www.stanforddaily.com/2020/05/04/qa-nobel-laureate-says-covid-19-curve-could-be-naturally-self-flattening/

Idk how much thought he's really put into this

However, I do agree that partial herd immunity may be easier to achieve here because the disease spreads so much more from close contact (i.e. at home or work) than it does anywhere else, as evidenced by 2/3rds of the new hospitalizations in New York coming from folks who are socially isolating.  So it is naturally limiting in that sense, as the MoL said in January.  Which could explain why the worst outbreaks seem to die out far before they reach the 60-90% herd immunity thresholds people are talking about.

[mission27]

1 hour ago, MWil23 said:

DeWine (Ohio Gov) announced May 5 that he was cutting $775 million in education, which will have a residual 2 year fallout. For example, most of our schools go off of a "5 year forecast", and that announcement and subsequent fallout means that my district lost $2.07 million in federal funds from now through December 31, with even more money being lost in 2021. We just laid off 20 teachers over a year ago and finally passed a needed levy (I won't get into the ins and outs of school funding in Ohio as it's a joke and been declared unconstitutional/constitutional and back countless times), but the fallout from this is going to have major negative results now if we don't pass yet ANOTHER levy in November. 

Throw in things like not having "in person classes" until January 1, and that effectively cancels sports/extra curriculars for 70% of our student body/those that participate, unemployment continuing to rise, and going back to a community who is suffering from tax levy fatigue...this could be extremely negative not just in the private sector, but big time in the public sector, which will impact the housing market, etc.

January 1?  I havent seen anything about classes being canceled for the fall, is that true?

[ramssuperbowl99]

3 hours ago, theJ said:

They're talking about something similar in Ohio, which makes no sense to me.  How do you expect people to go back to work, without the schools opening?

Everything that has said children aren't effective carriers has been anecdotal. I'm sure the public policy will change once we have rock solid data that it would be safe.

And while normally I'd be fine with skepticism that the government would make the right decision, I'm confident that even politicians will realize the quickest way to get voted out of office is to lock parents in with their kids unnecessarily.

Edited May 7, 2020 by ramssuperbowl99

[theJ]

9 minutes ago, mission27 said:

January 1?  I havent seen anything about classes being canceled for the fall, is that true?

I had heard yesterday that Ohio was considering a rotating classroom, starting in Sept.  Kids would go for 2 days, virtual 3.  They would alternate with the other half of the class, so the classrooms were only half full.