A rival gubernatorial candidate accused Gov. Gavin Newsom of creating “an education equality gap” as California schools remain shuttered for in-person activity since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our elitist Gov. Gavin Newsom has sat idly by while he has crafted an education equality gap that will haunt students their entire lives,” Kevin Faulconer, a Republican vying for the governor’s seat, said during a Wednesday press conference. “Classroom learning must be the norm, not the exception.”
Schools in the Golden State have been online-only since the arrival of COVID-19 on U.S. shores last March. At least five prominent teachers unions have resisted attempts to reopen classrooms to in-person education, despite Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that schools can resume instruction safely. Unions have demanded mask mandates, vaccine priority for teachers, and paid sick leave if infected with the virus, among other requests.
Faulconer, the former mayor of San Diego, said Newsom “should have” begun union negotiations months ago.
“[Newsom] left the union holding all the cards, and he wasn’t willing to hold them accountable,” he said. “As a result, too many districts haven’t made meaningful progress toward reopening classrooms.”
NEWSOM RECALL EFFORT RAKES IN OVER $2.5M AS ORGANIZERS NEAR BALLOT MEASURE SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT
The gubernatorial candidate said he would provide economic relief for families struggling with costs that have resulted from virtual classrooms.
“Parents have had to pay for tutors. Moms and dads have had to give up shifts of work and even jobs so they can be with their kids at home,” he said. “Many families have had to purchase laptops, tablets, faster internet. Mom and dad have to be both parents and teachers. If that’s the case, the state of California should step up to help make them whole. California’s families pay taxes so their kids can learn in school. That’s not happening. They should get some of their money back.”
Newsom has faced a prolonged recall effort to remove him from office. As of Saturday, organizers of the proposal submitted 798,310 signatures, 668,202 of which were deemed valid. The petition would need roughly 1.5 million names, approximately 12% of the state’s voters, by March 17 to bring the measure to a vote on the ballot.
In early February, organizers reported over $2.5 million in funding in support of the effort. Activists cited numerous reasons they seek to end Newsom’s time as a leader in the Golden State.
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“Laws he endorsed favor foreign nationals, in our country illegally, over that of our own citizens,” leaders of the petition said in specifying their grievances with the governor. “People in this state suffer the highest taxes in the nation, the highest homelessness rates, and the lowest quality of life as a result. He has imposed sanctuary state status and fails to enforce immigration laws. He unilaterally over-ruled the will of the people regarding the death penalty. He seeks to impose additional burdens on our state by the following; removing the protections of Proposition 13, rationing our water use, increasing taxes and restricting parental rights.”
