Guaranteed Salary. Start School When We’re Ready and in a Way That Is Safe by Fred Klonsky

“I’m pretty sure that no matter what school districts decide about remote, hybrid or in-school learning, by mid-year it will all be remote. Every medical person and scientist I read says that as bad as some states have gotten, we are still in the first wave. The trend line in Chicago, which before the reopening of whatever phase we are in was heading in a good direction, is now trending in the wrong direction.

“I have two questions: What is the hurry to start school if we don’t know what it should look like? It’s just an arbitrary date on the calendar. What if we wait?

“Ah, you say. Businesses are depending on a date specific so people can come back to work. Parents want to know too. That is, if the parents have a job to go back to. So, here is question three: Why don’t we have a guaranteed income like Europe?

“That would address the problem of question one. What’s the rush? We are in the middle of the worst public health disaster in our history. Schools could open when we have a fully safe plan and when teachers are ready for delivering quality remote instruction and support for all of our students.

“I’ve served on many school planning committees. Better to focus on the worst-case scenario.

I’m thinking of a paycheck protection program where the government sends the money to businesses. I’m talking direct payments to workers. Of course, we won’t get this out of the present Trump administration in time for school, or ever. I guess I’m directing this at the Democrats.

“It’s times like this when we should ask big questions. And I’m retired and quarantined and have time to think about these questions” (Fred Klonsky’s Blog).