First daily update using MailChimp! #Fancy I want to express appreciation to Neena Hendershott and Cameron Cross from Zearn for their help in getting this set up (and to Shalinee Sharma for suggesting it). Please share your thoughts and feedback on the experience. Some of you asked if you could forward these emails - the answer is absolutely! This started as a small funder collaborative but has steadily grown over time. Have a great weekend.
--John
|
|
FRIDAY 7/31
FEDERAL
Phase 4: Republicans and Democrats have made little progress toward a Phase 4 relief deal. The Senate Republicans have struggled to muster the votes needed just to pass their bill much less get to a compromise deal. The White House has started negotiating directly with Sen. Schumer and Speaker Pelosi, going so far as to offer dropping liability shield protections. The White House also offered a short term extension of the $600 expanded UI benefits, but it was rejected. As a result, expanded UI expires today which should, in theory, create renewed urgency for lawmakers to come to a deal. Negotiations are set to resume tomorrow morning.
STATE
Colorado: The Governor said it’s “reasonably safe” to reopen Colorado’s schools in the coming weeks, as the state health agency released specific steps local educators should take. "Unlike parts of Texas and much of Florida, it’s reasonably safe to open schools. Just as it’s reasonably safe to go to the grocery store, just as it’s reasonably safe to go to work." Schools should close when five or more cohorts or classrooms report an outbreak within a two-week period; or when 5% or more of unrelated students, teachers and staff have confirmed cases within a two-week period, according to the guidance.
Maine: Released additional guidance for reopening schools, including SEL and hybrid learning recommendations. The state also released a color-coded system to help trigger different school actions.
New Jersey: Large teacher protest today and the unions are threatening a strike.
New York: Hybrid school reopening plans leave parents scrambling: ‘A lot of people I know are quitting their jobs to be home"
Ohio:
Pennsylvania: Governor Wolf said he will not be ordering the closure of schools for the fall.
Utah: Salt Lake City schools will start the year with all classes online — making it the only district in the state to not have any students returning in person.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Austan Goolsbee: Good interview on COVID and the economic recovery.
Missed Mortgage/Rents: According to the Census Household Pulse survey, 26.5% of households reported they missed last month's rent or mortgage payment (or little confidence in making this month's payment). This has increased from a low of 22.1% in the survey of June 4th - June 9th.
RESOURCES
Reopening US Schools in the Era of COVID-19: Practical Guidance From Other Nations: Article published in JAMA outlining practical steps schools could take based on reopening experiences internationally.
Remote Start: Beginning the New School Year Virtually: Collection of resources and guides from Charter School Growth Fund.
The Risk That Students Could Arrive at School With COVID-19: A group of epidemiologists at the University of Texas at Austin have released a rough gauge of the risk that students and educators could encounter at school in each county in the United States. The NYT turned it into a visualization as well as a searchable database.
|
|
Trust in Government and Business: 75% of consumers agree that during the COVID-19 pandemic and related shutdowns, "companies were more reliable than the federal government in keeping America running." Axios/Harris poll.
|
|
OpEds:
The Kids Say: Don't give up on me.
|
|
|
Did someone forward this email to you? If you'd like to receive more COVID-19 Policy Update emails, please fill out this form to be added to the newsletter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
