Seventy-one percent of board members polled said they felt
their district either could not safely open schools in accordance with state
guidelines in the absence of additional state or federal funding (44%) or were
unsure if they could do so (27%). Twenty-nine percent believe schools in their
district could reopen safely without the additional aid.
The poll also found that if cost was not a consideration,
three-quarters of school board members support having students return to
in-classroom instruction in September full-time (42%) or part-time (34%). Only
15% said students should not go back at all this fall, while 9% were not sure.
"Our poll clearly shows that school board members want
to see students back in school, learning in person and gaining all the social
and emotional benefits that we know come from interacting with their peers,
their teachers and other members of the school staff," said NYSSBA
Executive Director Robert Schneider. "But board members also are cautious
about the potential health and safety consequences for students and staff, and
they are very concerned that insufficient resources will undermine prospects
for getting this right."
School board members were split on the question of whether
the state guidance they have received is sufficient to ensure that they can
complete school reopening plans by July 31.
Forty percent said the guidance is "comprehensive and
granular enough" for their district to wrap up reopening plans before the
deadline. But 35% said the guidance is not sufficient, and 25% said they were
unsure.
Poll results are based on a random sample of 711 school
board members surveyed July 22-28, 2020. The poll has a margin of error of
+/-3.34% and a confidence level of 95%.
The poll questions and a detailed summary of responses
appear below:
Q1. Do you think the guidance issued by the state is
comprehensive and granular enough for your district to create school reopening
plans by July 31?
Yes 40.1%
No 35.0%
Not sure 25.0%
Q2. Putting aside cost considerations, do you support/not
support having students return to in-classroom instruction in September?
Support on a part-time basis 34.0%
Support on a full-time basis 41.6%
Not support 15.3%
Not sure 9.0%
Q3. In the absence of more state or federal funding, do you
feel you can safely open school in accordance with State Education Department
and state Department of Health guidance documents?
Yes 28.8%
No 44.4%
Not sure 26.7%
About NYSSBA: The New York State School Boards
Association represents more than 670 school boards and more than 5,200 school
board members in New York. NYSSBA provides advocacy, training and information
to school boards in support of their mission to govern the state's public
schools.
