By Dalia Diaz
Something is happening further to create a confused and chaotic state of affairs in our city and local schools. We all read about how data is showing that minorities city is getting affected worse of this COVID-19. Disparities in unemployment, illness, and schools are the top issues, so far, for Lawrence. The socio and economic disparities are overwhelming wide.
Decades of disparities in education, housing, jobs, and stress levels have contributed to an excess risk of chronic disease based on race, ethnicity, and income. And those same issues are exacerbating the COVID-19 crisis. One only has to search the internet and find hundreds of data, or reports, indicating that minorities are affected three to five times more than non-minority individuals during this pandemic.
Three areas that Rumbo has been monitoring are our schools, unemployment, and positive rates of COVID-19 as reported by the Commonwealth and/or the City’s Department of Public Health.
Schools – Recently, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education came out with a demanded new way of opening schools in September. In a nutshell, it requires that the Massachusetts school district maintain ten students to a class and implement social distancing in and around the classrooms and buildings.
This burden looms large in particular for Lawrence, an urban under-resourced school district that has neither the space nor the budget to accommodate new health protocols. The cost for protective equipment, funding staff for smaller classes, and monies for additional transportation to keep students spread out on bus rides would need to be double of the current school budget. According to the School Superintendents Association, it would take close to $2 million to make social distancing a possibility.
Last week, the Baker-Polito Administration announced the allocation of approximately $200 million from the Commonwealth’s federal Coronavirus Relief Fund for costs related to reopening public schools. Schools are eligible to receive up to $225 per student for eligible costs incurred due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, such as training for school staff, supplemental social and academic services, reconfiguration of school spaces, leasing of temporary facilities, and acquisition of health and hygiene supplies.
Municipalities, school districts, and charter schools may apply for these funds in the next few weeks, and this funding is intended to supplement other resources the Administration is providing to local cities and towns for COVID-19 response efforts. Other potential funding sources to support school reopening include $502 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund that had previously been allocated by Governor Charlie Baker to cities and towns, as well as $194 million in federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund grants.
In partnership with legislative leadership, the Administration is also committing $25 million in federal funds for a matching grant program to help school districts and charter schools close technology gaps that have inhibited remote learning for students and families who lack access to computers or internet connections.
“While the Department is working toward the full in-person return to school of all students, school districts must be prepared to work on a continuum of three broad options for reopening,” said Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley. “We feel this gives school districts the readiness they need to educate students in person and the flexibility to adapt if the health situation changes.”
We can only hope that our elected representatives demand the Commonwealth to heavy fund so that Lawrence can follow and complete DESE back-to-school order. If not, we can all agree that a second wave will come around September-October and will be even more of a disaster than the ongoing wave.
Orders from the LPS Superintendent have already canceled future negotiations for contracts and the LPS leader (along with the Alliance for Education Board) placed a hiring freeze of many positions. Unions have been notified. No negotiations took place, only an order stating that the LPS could do so under the “other business” of the turnaround plan. A plan that has been trusted down the throats of school elected officials and voters of Lawrence.
Unemployment – To add to this, the City of Lawrence is the second-highest in unemployment figures released by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, at the beginning of May 2020, with a 32.6%. The highest unemployment in Massachusetts is occurring in Provincetown at a 33.8%. Amherst, Truro, and Holyoke round out with 3rd, 4th, and 5th on the list of highest unemployment. Lawrence, as we all know, has elevated data of low-income residents and minorities. Just recently release state career center officials provided a figure that has Lawrence at 16.3% unemployment rate. The Information, Leisure, and Hospitality work areas have been affected the most in Lawrence.
One piece of news that recently came out of City Hall is that the city will receive $600K to Strengthen Youth-Officer Relations. What I came to find out is that it isn’t much more than money for police officers’ salaries and training. How much money do you need to know and protect your city’s youth? Do you need money to do that? Is a given that they must have good relations with everyone in the community. This does nothing to provide money, for the youth, who have been affected by the loss of jobs – but the press release looks pretty.
The Workforce Investment Board has no answers except to provide data of unemployed. They haven’t (along with Northern Essex Community College Career Center) provided any face to face assistance to the massive unemployed in Lawrence or the Merrimack Valley for that matter. Seeing that they now fall under the state, we may not know when they will reopen for actual business.
To add insult to injury (no pun intended), the city does not even have a Business Economic Development Director, so businesses have no idea who to communicate in regards to business development, assistance, or funding. The only offices communicating with business is the inspectional Services Department (inspectors) and DPW to accommodate sidewalk barriers for outdoor seating restaurants. Nothing helps those businesses that can’t do outdoor but that have many staff without earning a salary due to closures.
COVID-19 Positive – To add to this story, and to inform our readers on how it all began (not that anyone needs a reminder), the pandemic has caused Lawrence to reach and maintain the number two spot on the list of highest COVID-19 infection rate at 1858.78 per 100,000.
Lawrence residents ages 20-49 have been the highest number of COVID-19 positives in the City of Lawrence for several issues: having to work in service industries or not respecting the social distancing norms as was evident by Mayor Rivera’s mandatory facial mask order. However, the serious numbers are that residents between the ages of 70-90 are hardest hit by the death count (over 100 people).
One thing that comes to mind is that voluntary testing (for any reason) should have occurred from the start. Many of our youth work as CNAs and for the most part do well in their jobs and are responsible. Then you have the few who are not concerned with whom they congregate, did not (and still don’t) respect the stay at home request, and still go to work assisting the elderly – one of the reasons why 70-90 are the hardest hit by COVID-19.
Rumbo will continue writing about our observations and the lack of concrete policies and actions from City officials.
