As the state legislature begins negotiations over next year’s budget, educators and elected officials are discussing whether to keep remote learning as an option once everyone goes back to school in the fall.

May 10, 2021 • Dustin Gardiner and Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle

Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, have been emphatic that public schools in California must reopen for full-time, in-person learning this fall.

But that push has inspired a new debate in Sacramento: Should they create an exception for students who prefer to stay remote or who learn better outside the classroom?

The issue is dividing some lawmakers and educators as the Legislature wades into negotiations over a new state budget that could determine what, if any, amount of distance learning will be funded for schools.

Beyond the fall academic term, this decision also could reshape how the state defines public education for years to come. Distance learning, instead of an emergency solution during a deadly pandemic, could be embedded as a fixture of California’s schools if advocates get their way.

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