Gov. Newsom to announce unprecedented funding for public schools

MONTEREY, Calif. - Gov. Gavin Newsom will be in Monterey County on Wednesday afternoon to announce his proposal for an unprecedented level of school funding, on the third day of his "California Comeback" tour.

His proposal is aimed at addressing inequalities amplified by the pandemic and students' social-emotional well-being.  

With about a month left in this school year, most California students are learning remotely. 

A total of 53 percent are fully remote, 31 percent are in a hybrid model, and 16 percent of students are back in the classroom full-time, according to state data analyzed by Edsource.org.

For schools in lower-income areas of the Bay Area, there are significantly more students still learning remotely, and spend less than a full day in the classroom, compared to students in wealthier neighborhoods where more time is spent in the classroom per week, an Edsource.org report found.

California K-12 schools received $6.6 billion in state aid and $15.2 from the America Rescue Plan Act to help them partially reopen earlier this year, but many parents want a return to full-time classroom instruction next school year.

Earlier this week, Newsom announced planned investments of $12 billion to tackle homelessness, more stimulus checks for middle-class Californians, and $5.1 billion towards water infrastructure and the drought response.