Unfortunately, covid19 has make it didnt has made it impossible for many schools to safely reopen. We all want our children to return to the classroom as soon as possible. Is betterinstruction for academic achievement, social and emotional learning, better for access to nutrition through school meals and better for identifying and investigating cases of child abuse and neglect. And while shortterm Virtual Learning has benefits, longterm distancelearning exacerbates achievement gaps for low income students, students of color, English Learners and students with a disability. We cant reopen our economy until we reopen our classrooms. There is no debate on whether we want students back in school. The question is whether it can be done safely. That withouts significant federal funding, most schools cant afford the Safety Measures needed to protect students, staff and families. This includes everything from buying personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies to securing additional Transportation Services so students arent traveling to school on crowded buses. Safely reopening schools will require reconfiguring classrooms to accommodate social distancing, and repairing School Ventilation sims ventilation systems. Identified ventilation systems as a key component to reopening schools, yet foreign 10 School Districts four in andeed to replace heating ventilation systems in at least half their buildings. All these measures are necessary to keep schools open, but none are free. Our schools are facing pandemicrelated expenses and also devastating funding cuts due to massive budget shortfalls at state and local levels that could easily reach 500 billion for states and 600 billion for local governments. State and local governments will have to balance their budgets on the backs of students and teachers. It would be a question of whether these cuts will occur, only how deep they will be. This moment demands national leadership. At the Trump Administration has provided no plan to safely reopen classrooms. Is telling schools, reopen or we cut your funding. That is not a plan. We cant simply reopen schools and hope for the best. In the last two weeks alone, roughly 70,000 children have contracted the virus. More than 100 days ago, the house passed the heroes act which would provide nearly 1 trillion for state and local cutsf to help prevent deep to Public Education and 100 billion in direct education aid. The house also passed an infrastructure packs are with package which included 130 billion dollars for school construction, to repair unsafe buildings including ventilation systems. Nearly four months later, the need is even greater. Democrats are now fighting for 300 million to help reopen ghouls safely and maintain nervousness for students real reopen schools safely and students. Afety for congress is working to provide resources to make Virtual Education more effective and significant relief for state and local governments to avoid painful cuts in teacher layoffs. Senaterast, the republican proposal includes no money for state and local governments. Education funding in the republican bill would cover less than half of state and local projected budget cuts to education. Students, parents and educators deserve better. The virus pretending and economic consequences will go away, republicans in washington must join us in taking immediate action. Unless Congress Passes a comprehensive relief package to meet the urgency of the moment, most School Districts will not have the resources they need to safely reopen. Supporting schools should not be a political issue. Together we must and can pass a comprehensive relief package that demonstrates our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our children. Thank you, and please stay safe. You are watching cspan, youre unfiltered view of government, created by americans created Television Companies as aub