John Fensterwald
Follow @jfenster EmailJohn Fensterwald, staff writer, joined EdSource in 2012. Before that, he was editor and co-writer for The Educated Guess website, a leading source of California education policy reporting and opinion, which he founded in 2009. For 11 years before then, John wrote editorials for the Mercury News in San Jose, with a focus on education. He worked as a reporter, news editor and opinion editor for three newspapers in New Hampshire before receiving a Knight Fellowship at Stanford University in 1997. His wife is a retired elementary school teacher, and his daughter is a neurology resident at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine.
All articles by John Fensterwald
California legislators issue their conditions for reopening schools — without governor’s backing
Lawmakers would offer $2 billion to bring back elementary school students after April 15; Newsom favors a speedier timetable.
John Fensterwald
February 19, 2021
Federal guidelines for school reopening are less rigorous than state’s on several key measures
State and federal guidelines are similar in many respects, but California is stricter on when Covid rates permit schools to reopen.
John Fensterwald
February 16, 2021
Talks slow, no word yet from Newsom and top lawmakers on deal to reopen schools
Disagreements over vaccinations and extensive Covid testing appear among issues yet to be resolved for elementary students to return to class.
John Fensterwald
February 12, 2021
Gov. Newsom calls for closing big ‘loophole’ in school funding for high-needs students
Districts have carried over unspent money intended for high-needs students to use however they want. The governor says the practice must end.
John Fensterwald
February 9, 2021
Dispute widens between Gov. Newsom, school employee unions over reopening campuses
Hours after Gov. Newsom said schools could reopen before teachers are vaccinated, five school unions rebut that and other points.
John Fensterwald
February 4, 2021
All aspects of his return-to-school plan are negotiable, Gov. Newsom tells superintendents
Declining rates of Covid add urgency to reach a deal with legislators to reopen schools for young children and struggling students, he says.
John Fensterwald
January 29, 2021
With Gov. Newsom's back-to-school plan all but doomed, what might it take to salvage it?
The Feb.1 deadline for the plan soon will pass; talks continue over complaints the plan’s requirements and timeline were unworkable.
John Fensterwald
January 27, 2021
Initial data for California confirm early grades, low-income children hit hardest by ‘learning loss’
A study of 50,000 students from 18 districts reaffirm that those who have traditionally struggled fell farther behind academically.
John Fensterwald
January 26, 2021
More school organizations urge revising Gov. Newsom’s reopening plan
Some school boards and administrators predict there’ll be few takers for extra funding due to the burdens of testing and labor negotiations.
John Fensterwald
January 20, 2021
Newsom opens one-stop Covid information ‘hub’ on reopening schools
Multiple websites will provide data and a hotline on Covid outbreaks for parents, clarify regulations, and offer technical help to districts.
John Fensterwald
January 14, 2021
Big district superintendents, Newsom advisers remain at odds on back to school plan
After meeting with the governor’s aides, Los Angeles and Fresno superintendents say they won’t apply for incentives to reopen campuses.
John Fensterwald
January 12, 2021
Gov. Newsom proposes $4.6 billion for summer school, more learning time in 2021-22 budget
The budget would provide billions for K-12 schools and early education after paying off most of the short-term debt owed from this year’s budget.
John Fensterwald
January 8, 2021
Large urban districts object to Gov. Newsom’s school reopening plan
The districts, which include Los Angeles and San Diego, say they’d get no funding for high rates of Covid they can’t control and want the state to cover the full costs of testing.
John Fensterwald
January 7, 2021
California education issues to watch in 2021 — and predictions of what will happen
Here are our education predictions for the new year — a year that promises to be highly unpredictable.
John Fensterwald And Yuxuan Xie
January 6, 2021
Responses of cheer and doubt to Gov. Newsom’s plan for in-person instruction
Superintendents welcome any state help to get students back in the classroom, but massive testing and other conditions may give some districts second thoughts.