Network Schools – Wayne Gerseny to https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/03/magazine/thomas-piketty-interview u w B l.html?h I’ll smid=url-share the Is for

The headline is wrong: there is no “could be” about it! There WILL BE a “prolonged recession” unless the legislature acts quickly and decisively! As for the $555 BILLION dollar shortfall predicted in one of the early paragraphs, I tend to think EPI’s Josh Bivens is probably right:

Bivens added that the unprecedented nature of the coronavirus crisis and economic fallout make it unlikely that one can even predict the level of disaster facing governments.

“Estimates of state and local shortfalls are based on historical experiences during recessions,” said Bivens. “But the unique nature of the current recession means that these estimates of the help state and local governments will need are probably significantly too low.”

And the last I heard, the GOP is very reluctant to provide any relief to State or local governments who fund things like health care, public services, and– yes– public schools.  And while almost every politician I know of is making noise about reopening schools none of them are making nearly enough noise about the need to give schools the short term infusion of money they need to open or the funds needed in the long run to keep them open. Kids in the short run will suffer the consequences as they likely ping-pong between remote and face-to-face learning and suffer bouts of COVID 19… but the long term prognosis is even drearier if some long term thinking is not put in place.

Source: ‘Prolonged Recession’ Could Be on Horizon as Covid Economic Crisis Leads to State and Local Budget Shortfalls