For seven months, 5-year-old Megan has seen her kindergarten teacher only on a screen. So she was thrilled at the prospect of heading into her Oakland classroom this week to meet in person.
Instead, Megan will encounter a stranger on Tuesday, a substitute assigned to teach her Montclair Elementary class for the next two weeks.
That’s because a district and union agreement gave teachers the option of returning in late March, but didn’t require it. Officials hoped an $800 stipend would lure enough back to reopen schools starting with preschool through second grade, more than two weeks before all schools reopen to eligible students on April 19.