The job of a school board member is impactful and thankless in normal times. They often times have to make tough decisions about other people’s children that result in raised taxes, and, unlike other elected officials, they do not get paid. The pandemic and its associated restrictions have hit schools and education the hardest, with school boards having to make decisions soonest and with the least guidance and support from the governmental bodies around them.

One of the many inequities the novel coronavirus has exposed is in education. Back in March school districts had to institute virtual learning on the fly. Two things that any plan would require was access to electronic devices like tablets, Chromebooks or laptops as well as access to the internet. For some communities, access to these resources were taken for granted, but in places like the Norristown School District, where there is a wide spectrum of students on the socioeconomic scale, some students where left at a huge disadvantage.

“Fortunately, we were in the process of making sure every student in the district had a laptop,” said Norristown School Board member Turea Huston. “COVID did force us to speed up our timeline to make sure all students could learn virtually.”

When it was apparent schools were going to have to go virtual, many districts petitioned internet providers like Comcast to increase bandwidth and offer more services like Comcast Essentials, which provides free internet to households that could not afford it. They also had hotspots available to those who needed them.

“Internet is now an essential utility like heat or electricity. Unfortunately for many in our community this resources is not readily available,” Hutson said. “With schools closing but learning still necessary, we needed to find ways to make sure our students had at home many of the resources they have in school.”

Since the Norristown School District has a certain percentage of students below the poverty line they receive the Community Eligibility Grant, through the United State Department of Agriculture, which is given to school district so they can provide breakfast and lunch to everyone. Since the schools were closing the district had to work come up with a plan to distribute meals in addition to figuring out the logistics of virtual learning.

“We have plenty of meals that we are giving people food for everyone in the house,” Hutson said. “It has been a rough year but I’m encouraged by how the administration worked tirelessly for our students.”

The plan for the school district was always to give every student laptop. COVID accelerated that project. So they purchased more earlier.

The current state of climate tech

Climate tech is driving the global transition toward clean energy, while the oil industry struggles to find its footing in a changing world. Oil prices took a nosedive during the peak of the pandemic, sending another warning that the industry’s standing on shaky legs.

This week’s presentation for Quartz members explores the current landscape of the fossil fuel industry, the world’s slow but accelerating shift towards clean energy, and the companies and investors that are betting on climate technology.

Edison awards fire technology scholarships to COC students

Ten College of the Canyons fire technology students have received $1,000 scholarships from Edison International to cover tuition, books and school-related fees.

The students – Nancy Abad, Jake Backes, Michael Boone, Brandon Cockeram, Juan-Pablo Gonzalez, Victor Mere, Jeanette Robinson, Steven Sirk, Christopher Sotelo, and Braiden Swartz – had to have a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher, be enrolled in the college’s fire technology program, and respond to four essay questions about their fire service career goals.

“2020 is a unique year,” said Keith Kawamoto, chair of the college’s fire technology department. “With the help of Edison’s generous contribution, our students and fire technology program will continue to adapt and overcome. The pandemic changed the way we teach, train, study and operate. As we emerge from the pandemic, our students will continue to receive the top-quality education and training they deserve.”

The scholarships were awarded through a $25,000 grant from Edison International in support of the college’s development of present and future fire personnel.

“This is COC’s third year receiving Edison’s fire technology grant,” said Kawamoto. “We are extremely fortunate that Edison continues to support fire and emergency services higher education. In addition to these scholarship awards, this Edison fire technology grant allows us to purchase uniforms for our students, and storage for our firefighting gear and equipment.  Edison’s generosity provides our COC fire tech students with resources to help overcome the challenges of 2020 and beyond.”

COC offers fire technology courses within the school of mathematics, sciences and health professions to provide the ample fire department staffing to battle California’s wildfires.

This program offers certificate/degree opportunities for both pre-service individuals and in-service professionals who seek career advancement. COC fire technology courses align with the uniform curriculum laid down by California Community Colleges.

Hawaiian Airlines CEO says airline is optimistic about 2021 travel, three new routes

After a bruising year for the airline industry, Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram told CNBC he believes it’s only up from here.

Airlines spent much of 2020 cutting routes and reducing flights due to the decline in travel demand from the coronavirus pandemic, but companies including Delta and United Airlines have announced some new additions in recent months.

Hawaiian Airlines is joining the fray with new nonstop flights from Honolulu to Austin, Texas; Orlando, Florida, and Ontario, California, to be added in the spring. The Honolulu-based company anticipates a rebound in air travel in the new year and seeks to capitalize on population trends in the Southern states.

“The reason it’s the time to announce three new routes is because … we’re very optimistic about 2021,” he said on “Closing Bell.” “These are places we’ve been looking at for a long time. They have good strong demand for Hawaii.”

Austin has established itself among the top tech scenes in the country, rivaling the traditional tech ecosystem that the San Francisco Bay Area is renowned for. The Texas capital city has drawn interest from multiple technology companies that have either opened up factories there or announced plans to relocate their headquarters from California.

Earlier this month, Oracle, a Silicon Valley mainstay, said that it would shift its headquarters to Austin. It is one in a string of companies planning to relocate corporate operations outside of California.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has moved his personal residence to Texas, splitting the bulk of his time between Austin and Boca Chica, where SpaceX facilities are located. Tesla, which remains headquartered in Palo Alto, California, and Musk’s tunnel start-up, Boring Co., both have operations in Austin.

Apple is also growing its presence in Texas’ capital, where it’s investing $1 billion into a 3 million-square-foot campus. The site is expected to employ 5,000 people and is scheduled to open in 2022.

“I’ve seen coverage on your air about how Austin is booming as a tech center these days, and we think that many of those people are going to want to travel to Hawaii,” Ingram said. “The same goes for Orlando, which has a growing population.”

Florida is a longtime hotspot for retirees to relocate, and the population in the state has steadily climbed. Due to population shifts in the U.S., Texas is projected to add three seats to its U.S. House delegation and Florida is expected to pick up two, the Associated Press reported.

Based on Census Bureau estimates, 10 states, including New York, Michigan and California, are at risk of losing at least one seat in the House chamber, which could have a noticeable effect on the nation’s political map, according to the AP.

Hawaiian Airlines reported roughly 90% revenue declines in its last two quarterly reports.

“In a period where the depth of some of our traditional routes may not be what it was, it’s a good opportunity for us to look at broadening our network, and we see great opportunities from all of these, not just for next year but for the long term,” Ingram said.

Shares of Hawaiian Airlines fell 1.55% on a shortened day of trading in recognition of Christmas Eve. At $17.78 per share, the stock remains down 39% year to date.

The stock is more than double its pandemic low of $7.55 from mid-March.