Monday, May 1, 2017

PA Ed Policy Roundup May 1: Better-Educated Families Less Likely to Choose Pa. Cyber Charters, Study Finds

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Keystone State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup May 1, 2017:
Better-Educated Families Less Likely to Choose Pa. Cyber Charters, Study Finds



RSVP Now! EPLC’s Education Policy Forum – May 4 in Indiana, PA on Governor Wolf’s Proposed Education Budget



“In Pennsylvania and across the country, full-time online charter schools have come under withering scrutiny. Studies by the Center for Research on Educational Outcomes at Stanford University have found at both the national and state level that students in the schools learn at a dramatically slower pace than their peers in traditional brick-and-mortar schools. Last fall, Education Week published a major investigation into the sector, highlighting concerns about students not using the schools' educational software and about extensive lobbying efforts by the for-profit management companies that dominate the industry.”
Better-Educated Families Less Likely to Choose Pa. Cyber Charters, Study Finds
Education Week Digital Education Blog By Benjamin Herold on April 28, 2017 9:38 AM
Live from AERA San Antonio - As information about the academic struggles of Pennsylvania's cyber charters has become more accessible, the full-time online schools have increasingly enrolled students from the state's least-educated communities and most-disadvantaged school districts, according to a new study to be presented here Sunday as part of the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association.  The result, according to researcher Bryan Mann of Penn State University?  Cyber charter have become an inequitable corner of Pennsylvania's school-choice system, leaving the state's neediest students with another bad option that their peers from better-off school districts largely avoid.  "This may be the educational policy equivalent of asking someone in a food desert to pick between two fast food restaurants and hoping they make a healthy choice," Mann wrote in a pre-conference email interview.

Reprise Nov. 2016: Rewarding Failure
An Education Week Investigation of the Cyber Charter Industry
Education Week In-Depth Series November 2016
With growing evidence that the nation's cyber charter schools are plagued by serious academic and management problems, Education Week conducted a months-long investigation into what is happening in this niche sector of K-12 schooling. The result is a deep-dive account of what's wrong with cyber charters. Education Week uncovered exclusive data on how rarely students use the learning software at Colorado’s largest cyber charter, the questionable management practices in online charters, and how lobbying in scores of states helps keep the sector growing.

“On average, full-time virtual charter students make no gains in math and less than half the gains in reading of their peers in traditional brick-and-mortar public schools.
All subgroups of students, including those in poverty, English-language learners, and special education students, perform worse in full-time virtual charters than in traditional public schools.”
PReprise June 2016: Charter Advocacy Groups Want Higher Standards for Online-Only Schools
Education Week By Corey Mitchell on June 16, 2016 5:45 AM | No comments
Three of the nation's leading charter school advocacy groups are calling for a complete overhaul of state policies governing online-only charter schools.  A new report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, and the 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now (50CAN) outlines the challenges facing the online-only, or virtual, schools and offers recommendations to hold their authorizers accountable for student performance and financial decisions.  The three groups largely crafted the report's recommendations in response to sweeping research findings released last fall that showed that students who took classes through virtual schools made dramatically less progress than their peers in traditional schools. It was the first national study of the cybercharter sector and was conducted by the Center for Research and Educational Outcomes at Stanford University, the Center on Reinventing Public Education, and Mathematica Policy Research.
In a review of online charter school performance, the charter school advocacy groups found that:
·         All subgroups of students, including those in poverty, English-language learners, and special education students, perform worse in full-time virtual charters than in traditional public schools.
·         Students who leave full-time virtual charter schools are apt to change schools more often after they leave cyber charters than they did before enrolling.
"If traditional public schools were producing such results, we would rightly be outraged," the report introduction reads, in part. "We should not feel any different just because these are charter schools."

Studies show racial bias in Pennsylvania school funding
By Evan Brandt, The Mercury POSTED: 04/30/17, 9:49 AM EDT | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO
This chart, taken from Pennsylvania Department of Education data, shows that while both Pottstown and Mahanoy City in Schuylkill County have similar levels of poverty, and would receive similar levels of basic education funding under the fair funding formula, Pottsown, which has a less-white population, receives significantly less under the current funding mechanism, while Mahanoy receives more than its fair share.Graphic by David Mosenkis  POTTSTOWN >> People objecting to Pennsylvania’s status as the state with the widest gap between funding for rich and poor school districts have argued that a zip code all-too-often determines the quality of a student’s education.  Apparently the color of a student’s skin matters even more.  New research has found that the less white a district’s students are, the more unfair the funding gap in state basic education dollars.  The discovery was made by two separate fair funding advocacy groups as they began applying Pennsylvania’s new “fair funding formula” to the finances of the state’s 500 school districts.  Because the state is only putting 6 percent of its total education funding through the formula, researchers at the Education Law Center and POWER (Philadelphia Organized to Witness Empower and Rebuild) wanted to see what funding would look like for poorer districts if all the state’s education funding were distributed using the formula.

Celebrate National Charter Schools Week with PCPCS!
PA Coalition of Public Charter Schools website April 27, 2017
PCPCS is excited to announce that Speaker Turzai will be visiting City Charter High School in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, May 2, to help us celebrate the role that high-quality public charter schools have played in our state.  Every year, National Charter Schools Week gives us the chance to raise awareness about our amazing schools. Whether it’s highlighting the academic successes of our students or the strong parental demand for more schools, we have a lot to celebrate and share.  This year, National Charter School Week will take place May 1-5.  ALL charter school leaders are cordially invited to attend this event. If you are a cyber school leader, please feel free to pass this information onto your staff that is local to the Pittsburgh area if you are unable to join us!
Speaker Turzai Visit to City High Charter School
When:  Tuesday, May 2nd Time: 10AM-11:30AM
Location:   201 Stanwix St, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Please rsvp by Friday, April 28, by clicking here.

Hesitating over terms, several Philly charters decline to sign renewal agreements with district
WHYY Newsworks BY AVI WOLFMAN-ARENT APRIL 28, 2017
Several Philadelphia charter schools signaled their displeasure with the district's charter office by declining to sign renewal agreements before a Friday deadline, instead holding out for better terms.  The refusals highlight simmering tension between charters and the school district over how these publicly financed — but privately run — schools should be governed.  Several charter leaders and advocates said the school district wants them to sign agreements that overregulate and overburden their sector, sapping them of the flexibility to make needed reforms.  "We want to be accountable," said David Hardy, CEO of Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School, one of those that has not signed its charter agreement. "But what they're doing is beyond accountability. It's almost dictatorial."  "They try to treat us like children," Hardy added.  Others, however, praise the charter office for taking a more thorough approach to charter reauthorization and approval, arguing it helps root out bad actors.  "Nobody likes to be told what to do, but this is public money, and it requires public oversight," said Temple Law professor Susan DeJarnatt.  The school district set a 1 p.m. Friday deadline for 21 Philadelphia charter schools to sign five-year renewal agreements. The agreements are a standard part of the charter school landscape, laying out how charters must behave and what benchmarks they must meet to continue operating in Philadelphia.

Renewals roil Philly charter community
Inquirer by Martha Woodall, Staff Writer  @marwooda |  martha.woodall@phillynews.com Updated: APRIL 28, 2017 — 9:53 PM EDT
The Philadelphia School Reform Commission was scheduled to decide Monday whether 23 charter schools should have their operating agreements renewed for five years.
But provisions of the proposed agreements have created so much turmoil that the SRC will consider fewer than half of the charters up for renewal next week.  The district told charter operators they had  until 1 p.m. Friday to return signed agreements to be considered during Monday's SRC meeting.  Thirteen charters refused.  They objected to what they viewed as an ultimatum, and cited confusion over the language and conditions the district is seeking to impose — including enrollment caps — that the charters said violate state law.  As of Friday, only 10 charters were on the SRC agenda, including Laboratory Charter School of Languages and Communications and Memphis Street Academy, which are facing nonrenewal.  Mike Wang, executive director of the Philadelphia School Advocacy Partners, which supports charters, said the renewal documents represent “a big leap forward in terms of overreach" by the district.  The schools that have balked include Belmont and Inquiry charter schools in West Philadelphia, which are operated by the Belmont Charter Network.  “Our board met [Friday] and decided not to sign for either school,” said Jennifer Faustman, CEO  of the network. “There is this lack of clarity around the terms they have put in the charters."  She said the schools received renewal documents only late last week and had little time to review them or ask questions.   Kevin Geary, a district spokesman, said many of the issues were not new, including requiring charters to sign documents before the SRC votes.

25 years later, Pittsburgh city schools facing similar problems from the past
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by MOLLY BORN mborn@post-gazette.com 12:47 AM APR 30, 2017
On a warm, late summer evening in 1992, a requiem of sorts played out at the Pittsburgh Public Schools offices in Oakland.   A group of parents and educators, called the Advocates for African American Students, held a mock funeral along Bellefield Avenue — casket, visitor guest book and all— and circled the administration building in protest of the newly named superintendent Louise Brennen. Then-school board member Jean Fink, who voted for Ms. Brennen, recalled whizzing by the scene on the back of her husband’s Harley. “I just went by on a motorcycle and didn’t stop.”  The elegy, said Wanda Henderson, then the group’s co-chair, “symbolized the end of multicultural education, access to educational opportunities for black students and strong effective leadership.”  She and other Advocates took formal action, too, filing a racial discrimination complaint that year with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission against Pittsburgh Public. They cited inequities between white and black students from academic achievement to discipline to resources, capped by the selection of Ms. Brennen over who they said was a more qualified black candidate.  A quarter-century later, the district is faced with some of the same challenges. A report this year revealed that “the weight of the district’s disciplinary actions appears to fall disproportionately on students of color.”

Pa. lawmakers discuss education issues with Fox Chapel residents
Post Gazette by RITA MICHEL 12:00 AM APR 28, 2017
“Right now the bill is dead,” state Sen. Randy Vulakovich, R-Shaler, told those who gathered last week at Fox Chapel Area High School to discuss state education issues with elected officials.  He was referring to Bill 76, which proposes funding Pennsylvania schools by increasing income and sales taxes instead of using property taxes, the current funding source. The bill would not have eliminated property taxes entirely. School districts would still have had the ability to use property taxes to cover existing school debt.  For that reason as well as the loss of local control, Fox Chapel Area administrators do not view the bill as a viable solution to property tax issues.  The April 20 discussion was a meeting of the District Forum, a group of Fox Chapel Area residents that meets regularly to discuss policies and topics of interest to them.

“State government cannot remedy this disparity because most states face serious budget shortfalls. Pennsylvania, which currently ranks 45th in state education spending and faces a $1.7 billion budget deficit, has no new dollars for education spending. It is not alone; 35 states currently spend the same as or less than they did in 2008.”
Education’s Taxing Problem
The American Interest by MATTHEW FONTANA April 27, 2017
America’s schools need cash, but Pennsylvania’s proposed solution—substituting sales taxes for property taxes as a funding source—should get failing marks.
Since 1647, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony first required any town of more than fifty families to hire and support a local teacher with funds from the “general inhabitants,” local and state governments have primarily funded public education through locally levied property taxes. The result has been an increasingly impoverished public education system with wide—and educationally harmful—disparities between wealthy and poor districts. States are increasingly unable or unwilling to use state funds to compensate for shortfalls in property tax revenue, and these funding disparities have, with growing frequency, become the subject of state court litigation. Courts in several states have found that funding inequities and deep educational cuts violate state constitutional guarantees of “through and efficient education” or “sound basic education.” In short, every state is wrestling with the issue of educational funding inequity.  Nowhere is this issue more apparent than in Pennsylvania. Upper Darby School District, a diverse working-class and majority-minority suburb immediately outside the city limits of Philadelphia, spends approximately $13,000 per student, whereas its wealthier, and whiter, neighbor five miles away, Marple Newtown School District, spends $22,000 per student. By virtue of zip code alone, one student will receive $9,000 dollars in extra education spending. While per student spending is not the only measure of educational success, it is fundamentally unfair that the resources available to educate students are predicated on the wealth of their community. Amplifying this unfairness is the racial and economic segregation that underlies property tax disparities. For a variety of reasons, including the legacy of redlining in the home mortgage loan industry, minority families are often concentrated in the communities with the lowest property values—and therefore attend schools with the least resources.

“In the afternoon, the School Reform Commission plans to vote on renewals, nonrenewals and amendments involving 11 different charter schools.  Although the charter office has completed renewal agreements for 26 schools, more than a dozen charters have declined to sign them in time for the vote, citing a variety of issues in complaining of regulatory overreach.”
May Day will be busy: teachers organize day of advocacy, SRC to vote on charter renewals
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa April 30, 2017 — 3:15pm
Monday, May 1, is proving to be a major day of activity in the world of Philadelphia education.  In the morning, educators from several schools, most with contingents from the activist Caucus of Working Educators, plan to stay out of school and participate in May Day protests to draw attention to  issues of "economic, racial, and educational justice."   The biggest issue: continued lack of a teachers' contract. The stalemate between the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and the SRC is now in its fifth year. Most teachers have seen no raises during that time.   The District's tight financial picture -- primarily a result of charter expansion and the state's outdated and mostly inadequate education funding system  -- is a major factor in the longstanding impasse.  

“The educators have been working nearly four years without a contract and nearly five without a pay raise.”
Philadelphia teachers plan contract protests
Delco Times By The Associated Press POSTED: 05/01/17, 6:19 AM EDT
PHILADELPHIA >> Philadelphia school teachers are planning protests to draw attention to their lack of a contract.  Monday’s demonstrations include picketing and rallies.  The educators have been working nearly four years without a contract and nearly five without a pay raise.  Schools are open and the district says it’s working with principals and the company that provides substitute teachers to ensure there will be no disruptions on the classrooms.

Contractless for four years, Philadelphia teachers plan action Monday
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Staff Writer  @newskag |  kgraham@phillynews.com Updated: APRIL 30, 2017 — 8:09 PM EDT
Klint Kanopka used to say that he would teach in Philadelphia until he “retired or died.”
He has been a fixture at Academy at Palumbo, the magnet school where he has taught for eight years. He has won national accolades for his teaching and hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants for Palumbo, and until recently, he had not missed a day of work.  But it has been nearly four years without a teachers' contract, and nearly five without a raise. Kanopka is not paid for his years of experience or the master’s degree he earned after his pay was frozen.   “I don’t want to leave Philadelphia, but it feels like a contract will never happen,” said Kanopka, 34, who will enter a Ph.D. program in physics education at Stanford University. Becoming a graduate student and teaching assistant will mean a $4,000 raise.  Citywide, Philadelphia School District teachers will call attention to their plight Monday, using the day -- May 1 is traditionally a day of public activism for unions -- to highlight what they say is a school system whose lack of action on their behalf is driving many away and harming children.

Bethel Park Chamber guest addresses school property tax reform
The Almanac By Harry Funk Published: April 27, 2017
Since state Senate Bill 76’s defeat by tiebreaker in November, its prime sponsor has vowed to reintroduce what has become known as the Property Tax Independence Act for the new legislative session.  Although Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill County, has yet to do so, opponents of the measure continue to make efforts to inform the public about its ramifications.  Representing the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, for which she is director of legislative policy and advocacy, Jamie Baxter recently addressed the topic with members of the Bethel Park Chamber of Commerce.  “I’m not saying that property taxes are the way our schools should be funded,” she explained. “I’m not saying that at all. I’m saying that this particular proposal has negative impacts for school districts. There might be another property tax reform proposal out there that can fund schools equitably.”  Baxter referred to the “property tax independence” component of the would-be legislation as a misnomer.  “It’s only for school property taxes,” she said. “It’s important to know that, under this proposal, property taxes would not be eliminated. You would still have your county and municipal taxes to pay, and you would also be paying property taxes based on your school district’s debt.”

Freeport, other W. Pa. schools may lose federal Title II funding
Trib Live TOM YERACE AND EMILY BALSER | Saturday, April 29, 2017, 12:01 a.m.
Local school district officials are worried a Trump administration proposal to eliminate Title II federal funds could leave their districts short of money for staff development and class size reduction.  According to the state Department of Education, Title II money helps districts pay for teacher and principal development, reducing class size and recruitment and retention efforts for educators.  The state receives about $86 million in federal Title II funding each year, which it doles out to local school districts.  Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera sent out letters to districts cautioning officials about the potential cuts if the proposal put forth by President Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos takes effect.  Local districts are looking at cuts ranging from around $40,000 to more than $200,000, depending on the size of the district.  "Wiping out Title II would absolutely wipe out $68,000 from our budget," said Freeport Area Superintendent Ian Magness.  Many districts use their Title II funding to provide an extra teacher in elementary schools to keep class sizes smaller and provide training for educators on curriculum changes.

New Kensington-Arnold gives furlough notices to 33 teachers
Trib Live by MATTHEW MEDSGER | Friday, April 28, 2017, 12:01 a.m.
The New Kensington-Arnold School Board gave notice Thursday night of the district's intention to furlough 33 teachers at the end of the school year.  Many of those teachers and their supporters filled the district board room to bursting, some seated on the floor, as five board members, a bare quorum, voted 5-0 to approve the tentative furlough list.  The board cited declining student enrollment, the consolidation project that closed two schools three years ago and curtailment of programs.  But just because the board announced more than 30 possible furloughs, that doesn't mean it will happen.  More than 20 teachers were on the same list last year and in 2015, 2014 and 2011.  None was furloughed last year or 2014, and no more than three were in those other years.  The teachers union requires the school district to list before May teachers who might be furloughed.

Koppel accountant's sentencing delayed again in PA Cyber charter school scam
Beaver County Times Staff and Wire Reports April 28, 2017
PITTSBURGH — Sentencing has been again delayed for an accountant who pleaded guilty to helping Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School founder Nick Trombetta avoid federal income taxes on more than $8 million.  Neal Prence, of Koppel, pleaded guilty to one count of tax conspiracy in September, but his sentencing Thursday has been delayed indefinitely because he now wants to withdraw his guilty plea and instead plead no contest.  A federal judge has yet to rule on that request, which could spare Prence's accounting license.  Federal prosecutors contend Prence conspired with Trombetta, who pleaded guilty to the fraud in August involving the Midland-based PA Cyber.  Trombetta is scheduled for sentencing June 20 for using the school's money to fund a lavish lifestyle.  His sister, Elaine Trombetta Neill, was also charged in this case. Then-prosecutor James Wilson alleged Neill used a company set up by her brother, One2One, as a "conduit through which Dr. Nicholas Trombetta could channel money to himself, his sister, his mother and other persons."  Neill pleaded guilty to filing a false income tax return more than three years ago, and is yet to be sentenced.  After more than eight continuances, Neill is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14.

Poll: Should Lancaster County schools start later in the day?
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer Apr 29, 2017 Updated Apr 29, 2017
The largest school district in Washington may soon move the start time for most of its schools to 9 a.m., one year after testing later start times for its older students.  Under the proposed plan, all middle and high schools, and most K-8 schools, at Seattle Public Schools would start classes at 9 a.m. The first bell at most elementary schools would ring at 8 a.m.  The changes, if approved, would be implemented in the 2017-18 school year.  This year, the start times are 7:55 a.m., 8:45 a.m. and 9:35 a.m.  Seattle's school board last year approved the 8:45 a.m. start time for most of its middle and high schools and some K-8 schools.  Early data show that the later start times for older students have led to increased attendance and less need for discipline.  A district-appointed task force studied the issue for seven months prior to last year's decision. It ultimately recommended an 8:30 a.m. start time for high schools, an 8 a.m. start for most elementary schools and a 9:40 a.m. start for middle school and K-8 students.  Seattle Public Schools, which serves about 55,000 students in its nearly 100 schools, is one of the largest districts in the nation where teenagers start classes later than 8:30 a.m.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends middle and high school classes start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. to combat teenage sleep deprivation. 

Politics as Usual: Wolf's approval rating up, new poll finds
Steve Esack and Laura OlsonContact Reporters Of The Morning Call April 29, 2017
In case you didn't realize, Pennsylvania's 2018 election for governor is here.
Several Republicans appear to be lining up to face each other in next year's May primary with the hope of unseating Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in the fall.  As of now, Wolf's going into the election cycle without a primary opponent — and a higher approval rating.  Wolf's approval rating went up 4 percentage points to 40 percent since February, according to a new Muhlenberg College/Morning Call Poll. At the same time, his disapproval rating went down 5 percentage points to 35 percent. That's the best Wolf has done on both ends among four Muhlenberg-Morning Call polls conducted since the York County businessman took office in January 2015.


US Students Need More Exposure to Arts and Music, Test Shows
New York Times By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS APRIL 25, 2017, 3:31 A.M. E.D.T.
WASHINGTON — When it comes to music and visual arts, American teenagers could use some help.  The National Center for Education Statistics reported Tuesday that in 2016, American eighth graders scored an average 147 in music and 149 in visual arts on a scale of 300. Some 8,800 eighth graders from public and private schools across the country took part in the test, which was part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often called the Nation's Report Card.  Acting Commissioner Peggy Carr said the test shows students have a lot to learn in art and music and that no progress has been made since the same test was administered in 2008.  "When I saw the results, clearly there is room for improvement, because clearly there is a lot of content that students weren't able to interact with correctly," Carr told The Associated Press.

Save Medicaid In Schools Coalition Issues Statement Rejecting American
Alexandria, Va. – April 28, 2017 – The co-chairs of the Save Medicaid in Schools Coalition issued the following statement today rejecting the American Health Care Act.
The Save Medicaid in Schools Coalition opposes the latest Medicaid proposal under consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives. Children cannot learn to their fullest potential with unmet health needs and this legislation would take health care services and access away from American’s most vulnerable children.
Medicaid is a cost-effective and efficient provider of essential health care services for children. School-based Medicaid programs serve as a lifeline to children who often can’t access critical health care and health services outside of their schools. Under this bill, the bulk of the mandated costs of providing health care coverage would be shifted to the states even though health needs and costs of care for children will remain the same or increase.
A per-capita cap, even one that is based on different groups of beneficiaries, will disproportionally harm children’s access to care, including services received at school. Schools are often the hub of the community, and converting Medicaid’s financing structure to per-capita caps threatens to significantly reduce access to comprehensive health care for children with disabilities and those living in poverty. We urge Congressional leaders to reject the American Health Care Act.”
Sasha Pudelski, AASA, The School Superintendents Association
John Hill, National Alliance for Medicaid in Education
Kelly Vaillancourt Strobach , National Association of School Psychologists
For specific questions about the Save Medicaid in Schools Coalition, please contact Sasha Pudelski, AASA assistant director, policy and advocacy, at spudelski@aasa.org.

Here we go again: PA’s School-Based ACCESS Program is jeopardized under proposed federal cuts to Medicaid under Affordable Care Act Repeal
A vote to repeal the ACA could happen as soon as next week, jeopardizing Medicaid coverage for Pennsylvania schoolchildren.  Pennsylvania public schools are currently at risk of losing millions of dollars in federal funding to help pay for mandated services for students with special needs.
A PSBA Closer Look March 2017
https://www.psba.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ACL_ACCESS-program-jeopardized.pdf


Call your Congressman’s office today to let them know that with the repeal of ACA Pennsylvania could lose over $140 million in reimbursement for services that school districts provide to special education students
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/


PSBA Spring Town Hall Meetings coming in May!
Don’t be left in the dark on legislation that affects your district! Learn the latest from your legislators at PSBA Spring Town Hall Meetings. Conveniently offered at 10 locations around the state throughout May, this event will provide you with the opportunity to interact face-to-face with key lawmakers from your area. Enjoy refreshments, connect with colleagues, and learn what issues impact you and how you can make a difference. Log in to the Members Area to register today for this FREE event!
  • Monday, May 1, 6-8 p.m. — Parkway West CTC, 7101 Steubenville Pike, Oakdale, PA 15071
  • Tuesday, May 2, 7:30-9 a.m. — A W Beattie Career Center, 9600 Babcock Blvd, Allison Park, PA 15101
  • Tuesday, May 2, 6-8 p.m. — Crawford County CTC, 860 Thurston Road, Meadville, PA 16335
  • Wednesday, May 3, 6-8 p.m. — St. Marys Area School District, 977 S. St Marys Road, Saint Marys, PA 15857
  • Thursday, May 4, 6-8 p.m. — Central Montco Technical High School, 821 Plymouth Road, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462
  • Friday, May 5, 7:30-9 a.m. — Lehigh Carbon Community College, 4525 Education Park Dr, Schnecksville, PA 18078
  • Monday, May 15, 6-8 p.m. — CTC of Lackawanna Co., 3201 Rockwell Avenue, Scranton, PA 18508
  • Tuesday, May 16, 6-8 p.m. — PSBA, 400 Bent Creek Boulevard, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
  • Wednesday, May 17, 6-8 p.m. — Lycoming CTC, 293 Cemetery Street, Hughesville, PA 17737
  • Thursday, May 18, 6-8 p.m. — Chestnut Ridge SD, 3281 Valley Road, Fishertown, PA 15539
For assistance with registration, please contact Michelle Kunkel at 717-506-2450 ext. 3365.

SAVE THE DATE LWVPA Convention 2017 June 1-4, 2017
Join the League of Women Voters of PA for our 2017 Biennial Convention at the beautiful Inn at Pocono Manor!
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/SAVE-THE-DATE--LWVPA-Convention-June-1-4--2017.html?soid=1102026610927&aid=sie1JiXCxws

Pennsylvania Education Leadership Summit July 23-25, 2017 Blair County Convention Center - Altoona
A three-day event providing an excellent opportunity for school district administrative teams and instructional leaders to learn, share and plan together
co-sponsored by PASA, the Pennsylvania Principals Association, PASCD and the PA Association for Middle Level Education
**REGISTRATION IS OPEN**Early Bird Registration Ends after April 30!
Keynote speakers, high quality breakout sessions, table talks on hot topics, and district team planning and job-alike sessions will provide practical ideas that can be immediately reviewed and discussed at the summit and utilized at the district level.
Keynote Speakers:
Thomas Murray, Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools, a project of the Alliance for Excellent Education
Kristen Swanson, Director of Learning at Slack and one of the founding members of the Edcamp movement 
Breakout session strands:
*Strategic/Cultural Leadership
*Systems Leadership
*Leadership for Learning
*Professional and Community Leadership 
CLICK HERE to access the Summit website for program, hotel and registration information.

Save the Date 2017 PA Principals Association State Conference October 14. 15, 16, 2017
Doubletree Hotel Cranberry Township, PA


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