Keystone State Education Coalition

Established in 2006, the Keystone State Education Coalition is a growing grass roots, non-partisan public education advocacy group of several hundred locally elected, volunteer school board members and administrators from school districts throughout Pennsylvania. Our mission is to evaluate, discuss and inform our boards, district constituents and legislators on legislative issues of common interest and to facilitate active engagement in public education advocacy.

Thursday, January 31, 2019

PA Ed Policy Roundup Jan. 31: Senate Ed Cmte Chair Aument: “focus committee’s energy on legislation that genuinely has a chance at becoming law”; Philly District Schools Mark 3 Consecutive Years of Improvement

Started in November 2010, daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition team members, superintendents, school solicitors, principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations, education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition

Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

Keystone State Education Coalition

PA Ed Policy Roundup Jan. 31, 2019

Senate Ed Cmte Chair Aument: “focus committee’s energy on legislation that genuinely has a chance at becoming law”; Philly District Schools Mark 3 Consecutive Years of Improvement

For 2016-17, 32,968 students were enrolled in Pennsylvania’s 14 cyber charter schools, which collected over $454 million in tuition from our 500 school districts (source: PDE). Total cyber charter tuition paid by PA taxpayers from 500 school districts for 2013, 2014 and 2015 was over $1.2 billion; $393.5 million, $398.8 million and $436.1 million respectively.

PA Schools Work Community Meeting Saturday, Feb. 2^nd 8:45-12 am at DCIU
Do you care about our public schools? Learn how to take action to get students the support they deserve. Join the PA Schools Work coalition and community members across Delaware County to work together to advocate for PA public schools, their students and the communities they serve. On February 2^nd from 8:45am-12pm at the Delaware County Intermediate Unit, join the group to:

· Hear stories about how funding affects students across the county

· Learn how and take action in real time to approach your local legislators to advocate for the needs of our students

· Connect on social media and grow your networks and influence stakeholders in your community

To RSVP contact Theresa Marsden at 610-938-9000 ext. 2058 or tmarsden@dciu.org
The Facebook event can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1997562453659915/.

Letter: Time to promote student-centered education in Pa.
Delco Times By Sen. Ryan Aument Times Guest Columnist January 30, 2019
I am honored to have been selected to lead one of the most important policy discussions facing Pennsylvania today. As the new chairman of the Senate Education Committee, I understand that the issues before us are as diverse as our Commonwealth. It is therefore crucial that we work together to understand and address those issues so that all Pennsylvanians will have the opportunity to achieve success and experience upward economic mobility in an increasingly competitive and dynamic global environment. To that end, I will be reaching out to all of the members of the Education Committee to gather their input, hear their policy priorities, and collect feedback. I intend for the work of this committee to be member-driven and bipartisan, with an emphasis on collaboration through an open, ongoing dialogue about the issues that we collectively face. Further, we will be results-oriented. Accordingly, I believe we have an obligation to focus the committee’s energy on legislation that genuinely has a chance at becoming law. This is not to say that we will not debate and advance an issue for further discussion, but I intend to prioritize advancing those bills on which there is agreement, while also continuing to engage in meaningful conversations to build consensus where it is lacking.
By building consensus and arriving at workable solutions, we can create sustainable change in Pennsylvania’s education system for the benefit of our students.
Specifically, I intend to emphasize those facets of education I believe are central to creating a student-centered system, including, but certainly not limited to:
• Rigorous academic standards,
• Meaningful, accurate, and fair systems of accountability and transparency,
• Attracting and retaining high quality teachers and school leaders, and
• Individualized and customized learning opportunities for students, to name a few.
https://www.delcotimes.com/opinion/letter-time-to-promote-student-centered-education-in-pa/article_f52742fa-24aa-11e9-9a7c-ffbbd91c8e09.html

State Funding for Career and Technical Schools Falls Short
Public News Service January 30, 2019
HARRISBURG, Pa. - Last year's state budget increased funding for career and technical schools in Pennsylvania for the first time in a decade, but education advocates say there's still a long way to go. That extra $10 million in the current state budget for schools that provide hands-on training and experience for high school students was a much-needed boost, but Susan Spicka, executive director of Education Voters of Pennsylvania, said local school districts still are paying 90 percent of the cost of those schools out of their overall budgets. We see students who apply to these programs and they can't get in, because there aren't enough slots," she said. "We would have more slots available to students if the school districts had enough money to send more students." Spicka called on Gov. Tom Wolf and state lawmakers to commit an additional $10 million to career and technical education, and to increase Basic Education Funding by $400 million. She said failure to fund technical schools also hinders growth of the state economy by leaving employers unable to find skilled workers to fill vacancies. "There are good jobs that can give students a pathway to a good, middle-class life even without going to college," she said, "but these jobs are vacant, because students aren't graduating from high school with the skills and the training that they need." About 55,000 students are enrolled in career and technical schools across the state.
https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2019-01-30/education/state-funding-for-career-and-technical-schools-falls-short/a65377-1

“Over the last three years, the number of schools in the lowest tier of performance has been reduced by 50 percent (from 88 schools to 45 schools) and the number of schools in our highest tiers of school performance has doubled (from 36 schools to 68 schools).”
Philly school progress report shows improvement, but more work lies ahead | Opinion
Opinion by Dr. Chris McGinley and Dr. Angela McIver, For the Inquirer Updated: 29 minutes ago
In 2013, the School District of Philadelphia introduced the School Progress Report to provide a tool for evidence-based decisions about teaching and learning at the school level. The SPR allows Philadelphians to look at the performance of our public schools, district and charter, across multiple dimensions. More importantly, principals are able to make decisions about teaching and learning based on real-time data. Since the implementation of the SPR, the School District has seen a change in the ways schools respond to challenges. The recently released 2017-2018 School Progress Report shows a steady improvement in public schools across Philadelphia that should be celebrated. Over the last three years, the number of schools in the lowest tier of performance has been reduced by 50 percent (from 88 schools to 45 schools) and the number of schools in our highest tiers of school performance has doubled (from 36 schools to 68 schools). This year’s results show 70 percent of our schools have increased their overall school performance, which means that most of our schools have improved in the areas of academic achievement (students are on track in their academics), progress (students are meeting or exceeding their learning goals for the year), climate (attendance and engagement), career and college readiness, and educator effectiveness. These results would not be possible without Superintendent Dr. William Hite’s steady leadership, and our hardworking students, committed teachers, principals, staff, and community. Even with this progress, there is still much work to be done. As members of the Board of Education, our work is not complete until all of our students have access to quality schools. In order to achieve this, we will invest in strategies and policies that have demonstrated success in increasing quality educational opportunities to all Philadelphia students.
http://www.philly.com/opinion/philadelphia-schools-progress-report-results--20190131.html

“Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. noted that city schools have posted four straight years of growth”
Which are Philly’s best, most promising schools of the year? School District touts 42.
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Updated: January 30, 2019- 2:16 PM
Forty-two Philadelphia schools were hailed as the best and most promising schools of the year at a Wednesday ceremony at Hartranft Elementary in North Philadelphia. The announcement came as the Philadelphia School District released ratings for 316 city schools — traditional public schools and every charter except one. Overall, city schools, district and charter, earned a 42 out of 100, by the district’s internal performance metric; last year, the average was 35. Though that measure could be considered a failing score, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. noted that city schools have posted four straight years of growth. “Schools, by and large, are improving here in Philadelphia,” he said. “I’m the first to acknowledge that we have a long way to go, but you don’t go from the bottom quartile to the top tier overnight.” He spoke after a ceremony that felt like the Oscars for Philadelphia schools, with balloon arches, performances, crystal trophies for winners, and thundering applause.
http://www.philly.com/news/best-schools-philadelphia-most-improved-growth-school-district-charter-20190130.html

Philly schools improving, according to district’s yardstick
By Avi Wolfman-Arent January 30, 2019
The School District of Philadelphia is on the upswing — at least according to its own rating system for school quality. The district released its annual ratings for traditional and charter schools Wednesday, and the average score for city schools rose for the third consecutive year. The typical city school claimed 42 percent of all available points on the district’s School Progress Report rating rubric. That’s up from 37 percent last year and 33 percent in 2014-15. The average charter school scored better than the average district school, but both sectors are on the upswing. The increases roughly coincide with a period of relative fiscal stability for the district.
https://whyy.org/articles/philly-schools-improving-according-to-districts-yardstick/

Philly school district releases list of top performing, most improved schools
KYW by MIKE DENARDO JANUARY 30, 2019 - 9:00 AM
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The School District of Philadelphia is releasing its list of top performing and most improved schools Wednesday. The district keeps score at each traditional public and charter school with a 1-to-100 index known as the School Progress Report (SPR). It grades schools' achievement, progress, climate and - for high schools - college and career readiness. Superintendent William Hite says overall, the scores have been inching upward. "What we've seen for three consecutive years are public schools across the city that are improving," Hite said. That's from an overall score of 33 in 2014-2015 to 42 last school year. Schools are sorted into one of four tiers based on their scores and those in the bottom tier get extra resources. Hite says attention to specific areas has led to fewer schools in the bottom tier. "We've been working on attendance for four of those five years. Now we're seeing results. We've been working on climate for seven. Now we're seeing results. But it's that sustained focused effort," he said. The district saw the biggest improvement at Hartranft and Mitchell elementary schools, the Middle Years Alternative and Lankenau high school. The SPR score was 42 last year for district and charters combined. Separately, the overall district SPR was 40, and charters scored 46. The district points out that seven low-performing charters were closed since 2014-15.
https://kywnewsradio.radio.com/articles/news/school-district-releases-list-top-performing-most-improved-schools

Philly District Schools Mark Three Consecutive Years of Improvement Citywide on School Progress Report
School District of Philadelphia Press Release Posted on January 30, 2019
PHILADELPHIA – The School District of Philadelphia celebrated three consecutive years of improvement among both District-led and charter schools. Results released today from the 2017-2018 School Progress Report (SPR) show that the average Overall SPR score for citywide schools increased nine points from 33 percent in 2014-2015 to 42 percent in 2017-2018. Mayor Jim Kenney and Superintendent Dr. William R. Hite visited John F. Hartranft School in north Philadelphia to celebrate the achievement with Hartranft Principal Jason Lytle, City Council President Darrell Clarke, City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, Board of Education members, students, parents, staff and principals from schools around Philadelphia. In addition, 44 schools were honored for significant and multi-year progress on the latest SPR. Some highlights are:

· 33 schools, including District-led and charter, have shown three consecutive years of improvement on their Overall SPR scores from 2014-2015 to 2017-2018;

· 11 schools improved two Tiers in their Overall SPR scores during this time, moving into either the “Reinforce” or “Model” tier;

· five schools demonstrated both three consecutive years of improvement on their Overall SPR scores while also moving up two Tiers in their Overall scores; and

· five top-scoring schools on the 2017-2018 SPR were honored.

https://www.philasd.org/blog/2019/01/30/district-schools-mark-three-consecutive-years-of-improvement-citywide-on-school-progress-report/

People for People applying for another charter with new branding
The applicants did not disclose close ties to People for People charter school, and argued the new school would be independent and unaffiliated
The notebook Greg Windle January 30 — 3:21 pm, 2019
The proposed founders of the new Frederick Douglass Charter High School have close ties to Rev. Herbert Lusk and the parent organizations that runs People for People Charter School in North Philadelphia. But at hearings last week, they went out of their way to minimize those ties, to the point where the hearing officer and members of the District’s charter office repeatedly questioned why. The hearing revealed a web of entanglements with organizations founded or run by Lusk, a minister who played for the Eagles in the 1970s and was once an adviser to President George W. Bush. In 2014, he was forced by the District to step down as CEO of People for People Charter, a K-12 school with 540 students, due to the circular leases and contracts that he established with other non-profits that he controls, often signing both sides of the contracts and leases. Those contracts have remained in place. School board member Wayne Walker is on the board of the school’s parent nonprofit, People for People, Inc. Pri Seebadri, CEO of People for People Charter School, insisted that the new school would be completely separate from the existing one, although located within a few blocks and sharing a landlord and management company. “There will be no overlap [of board members] and no conflicts of interest at all,” Seebadri said.
https://thenotebook.org/articles/2019/01/30/people-for-people-applying-for-another-charter-with-new-branding/

Pittsburgh school board rejects application for charter high school
ELIZABETH BEHRMAN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Lbehrman@post-gazette.com JAN 30, 2019 8:39 PM
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board denied an application for a proposed charter high school Wednesday, and leaders of the charter said they will appeal the decision to the state. The school board unanimously voted to reject the proposal for Career Tech Charter High School, after a district review of the charter application cited a number of “deficiencies.” Career Tech leaders resubmitted the application this year after the school board rejected it last February, again citing weaknesses in the proposal. Among the issues the review found with the application: The proposed school would not offer students expanded choices and opportunities that aren't already offered by PPS; the curriculum would not align with state standards; the school had no plan in place to offer adequate services for English learners and students with special needs; and the school would not be financially sustainable.
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2019/01/30/Pittsburgh-Public-Schools-Career-Tech-Charter-High-students-proposal-board-vote/stories/201901300041

Penn Hills: A history of mismanagement, lack of oversight led to state control
District faces $172 million in debt to pay off new construction
MATT MCKINNEY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mmckinney@post-gazette.com JAN 30, 2019
8:15 AM
When the Penn Hills School District debuted its new high school in late 2012, alumni from past decades returned to celebrate the new building’s sleek features, such as the 1,900-seat gymnasium and auditorium outfitted with cutting-edge lighting and sound technology. But in years that followed, it soon became clear – through persistently dire budget woes and a searing auditor general’s report – that former officials lacked a sustainable plan to cover the cost, leaving taxpayers and current district leaders with no easy fix. Today, Penn Hills struggles with debt payments that average about $1 million a month, driving what could be a $10.9 million budget shortfall this year, despite years of tax hikes and budget cuts. The state auditor general alerted several law enforcement agencies in 2016 to possible criminal and tax violations involving the district, although no charges have been filed.
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2019/01/30/Penn-Hills-schools-lack-of-oversight-mismanagement-led-to-state-takeover/stories/201901270119

“About a year ago, the district was facing a $6 million deficit. Officials said it was due to retirement costs and increasing costs for cyber and charter schools. To deal with that, the school board approved reconfiguring the district’s buildings, furloughing staff and a maximum 3.5 percent tax increase to balance the budget. The district also borrowed $10.45 million, used in part for pension and bond payments.”
Highlands facing $3.7 million budget deficit
Trib Live by BRIAN C. RITTMEYER | Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, 3:30 p.m.
Highlands School District’s preliminary budget for the 2019-20 school year has a $3.7 million hole in it. That’s the gap between the district’s planned spending, about $46 million, and its estimated revenue of about $42.33 million, in the early version of the spending plan. The district released the preliminary budget on Tuesday. The school board is expected to vote on it Feb. 18. The district is adopting a preliminary budget in lieu of declaring it will not increase taxes by more than its state-imposed limit of 3.3 percent. The district has said it will ask the state Department of Education for exceptions based on special education and pension costs, which would enable it to avoid a voter referendum and increase taxes by more than the limit if needed.
https://triblive.com/local/valleynewsdispatch/14560066-74/highlands-facing-37-million-budget-deficit

$171M Spring-Ford budget may exceed 2.2% tax hike cap
Pottstown Mercury by Evan Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com @PottstownNews on Twitter January 30, 2019
ROYERSFORD — The Spring-Ford Area School Board has unanimously and without comment adopted a $171 million preliminary budget for the 2019-2020 school year. The decision, as well as a motion authorizing the administration to exceed the state-imposed tax hike cap of 2.2 percent, came as part of a single vote at the Jan. 28 meeting that included a total of nine financial matters. According to the night's agenda, the exact preliminary budget amount is $170,897,412. The current deficit projection is $4.5 million and could require a 4.2 percent tax hike to close. The same vote also authorized the administration to seek "exceptions" to a 2.2 percent tax hike cap imposed by Act 1. That law allows districts to adopt preliminary budgets in February and seek "exceptions" to the cap for certain purposes.
https://www.pottsmerc.com/news/m-spring-ford-budget-may-exceed-tax-hike-cap/article_d7f87d32-24d4-11e9-9d1f-3fe5a1c54abc.html

Schools ought to be required to test drinking water for lead, and to disclose results directly to parents
Lancaster Online Editorial by THE LNP EDITORIAL BOARD January 30, 2019
THE ISSUE: The Ephrata Area School District’s Akron Elementary School is among 10 mostly aging schools in four Lancaster County districts that were found in voluntary testing in 2016 and 2017 “to have elevated lead levels in water fountains, classroom sinks and a kitchen,” an investigation by Ad Crable, published in Sunday LNP, found. “And, as in the Akron case, two of the other three districts that found lead contamination — School District of Lancaster and Solanco — did not directly notify parents of the potential danger. But officials in all three districts maintain they took ample steps to notify the public.”
We understand the anger of Lisa Getz Bender and Brian Bender. As Crable reported, the Benders learned recently that their daughter had spent a year in a kindergarten classroom at Akron Elementary School where lead-contaminated water had been found, and they weren’t informed of the contamination by Ephrata Area School District officials. We would have been angry, too. As Lisa Getz Bender said: “Even if it had been a minute level of lead, it can be detrimental to children. We should have at least been informed.” She is right on both counts. As the American Academy of Pediatrics notes, “There is no safe level of lead exposure in children, with lasting decreases in cognition documented in children with blood levels as low as 5 micrograms per deciliter of lead in blood.”
https://lancasteronline.com/opinion/editorials/schools-ought-to-be-required-to-test-drinking-water-for/article_9c1d0030-241b-11e9-a513-a33883c5898d.html

To help students achieve, Pa. should expand school choice | Opinion
Jonathan Butler Opinion For the Inquirer Updated: January 30, 2019 - 10:00 AM
Jonathan Butler is a senior policy analyst in The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy.
Zephaniah Sainta is headed to the University of Pennsylvania next year, but five years ago few would have thought it possible. Having immigrated to Philadelphia from Haiti, Zephaniah’s parents enrolled her and her brother in their assigned district school in Philadelphia. But the school struggled to meet her needs, and her family started looking for options. What Zephaniah’s parents really wanted was to send her a private school. Yet tuition was simply not in the family’s budget. That’s when Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools (BLOCS), stepped in. Under state law, businesses can make charitable contributions to scholarship organizations such as BLOCS and receive a tax credit for their donation. BLOCS is the largest such organization in Pennsylvania and has raised $40 million for scholarships next year.
http://www.philly.com/opinion/commentary/school-choice-blocs-tax-credit-education-20190130.html

“Young students thought the board members help teachers, pay the bills, clean the schools and make the buses safe. Some of them gave the board members credit for other jobs such as changing the letters on the school district sign board, stopping in after work to check on the buildings and watching the students all day.”
Octorara School Board Members Recognized
Community Courier By Marcella Peyre-Ferry January 2019
January is School Board Recognition Month. Members of the Octorara Area Board of School Directors were honored by district staff members and administrators during the board meeting on Jan. 21 for the many hours of work they devote to the district without any financial compensation. The nine-member board at Octorara is composed of board president Lisa Bowman, Tony Falgiatore, Brian Fox, Sam Ganow, Matt Hurley, Bill Kloss, Charlie Koennecker, Brian Norris and Jere Zimmerman. As a part of the school board meeting, elementary-level principals presented a list of responses from students who were asked what they thought school board members do. The responses were accurate in many ways, directly or indirectly.
https://www.townlively.com/octorara-school-board-members-recognized/

“The federal government’s contribution to serve IDEA students covers approximately 16 percent of the funding, which is well below the promised level of 40 percent. The funding gap serves as an unfunded mandate by forcing state and local governments to make up the difference. This discrepancy also impacts the amount of funding that serves students without disabilities, which is an unintended consequence of the federal government’s failure to meet its obligation.”
NSBA launches new initiative to reauthorize and fully fund IDEA
National School Boards Association Website January 28, 2019
NSBA today launched an initiative to advocate for the reauthorization and full funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). NSBA will highlight the critical need for the federal government to fulfill a long overdue promise to provide equal access to public education for all students and work with Congress to update this vital law. IDEA (Public Law 94-142), passed by the United States Congress and signed by President Gerald Ford in 1975, has not been updated since 2004. The law needs to be modernized to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities are protected and to assist states and school districts so they can build upon their current efforts to provide students who need extra help the support and tools they need to receive an equitable educational opportunity. Effectively serving students with disabilities and their families is a shared responsibility and school board members have been diligently working to do their part. Public schools have made numerous enhancements – employing new instructional approaches, intervening with students and their families earlier, retaining more special education specialists, providing a range of programs and services, and more – to help students with additional educational needs. The current law, however, fails to meet the needs of students and their families.
https://www.nsba.org/newsroom/nsbawire/nsba-launches-new-initiative-reauthorize-and-fully-fund-idea

Schools Would Get $100 Billion for Repairs, Rebuilding in Democrats' Bill
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on January 30, 2019 1:32 PM
Washington - Democrats are once again pitching a big plan to fix up America's schools. But it follows several false starts in the last few years to address this issue inside the Beltway from both parties. Under the Rebuild America's Schools Act, unveiled by House and Senate Democrats on Wednesday in Washington, the federal government would provide $70 billion in direct funding for school repairs and rebuilding, along with $30 billion in tax-credit bonds. The bill would also create "a comprehensive national database on the condition of public school facilities," according to a fact sheet put out by the Democrats. The proposal, which was released by Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J., and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., would also generate 1.9 million jobs, according to the Democrats, who cite an estimate from the left-leaning and labor-friendly Economic Policy Institute. In a press conference, standing behind a podium that bore the slogn "Build Schools Not Walls" (a reference to President Donald Trump's push to build a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border), Scott stressed that the bill would target money toward schools serving large shares of students in poverty. He said that every day, students and teachers go to school that are "either unsafe, or lack basic resources, or both."
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2019/01/schools-repair-rebuild-100-billion-democrats-infrastructure.html

Trump's Past State of the Union Pitches and Schools: A Scorecard
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on January 28, 2019 4:20 PM
President Donald Trump was originally scheduled to give his State of the Union address (or #SOTU for social media fans) Tuesday night. But Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the Speaker of the House, told him he needed to wait until an end to the government shutdown, citing security concerns. The shutdown is over, for now. Congressional negotiators will spend the next three weeks trying to reach a deal on border security. And on Monday, Pelosi invited Trump to deliver his address on Feb. 5. But how much will Trump have actually had to say about education anyway? And will Congress give him anything that he asks for? Here's a quick recap of his last two annual addresses to Congress and what happened after:
https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2019/01/trump-state-union-education-daca-choice-immigration-career.html

Indiana Area School District Safety & Security Symposium March 15, 2019
Indiana Area School District Website
Background: It’s 2019, and school safety has catapulted as one of the top priorities for school districts around the country. With an eye toward providing educators with various resources and opportunities specific to Pennsylvania, the Indiana Area School District -- in collaboration with Indiana University of Pennsylvania, PA Representative Jim Struzzi, and as well as Indiana County Tourist Bureau-- is hosting a FREE safety and security symposium on March 15, 2019. This safety and security exchange will provide information that benefits all stakeholders in your education community: administrators, board members, and staff members alike. Presenters offer valuable resources to help prepare your organization to continue the discussion on safety and security in our schools. Pre-registration is required, and you will be invited to choose the breakout sessions that you feel will have the most impact in your professional learning on these various topics, as well as overall impact on your District’s systems of operations. Please take time to review the various course breakout sessions and their descriptions. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect and learn.
How to Register: Participants attending the Safety Symposium on March 15, 2019, will have the option to select a maximum of 4 breakout sessions to attend on this day. Prior to the breakout sessions, attendees will hear opening remarks from former Secretary of Education - Dr. Gerald Zahorchak. We want to empower the attendees to exercise their voice and choice in planning their day! Please review the various break out session descriptions by clicking on the "Session Descriptions" on the right-hand side of this page. On that page, you will be able to review the sessions offered that day and register for the symposium.
https://www.iasd.cc/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1491839&type=d&pREC_ID=1637670

Open Board Positions for 2019 PA Principals Association Election

Thursday, January 10, 2019 9:05 AM

Margaret S. (Peg) Foster, principal, academic affairs, in the Crestwood School District, has been appointed by President Michael Allison to serve as the chairperson of the 2019 PA Principals Association Nominations Committee to oversee the 2019 election. Her committee consists of the following members: Curtis Dimmick, principal in the Northampton Area School District; Jacqueline Clark-Havrilla, principal in the Spring-Ford School District; and Joseph Hanni, vice principal in the Scranton School District. If you are interested in running for one of the open board positions (shown below) in the 2019 election, please contact Stephanie Kinner at kinner@paprincipals.org or (717) 732-4999 for an application. Applications must be received in the state office by Friday, February 22, 2019.

https://www.paprincipals.org/news/2019-01-10/Open_Board_Positions_for_2019_PA_Principals_Association_Election?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Pennsylvania schools work – for students, communities and the economy when adequate resources are available to give all students an equal opportunity to succeed.
Join A Movement that Supports our Schools & Communities
PA Schools Work website
Our students are in classrooms that are underfunded and overcrowded. Teachers are paying out of pocket and picking up the slack. And public education is suffering. Each child in Pennsylvania has a right to an excellent public education. Every child, regardless of zip code, deserves access to a full curriculum, art and music classes, technical opportunities and a safe, clean, stable environment. All children must be provided a level chance to succeed. PA Schools Work is fighting for equitable, adequate funding necessary to support educational excellence. Investing in public education excellence is the path to thriving communities, a stable economy and successful students.
http://paschoolswork.org/

PSBA Board Presidents’ Panel
Nine locations around the state running Jan 29, 30 and 31^st.
Share your leadership experience and learn from others in your area at this event designed for board presidents, superintendents and board members with interest in pursuing leadership roles. Workshop real solutions to the specific challenges you face with a PSBA-moderated panel of school leaders. Discussion will address the most pressing challenges facing PA public schools.
https://www.psba.org/2018/11/board-presidents-panel-2/

Annual PenSPRA Symposium set for March 28-29, 2019
Pennsylvania School Public Relations Association Website
Once again, PenSPRA will hold its annual symposium with nationally-recognized speakers on hot topics for school communicators. The symposium, held at the Conference Center at Shippensburg University, promises to provide time for collegial sharing and networking opportunities. Mark you calendars now!
We hope you can join us. Plans are underway, so check back for more information.
http://www.penspra.org/

2019 NSBA Annual Conference Philadelphia March 30 - April 1, 2019
Pennsylvania Convention Center 1101 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107
Registration Questions or Assistance: 1-800-950-6722
The NSBA Annual Conference & Exposition is the one national event that brings together education leaders at a time when domestic policies and global trends are combining to shape the future of the students. Join us in Philadelphia for a robust offering of over 250 educational programs, including three inspirational general sessions that will give you new ideas and tools to help drive your district forward.
https://www.nsba.org/conference

PSBA Members - Register for PSBA Advocacy Day at the Capitol in Harrisburg Monday April 29, 2019

All PSBA-members are invited to attend Advocacy Day on Monday, April 29, 2019 at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. In addition, this year PSBA will be partnering with the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units (PAIU) and Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) to strengthen our advocacy impact. The focus for the day will be meetings with legislators to discuss critical issues affecting public education. There is no cost to attend, and PSBA will assist in scheduling appointments with legislators once your registration is received. The day will begin with a continental breakfast and issue briefings prior to the legislator visits. Registrants will receive talking points, materials and leave-behinds to use with their meetings. PSBA staff will be stationed at a table in the main Rotunda during the day to answer questions and provide assistance. The day’s agenda and other details will be available soon. If you have questions about Advocacy Day, legislative appointments or need additional information, contact Jamie.Zuvich@psba.org Register for PSBA Advocacy Day now at http://www.mypsba.org/

School directors can register online now by logging in to myPSBA. If you need assistance logging in and registering contact Alysha Newingham, Member Data System Administrator at alysha.newingham@psba.org or call her at (717) 506-2450, ext. 3420

Save the Date: PARSS Annual Conference May 1-3, 2019
Wyndham Garden Hotel, Mountainview Country Club
Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools
https://www.parss.org/Annual_Conference

Any comments contained herein are my comments, alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any other person or organization that I may be affiliated with.

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

PA Ed Policy Roundup Jan. 30: 'We're killing our future': Advocates still working on an equitable school funding solution

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Keystone State Education Coalition

PA Ed Policy Roundup Jan. 30, 2019

'We're killing our future': Advocates still working on an equitable school funding solution

Thank you to the Pennsylvania school directors and administrators who attended the National School Boards Association’s Advocacy Institute in Washington DC this week and spent time on Capitol Hill yesterday meeting with Congressional staff to help kickstart the reauthorization and full funding of IDEA. Sincere thanks to the legislative staffers for their time and attention.

“Delaware County Unites for Education will commence on Feb. 2 at 9 a.m. at the intermediate unit, located 200 Yale Ave. in Morton. To register contact Theresa Marsden at 610-938-900 ext. 258 or by email at tmarsden@dicu.org. More information can also be found at www.paschoolswork.org.”
Community engagement sought for education fight
Delco Times By Kevin Tustin ktustin@21st-centurymedia.com January 29, 2019
MORTON — A Philadelphia-based organization will be helping community members get more involved to get more money into the state’s public schools. Public Citizens for Children and Youth will be teaming with some of the county’s education leaders on Saturday at the Delaware County Intermediate Unit in Morton for the Delaware County Unites for Education meeting, an assembly that will help community members get more involved with the Legislature to continue the work to get public schools fully funded. Currently, Pennsylvania is in the bottom five of states that contribute to public education totaling $7.2 billion for basic and special education in 2018-19, plus $268 million in Ready to Learn block grants. New and already engaged education advocates will learn how they can lend their voices to reach elected officials and how they can prepare to make their case for increased state education funding. The meeting will form under the PA Schools Work campaign, a non-partisan coalition representing all communities to support significant funding increases for K-12 public education, increases in state funding to districts, the use of the state’s fair funding formula to close funding gaps, and to keep local control of education funding decisions to school districts.
https://www.delcotimes.com/news/community-engagement-sought-for-education-fight/article_70e1b01e-2416-11e9-9e9a-abf24235cfe6.html

“We are fortunate to live in a well-funded school district,” said Larry Feinberg, Haverford School Board president. “I introduced this resolution because I firmly believe that our duty and obligation to advocate for students does not end at our township’s borders. You don't need to travel very far to find districts where students simply do not have the resources that we take for granted.” “Continuing to actively advocate for fair and adequate funding for students in all school districts in Delaware County and throughout the state is a priority for me,” Feinberg added. “They are our future employees, coworkers and taxpayers and deserve the same opportunities to succeed that we are able to provide.”
Haverford School Board approves resolution calling for more state school funding
Mainline Times By Linda Stein lstein@21st-centurymedia.com @lsteinreporter Jan 18, 2019
The Haverford School Board Thursday voted 8-0, with one member absent, to approve the PA Schools Work resolution advocating more state funding for the public schools. The resolution, which will be sent to the state legislature and governor, says that Pennsylvania ranks 46th among 50 states in state subsidies for public education with its share at 38 percent and it has the widest funding gap between rich and poor districts. State funding has failed to keep pace with rising mandated special education costs that have increased by $1.6 billion in the last decade while the state’s share of those costs have fallen to 25 percent. And it has also failed to adequately fund career and technical education. These policies put the burden on local taxpayers to pay a greater share of the costs of public education, the resolution states.
http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/mainlinetimes/haverford-school-board-approves-resolution-calling-for-more-state-school/article_5ed8e864-1b61-11e9-8a00-6b76ebc1bf40.html

“For more than a quarter century, Pennsylvania was one of the few states without a reliable school funding formula. Then, in 2015, the Basic Education Funding Commission unveiled its fair funding formula for Pennsylvania’s public schools. It was based on input to a bipartisan commission from more than 110 school leaders, academics, business leaders and parents. The formula takes into account factors such as enrollment, poverty and the number of English language learners in each of the state’s 500 districts. The state General Assembly approved the formula in 2016, but has only applied it to annual increases in education funding. This year, for example, only 8.8 percent of overall school funding goes through the formula, Geli reported.”
Seeking right balance on timeline to fully implement fair funding
Lancaster Online Editorial by THE LNP EDITORIAL BOARD Jan 29, 2019
THE ISSUE: The state House Democratic Policy Committee, chaired by Rep. Mike Sturla of Lancaster, held a hearing last week at an elementary school in Philadelphia on the topic of equitable school funding. Among those in attendance was School District of Lancaster Superintendent Damaris Rau, whose district is among those most adversely affected by Pennsylvania’s inequitable school funding system. In a story by Alex Geli published in Sunday LNP, Sturla said he hopes to see legislation passed this year that would phase in full implementation of the state’s fair funding formula over a period of five to 10 years.
During his second inaugural address Jan. 15, Gov. Tom Wolf highlighted some of the accomplishments of his first four-year term and noted, “We’ve restored $1 billion to our schools and enacted a fair funding formula to make sure that our children’s opportunities are not restricted by his or her ZIP code.” Wolf is partially correct. The fair funding formula was implemented in Harrisburg early in his first term, but it is yet to have its necessary and intended effect on the most disadvantaged school districts in our state. That’s no longer acceptable.
https://lancasteronline.com/opinion/editorials/seeking-right-balance-on-timeline-to-fully-implement-fair-funding/article_e798ae84-2352-11e9-9ced-e7d17e2ff791.html

'We're killing our future': Advocates still working on an equitable school funding solution
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer Jan 27, 2019
Fair funding advocates in Pennsylvania are tired of students missing out on educational opportunities simply because of their geographical location, their skin color or their economic status. But a solution won’t come overnight. “We better start doing something about this,” state Rep. Mike Sturla, of Lancaster, said Thursday. “We’re killing our future, and we’re killing the future of kids if we don’t do this.” “This” pertains to equitable school funding, which the House Democratic Policy Committee held a hearing on Wednesday at Eleanor C. Emlen School in Philadelphia. Sturla chairs the committee. LNP on Thursday followed up with several who attended the hearing, including Sturla, School District of Lancaster Superintendent Damaris Rau and a representative of the Commonwealth Foundation to discuss what can be done to balance the scales of education funding in Pennsylvania. The state Legislature implemented an equitable funding formula created by a bipartisan commission in 2014-15. But only new money since the 2013-14 school year has been distributed through the formula each year — and this year, it’s only 8.8 percent, or $538.7 million. Wide funding disparities between the state’s 500 school districts, therefore, are not getting any smaller, advocates say.
https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/we-re-killing-our-future-advocates-still-working-on-an/article_e6d2539a-2025-11e9-bf42-f37ae7bd5747.html

Pa. school districts stressed over pensions costs, special-ed and charters
WITF Written by Kaity Kline/Keystone Crossroads | Jan 29, 2019 6:40 AM
(Undated) -- Many school districts across Pennsylvania say that budget stress is causing them to raise property taxes and cut school programs, according to an annual survey released by the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. The report targets the rise of mandated expenses such as pension obligations, special-education costs and charter school payments as key drivers of budget woes. The annual report is similar to those in years past, and calls for the state to make greater investments in school funding. to support the education of the state's 1.7 million public school students. "Our budget surveys that have come out have said the same thing from year to year. It's something that school districts continue to struggle with. Every year we're surprised at how many districts are still reporting that they are furloughing staff, not filling positions, outsourcing, or increasing class sizes to save dollars," said Hannah Barrick, Director of Advocacy for PASBO.
The budget report is based on survey responses from 61 percent of school districts, as well as publicly available data.
http://www.witf.org/news/2019/01/pa-school-districts-stressed-over-pensions-costs-special-ed-and-charters.php

Statewide report shows Pennsylvania districts struggling under mandated costs
Lindsay C. VanAsdalan, York Dispatch Published 12:48 p.m. ET Jan. 26, 2019 | Updated 4:42 p.m. ET Jan. 27, 2019
An annual statewide report released Friday shows school districts across Pennsylvania are struggling to pass budgets without scaling back programs and raising property taxes. Continually rising mandated costs are outpacing the rate of education funding increases, leaving districts to foot the bill, according to the report, released Friday, Jan. 25, by the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO) and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA). “From 2010-11 to 2016-17 mandated costs for pension, charter school tuition and special education alone increased by nearly $4 billion across all school districts," Robert Saul, a business administrator at East Penn School District and PASBO president, stated in a news release.
"During the same time, state support increased by less than $2 billion,” he continued. “This means that districts made up this massive $2 billion shortfall through cuts, increased property taxes — or both." Over the same period, York County saw mandated increases of $130.41 million, but state revenue streams only covered $85.25 million, according to annual financial reports and general fund budgets used for the report. This left about $45 million in additional costs across the county's 16 districts, according to PASBO.
https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/news/education/2019/01/26/statewide-report-shows-pennsylvania-districts-struggling-under-mandated-costs/2679306002/

Wait, Harrisburg’s trying to get stuff done? | John Baer
John Baer | @jbaernews | baerj@phillynews.com Updated: January 29, 2019 - 4:55 PM
Maybe it’s the unpleasant (OK, fetid) atmosphere created by a government shutdown, too much partisanship, and a long-playing record of little, if anything, getting done. Maybe elected officials, even in Pennsylvania, finally are sick of being labeled loathsome, listless, nonstarters. Whatever it is, there’s suddenly evidence in Harrisburg of bipartisan efforts that could, if successful, begin to alter the state’s image, the land of low expectations. Look at just this week.
http://www.philly.com/news/columnists/john-baer-harrisburg-legislature-bipartisanship-changes-20190129.html

Another GOP state senator announces he is retiring next month
Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Jan 29, 3:17 PM
A five-term state senator from Indiana County announced on Tuesday his plan to step down from his elected post on Feb. 28. Republican Sen. Don White, 68, joins two other Republican senators who have departed or plan to leave in the middle of their four-year terms. White plans to discuss his decision with reporters on Wednesday in Indiana. Messages left with White’s office for comment were not returned on Tuesday. Sen. Rich Alloway, R-Franklin County, announced earlier this month he also is resigning on Feb. 28, saying “his heart has not been in” the post. Sen. Guy Reschenthaler resigned in early January to assume his duties as a newly elected congressman.
With their departures, the Senate Republicans' majority will shrink to 26-21. A special election is scheduled for April 2 to fill Reschenthaler’s seat. Special election dates for Alloway or White cannot be set until their retirements take effect.
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/01/another-gop-state-senator-announces-he-is-retiring-next-month.html

Blogger comment: Charter advocates have been lobbying for “independent authorizers” for several years. In Pennsylvania, the PA Department of Education acts as an independent authorizer for all of the state’s cyber charter schools. The lack of oversight clearly demonstrated by PDE over these chronically failing schools points out a major issue with the independent authorizer concept: unlike locally elected school boards, independent authorizers have zero accountability to the taxpayers who are required to fund these schools.
Pennsylvania’s failure to oversee cyber charter schools has wide consequences | Editorial
The Inquirer Editorial Board Updated: January 27, 2019 - 5:50 AM
The majority of cyber charter schools in the state are operating with expired charters. This is the latest black mark in a history of “reform” in the state designed to expand educational choices but, despite some bright spots, has been marked by large-scale indifference and neglect from the state. Five years after lawmakers passed a law authorizing charter schools; the law was amended to allow cyber charters – schools providing online education without brick and mortar buildings. According to an Inquirer report this month, 10 of the state’s 15 cyber charter schools are operating with expired charters. Unlike brick-and-mortar charters which are authorized and overseen by school districts, cyber charters are authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Department officials have offered no good reason why they have failed to properly renew or remove the state’s cyber charters, which include three in Philadelphia that enroll 591 students. That would be bad in any circumstance – especially following a year where the head of one large cyber charter was sentenced to jail for siphoning $8 million from a cyber school — but research consistently finds that cyber schools are less effective than traditional district schools. This costly entry into the educational landscape cost over $463 million in 2016-17 alone; $68 million was spent on Philadelphia cybers. The charter law grants cybers as much money per pupil as brick and mortar schools, a point that Auditor General Eugene Depasquale blasted in a scathing audit of the charter law in 2014.
http://www.philly.com/opinion/editorials/charter-schools-education-pennsylvania-cyber-editorial-20190127.html

SB34: How the legislature could put up to a half billion dollars per year back into school districts without raising any new revenue
Keystone State Education Coalition PA Ed Policy Roundup Jan. 30, 2019
https://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2019/01/pa-ed-policy-roundup-jan-25-sb34-how.html

Blogger note: The consistently poor results by PA cybers are reflected in national studies. In 2015, Stanford University reported that online schools have an “overwhelming negative impact,” showing severe shortfalls in reading and math achievement. The shortfall for most cyber students, they said, was equal to losing 72 days of learning in reading and 180 days in math during the typical 180-day school year. In math it is as if they did not go to school at all. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a charter advocacy group based in Washington, said the findings were so troubling that the report should be “a call to action for authorizers and policymakers.”
Guest Opinion: Fact and fiction regarding PA cyber charter schools
Bucks County Courier Times Opinion By Dr. Michael C. Conti Posted Jan 25, 2019 at 5:14 AM
Dr. Michael C. Conti is the chief executive officer of Agora Cyber Charter School, which is based in King of Prussia.
With increasing frequency over the past year, articles appearing in newspapers and online throughout Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Altoona, and Waynesboro, to name a few) have presented highly critical views of cyber charter schools. Many of these accusations leveled at the commonwealth’s 15 cyber charter schools are not only unfair, but unfounded. The celebration of National School Choice Week (Jan. 20-26) provides me a most opportune time to address these far-reaching fallacies that have gone unchallenged for too long. With an active involvement in cyber charter schooling for nearly 20 years, I can no longer remain silent. In specific, two claims are especially galling:
1. Cyber charter schools are “shamefully under-educating” their students.
2. Cyber charter schools are wasting money and less accountable than public schools.
The first charge serves to propagate the myth of sub-par education provided by cyber charter schools. At Agora Cyber Charter School, we have made important progress in academic growth and achievement in recent testing results.
https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/opinion/20190125/guest-opinion-fact-and-fiction-regarding-pa-cyber-charter-schools

After two decades of school choice in Philly, experts share their suggestions for revising charter-school law | Opinion
Compiled by Inquirer staff Updated: January 25, 2019 - 4:36 PM
Sharif El-Mekki, principal at Mastery Charter School-Shoemaker Campus
Donna Cooper, executive director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth
State Rep. Jordan Harris, Pennsylvania Democratic whip
David P. Hardy, senior adviser at Excellent Schools PA
Lisa Haver, retired Philadelphia teacher and cofounder of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools
Samuel Reed, founding educator of the U School
Since 1997, Pennsylvania has offered charter schools as an additional educational choice for parents. Both pro-charter and pro-traditional public school advocates say the law is overdue for reform. Since last week was National School Choice Week, we asked education thinkers, teachers, and experts to outline how they would rewrite the charter law.
http://www.philly.com/opinion/commentary/charter-school-law-philadelphia-school-choice-20190125.html

Nearly 30,000 students apply to Philadelphia charter schools through new website
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Updated: January 29, 2019- 5:33 PM
Nearly 30,000 students submitted more than 120,000 applications for Philadelphia charter schools this year through a new website that allowed families to apply to multiple city charter schools at once. More than half of the applications — 54 percent — came from the Lower and Far Northeast sections of Philadelphia, according to Philadelphia School Partnership, the nonprofit that ran Apply Philly Charter. The application process through the website closed Monday. Philadelphia School Partnership spokesperson David Saenz said the concentration of applications from the Northeast wasn’t surprising, because more than 35 percent of the city’s school-age children live there and some neighborhood schools are overcrowded. He also said the “biggest and best-known” charters that participated in the new website were in the Northeast — including MaST’s three schools, which got more than 27,000 applications. About 12 percent of the applications came from North Philadelphia, and another 12 from the northwest sections of the city, Saenz said.
http://www.philly.com/news/philadelphia-charter-school-applications-waitlist-20190129.html

Blogger note: this $210 million in diverted tax dollars noted below is not available to the general fund when state legislators and the governor are formulating the budget for public education that serves the 1.7 million students in our public schools.
“The most recent state budget allocates $160 million statewide to the EITC program. Another $50 million goes to the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit, for which only about eight percent of Pennsylvania families with school-age children are eligible.”
How a Pennsylvania tax credit program works for Catholic schools
Catholic News Agency Harrisburg, Pa., Jan 29, 2019 / 02:49 pm (CNA/EWTN News).-
For Catholics sympathetic to Catholic schools, the financial expense of tuition is always a concern. But continuing efforts from donors and recent programs like Pennsylvania’s tax credit system are opening new ways to make tuition affordable for Catholic and other private schools. “Many people who would benefit from a Catholic education are afraid they couldn’t afford it,” Dr. Greg Bisignani, an orthopedic surgeon in the Greensburg area, told the Pittsburgh Tribune. “My personal goal is no one will be able to use the excuse that they can’t afford it again.” Bisignani chairs the advisory council and enrollment committee at Greensburg Central Catholic High School. He said the Diocese of Greensburg doubled its scholarship fund in 2018 and aims to grow it each year. Pennsylvania’s Education Improvement Tax Credit program, which dates to 2001, allows any company that does business in Pennsylvania and owes state taxes to apply to the program for approval to join organizations that Pennsylvania recognizes as “special purpose entities.” If the application is approved, they can divert state taxes to a scholarship organization and receive business tax credits. Donations go directly to a state-approved Opportunity Scholarship Organization which then distributes it to a school or schools. Donors can claim up to a 90 percent tax credit on a two year-commitment against their state taxes, Catholic Philly reports.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/how-a-pennsylvania-tax-credit-program-works-for-catholic-schools-75218

Muzzling the public: West Mifflin board gets poor grade for civics
Democracy can be a dirty business sometimes
THE EDITORIAL BOARD Pittsburgh Post-Gazette JAN 29, 2019 6:00 AM
Thanks to the West Mifflin Area School Board, the community is learning an important civics lesson, albeit a sobering one. The board announced Jan. 10 that it would eliminate the public comment period from its monthly work sessions, which are open to the public. It leaves the public with one monthly opportunity to speak, at the board’s “regular” meeting. There is disagreement as to the legality of the move. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania contends the ban on public comment violates the state’s Sunshine Act. The district’s solicitor and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association disagree. If the letter of the law isn’t being violated, the spirit certainly is. As the late Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis observed, “Sunshine is said to be the best of disinfectants.” The Sunshine Act is about transparency and openness, which encourage an informed and engaged constituency. The pertinent question about the board’s decision is why? Why strip from citizens an opportunity to comment on the business of the school district supported by tax dollars?
https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2019/01/29/Muzzling-the-public-West-Mifflin-board-gets-poor-grade-for-civics/stories/201901290019

Elanco's decision to allow transgender student to use boys' restrooms, locker room sparks public outcry
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer January 29, 2019
The Eastern Lancaster County school board is grappling with a public outcry over its decision to allow a transgender student who was born female but identifies as male to use the boys’ restrooms and locker room at Garden Spot High School. Faced with substantial public pressure at a lengthy and well-attended meeting Monday night, the board agreed to form a committee to conduct a monthlong study pertaining to transgender students’ rights. “The board and the administration know how delicate and sensitive this issue is and we are striving earnestly to find a solution that works for all,” Superintendent Bob Hollister told LNP Tuesday morning. About 250 residents, many of whom were parents and grandparents upset over the district’s decision, attended Monday night’s board meeting at the high school. Those unable to find a seat stood in the back of the room or listened from the hallway. Some stood on tables inside the room to see. The meeting lasted about three hours and started with a statement from the district’s solicitor, Jeff Litts of Kegel Kelin Almy & Lord. Then came more than two hours of public comments.
“There is no question that this is a challenging situation,” Litts said in a prepared statement.
https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/elanco-s-decision-to-allow-transgender-student-to-use-boys/article_31ebbb72-23f6-11e9-9e55-8beeab60d90e.html

Upper Darby teachers OK tentative new contract, pay hikes
Delco Times By Kevin Tustin ktustin@21st-centurymedia.com January 29, 2019
UPPER DARBY— Unionized teachers of the Upper Darby School District have approved a new tentative agreement almost two months after roundly rejecting an initial agreement. Voting members of the 1,000-member Upper Darby Education Association approved Monday a new four-year agreement that retroactively begin July 1, 2018, and lasts through June 30, 2022. Upper Darby Education Association President Melanie Masciantonio did not say what percentage of voting members approved the agreement when reached for comment Tuesday. The measure now goes to the Upper Darby School Board for its approval. The agreement includes a salary step movement and two lateral movements for each year of the contract and an increased starting salary for the life of the contract. Further, there will be 100 percent tuition reimbursement for up to six credits per year, an increased dollar amount for class coverage vouchers, an increase in medical contributions over the life of the contract, and an implemented employee premium contribution for prescription coverage.
https://www.delcotimes.com/news/upper-darby-teachers-ok-tentative-new-contract-pay-hikes/article_18932560-2406-11e9-ae1c-37f4289f4a32.html

Education should be the key issue in Philly’s 2019 elections | Opinion
Charles Ellison, for the Inquirer Updated: January 25, 2019 - 8:02 AM
If it’s one thing Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is famous for, it’s that he’s all about “the kids.” “Doing it for our kids,” or some version of that, is a go-to rationale for many city leaders, including the mayor, particularly when he finds himself boxed in by policy critiques. It’s a major explainer to a city overwhelmed by the legacy of high tax burdens. More prominently, it’s his public reasoning for a controversial “soda tax” to fund universal pre-K and an ambitious half-billion-dollar Rebuild effort to refresh city libraries, parks, rec centers, and playgrounds. But that narrative has yet to fix Philadelphia’s most tragic contradiction: It’s a historic and appealing metropolis with one of the highest concentrations of world-class academic institutions, yet with a sorely lacking public school system. Collectively, both elected officials and voters have failed to do anything about that. Each passing citywide, statewide, midterm, and presidential election becomes another missed opportunity to have a needed Education Election: a moment when the city’s education crisis is the defining issue that voters decide on, recognizing it as the core problem in Philly.
http://www.philly.com/opinion/commentary/philadelphia-school-district-elections-20190125.html

Our view: State deserves credit for Safe2Say
Times Leader January 27, 2019 timesleader Editorials, Our Opinion 0
This time of year as we all sit down to do our taxes, it seems like gripping about the government becomes the true national pastime. Our state legislators in Harrisburg are certainly not immune from this criticism, some of it is quite warranted. But when credit it is due, we feel like it should be given, and this past week credit was certainly due. In case you missed it, the Safe2Say Something Anonymous Reporting System swung into action earlier this month. It’s a statewide program enabling students, teachers, school administrators and others to detect and report potential threats of violence and other problems before they happen. Attorney General Josh Shapiro, according to staff writer Bill O’Boyle’s Capitol Roundup in Sunday’s Times Leader, released statistics on the first week of the program. According to Shapiro, the reporting system received 615 tips and calls from across Pennsylvania. Crisis center analysts processed every tip and referred more than several hundred to local law enforcement and school officials to follow up and interact with students.
https://www.timesleader.com/opinion/editorials/731654/our-view-state-deserves-credit-forsafe2say

Only two percent of teachers are black men, yet research confirms they matter
Teachers explore why so few are in schools
The Undefeated BY CHANDRA THOMAS WHITFIELD @CHANDRAWRITES January 29, 2019
Cedric Jackson knows firsthand the impact that regular exposure to a positive black man can have on impressionable students — especially young black boys. Back in the ’80s and ’90s, he was one of them, yearning to connect with male role models. After the death of Jackson’s mother when he was 8, his father sent him to live permanently with his aunt in a tough Huntsville, Alabama, neighborhood. Jackson said that while he was growing up, it was his black coaches and teachers, especially those at Lee High School, who took an interest in him, pushing the budding football star on and off the field. “I had a tough life; I would go to school just to eat,” Jackson, now 40, recalled of his childhood. “Coming up, it meant the world to me knowing that I had these teachers and coaches in my corner. They had the biggest influence on me; they made me feel like I was somebody.” He said that although he was not the most committed student academically, their investment paid off. With their encouragement, compassionate guidance and thought-provoking teaching, Jackson snagged the coveted quarterback spot on the Lee High Generals team. Just before graduation, the scholarship offers poured in.
https://theundefeated.com/features/only-two-percent-of-teachers-are-black-men-yet-research-confirms-they-matter/

Bolgger note: I attended the National School Boards Association’s Advocacy Institute this week in Washington DC and was present for Secretary Devos’s address. The 800 locally elected school directors from throughout the country in the room gave her a respectful welcome with a standing ovation. There was no follow-up Q&A. There were no members of the press present; this article was prepared from the Secretary’s written comments, which she read at the conference.
Betsy DeVos Tells School Boards: 'Freedom Is Not a Threat'
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on January 28, 2019 1:42 PM
Students, teachers, and parents—they all need freedom in order to meet their potential.
That was one of the main messages in prepared remarks by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to a National School Boards Association meeting in Washington on Monday. As she has before, DeVos stressed that students sitting in crumbling and dangerous schools, as well as those bored or struggling in their classes, are relying on adults to "rethink" education and let them achieve "education freedom." She urged the crowd to ask themselves why students were still assigned to schools based on their addresses, why students are forced to learn at the same speed, why a college degree is considered the only path to success, along with other questions. "Freedom is not a threat," DeVos said, according to the prepared speech, pointing to what she said were successful stories of school choice in places like the District of Columbia and Florida. "The only folks who are threatened by education freedom are the same ones who have a vested financial interest in suppressing that freedom." That remark echoes DeVos' argument in a speech at the Heritage Foundation last week, when she said that teachers' unions are ultimately what stands in the way of students achieving school choice.
https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2019/01/betsy-devos-school-boards-freedom-not-threat.html

Success of Los Angeles Teachers Strike Rocks Charter Schools, and a Rich Supporter
New York Times By Jennifer Medina and Dana Goldstein Jan. 28, 2019
LOS ANGELES — Carrying protest signs, thousands of teachers and their allies converged last month on the shimmering contemporary art museum in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Clad in red, they denounced “billionaire privatizers” and the museum’s patron, Eli Broad. The march was a preview of the attacks the union would unleash during the teachers’ strike, which ended last week. As one of the biggest backers of charter schools, Mr. Broad helped make them a fashionable and potent cause in Los Angeles, drawing support from business leaders like Reed Hastings, the co-founder of Netflix; Hollywood executives; and lawmakers to create a wide network of more than 220 schools. Mr. Broad was so bullish about the future of charter schools just a few years ago that he even floated a plan to move roughly half of Los Angeles schoolchildren — more than 250,000 students — into such schools. In 2017, he funneled millions of dollars to successfully elect candidates for the Board of Education who would back charters, an alternative to traditional public schools that are publicly funded but privately run. His prominence has also turned him into a villain in the eyes of the teachers’ union. Now Mr. Broad and supporters like him are back on their heels in Los Angeles and across the country. The strike is the latest setback for the charter school movement, which once drew the endorsement of prominent Democrats and Republicans alike. But partly in reaction to the Trump administration, vocal Democratic support for charters has waned as the party has shifted further to the left and is more likely to deplore such schools as a drain on traditional public schools.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/us/charter-schools-los-angeles.html

Trump Wants $5.7 Billion for a Border Wall. What Would That Buy for Schools?
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on January 29, 2019 1:53 PM
The U.S. government was partially shutdown for more than a month because President Donald Trump demanded $5.7 billion for a border wall and Democrats refused to give him that amount. Now the government is reopened—at least for three weeks—and congressional negotiators will try to work out a deal on border security. Obviously, $5.7 billion is a lot of money for virtually anybody. But how much is it really in the context of the federal government? And how does $5.7 billion compare to spending on federal education programs?
We're so glad you asked! Here's a chart with several comparisons:
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2019/01/trump-border-wall-education-department-funding.html

Indiana Area School District Safety & Security Symposium March 15, 2019
Indiana Area School District Website
Background: It’s 2019, and school safety has catapulted as one of the top priorities for school districts around the country. With an eye toward providing educators with various resources and opportunities specific to Pennsylvania, the Indiana Area School District -- in collaboration with Indiana University of Pennsylvania, PA Representative Jim Struzzi, and as well as Indiana County Tourist Bureau-- is hosting a FREE safety and security symposium on March 15, 2019. This safety and security exchange will provide information that benefits all stakeholders in your education community: administrators, board members, and staff members alike. Presenters offer valuable resources to help prepare your organization to continue the discussion on safety and security in our schools. Pre-registration is required, and you will be invited to choose the breakout sessions that you feel will have the most impact in your professional learning on these various topics, as well as overall impact on your District’s systems of operations. Please take time to review the various course breakout sessions and their descriptions. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect and learn.
How to Register: Participants attending the Safety Symposium on March 15, 2019, will have the option to select a maximum of 4 breakout sessions to attend on this day. Prior to the breakout sessions, attendees will hear opening remarks from former Secretary of Education - Dr. Gerald Zahorchak. We want to empower the attendees to exercise their voice and choice in planning their day! Please review the various break out session descriptions by clicking on the "Session Descriptions" on the right-hand side of this page. On that page, you will be able to review the sessions offered that day and register for the symposium.
https://www.iasd.cc/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1491839&type=d&pREC_ID=1637670