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
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
PSBA Members - Register for Advocacy
Day at the Capitol in Harrisburg Monday April 29, 2019
Register for 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
Annual PSBA Budget Briefing: Presented by the Commonwealth Budget Secretary Jen Swails FEB 7, 2019 • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Join Commonwealth Budget Secretary Jen Swails and PSBA Chief Advocacy Officer John Callahan for an exclusive, complimentary member webinar on the 2019-2020 state budget plan proposed by Gov. Wolf on Feb. 5. Learn how the budget proposal could impact public education and other highlights, straight from the office that works directly on the budget. Don’t miss this live members-only event.
Presenters: Commonwealth Budget Secretary Jen Swails and PSBA Chief Advocacy Officer John Callahan
Cost: Complimentary for members.
Register online through PSBA’s webconferencing host:https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5684265505125889283
“Public schools continue to face huge increases in mandated costs outside of their control, including expenditures for pensions and charter school tuition. Mains commented, “While mandatory pensions and charter school tuition payments continue to soar, school districts are forced to make difficult choices. Many school districts have reported increasing class sizes; cutting staff, courses, programs, and clubs; or postponing technology upgrades and building repairs. Many of these actions have the potential to negatively impact student achievement.”
PSBA’s Perspective on the Governor’s Budget
Press Release February 5, 2019 [Mechanicsburg, PA]
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), following today's release of the 2019-2020 Proposed State Education Appropriations, affirms its appreciation to Gov. Tom Wolf for again promoting an increased investment in education by proposing a $200 million boost in the basic education funding (BEF) subsidy for the 2019-20 fiscal year. The budget proposal also includes a $50 million increase for special education.
“PSBA commends the governor’s steady commitment to public schools, and we are appreciative of the investments made in the basic education subsidy during the last four years. The proposed budget would continue needed investments as the cost of mandated programs and services continues to rise,” said PSBA CEO Nathan G. Mains.
For example, while state and federal special education appropriations have increased nearly $190 million over the last 11 years, public school expenses for special education have increased by an estimated $2.3 billion, an average rate of 5.8% annually. The relatively slow growth in state and federal funding for special education combined with significant increases in mandated special education expenses have further exacerbated school districts’ reliance on local funding sources such as property taxes.
https://www.psba.org/2019/02/psbas-perspective-on-the-governors-budget/
Gov. Wolf’s Feb. 5 budget address includes increases for education
PSBA Website February 6, 2019
Yesterday Gov. Tom Wolf delivered his state budget address to the General Assembly. The $34.15 billion proposal is an increase of $927.3 million, or 2.8% over the current year. Education generally fares well under the proposed budget, with increases in the basic subsidy and special education line items. For more details and PSBA's comments on the budget proposal, read the Legislative Special Report. Read PSBA's press release here.
https://www.psba.org/2019/02/gov-wolfs-feb-5-budget-address-includes-increases-for-education/
Sober? Steady? Liked by Republicans? A most unusual Wolf budget indeed | John L. Micek
PA Capital Star By John L. Micek -February 6, 2019
There was plenty that was familiar about Gov. Tom Wolf’s fifth budget address on Tuesday. Once again, he was after a higher minimum wage and more money for public schools. And he was taking another run at trying to get municipalities without their own police departments to pony up and pay for the free coverage they get from the Pennsylvania State Police. And, of course, there was not even a whisper of the personal income tax or sales tax hikes that turned the debate over Wolf’s freshman spending plan in 2015 into a joyless slog that lasted well into autumn. But that was about where the similarities ended. Heading into Tuesday’s speech, there was really only one question worth asking: Which Wolf would show up? Would it be a bold progressive, buoyed by his landslide win over Republican Scott Wagner last fall, and emboldened by the surge of the Democratic Party’s youthful and increasingly diverse left wing? Or would it be the Wolf, as House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, optimistically predicted, who emerged in the third and fourth years of his first term: accommodating and willing to negotiate with the Legislature’s Republican majority? The answer came less than five minutes into Wolf’s 30-minute address to a joint session of the state House and Senate. “Let me cut to the chase,” he said. “This proposal asks for no new taxes. Not one dollar. Not one dime. Not one penny.”
https://www.penncapital-star.com/commentary/sober-steady-liked-by-republicans-a-most-unusual-wolf-budget-indeed-john-l-micek/
How much money does your school district get in Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2019-20 budget proposal?
Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated 2:39 PM; Posted 2:39 PM
Gov. Tom Wolf’s $34.1 billion budget proposal for 2019-20 includes more than $6.5 billion for basic education to support school district operations. That appears to represent a nearly $442 million increase in the basic education funding from this year. But it is important to note that $242 million of that amount is money that in past years was funneled through the Ready to Learn block grant program, which was a separate funding stream for districts. To more fairly compare the amount of state aid for basic education each district would receive under the governor’s 2019-20 proposal to this year’s funding, PennLive combined the basic education and block grant funding each district received this year in this searchable database to arrive at the percentage difference.
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/02/how-much-money-does-your-school-district-get-in-gov-tom-wolfs-2019-20-budget-proposal.html
How much would your school district get to boost minimum pay for teachers? Use this database
Gov. Tom Wolf is proposing to set aside some state education funding to bring all school district teachers up to at least a $45,000 minimum salary.
Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Feb 6, 5:46 PM; Posted 5:05 AM
Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed raising the statewide minimum salary for teachers in public school districts. He wants to raise the minimum from the current $18,500 set in 1989 to $45,000. He included this priority in his state budget address. “It’s an investment the state - not local school districts - will make - and it’s included in this budget. This is a fully funded mandate,” he said in his speech. Wolf explained that his budget proposal includes $13.8 million in basic education funding that is earmarked specifically for raising the salaries of teachers earning less than $45,000 to the proposed minimum level. Local districts won’t be picking up the check, he said. Across Pennsylvania, the state Department of Education says 180 school districts have teachers earning salaries below $45,000. The following searchable database allows you to see the amount that the state Department of Education projects your district would receive, if any, to fund this initiative.
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/02/how-much-would-your-school-district-get-to-boost-minimum-pay-for-teachers-use-this-database.html
What Lehigh Valley school districts would get under Gov. Tom Wolf's budget
Staff and wire reports Of The Morning Call February 6, 2019
Most of the new money in Gov. Tom Wolf's proposed 2019 budget would go to public schools, including $200 million for general operations and instruction. About $13 million of that would finance a boost in the state's decades-old minimum wage for teachers from $18,500 to $45,000, a provision officials said would mostly benefit rural school districts. Schools also would get another $45 million for school safety, a higher priority after last February's school shooting in Parkland, Fla., while the state would borrow more money for school construction projects.
https://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-nws-lehigh-valley-school-district-money-20190205-story.html
Pennsylvania, Polarized - How a blue wave and red response deepened the state’s political divisions
Inquirer Jonathan Lai and Jared Whalen / Staff Thurs., Feb. 7, 2019
Pennsylvania is a state divided. That was made strikingly clear last November. Most people think they know the story of that midterm election, as Democrats rode a “blue wave” to convincing victories. But at the same time, a less-noticed opposing force — a red response — solidified the Republican base in rural areas. An analysis of returns from the state’s more than 9,000 precincts in 2018, recently available for the first time, along with other data from previous elections, shows an acceleration of the years-long trend of Pennsylvania voters pulling apart from each other, separating into partisan camps along visible geographic divides. The resulting portrait: Urban areas are the core of the Democratic base, but their adjacent suburbs are becoming a wider extension of that bastion, while already-Republican rural areas are shifting further to the right. And as the fissures deepen, they have the potential to worsen gridlock in Harrisburg and shape battleground Pennsylvania’s role in the 2020 elections and beyond. There may have always been a Red Pennsylvania and a Blue Pennsylvania. But they didn’t always look like this.
https://www.philly.com/politics/inq/pennsylvania-polarization-election-results-democrats-republicans-trends-map-20190207.html
Local leaders highlight need for Career and Technical Education to address 'workforce gap'
ELIZABETH BEHRMAN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Lbehrman@post-gazette.com FEB 6, 2019 7:37 PM
To fill an estimated 80,000 new jobs and open positions in the Pittsburgh area over the next decade, educators, government officials and employers agree that they need to communicate better to prepare the workforce of the future. That effort was the subject of a panel discussion Wednesday, hosted by Pittsburgh Public Schools at Westinghouse Academy in Homewood. The event, “Bridging the Workforce Development Gap,” was held in conjunction with Career and Technical Education Month and included tours of the six CTE programs based at Westinghouse. “It’s not a question of jobs, it’s a question of who’s going to fill those jobs,” Mayor Bill Peduto said. Over a lunch of lasagna made by Westinghouse’s culinary arts students, Mr. Peduto, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, PPS deputy superintendent Anthony Anderson, Pittsburgh Promise executive director Saleem Ghubril and others discussed the value of CTE programs and initiatives aimed at getting students engaged and prepared for the workforce. The panel was moderated by Matt Stem, deputy secretary of elementary and secondary education for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2019/02/06/Pittsburgh-Public-Schools-career-technical-education-students-Peduto-Fitzgerald-jobs/stories/201902060127
Showing respect for the teaching profession begins with base salary | Editorial
By PennLive Editorial Board Updated 12:57 PM; Posted 12:57 PM
Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2019-20 budget proposal is out, so let’s consider some numbers for context on his sweeping education proposal, teaching salaries in particular. In 2018, a student graduating from a Pennsylvania college had an average debt of $36,193. For some perspective, though, that was $42,315 at Penn State Harrisburg, $40,084 at Kutztown University in the state higher education system, $38,108 at Temple and $38,322 at Pittsburgh. Recent graduates in the social sciences, sciences, health care, engineering, business, or computer sciences could anticipate starting salaries ranging from $46,000 to almost $73,000. So far, so good. But the base starting salary for a graduate who takes a job teaching in a Pa. public school system is $18,500, a number that hasn’t budged in 30 years. If that number had kept up with inflation, it would be $37,463.54 today, still pretty low. Meanwhile, the federal poverty income guideline for a family of four this year is set at $25,750; for a single person it’s $12,490 and for a household of two — a single parent and child, say — it’s $16,910. Putting these numbers all together, this is why we think Gov. Tom Wolf’s call Tuesday to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum salary for teachers to $45,000 is a reasonable goal.
https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2019/02/showing-respect-for-the-teaching-profession-begins-with-base-salary-editorial.html
“A WHYY analysis found that two-thirds of Philadelphia School District elementary schools don’t have playground equipment and that most school communities rely on private funders to get structures built.”
Uneven Play: Most Philadelphia public schools don’t have playgrounds. That’s slowly changing.
WHYY Fresh Air By Nina Feldman February 6, 2019
It was the shortest day of the year: the winter solstice. And, more importantly for Maurice and McKenzie Barnes, the evening was warm enough to play outside. They were in high spirits as their mom picked them up from after-school care at James R. Lowell Elementary in Olney, where 9-year-old Maurice is in fourth grade and McKenzie is in first. It’s a short trip home — the family lives right across the street from the Philadelphia school — so even though it was dark, the kids’ mom, Shante Barnes, let them stay out for a little while. She even joined in, tossing a football with Maurice in the schoolyard. McKenzie and the littlest sister in the family, Ma’Leiyah, ran around on a delivery ramp alongside the building. Lowell administrators call the fenced-in area surrounding the building a schoolyard, but it doubles as the parking lot. As the kids played, teachers got in their cars and pulled out for the evening.
https://whyy.org/articles/uneven-play-most-philadelphia-public-schools-dont-have-playgrounds-thats-slowly-changing/
Philly's white teachers should join nationwide Black Lives Matter Week of Action | Opinion
Lily Cavanagh and Charlie McGeehan, For the Inquirer Posted: February 5, 2018 - 5:00 AM
Teaching in Philly is hard.
Five billion dollars are necessary to complete all outstanding repairs in our buildings. Teachers reach into their own pockets for classroom supplies, playing the roles of librarian, counselor, and social worker. These stresses are compounded by large classes and bare-bones staffing. In these conditions, it is too easy to blame students and families. This blame is misplaced. Systemic racial oppression is the true cause of most problems we face in our schools, and we must play an active role in its dismantling. Pennsylvania's schools are funded in a racist way, with black and brown districts receiving less than their fair share of funding. Black Philadelphians experience higher rates of poverty, eviction, and incarceration than whites. Whether or not we acknowledge it, these examples of systemic inequity manifest themselves in our classroom daily. When students show up tired or angry or hungry or unprepared, we must understand these circumstances in context. Teachers in Philly's district schools are predominantly white (67 percent in 2013), while our student body is mainly black (50 percent) and Latino (20 percent). Recently, our teaching force has grown whiter, with an 18.5 percent drop in black educators and a 27.6 percent increase in white educators between 2001 and 2012. In Philly's charters, the representation gap" between the percentage of black teachers and students is 44.8 percent.
As white educators, we are overrepresented as authority figures in Philadelphia's classrooms. This brings responsibility that we should not take lightly.
https://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/commentary/black-lives-matter-week-of-action-philadelphia-school-district-opinion-20180205.html
Meet the ‘crazy’ moms saying one of Pa.’s top-rated school districts can’t teach reading
WHYY/Keystone Crossroads By Avi Wolfman-Arent February 6, 2019 Listen 5:26
The small parent rebellion forming in one of Pennsylvania’s wealthiest school districts began at a Starbucks in suburban Chester County. Over coffee, three moms — Kate Mayer, Jamie Lynch, and Wendy Brooks — swapped stories about how their kids struggled to read as they moved through the Tredyffrin/Easttown school district, located about 30 minutes west of Philadelphia on the Main Line. They decided to start a local awareness campaign, beginning with an event where they passed out flyers and donuts to teachers. It seemed as benign as a bake sale. That was a little less than two years ago. Today, their group, “Everyone Reads T/E,” pushes a more subversive idea: that their acclaimed district doesn’t know how to teach reading. They’ve rallied a growing group of parents around this notion, and joined a national effort. This could be case of suburban anxiety run amok. Or it could be a window into how enlightened parents challenge district orthodoxy and undermine the reputation of a reputedly great school district. Either way, these moms — and they are almost entirely moms — represent a potentially powerful force. They believe the way we teach reading in this country must change. And they’re determined to make it happen from the ground up.
https://whyy.org/articles/meet-the-crazy-moms-saying-one-of-pa-s-top-rated-school-districts-cant-teach-reading/
Why parents in this Chesco school district want it to call their kids ‘dyslexic’
WHYY Air Date: February 6, 2019 Listen 13:21
Tredyffrin/Easttown in Chester County is one of Pennsylvania’s top-rated school districts. But a group of parents says their kids struggle to read because they have dyslexia. And they’re pushing the district for a curriculum that’s more focused on phonics. This local parent rebellion is part of a growing national debate over how to teach children to read. On today’s episode of The Why, WHYY education reporter Avi Wolfman-Arent explains what’s at stake in this debate, and why mastering reading at an early age is crucial to future success.
https://whyy.org/episodes/why-parents-in-this-chesco-school-district-want-it-to-diagnose-their-kids-with-dyslexia/
Town hall meeting being planned to discuss Penn Hills School District, grand jury report
Trib Live by MICHAEL DIVITTORIO | Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019, 10:51 p.m.
A town hall meeting is being planned for later this month to discuss the recently released grand jury report of Penn Hills School District finances and related topics. State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale’s office is organizing the public forum. Official date, time and location have not been announced. It’s expected to take place within the municipality by the end of February. “I want to give members of the community a chance to be heard and share ideas that could move Penn Hills forward and keep the focus on educating students,” DePasquale said. “Major decisions are being made that impact the entire community, and I want to hear directly from the people who are most affected.” The grand jury, convened by Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., worked for more than two years and came up with no indictments. Its report states the district jeopardized the education of its students and overburdened taxpayers for decades by what the report called “egregious” overspending, “inexcusable” carelessness and “inept” decision-making rife with the appearance of impropriety.
https://triblive.com/local/pennhills/14586373-74/town-hall-meeting-being-planned-to-discuss-penn-hills-school-district-grand
Pa. opens hotline for school bullying, threats. Sobering facts show why it’s needed.
By Sara K. Satullo | For lehighvalleylive.com Updated Feb 5; Posted Feb 5
There’s now a 24/7 hotline in Pennsylvania for students to turn to when grappling with bullying, school threats or a suicidal friend. Since the Safe2Say Something youth violence prevention tiplinelaunched statewide Jan. 14, Lehigh Valley school districts have been holding training sessions to introduce the tipline to students and encourage them to use it. The program teaches teens and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially on social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and speak up before it’s too late. The site shares some sobering facts. One million students report being harassed, threatened or subjected to other types of bullying, according to Safe2Say. Eighty percent of school shooters told someone about their plans and 59 percent told more than one person. And 70 percent of people who commit suicide shared their plans or gave a warning sign.
https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/2019/02/pa-opens-hotline-for-school-bullying-threats-sobering-facts-show-why-its-needed.html
Stop! Visitor-screening kiosks are weeks away from Easton Area school entrances
By Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com Updated Feb 6, 2:09 PM; Posted Feb 6, 1:59 PM
A smart-card entry system will be in place for visitors at Easton Area schools in a few weeks, according to the assistant superintendent. Assistant Superintendent Alyssa Emili updated the school board at Tuesday’s meeting about the ScholarChip program. She confirmed Wednesday that Easton Area High School students were issued smart cards at the start of the year. They’ve been using them at the school entrance to scan in and scan out every day. “The students are responding very well to it,” Emili said during the meeting video. She confirmed the system will roll out next month for students at Easton Area Middle School. Elementary schools won’t require students to scan in, although entrance kiosks will be in place at those schools. “All of our visitors that are coming to our school buildings will be checking through the ScholarChip kiosks within a few weeks,” Emili said Tuesday.
https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2019/02/stop-visitor-screening-kiosks-are-weeks-away-from-easton-area-school-entrances.html
3 Takeaways From the 2018 AP Results and a Heads Up: Register Early Next Year
Education Week Curriculum Matters Blog By Stephen Sawchuk on February 6, 2019 12:01 AM
About 1.24 million students—or nearly 40 percent of the class of 2018—took at least one AP exam in 2018, for a grand total of some 4.22 million tests in all. And about 23.5 percent of those students got a score of 3 or higher, which typically confers college credit, according to the tally released today by the College Board. The annual data dump isn't just a check-in on the venerable advanced-coursework program. It's also where the AP highlights certain initiatives or announces new changes in approach, and this year is no exception. Let's take a look at what's new, and what we can learn from this year's data.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2019/02/three_takeaways_from_the_2018_a.html
Fewer AP classes, suspended more often: Black students still face racism in suburbs
Justin Murphy and Georgie Silvarole, USA Today Published 2:56 p.m. ET Feb. 4, 2019 | Updated 6:37 p.m. ET Feb. 6, 2019
BRIGHTON, N.Y. – Elijah Goldberg thought he could handle precalculus in 11th grade. His guidance counselor, he said, did not. "It seemed like they were scared I would fail a class and it would make the district look bad," he said. "It was a big argument – I had to get my mom involved." Frustrated, he instead took the class in the evening at a community college near his home outside Rochester, New York, and earned an A minus. He took the transcript back to his high school in the wealthy suburb of Brighton and showed it to the staff – proof he had been correct about his own ability. "I felt like the administrators didn’t believe in me – I was definitely discouraged from taking AP (advanced placement) classes and getting ahead," said Goldberg, who graduated in 2016. "In my AP classes, there weren’t a lot of us, and we definitely weren’t encouraged. It was more just 'Get through, and don’t fail.' " For black students across the USA – the "us" he referenced – Goldberg's experience is a common one.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2019/02/04/black-history-month-february-schools-ap-racism-civil-rights/2748790002/
Reclaiming Choice
Curmudgucation Blog by Peter Greene Monday, February 4, 2019
So we just froze our way through School Choice Week, the annual PR blitz in favor of privatizing public education, and I find myself troubled and annoyed by the word "choice."
See, I favor choice. In all my years at our tiny small town/rural high school, we've graduated students who went on to become doctors, artists, teachers, welders, construction workers, lawyers, telephone linemen, and jobs you don't even realize exist. We have sent them to Ivy League schools and community colleges and two year tech schools and straight into jobs they love. And our students were able to choose those paths in life because they were able to choose the kind of education they wanted while they were with us. They could spend half their days in a shop at the CTE program we've offered for fifty years. They could pursue extra challenging courses in our honors track, prep for college, or aim for working world skills. They could take art classes, cooking classes, go full band geek. These students had ample choice-- and they could exercise that choice without to apply and re-apply if they changed their minds. Changing their life goals (not exactly an uncommon activity for teens) could be done without having to change schools and upend their entire lives. But somehow, charter advocates keep trying to paint this as "one size fits all" schooling, as if every student in a public school must follow exactly the same path-- which is pretty much the opposite of how public schools actually work.
http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2019/02/reclaiming-choiice.html
“We are calling for teachers across the country to speak out against child detention and the trauma that is the result of putting kids into institutionalized settings,” Manning said in an interview. “We want teachers to speak out, make videos or write in support of this campaign. Educators are mandatory reporters of suspected abuse and detaining children is abusive.”
Award-winning teachers plan ‘Teach-In For Freedom’ to remind Americans that thousands of immigrant kids are being held in border camps — and to call for their release
Washington Post Answer Sheet By Valerie Strauss February 6 at 6:00 AM
Teachers are “mandatory reporters,” meaning they are required by law to report suspected child abuse to responsible authorities. With that responsibility in mind, Mandy Manning, the 2018 National Teacher of the Year, has brought teachers and others together in a new group called Teachers Against Child Detention. It is planning a 10-hour “Teach-In for Freedom” on Feb. 17 in El Paso to focus public attention on the plight of thousands of immigrant children held by the U.S. government on the border with Mexico and to call for their release. The Trump administration instituted a policy to separate migrant children from their parents when they tried to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, and thousands of young people have been held in tent camps. Officials said late last year that the number of children in federally funded shelters and facilities had climbed to 14,600, up from about 9,200 when President Trump took office in 2017. But a January government report said the Trump administration had probably separated thousands more migrant children from their parents than it had publicly disclosed. Most of the children held before Trump’s election came to the United States alone. Trump’s claim that the Obama administration also had a policy to separate families is not true, PolitiFact reported.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/02/06/award-winning-teachers-plan-teach-in-freedom-remind-americans-that-thousands-immigrant-kids-are-being-held-border-camps-call-their-release/?utm_term=.4a86b134dfc4
What Would It Mean to 'Pass School Choice,' as Trump Wants?
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Alyson Klein on February 6, 2019 3:54 PM
In his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump urged lawmakers to "pass school choice for America's children." That's a pretty vague statement—which means that if Congress even sneezes in the direction of choice, Trump and his team may be able to claim victory on it.
But lawmakers have already rejected Trump's pitches for a new $1 billion competitive grant that would pay for vouchers and more. And a behind-the-scenes effort to create a federal tax credit scholarship never got off the ground, thanks in part to opposition from conservatives who worried it amounted to a federal power grab. So what other policies could Trump realistically paint as a win for school choice? Here are three possibilities:
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2019/02/trump-choice-military-devos-charter.html?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=campaignk-12
PSBA Board Presidents Panel -- new dates in February
Due to inclement weather, six dates for the Board Presidents Panel were rescheduled in February. The new dates and locations are below:
Lackawanna Co. CTC - Feb. 12, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Parkland HS - Feb. 12, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Bedford Co. CTC - Feb. 13, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Danville Area HS - Feb. 21, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
If you are a board president, vice president or superintendent don't miss this opportunity to workshop your real-life scenarios with a moderated panel of peers. Check the website for details and two new dates to come.
PSBA Sectional Meetings - Ten convenient locations in February and March
School safety and security is a complex, multi-perspective topic impacting school entities in dramatic ways. This complimentary PSBA member meeting featured in ten locations will offer essential updates and information on Safe2Say reporting, suicide awareness related to student safety, school climate, and emergency preparedness planning. Representatives from the Attorney General’s office, PEMA, and a top expert in behavioral health will be presenting. Updates on legislation impacting your schools will be presented by PSBA staff. Connect with the experts, have your questions answered, and network with other members.
Locations and Dates
Section Meetings are 6-8 p.m. (across all locations).
Register online by logging in to myPSBA.
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.
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/
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
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
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.