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
In the
episode of PSBA #VideoEDition, learn more about Advocacy Day, April 29th 2019 and the
importance of public education advocacy in this conversation with PSBA Advocacy
Ambassador @rickadavand Advocacy Coordinator Jamie Zuvich.
Watch
it here: https://t.co/VpxWHazXmW
“Seven out of 10 district schools have
improved since the district first began issuing progress reports in 2014-15.
The number of low-performing schools has dropped 50 percent, from 84 to 41, and
the number of high-performing schools has more than doubled, from five to 12.”
Philly schools claim 3 years of progress, with some
asterisks
Inquirer by Kristen A.
Graham, Updated: March
26, 2019- 11:50 AM
How many
Philadelphia 8-year-olds read at grade level? How many city students graduate
from high school prepared for college and careers? Are the district’s finances
in good shape? Are all school jobs filled with talented employees? Philadelphia
School Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. measures the accomplishments of his
administration by these yardsticks, the four “anchor goals”
of his Action Plan 3.0. In an
update released Tuesday, he highlighted the slow, steady progress the district
has made since he arrived in 2012. “The
progress that we are seeing in schools across the city is not a coincidence;
it’s because of intentional planning around how we can best support our diverse
school communities,” Hite said. Hite’s goals were lofty, and some are difficult
to quantify. Here are the goals and the 2019 measure for each:
Blogger note: Total cyber charter
tuition paid by PA taxpayers from 500 school districts for 2013, 2014, 2015 and
2016 was over $1.6 billion; $393.5 million, $398.8 million, $436.1 million and
$454.7 million respectively. Over the next several days
we will continue rolling out cyber charter tuition expenses for taxpayers in
education committee members, legislative leadership and various other
districts.
In 2016-17, @SenatorLaughlin’s
school districts in Erie County had to send over $10.5 million to chronically
underperforming cybers that they never authorized. #SB34 (Schwank) or #HB526
(Sonney) could change that.
Links to additional bill information and several resources have been
moved to the end of today’s postings
Data
Source: PDE via PSBA|
$6,068,902.65
|
|
|
Fairview SD
|
$105,541.46
|
|
Fort LeBoeuf SD
|
$462,487.81
|
|
General McLane
SD
|
$334,620.12
|
|
Girard SD
|
$618,929.80
|
|
Harbor Creek SD
|
$313,550.38
|
|
Iroquois SD
|
$176,376.00
|
|
Millcreek
Township SD
|
$1,102,084.20
|
|
North East SD
|
$304,210.87
|
|
Northwestern SD
|
$564,113.31
|
|
Wattsburg Area
SD
|
$538,068.68
|
|
|
$10,588,885.28
|
Pa. gets failing grade for treatment of lead in school drinking water: report
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer March 26, 2019
A statewide environmental advocacy group has given Pennsylvania a failing grade for its handling of lead in school drinking water. Pennsylvania, according to a report released Tuesday by the nonprofit PennEnvironment, is among a group of 22 states that are "failing to protect children from lead in schools' drinking water." The report was a follow-up to a 2017 analysis in which Pennyslvania also earned an "F." "In the two years since ... releasing that report, Pennyslvania has not stepped up sufficiently to close these gaps and to fill the void," PennEnvironment clean water advocate Stephanie Wein said at a press conference Tuesday alongside state lawmakers and health advocates. That's despite a recent push for public schools in the Commonwealth to test for lead in drinking water before the end of the 2018-19 school year. A new state law urges the state's public and charter schools to perform tests, but schools can opt out of testing for financial reasons as long as they hold a public meeting to discuss the lead issue. The law also doesn't require schools to send letters home to notify parents of elevated levels of lead.
https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/pa-gets-failing-grade-for-treatment-of-lead-in-school/article_bc061136-4f25-11e9-a246-5334916f2532.html
Lawmakers call for mandatory lead testing of school drinking water
Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Mar 26, 3:34 PM; Posted Mar 26, 1:11 PM
Water that flows from a school drinking fountain in Pennsylvania may be doing more than quenching children’s thirst, it could be harming their brains from elevated lead levels. A bipartisan group of lawmakers gathered at the state Capitol on Tuesday calling for the state to mandate public and non-public schools to annually test all water outlet used for drinking or cooking for elevated levels of lead. “When we send our children to school, they go there to learn,” said Rep. Austin Davis, D-Allegheny County. “The last thing they should have to worry about is their drinking water.” Davis is among those supporting legislation to be introduced by Rep. Karen Boback, R-Luzerne County, that would require schools to annually test all water outlets. House Bill 930 further would require schools to shut off outlets that are found to have lead levels above 5 parts per billion, which is the statewide standard that it seeks to set but is lower than the federal standard of 15 parts per billion. Additionally, it would require schools notify parents within two weeks of learning of the elevated lead levels.
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/03/lawmakers-call-for-mandatory-lead-testing-of-school-drinking-water.html
Report: Pennsylvania gets 'F' for not addressing lead in school drinking water
By ASHLEY MURRAY AND ELIZABETH BEHRMAN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette MAR 26, 2019 3:02 PM
A statewide advocacy group has given Pennsylvania a failing grade for lead in school drinking water and is looking to a state bill introduced Tuesday for solutions. For the second time in roughly as many years, the organization PennEnvironment has given an “F” to the state in its “Get the Lead Out” report for not requiring lead testing of water in schools. “We released this report for the first time in 2017 and identified gaps in Pennsylvania law around protecting kids from lead in school drinking water,” said Ashleigh Deemer, spokesperson for PennEnvironment. “The gaps were that there’s no regular testing required in schools to assure us of the drinking water quality there, and when schools do test voluntarily, they’re not required to disclose the results to the public or parents. and then finally they’re not really required to fix the problem if they find that lead levels are high.”
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2019/03/26/Bipartisan-Penn-Environment-Pennsylvania-failing-grade-lead-water-response-schools/stories/201903260121
Teacher pay: Some need second jobs to make ends meet, concerning Pa. lawmakers
Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated 6:38 AM; Posted Mar 26, 7:46 PM
Dottie Schaffer is not just an elementary academic and behavioral intervention specialist at Steelton-Highspire School District. She’s also a waitress. Her second job requires her to wait on tables at the Millworks in Harrisburg for a six-hour shift from one to five nights a week, whenever shifts are available on weeknights or weekends. Her students know it because she often has to tell them she can’t stay after school to tutor them because she has to get to her other job. She also doesn’t have time to do as much research as she’d like to do to be better at her job because “I’m tired. But I’m not allowed to be tired. You can’t be tired.” She’d prefer not to have to hold down a second job but she has to make ends meet. She is in the same boat as about 3,100 other educators across the state who make less than $45,000 a year. She came to the Capitol on Tuesday along with dozens of other educators to call on lawmakers to support to Gov. Tom Wolf’s call to raise the state’s $18,500 minimum teacher salary to the $45,000.
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/03/teachers-having-to-hold-down-side-jobs-to-make-ends-meet-is-a-growing-concern-to-pa-lawmakers.html
Bipartisan lawmakers say it’s time to raise Pennsylvania teacher base pay to $45,000
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth Hardison March 26, 2019
It’s been 30 years since Pennsylvania last raised its starting salary for teachers, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers say it’s time for another update. A bill in the Senate would codify the proposal, first raised in Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2019-20 budget, to pay all teachers across the commonwealth a $45,000 starting salary — more than double the state’s current starting salary of $18,500. The bill sponsored by Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks, has bipartisan support in both chambers of the General Assembly. Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Luzerne, plans to introduce a companion bill in the House. Wolf proposed allocating $13.8 million in his 2019-20 budget to fund the mandate. That includes money for retirement contributions, Medicare, and Social Security. But critics of the proposal, mainly Republicans, say that that raising base pay would have a “ripple effect” on salaries across the board and that increases to teacher salaries above $45,000 would be borne by local school districts. Lawmakers dispelled those criticisms in a press conference in the Capitol Media Center on Tuesday, saying that the state did not see widespread growth in teacher salaries after it passed the last base-pay increase in 1989.
https://www.penncapital-star.com/education/bipartisan-lawmakers-say-its-time-to-raise-pennsylvania-teacher-base-pay-to-45000/
Betsy DeVos calls for $18M cut to Special Olympics funding
Penn Live By Tribune News Service Updated 6:36 AM; Today 6:24 AM
By Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press (TNS)
WASHINGTON — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday defended deep cuts to programs meant to help students and others, including eliminating $18 million to support Special Olympics, while urging Congress to spend millions more on charter schools. “We are not doing our children any favors when we borrow from their future in order to invest in systems and policies that are not yielding better results,” DeVos said in prepared testimony before a House subcommittee considering the Department of Education’s budget request for the next fiscal year. It was the first time that DeVos, a wealthy former Michigan Republican Party chairwoman and school choice advocate, had been called before a Democratic-led panel in the U.S. House to explain President Donald Trump’s spending priorities. While proposing to add $60 million more to charter school funding and create a tax credit for individual and companies that donate to scholarships for private schools, DeVos’ budget proposal would still cut more than $7 billion from the Education Department, about 10 percent of its current budget.
https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2019/03/betsy-devos-calls-for-18m-cut-to-special-olympics-funding.html
Demand for welders spurs $4.25 million LCTI expansion for Welding Technology Center
Sarah M. Wojcik Contact Reporter Of The Morning Call March 15, 2019
A $4.25 million state-of-the-art welding facility is Lehigh Career and Technical Institute’s answer to what has become an increasingly popular curriculum with a burgeoning demand among the Lehigh Valley manufacturing industry. Administrators, students and staff at LCTI welcomed public officials and school administrators from the school’s sending districts to a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the brand new Welding Technology Center. The 12,000-square-foot facility is about twice the size of the current lab and has been in the works for the last two years. Most of the funding comes from LCTI, said Director of Career and Technical Education Kurt Adam. The school is pursuing equipment grants to fill the center with the latest technology and already has secured a $50,000 grant for equipment purchases from the state Education Department.
https://www.mcall.com/news/education/mc-nws-lcti-welding-center-groundbreaking-20190314-story.html
Forever Mansion?
At Strawberry Mansion High, just 169 students attend a school built for 1,800. It has a new principal, promises of support, and an outsize place in its students’ lives. Still: Can it survive?
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Updated: March 27, 2019- 5:00 AM
The morning sky was still dark when Charnel Crockton left the homeless shelter where she lives, swinging the steel-and-glass door open onto a cold December day. No one spoke to her as she trudged past the day-cares and salons of Germantown Avenue to catch the K bus and then transfer to the 61, which let her off at Ridge and Dauphin, just past the edge of Fairmount Park in North Philadelphia. After a short walk past rowhouses, a Malcolm X mural, and an empty, trash-strewn lot, she reached her destination, the back door of Strawberry Mansion High School, just before 7:30. Crockton had come north to Philadelphia 18 months earlier, after Hurricane Irma left her family homeless. Her school in Florida, South Lake High, had 26 sports teams, dozens of clubs, and a lot of rules. Mansion, as it’s known, was vastly different when she enrolled. Built decades ago for 1,800 students, the cavernous structure that occupies an entire city block at 31st Street and Ridge Avenue had become a shell of what it once was. Five years after Diane Sawyer showcased it on TV as one of the nation’s “most dangerous” schools, Mansion was on life support.
https://www.philly.com/education/a/strawberry-mansion-high-school-revival-philadelphia-school-district-20190327.html
Blogger note: Pennsylvania has many school districts on this list….
2019 BEST COMMUNITIES FOR MUSIC EDUCATION DISTRICTS
National Association of Music Merchants Foundation March 20, 2019
Congratulations to the 623 school districts that are among the Best Communities in the nation for music education. The award program recognizes outstanding efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, students and community leaders who have made music education part of a well-rounded education. Designations are made to districts and schools that demonstrate an exceptionally high commitment and access to music education. Filter out districts by typing in the form below. You can also alphabetize the results by clicking on school district, city or state.
https://www.nammfoundation.org/articles/bcme-2019-districts
DeVos Says Trump Budget Means 'Freedom' in Education; Democrats Call It 'Cruel'
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on March 26, 2019 3:50 PM
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and Democrats, who now control the House, spent much of a Tuesday appropriations hearing talking over and past each other as they sparred over charter school spending, students' civil rights, and the $7.1 billion in cuts President Donald Trump wants in federal education funding. During an education subcommittee debate on Trump's fiscal 2020 budget plan for the U.S. Department of Education, DeVos once again pitched Capitol Hill lawmakers on a proposed tax-credit scholarship system to fund greater educational choice. She said many traditional federal education programs, such as those funding educator training, simply weren't getting results. "It's easier to keep spending, to keep saying yes, and to keep saddling tomorrow's generations with today's growing debt," DeVos said. "Doing the same thing, and more of it, won't bring about new results. I propose a different approach: Freedom. This budget focuses on freedom for teachers, freedom for parents, freedom for all students." And Republicans on the committee backed her up, saying that students should be free from public schools that don't serve their needs and teachers should explore their own, potentially more-effective ways to grow professionally. But Democratic lawmakers merged attacks against the Trump budget request and previous DeVos policy decisions, arguing that both hurt students of color and would set back school safety, student well-being, and teachers' professional development.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2019/03/betsy-devos-trump-education-budget-house-democrats-hearing.html
“It’s important to understand that the opposing forces on this issue aren’t even on the same planet. To the public-school defenders, it’s all about educational access and quality. To the voucher proponents, it’s only about reducing government’s footprint in American life. Boosting student achievement isn’t a priority for them and diverting public funds from public to private schools is a feature, not a bug.”
Why the school 'freedom’ programs DeVos backs aren’t really about schools or education
Washington Post By Valerie Strauss Reporter March 26 at 11:37 AM
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos went to Capitol Hill on Tuesday — and will again on Thursday — to testify about the Trump administration’s proposal for near year’s Education Department budget. As usual, her opening testimony before a House appropriations subcommittee on education concentrated on school choice, or school “freedom,” meaning that public money should go directly to families who then decide where to send their children to school. The budget includes a $5 billion federal tax credit program that would allow public funds to be used to send children to private and religious schools — even when those schools can legally discriminate against LBGTQ students and other groups of students. “I propose a different approach: freedom,” she said. “This budget focuses on freedom for teachers. Freedom for parents. And freedom for all students,” she said. DeVos was challenged on her education vision by several lawmakers, among them Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-N.Y.), who chairs the appropriations subcommittee for the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education departments and related agencies. This post is about the central philosophy that drives the policy decisions backed by DeVos, who has for decades worked toward expanding alternatives to public school districts. She has also made clear that she believes that any education program funded with taxpayer dollars is “public,” even if it is a private religious school that accepts students funded with publicly funded vouchers or tax credit programs. The following was written by Leon Galis, professor of philosophy emeritus at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/03/26/why-school-freedom-programs-devos-backs-arent-really-about-schools-or-education/?utm_term=.87412db0dddd
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Announces Public Event: Poverty’s Impact on Early Literacy featuring Donna Cooper, Johnstown, PA— April 2nd 2019
The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown welcomes Executive Director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, Donna Cooper on April 2nd, 2019 at 6 PM to speak on the topic of “Poverty’s Impact on Early Literacy.” All are welcome to attend this public event as Donna Cooper and many other guest respondents will be in attendance. This panel of local experts include The University of Pittsburgh’s faculty members, Michael Vuckovich and Dr. Jackie Myers, as well as CEO of United Way of the Laurel Highlands, Bill McKinney and Director of Nurse-Family Partnership of Blair County, Lisa Ritchey. Topics to be discussed will range from Poverty’s Impact on Early Literacy, personal experiences within school systems, United Way’s goal on eliminating the literacy gap, and also how nurses are going into the homes of mothers in poverty helping them develop. The event will be held at the John P. Murtha Center located at the UPJ Campus. This event will begin at 6 PM and end around 8 PM. Pre-Registration through Google Forms is encouraged, but not required. All are welcome to walk-in the night of April 2nd to enjoy this meaningful event.
Delco Students for Education Meeting Sat, March 30, 2019 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: William Penn School District - Administration Building, 100 Green Avenue – Annex, Lansdowne, PA 19050
Sponsored by Rafi Cave, Yeadon Borough Councilman, The Urban League of Philadelphia & PA Schools Work, the nonpartisan statewide campaign to support equitable public education funding in Pennsylvania.
It's no secret Delco schools are underfunded. Join your peers and education advocates to learn what you can do to work for change in your school community. Ask questions, hear from experts, and meet State Representative Joanna McClinton. Includes breakfast & giveaways!! Don't miss out.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/delco-students-for-education-tickets-58603126529
The League of Women Voters of Delaware County and the Delaware County Intermediate Unit present: EPLC 2019 Regional Training Workshop for PA School Board Candidates (and Incumbents) April 27th 8am – 4:30pm at DCIU
Ron Cowell of The Pennsylvania Education Policy and Leadership Center will conduct a regional full day workshop for 2019 Pennsylvania School Board Candidates.
Date & Time: Saturday, April 27, 2019, 8am to 4:30pm
Location:
Delaware County Intermediate Unit, 200 Yale Ave. Morton, PA
Incumbents, non-incumbents, campaign supporters and all interested voters
are invited to participate in this workshop. Registration is $75 (payable by
credit card) and includes coffee and pastries, lunch, and materials. For
questions contact Adriene Irving at 610-938-9000 ext. 2061.To register, please visit http://tinyurl.com/CandidatesWksp
PSBA: Nominations for
the Allwein Society are welcome!
The Allwein Society is an award program recognizing school directors who are
outstanding leaders and advocates on behalf of public schools and students.
This prestigious honor was created in 2011 in memory of Timothy M. Allwein, a
former PSBA staff member who exemplified the integrity and commitment to
advance political action for the benefit of public education. Nominations are
accepted year-round and inductees will be recognized at the PASA-PSBA
School Leadership Conference, among other honors.
PSBA: 2019 State of
Education report now online
PSBA Website February 19, 2019
The 2019 State of Education report is now available on PSBA.org in PDF format. The report is a
barometer of not only the key indicators of public school performance, but also
the challenges schools face and how they are coping with them. Data reported
comes from publicly available sources and from a survey to chief school
administrators, which had a 66% response rate. Print copies of the report will
be mailed to members soon.
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 Advocacy
Day now at http://www.mypsba.org/
PSBA members 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
PSBA Board Presidents’ Panel
Learn, discuss, and practice problem solving with school leader peers
facing similar or applicable challenges. Workshop-style discussions will be
facilitated and guided by PSBA experts. With the enormous challenges facing
schools today, effective and knowledgeable board leadership is essential to your
productivity and performance as a team of ten.
Locations & Dates
Due to
inclement weather, some dates have been rescheduled. The updated schedule is
below.
- Mar.
28, 2019 — Crawford Cty CTC (Section 1)(Rescheduled from Jan. 30)
- Apr.
3, 2019 — Lehigh Career and Technical Institute (Section 8)(Rescheduled
from Feb. 12)
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/
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
Wyndham Garden Hotel, Mountainview Country Club
Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools
https://www.parss.org/Annual_Conference
PSBA Tweet March
12, 2019 Video Runtime: 6:40
In this installment of #VideoEDition,
learn about legislation introduced in the PA Senate & House of Representatives
that would save millions of dollars for school districts that make tuition
payments for their students to attend cyber charter schools.http://ow.ly/RyIM50n1uHi
PSBA Summaries of Senate Bill 34 and House Bill 526
PSBA Sample Board Resolution in Support of Statewide Cyber
Charter School Funding Reform
PSBA Sample Board Resolution in Support of Senate Bill 34
and House Bill 256
How much could your school district and taxpayers save if
there were statewide flat tuition rates of $5000 for regular ed students and
$8865 for special ed.? See the estimated savings by school district here.
Education Voters PA
Website February 14, 2019
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2019&sind=0&body=S&type=B&bn=34
Has your state
representative cosponsored HB526?
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.
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