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
“School districts
statewide could save a stunning $250 million every year if cyber charter
schools were paid according to their costs”
Join @PAIU @PasaSupts & @PSBA for Advocacy Day on April 29th at the state
Capitol! The focus for the day will be meetings with legislators to discuss
critical issues affecting public education.
For
more information and registration: https://t.co/Nth5oGZH19
“According to a February report by
Education Voters of Pennsylvania, a public education advocacy group, school districts statewide could save a stunning $250
million every year if cyber charter schools were paid according to their costs,
rather than the district cost-per-student. In the 2017-2018 school year, the
report stated, public school districts in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike,
Wayne, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties could have saved $24.5 million in
charter school tuition for 2,799 students if cyber charters had been paid
according to costs.”
Editorial: Pay charters based on actual costs
Cyber school
tuition should reflect actual costs.
Scranton Times
Tribune April 14, 2019
Taxpayers justly
would be outraged if the state government paid public school districts hundreds
of millions of dollars more than their actual costs. Yet state law continues to
funnel money to internet-based charter schools at rates far above their costs,
at the expense of public school districts and, therefore, local taxpayers. Charter
schools are privately operated public schools. The home public school districts
of students who attend charters pay tuition for each student from public funds.
Under state law, that tuition is based on the cost-per-student in each
student’s home district, rather than each charter school’s actual, demonstrable
costs. That is particularly problematic regarding “cyber” charter schools,
which provide instruction by internet and do not bear the costs of facilities,
transportation and other matters that factor into the costs of physical public
schools. So, if two students from two different local school districts attend
the same charter school, the school will be paid two different tuitions even
though its cost is the same for each. Based on the home district’s cost-per
student, for example, the Old Forge School District would pay the charter
school $8,119, whereas the Scranton School District would pay $10,439.
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. We
will continue rolling out cyber charter tuition expenses for taxpayers in
education committee members, legislative leadership and various other
districts.
In 2016-17, taxpayers
in House Majority Leader .@RepBryanCutler’s school districts in Lancaster County
had to send over $4.7 million to chronically underperforming cybers that they never
authorized. #SB34 (Schwank) or #HB526 (Sonney) could change that. Data source: PDE via .@PSBA
Links to additional bill information and several resources have been
moved to the end of today’s postings
|
Lampeter-Strasburg
SD
|
$498,846.15
|
|
Penn
Manor SD
|
$826,358.00
|
|
Pequea
Valley SD
|
$392,800.21
|
|
Solanco
SD
|
$679,777.41
|
|
Lancaster
SD
|
$2,309,086.00
|
|
|
$4,706,867.77
|
Has your state
senator cosponsored SB34?
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?
The growing resolve to fix our schools
Delco’s got the
momentum
PCCY –April 12,
2019
Across Southeastern
PA, the fight to end the funding crisis for public schools is a galvanizing
force uniting Republican and Democratic voters, especially those with
school-aged children, business leaders, and, as we saw last week, realtors concerned, not only with student success, but also with
depressed property values due to underperforming schools. In fact, districts
are rallying around a shared resolution to
demand adequate state funding for public schools. Districts in Delaware County, in particular, are making great headway
with eight of its fifteen districts already passing the resolution. (Between
you and us, four more districts have indicated that passage of the resolution
is imminent.) The resolution was a key takeaway from the PA Schools
Work summit we organized in November which gathered teachers, parents,
and advocates like you to take the campaign for adequate funding for public
schools in Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks, Chester, and Philadelphia counties to
the next level. In these Southeastern counties, the pain of inadequately funded
schools is growing, as is the concern.
100 Days into the new Congress, we’re bringing change to
Washington | Opinion
By Capital-Star Op-Ed Contributor April 13, 2019
By Madeleine Dean,
Chrissy Houlahan, Mary Gay Scanlon, and Susan Wild
Last November,
Pennsylvanians from Philadelphia to Erie held a referendum on the type of
government they want. With fairly drawn, constitutionally legitimate
Congressional districts, voters ushered in a new, more diverse era of representation.
Only a year ago, our Commonwealth was represented solely by men. Today, we four
women are proud to embody the change Pennsylvania wanted in Congress. We know
the voters of Southeastern Pennsylvania did not send us to Washington to join
the partisan fray or perpetuate the status quo of putting special interests
before people. Pennsylvanians voted for change, and we have both the honor and
responsibility to serve the families and communities of this region first. We
will not forget the overwhelming demands for change in Congress, and in our
country, that we heard while running. We came to Washington to restore ethics
and civility to our government, protect access to quality, affordable
healthcare, and take on tough fights, like reducing gun violence and combating
climate change.
A record-setting number of women are serving in the Pa.
House. They make up just a quarter of the body | Analysis
PA Capital Star By Sarah Anne Hughes April 11, 2019
On Monday, special election
winner Bridget
Kosierowski was sworn in as a member of the Pennsylvania House of
Representatives. The Democrat is now one of 53 women serving in the body — the
most female members to serve at one time in the state’s history. It should be
noted that in the 203-member chamber, women still hold just over a quarter of
seats. Representation is about the same in the Pa. Senate, where women control
12 seats out of 50. To be fair, it used to be a lot worse. To illustrate that
point, the Capital-Star counted the female members in the House and Senate —
both returning and newly elected — over the past 20 years. When you consider
the past two decades, the 2018 Year of the
Woman looks
all the more remarkable.
Innovative Arts Academy Charter School’s
non-disparagement agreements keeping faculty quiet
By SARAH M. WOJCIK | THE MORNING CALL | APR 12, 2019 | 5:35 PM
A public hearing
that will help determine the fate of the Innovative Arts Academy Charter School
will be missing the voices of some former faculty members who want to share
their experiences at the embattled charter school ― but can’t. The former
employees told The Morning Call that as part of their severance agreements,
they were forced to sign paperwork that includes a non-disparagement clause
preventing them from speaking freely about the school. If it weren’t for the
agreement, the former employees say they would share their concerns, triumphs
and suggestions about the future of the school with Catasauqua Area School
Board members during an upcoming hearing, now scheduled for May, to determine
whether the school’s charter is renewed. The Morning Call reviewed multiple
non-disparagement clauses in the severance agreements, which provided
compensation for the staff members after their employment ended. The Morning
Call is withholding the ex-employees’ names because they feared losing their
severance. Language in the agreements differs, but ― with a few exceptions ―
prevents both former employees and school employees from making negative
remarks about one another. Violating the agreement could result in termination
of severance.
Proposed Council Rock budget has 2.3 percent tax hike
Bocks County Courier
Times By Chris
English Posted
at 5:00 AM
The spending
plan maintains staffing and educational programs at current levels.
A proposed final
Council Rock School District budget for 2019-20 maintains staffing and
educational programs at current levels, allocates about $2 million for
technology and continues to fund extensive improvements at schools around the
district. The $246.26 million spending plan will be considered by the school
board at its April 25 meeting and a vote on a final budget is scheduled for the
May 30 meeting, school district Business Administration Director William Stone
said. The proposed final budget has a 2.3 percent property tax increase and
recommends taking $4.12 million from the district’s $21.4 million fund balance,
or savings account, to close the current gap of $242.14 million in projected
revenue and $246.26 million in projected expenses for next school year, he
added. A 2.3 percent tax increase equates to 2.843 mills, or $110 more in taxes
for a landowner with a property assessed at the school district average of
$38,520. The tax hike would increase total millage in the district to 126.45,
or $4,871 in annual taxes for a landowner with a property assessed at the
school district average. Many working residents also pay a 1 percent earned
income tax that is split with the district’s five municipalities of Newtown
Borough, Newtown Township, Northampton, Upper Makefield and Wrightstown. Stone
said the district has received exceptions from the state for special education
and pension expenses that would allow a tax hike of more than 2.3 percent, the
normal maximum tax increase allowed the district for next school year under the
state’s Act I Index. “We haven’t discussed the option in two months,” Stone
said. “That option (using the exceptions) is still there should the board
choose to accept it, but the administration is not recommending it.”
Kiski Area might provide free after-school meals for
students
Trib Live by MARY ANN THOMAS | Thursday, April 11, 2019 2:23 p.m.
The Kiski Area
School District wants to add dinner to the meals it serves students. The school
board is expected within the next two months to approve applying for a federal
program that pays for dinners or snacks for students who stay for after-school
activities, according to Superintendent Tim Scott. Kelly Patterson,
manager for the Nutrition Group of Irwin, brought the idea to the school board
Wednesday. The company manages the district’s food services. Under the program,
administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through its Child and Adult
Care Food Program, after-school meals and snacks would be served in group
settings at no cost to students. The program is offered after the regular
school day ends or on weekends and holidays during the school year. There is no
application form for parents or guardians to fill out. Kiski Area meets the
criteria for the program because it has at least one school with at least half
of the students meeting income limits to qualify for free or reduced cost
lunches, according to Patterson.
Gompers Elementary School focuses on mental health
The Student
Council at the K-8 school initiated the activities.
The notebook by Maya
Wernick April 12 — 12:02 pm, 2019
Mora-Lee Moore, an
8th-grade class representative at Gompers Elementary School in Wynnefield, put
it succinctly: Mental health is the “most deeply cared-about issue in our
community,” she said. Student Council member Roger Stone added his own take. At
Gompers, he said, “Everyone’s always on edge and can’t let loose because
they’re afraid that people won’t like what they have to say or won’t listen to them.”
Because of this, the Student Council, advised by counselor Akeesha Washington,
hosted a Youth Mental Health Week dedicated to supporting students and raising
awareness of this crucial issue. Besides daily special events, teachers
implemented mental health exercises into their everyday rituals. For instance,
they began each day during the week with a lesson from Second Step, which “provides instruction in social and emotional learning with units
on skills for learning, empathy, emotion management, friendship skills, and
problem-solving,” according to its website. At the end of each day, teachers
chose a closing reflection; the options included journal writing, group
discussion, or practicing a coping skill.
School officials and resource officers need to guard
against criminalizing student behavior [opinion]
Lancaster Online by
THE LNP EDITORIAL BOARD April 14, 2019
THE ISSUE - “Since the start of the 2017-18
school year, police have issued at least 370 summary citations — often referred
to as student tickets — across Lancaster County’s public schools,” LNP
correspondent Kimberly Marselas
reported in last week’s Sunday LNP. “Summary
offenses range from consumption of alcohol to disorderly conduct and fall below
the misdemeanor level. Fines typically range from $25 to $300. Though local
police and school administrators say they use police intervention as a last
resort, citations have become a hot-button issue in many districts that
routinely rely on law enforcement.”
We all want schools
to be safe. So we’re in no way suggesting that a fight among a group of high
school students is just a matter of boys being boys — or girls being girls. We
understand why a teacher or administrator might be reluctant to get in the
middle of a fight in which punches are being thrown. It helps, in those
circumstances, for a trained police officer to be on the scene, restoring
peace. School resource officers do all of that and more — they handle incidents
of drug and alcohol use among students, threats of violence and vandalism. The
best of them also serve as mentors to students, offering words of caution and
encouragement. And in this era when the specter of school shootings hangs like
a dark cloud overhead, parents and students alike may be reassured by the
presence of a school resource officer. Which may be a reason why all the county
school districts — save for Octorara Area and Pequea Valley — have at least
one. But as a
study published in 2009 in the Journal of Criminal Justice noted, there “is concern that an increasing police presence at
schools will ‘criminalize’ student behavior by moving problematic students to
the juvenile justice system rather than disciplining them at school.”
Radon in schools? Bill would begin to mandate testing in
radon-dense Pa.
WHYY/Keystone
Crossroads By Kaity Kline April 15, 2019
A new bill in the
Statehouse would require every school district in Pennsylvania to test for
radon and inform parents of the results. Blamed for 20,000 deaths per year,
radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers in the United States. Levels
in Pennsylvania are considered especially high nationally. An estimated 40
percent of homes in the state have radon levels above the Environmental Protection Agency’s action guideline of 4 picocuries per liter of air. A naturally occurring odorless, colorless,
and tasteless gas, radon enters buildings through foundation cracks and becomes
concentrated indoors, where people are most at risk. The Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection encourages all homeowners, school
officials and public and private building owners in Pennsylvania to test for
radon, but schools are not legally required to do so.
Harrisburg School District refuses to provide financial
information to state auditors, education department says
Penn Live By Christine Vendel |
cvendel@pennlive.com Posted
Apr 12, 2019
The Harrisburg
School District is blocking efforts by the Pennsylvania Department of Education
to audit the district’s finances by refusing to provide access to financial
information, according to a letter from the department obtained Friday by
PennLive. The
state department announced the audit in October, after a series of financial scandals at the district. Those financial
issues include a transportation supervisor accused of embezzling $180,000, the
over-hiring of 37 teachers for unbudgeted positions and the continuation of
health care coverage for 54 employees who had resigned from the district in recent years. The audit was supposed to
examine the district's accounting practices, budget projections and internal
controls, among other things. The district is considered by the state to be in
financial distress. In a March 27 letter to Harrisburg Superintendent Sybil
Knight-Burney, Pennsylvania Education Secretary Pedro Rivera wrote that the
district must provide all information needed “to investigate the District’s
financial records without further delay.”
“Now Maine has taken a step away from
this with LD 92 (to
see the full affect, look also at the amendments).
The bill removes any requirement to base teacher evaluation on test results.
Maybe even more importantly, it requires districts to form a committee to
regularly review and revise their evaluation process. This may seem like common
sense, but teacher evaluation systems are historically taken out of the box and
used without any subsequent discussion of how well they are actually working.”
Maine Takes A Huge Step Forward In Teacher Evaluation
Forbes by Peter Greene Apr 13, 2019, 11:16am
Maine has broken
with the status quo of test-centered accountability for teachers.
Beginning with No
Child Left Behind, public schools have committed to test-centered accountability,
using student results on a single standardized math and reading test to drive
assessment of districts, schools and ultimately teachers. For years, the
prevailing definition of a good teacher in this country has been one whose
students score well on that standardized test. The problems with
this approach are legion. Schools have narrowed their focus and their
curriculum to focus on tested subjects. States have developed bizarre
assessment systems in which teachers of non-tested subjects might be evaluated
based on the test scores of
students they never taught. Nor
has any convincing evidence ever emerged that raising a student's test scores improves her lot later in
life. After a generation, the promised improvement in US education that
test-centered accountability was supposed to drive simply hasn't arrived; NAEP
scores ("the nation's report card") have
not budged significantly in all this time, nor have colleges announced that their freshman classes
are now the best they've ever seen. Using standardized test scores to evaluate
teachers has not fixed anything, and it has made things worse in many cases by
pushing schools to focus on test taking skills instead of a broad and deep
education for all students.
Cursive Seemed to Go the Way
of Quills and Parchment. Now It’s Coming Back.
Nearly two
dozen states have reintroduced cursive instruction since 2010, when the Common
Core standards dropped a requirement that it be taught in elementary schools.
New York Times By Emily S. Rueb April 13, 2019
While cursive has
been relegated to nearly extinct tasks like writing thank-you cards and signing
checks, rumors of its death may be exaggerated. he Common Core standards seemed
to spell the end of the writing style in 2010 when they dropped requirements
that the skill be taught in public elementary schools, but about two dozen
states have reintroduced the practice since then. Last year, elementary schools
in Illinois were required to offer at
least one class on cursive. Last
month, a law went
into effect in
Ohio providing funding for materials to help students learn cursive by fifth
grade. And beginning this fall, second
graders in Texas will
learn cursive, and will be required to know how to write it legibly by third
grade. Even as keyboards and screens have supplanted pencil and paper in
schools, lawmakers and defenders of cursive have lobbied to re-establish this
old-school writing pedagogy across the country, igniting a debate about
American values and identity and exposing intergenerational fault lines.
Electing PSBA Officers – Application Deadline is May 31st
Do you have strong
communication and leadership skills and a vision for PSBA? Members interested
in becoming the next leaders of PSBA are encouraged to submit
an Application for Nomination no later than May 31 to PSBA's Leadership Development
Committee (LDC).
The nomination
process: All persons seeking nomination for elected positions of the
Association shall file with the Leadership Development Committee chairperson
an Application
for Nomination (.PDF) on a form to be provided by the Association expressing interest in the
office sought. The Application for nomination shall be marked received at PSBA
Headquarters or mailed first class and postmarked no later than the application
deadline specified in the timeline established by the Governing Board to be
considered timely-filed.” (PSBA Bylaws, Article IV, Section 6.E.). Application Deadline: May 31, 2019
Open positions are:
- 2020 President-Elect (one-year term)
- 2020 Vice President (one-year term)
- 2020-22 Central At-Large
Representative – includes Sections 2, 3, 6, and 7 (three-year
term)
- 2020-21 Sectional Advisors – includes Sections
1, 3, 5 and 7 (two-year term)
Success Starts Here is a multi-year public awareness campaign
sharing positive news in PA public education.
.@PSBA .@PasaSupts .@PAIU .@PenSPRA1 .@PSEA .@PAPRINCIPALS .@SuccessStartsPA Read more stories and share your own on http://www.SuccessStartsHere.org .
Together we can harness the power of all to make a difference in our schools and communities! Hear from the experts and learn how to advocate! Free breakfast & givewaways. Don't miss out!
Sponsored by Norristown Men of Excellence, The Urban League of Philadelphia & PA Schools Work.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/norristown-parents-students-for-education-tickets-59590097586
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
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/
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
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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