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
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These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
Rewarding Failure: An Education Week
Investigation of the Cyber Charter Industry
Blogger note: With the
renewed focus on cyber charter funding reform via SB34 and HB526 this November
2016 Education Week Deep Dive series on cyber charters is recommended reading and
still timely.
Rewarding Failure: An Education Week
Investigation of the Cyber Charter Industry
Education
Week Series November 2016
With growing
evidence that the nation's cyber charter schools are plagued by serious
academic and management problems, Education Week conducted a months-long
investigation into what is happening in this niche sector of K-12 schooling.
The result is a deep-dive account of what's wrong with cyber charters.
Education Week uncovered exclusive data on how rarely students use the learning
software at Colorado’s largest cyber charter, the questionable management
practices in online charters, and how lobbying in scores of states helps keep
the sector growing.
“K12 Inc. is the country's largest
for-profit operator of full-time, online charter schools and runs effective
lobbying efforts in more than 20 states, including Indiana, where it has spent
nearly $1 million dollars lobbying Indiana lawmakers and donating to their
campaigns and political parties since 2007.”
Outsized Influence: Online Charters Bring Lobbying 'A'
Game to States
Education By Arianna Prothero November 3, 2016 | Corrected: November 3, 2016
For five years in a
row, the Hoosier Academies Virtual School had been failing. The school, where
students take all of their classes online while at home, had been assigned an
"F" grade from the state of Indiana every year it had been open
except its first, when it had garnered a "C." That troubled track
record had finally made the virtual school of nearly 4,000 students a candidate
for state regulators' chopping block. In September, Hoosier Academies
representatives appeared before the Indiana board of education to make their
case for giving the school another chance. There, they revealed their strategy:
the creation of a second virtual school—one to which they had siphoned students
who were most behind. Those students, they argued, would get more support and
specialized services. Glenda Ritz, the state schools chief in Indiana, bluntly
noted that shifting the neediest students would raise the original school's
grade and possibly spare it from being shut down. It was another close call for
a virtual charter school run by K12 Inc., a national company based in Herndon,
Va.
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 .@SenatorRegan’s school districts in Cumberland and York Counties had to
send over $13.4 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
|
Big Spring SD
|
$1,457,150.44
|
|
Camp Hill SD
|
$159,667.99
|
|
Carlisle Area SD
|
$1,429,522.41
|
|
Cumberland Valley SD
|
$1,736,152.00
|
|
Dover Area SD
|
$736,436.54
|
|
East Pennsboro Area SD
|
$1,023,841.98
|
|
Mechanicsburg Area SD
|
$1,694,299.70
|
|
Northern York County SD
|
$853,663.66
|
|
South Middleton SD
|
$528,676.27
|
|
Spring Grove Area SD
|
$892,731.28
|
|
West Shore SD
|
$2,982,398.83
|
|
|
$13,494,541.10
|
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?
Democrats want to flip Pennsylvania’s state Senate in
2020. They’ll need the suburbs to do it
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth Hardison April 4, 2019
A Democratic
victory in a contested special election in the Pittsburgh suburbs on Tuesday
has political observers across Pennsylvania asking the same question: Can the
party flip the Republican-controlled Senate in 2020? Unofficial results from
the Department of State show Navy veteran and former Bush White House aide Pam
Iovino beating Republican nominee D. Raja by four percentage points. Iovino’s
win in the 37th Senate District in Pittsburgh’s South Hills means Democrats
have whittled a once-veto proof 34-16 Republican majority to a far narrower
26-22 advantage. Assuming Republicans win May special elections for two vacancies in
GOP strongholds —
boosting their majority to 28-22 — Democrats will need to flip three seats
in 2020 to control half of the 50-seat chamber. The vote of Lt. Gov John
Fetterman, the Senate’s presiding officer, would make them the majority party,
able to chair committees and decide which bills get brought up for votes. The
Senate also has the power to confirm the governor’s nominations to boards,
commissions, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Though high-stakes nomination
fights have been relatively absent during the recent years of Democratic Gov.
Tom Wolf’s administration, they can become political battles.
Creating a fairer map: Pa. Redistricting Reform
Commission kicks off public input tour
WHYY/Keystone
Crossroads By Emily Previti, WITF April 5, 2019
Pennsylvania will
redraw its congressional and legislative districts after the 2020 census – and
there’s a renewed push to change the rules before that happens. To get voters’
input on creating future congressional maps, the Pennsylvania Redistricting
Reform Commission is touring the state for a series of public
meetings. The first
was in Williamsport Thursday night and drew more than 50 people. “To me,
gerrymandering is a gateway into voter suppression,” said Ron Williams, who’s
involved with Fair Districts PA. Williams believes gerrymandering leads to policies that further disenfranchise voters. “You have
districts, which are safe, you have districts where the power really goes to
the party,” Williams said. “The party controlling those districts allows that
power to remain. And then we see other kinds of voter suppression come in.”
Report outlines priorities for Latinos in Pa., focus on
education, workforce development
By Rachel McDevitt,
WITF April 3, 2019
Pennsylvania’s
Latino community came together for a first-of-its-kind
convention in Lancaster
last fall. Organizers recently released a white paper highlighting policy
priorities and recommendations. The report addresses 10 issues ranging
from education and workforce development to health care and immigration. Pennsylvania
Latino Convention chairman Norman Bristol Colón said the overarching goal is to
make sure the community is heading in the right direction. Latinos have been
the fastest-growing ethnic group in the commonwealth for the past 20 years and
are approaching the one million mark. Colón, who is also an executive in
the state Department of Community and Economic Development, said the report is
meant to inform political and business leaders of the population’s specific
needs. “That they are not forgetting the agenda of the Latino community, that
they are not forgetting the voices of that community that for many years have
been neglected,” he said. Recommendations include raising the minimum wage,
investing in schools and adult education programs in Latino neighborhoods, and
cultural and language training for health care professionals.
'Highlight of my year': Ryan Aument hosts dozens of
Lancaster County students for annual Senator for a Day event
Lancaster Online ALEX GELI | Staff Writer April 5, 2019
Mahayla Meyer stood
inside the state Capitol building on Thursday ready to defend a Senate bill she
sponsored that would require all public school students, except
student-athletes, to take physical education classes. Then came a flurry of
questions she never saw coming, despite working through an amended version of
the bill in the Senate Education Committee less than two hours earlier. What
would happen at schools that struggle to afford to provide gym classes? What
about gym teacher salaries and job openings? The Warwick High School junior
stood in front of her peers, chuckling nervously and anxiously adjusting her
glasses at times, and answered every question thrown her way. “I wasn’t
uncomfortable,” she said. “It was just challenging in the fact that I needed to
think in a way that I hadn’t thought
before.” Within minutes her bill, as amended, passed with broad support. “I was
ecstatic,” she said. Meyer was one of about 60 students from nine Lancaster
County high schools who participated in Senator for a Day. Hosted annually,
except for election years, by state Sen. Ryan Aument (R-Landisville), the
daylong event exposes local students to the work it takes to carry a piece of
legislation through committee and eventually into law.
Pocono Mountain School District Decides to Outsource
Transportation
School board
member reacts to the decision
PA Home Page Posted: Apr
04, 2019 05:42 PM EDT
SWIFTWATER, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) - There's a lot of anger in Monroe County after the Pocono Mountain
School District's school board voted to outsource its student transportation
Wednesday night. The district says the move will save nearly $30 million
dollars, but union leaders say you can't put a price on students' safety. Union
leaders say once the private company takes over, nearly 200 bus drivers,
mechanics and secretaries could lose their jobs. Eyewitness News reached out to
all nine school board members, but only heard back from three. One, who voted
against outsourcing, agreed to sit down with us for an interview. Despite a clear
message from audience members during Wednesday night's school board meeting,
the board voted 6-3 in favor of outsourcing its student transportation.
Why the 2019 primary for York school board members is so
important
York Daily Record
Opinion by Michael G. Miller Published
1:01 p.m. ET April 4, 2019
Michael G. Miller
is a York City school director.
The School District
of the City of York is at a critical transition. The following background facts
outline the issues and dangers. Seven years ago, the commonwealth (under Act
141) placed York under financial distress status and appointed a chief recovery
officer (CRO) to require the school board to approve and follow a recovery plan
(Plan) or have the Department of Education Secretary appoint a receiver to
govern all aspects of the district. (The only exception being that school
law mandates that only elected school directors may raise or lower property tax
rates, but this authority may occur only with prior CRO approval.) Following a
state funded study by MASS Insight, CRO Doctor Carol Saylor and District
Superintendent Doctor Eric Holmes drafted a 23-point recovery plan which has
been authorized and supported by the school board and approved by the
Pennsylvania Department of Education Secretary Pedro Rivera. The plan
addresses improving student performance and stabilizing the district financial
foundation. Recently, MASS Insight reviewed the progress of the plan and found
that the school board and district have rigorously and faithfully followed the
plan which is working well. Students are progressing more than one years’ worth
of grade level growth a year in the K8 schools and the proficiencies for the
High School PA Keystone tests are improving.
Group wants Philly school board to redo votes made behind
closed doors
KYW Newsradio MIKE DENARDO APRIL 04, 2019 - 4:00 AM
PHILADELPHIA (KYW
Newsradio) — A watchdog
group is considering suing the Philadelphia school board for continuing last
week's disrupted meeting behind closed doors. When members of the
Philadelphia Student Union loudly interrupted the school board's meeting last
Thursday, the board tried to carry on. But the board recessed the meeting
and the nine members left the auditorium, retreating to a committee room where
they voted in private, televising the proceedings online and on the district's
cable channel. Retired teacher Lisa Haver, a co-founder of the Alliance
for Public Schools, is calling on the board to reconvene and vote again in
public. "Just livestreaming a meeting does not make it a public meeting,
because the public cannot be in the room when you vote. The public can't be
heard on what you're voting on," Haver said. Among the items the board
approved was a preliminary version of its budget. "I know that the
board thinks they voted on that but they did not vote on it. It has to be at a
public meeting and we did communicate that to the board," she added.
Why criminalize students and control schools with a metal
detectors mandate? | Opinion
Amir Curry, for the
Inquirer Updated: April 4, 2019 - 3:39 PM
Amir Curry is a
West Philadelphia resident and senior at Science Leadership Academy @ Beeber.
He currently serves as student organizer with the Philadelphia Student Union.
I’m a senior at
Science Leadership Academy at Beeber. Our school relies on the voices of its
students to build community. These values have guided me through my high school
career. Growing and learning in a community that encourages students to be
actively engaged is how our school thrives, and one of the primary reasons our
leadership has exercised discretion in choosing not to implement metal
detectors. But the recent school board mandate subverts that individual school
autonomy. It will implement an “emergency preparedness” plan in all district
high schools, mandating walk-through metal detectors. Members of the
Philadelphia Student Union, to which I belong, were initially notified of the
policy in late December. We immediately focused our energy on developing an
inclusive campaign to start a conversation on school safety and metal
detectors, including student voices. We spent several months studying and
critically analyzing the plan, engaging the district’s only three high schools
— Science Leadership Academy, SLA Beeber, and the Workshop School — that do not
use metal detectors. We concluded that metal detectors, like in-school police,
criminalized students instead of protecting them.
School safety requires strong security like metal
detectors | Opinion
Kevin Davis, for
the Inquirer Updated: April 4, 2019 - 3:38 PM
Kevin Davis is a
senior at Strawberry Mansion High School and an aspiring journalist.
Do you really know
how safe your children are when they enter their school? On March 28, the
Philadelphia school board voted to mandate that all city high schools use metal
detectors to screen students. Currently, there are 49 high schools that use
metal detectors and only three that do not. While many students are not in
favor of the policy, I think it is a good idea. I am a senior at Strawberry
Mansion High School. I’ve been at Mansion since the start of my sophomore year
and have attended Philadelphia district schools since kindergarten. I have
attended schools that use metal detectors, and I believe they make a positive
impact. In this day and age, we are faced with many violent incidents that feel
as if they take place on a daily basis. We have in particular seen the rise of
school shootings and intruders in school buildings. As a student who goes
through a metal detector every day as part of our school’s safety procedure,
I’ve grown to understand why it is important. The metal detectors are not there
to make us feel as if we’re being policed but to keep us out of harm’s way.
ACLU threatens legal action against McKeesport Area schools
over formation of black student organization
Post-Gazette by DEANA
CARPENTER APR 4, 2019 3:52 PM
The ACLU of
Pennsylvania is threatening legal action against the McKeesport Area School
District if it does not allow for the creation of a Black Student Union at the
high school and has given the district a deadline of Friday, April 5. The ACLU
said in a March 19 letter to the district, “If MASD fails to approve the club
by the deadline, absent a compelling explanation conveyed to us, we will seek a
federal court injunction ordering the district to comply with our request.” Witold
“Vic” Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said he met with a
group of about nine McKeesport High School students, but said “I’m told there
are more” who showed interest in starting a black student union. “Students have
been trying since January to get approval for the club,” Mr. Walczak said, but
added, “There have been various obstacles in the way. We’ve gotten substantial
pushback — particularly from the superintendent.” He said the Black Student
Union would be like any other student-run club and would be open to anyone who
wanted to join. District Superintendent Mark Holtzman says he supports the idea
of a student union but wants it to be able to include students of all
races.
Let’s fact-check this Betsy DeVos tweet about Trump’s $5
billion school tax credit proposal
Washington Post Answer Sheet By Valerie Strauss April 5 at 6:00 AM
Despite what some
may try to tell you . . . Education Freedom Scholarships are privately funded
and do not take any money from public schools. #EducationFreedom
That comes from a
tweet that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos posted in an attempt to sell the
public on the Trump administration’s newest plan to expand alternatives to
traditional public schools. And, for the record, it’s not true. The Trump administration
has included in its proposed 2020 budget spending up to $5 billion on tax
credits for individuals and groups who donate to help children attend private
and religious schools. The donations, which would receive a 100 percent tax
credit, could go for other education-related purposes — all aimed at expanding
what DeVos now calls “education freedom” but used to more frequently refer to
as “school choice." The plan, called the Education Freedom Scholarships,
has no chance of passing Congress with Democrats in control of the House, and
with some Republican opposition.
States Are Spending Way Too Little on Schools, Report
Concludes
Education Week By Daarel Burnette II on April 3, 2019 4:17 PM
When it comes to
learning, money matters, and state leaders aren't providing schools with enough
of it for their students to meet national average test scores, according to a
new research paper issued by the Albert Shanker Institute and co-authored by Bruce
Baker, a top school finance expert from Rutgers University. "There is now
widespread agreement, backed by research, that we cannot improve education
outcomes without providing schools—particularly schools serving disadvantaged
student populations—with the resources necessary for doing so," the
authors concluded. "Put simply: we can't decide how best to spend money
for schools unless schools have enough money to spend." Using state and
local spending patterns, a slew of recently published research, and test
scores, the authors concluded that while states are spending enough money for
middle class and wealthier students to meet states' academic standards, they're
spending far too little on America's growing population of poor students. "The
vast majority of states spend well under the levels that would be necessary for
their higher-poverty districts to achieve national average test scores,"
the authors concluded.
PA Schools Work Berks County Thu, April 11, 2019 6:00 PM
– 8:00 PM EDT
Berks County Intermediate Unit 1111 Commons Boulevard Reading,
PA 19605
PA Schools Work is
organizing in Berks County. We are looking for advocates to fight for more
funding for our students. Agenda will include detailed information about individual
school districts, meeting with local Berks representatives to share your
stories, statewide support for your efforts and much more. We want to work
together to make a difference. School leaders, parents, community members and
local citizens that care about education are all welcome. Registration starts
at 6 with meeting beginning at 6:30. Networking available so bring material to
share about your organization too. If you have any questions, please contact
Sandra at smiller@circuitriderforpaschools.org.
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
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
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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