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
The PA Ed Policy Roundup may
be intermittent over the next few days.
We plan to return to
regular posting by Wednesday, May 22.
Charter School Tuition: The Path to $2 Billion Annually:
How and Who Pays Matters .
@pasbo_org by Dr. Tim Shrom
Pa. House takes first step toward charter school overhaul
By Katie Meyer, WITF May 14, 2019
A state House
committee has moved a group of bills that would significantly change how
Pennsylvania oversees its charter schools. Democrats said they still have
concerns about the proposals, and even supporters of the measures said they’re
not quite finished yet. GOP Education Committee Chair Curtis Sonney noted,
generally, he doesn’t run bills that still need a lot of work. But he said this
is an exception. “It is time to push the issue,” he told fellow lawmakers.
“We’ve been dealing with this long enough, and we’re going to push it.” Two of
the bills passed got bipartisan support. One creates new ethics requirements for charter school administrators,
and another would let charter students enroll in college classes. The other two
saw significant opposition from Democrats. One would make it easier for charter schools to buy or lease unused
school buildings and would boost cyber charters’ access to public school
facilities for standardized tests. The other would standardize the process for charter applications and
amendments. “This legislation is another attempt to circumvent local control
and authority to promote unfettered charter growth,” Minority Chair James
Roebuck said. A spokesman for Democratic Governor Tom Wolf said he also opposes
the latter two bills, but that the others would be acceptable with some
technical changes.
Pay close attention to House Bills 356 and 357. Tell your
legislator charter legislation that removes local authority and leaves out
funding reform has missed the mark! Visit our website to send a letter to your
legislator:
PSBA Website May
14, 2019
Tell your legislator to vote NO on charter bills
fast-tracked for a House vote
Significant concerns, expansion without oversight
Monday the House Education Committee reported out a package of four bills addressing various charter school issues. The package is expected to be positioned on a fast track, with a vote on the House floor to occur as early as this Wednesday, May 15. Unlike attempts in previous sessions to move one omnibus charter “reform” bill, the plan now is to separate issues into a series of bills and push the package as a whole. While PSBA supports two of the bills in the package, the other two present significant concerns and are not supported by PSBA.
Please contact your legislators in the House immediately and tell them to vote NO on the charter package.
Significant concerns, expansion without oversight
Monday the House Education Committee reported out a package of four bills addressing various charter school issues. The package is expected to be positioned on a fast track, with a vote on the House floor to occur as early as this Wednesday, May 15. Unlike attempts in previous sessions to move one omnibus charter “reform” bill, the plan now is to separate issues into a series of bills and push the package as a whole. While PSBA supports two of the bills in the package, the other two present significant concerns and are not supported by PSBA.
Please contact your legislators in the House immediately and tell them to vote NO on the charter package.
Find your State Representative’s Contact Info Here:
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 Ed Committee
member Rep. Jerry Knowles’s school districts in Berks, Carbon, Schuylkill and
Luzerne Counties had to send over $8.4 million to chronically underperforming
cybers that they never authorized. #SB34
(Schwank) or #HB526 (Sonney) could change that.
|
Data
Source: PDE via PSBA
|
|
|
Blue
Mountain SD
|
$807,330.45
|
|
Hamburg
Area SD
|
$1,080,660.16
|
|
Hazleton
Area SD
|
$2,143,667.17
|
|
Kutztown
Area SD
|
$541,049.52
|
|
Mahanoy
Area SD
|
$461,727.18
|
|
North
Schuylkill SD
|
$739,214.93
|
|
Panther
Valley SD
|
$1,449,091.76
|
|
Schuylkill
Haven Area SD
|
$414,991.06
|
|
Tamaqua
Area SD
|
$711,930.88
|
|
|
$8,349,663.11
|
This morning there
are 66 bipartisan cosponsors on this bill; has your state representative
cosponsored HB526?
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
Letter: Poorer Pennsylvania school districts remain
underfunded
Pottstown Mercury
Letter May 14, 2019
By the Spiritual and Faith Leaders in and around Pottstown: Laura Johnson
and Jessica Clemmer, Proximity Church; Tim Doering, Netzer; Bishop Michael
Anthony, Heart of God Family Worship Center; Rev. Dr. Vernon Ross Jr., Rev. Leroy
Burger, Rev. Allyson Beasley-Brown and Rev. Lori Hutchinson, Bethel
Community Church of Pottstown; Rev. Patricia Gosher, First United Methodist
Church; Rev. Dr. Marcia B. Bailey, First Baptist Church; Julia Katz, president,
and Robert G. Misko, vice president, Congregation Hesed Shel Emet,
Pottstown; Rev. Mary Etta Mest, Visitation Pastor with First Baptist, Pottstown
and Falkner Swamp UCC, Gilbertsville; Sharon L. Smith, St. James Lutheran
Church; Rev. Frances Chester, Falkner Swamp Reformed United Church of Christ,
Gilbertsville; David Hakes, Daybreak Community Church; Rev. Garrison R.
Lockley, Bethel AME Church, Pottstown; Pastor Kork Moyer, Still Waters Grace
Brethren Church and The Ministries at Main Street Homeless Ministries; Rev.
Joshua M. Caler, Christ Episcopal Church; Josh Detweiler, Morning Star
Pottstown; Rev. David Castro Jr., Casa de Oracion A/G (House of Prayer Church);
Pastor Joseph J. Terreri, Connection Church; Lisa Heverly, Operation Backpack;
Pastor Joseph L. Maloney, Saint Aloysius Roman Catholic Parish; Pastor Reggie
Brooks, Victory Christian Life Center; Rev. Nichole Jackson, Trinity Reformed
United Church of Christ; Rev. Christian McMullan, interim pastor at Grace
Lutheran and Emmanuel Lutheran; Rev. Carter Lester and Rev. Kerry Pidcock
Lester, First Presbyterian Church; Pastor Elliot Liverman, Sabaoth Ministries;
Rev. Anne Cormier, St. James UCC, Limerick; Rev. Austin L. Chinault II, Zion's
United Church of Christ; Pastor Josh Park; Rev. Kay Braun, St. James Lutheran
Church; Rev. Anne Confer Martens, The Hill School; Mark Muthler, Coventry
Church of the Brethren; Rev. Kerry Mueller and Rev. Dave Hunter, Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship of Pottstown; DJay Martin, Parker Ford Church; Rev.
Marilyn Paradis; Major Jeny Shurtleff, The Salvation Army.
This is a letter to
be sent to Pennsylvania Legislators.
As faith leaders in
the Pottstown borough and surrounding area, we care deeply about the well-being
of our community. We recognize that while all people have been created equal,
they don’t all receive equal opportunities to succeed. Often, issues of
multi-generational poverty, systemic racism and political indifference toward
these communities mean that some children grow up with a significant lack of
opportunities. This has certainly been the case for the children in Pottstown,
which has struggled for years with a number of socio-economic challenges.
Notably among these challenges has been the issue of school funding. Recognizing
that while Pennsylvania has a formula to direct state education funds to local
school districts in an equitable way, the formula is only applied to a small
fraction of the education budget. This has resulted in the Pottstown School
District being underfunded by over $13 million every year. To add insult
to injury, the way in which the non-formula funds are dispersed significantly
favors majority white schools over schools with a greater minority population
such as Pottstown. This is deeply troubling and we believe it must be
addressed. With this in mind, we call on our state leaders to apply the Fair
Funding Formula to the entire basic education budget.
The children of
Pottstown, along with the rest of the 52 percent of Pennsylvania children who
live in underfunded districts, deserve to be supported with an equitable investment
that accounts for their needs. When we invest in kids’ lives and their
education, the payoff is tremendous for decades to come. We will see more
hopeful communities, spiritually and physically healthier individuals, a
prepared workforce and reduced crime and incarceration. s faith-leaders we
believe that loving our neighbors involves doing our part to support and
advocate for our town and schools. We, along with our respective congregations,
will continue to invest in this community with all the love we can
muster — by praying, tending to spiritual needs, bringing people together
and caring for our most vulnerable citizens. In addition, we call on and invite
you as a leader to do all that you can to support the children, the families
and the residents of the Pottstown community.
“In Pennsylvania, around 80 newspapers
have shut down since 2004, replaced by 19 new online news enterprises. The
consequences of living in a news desert are profound. In places without a
newspaper or where newspaper competition has evaporated, voter turnout in local
elections is lower, citizens are less knowledgeable and engaged politically,
and local governments spend more money.”
Will the rise of nonprofit news outlets help fill a gap
in Pa. journalism? | Opinion
By Capital-Star Op-Ed
Contributor Fletcher
McClellan and Kayla Gruber May 15, 2019
WASHINGTON — Boasting
both a Pennsylvania Avenue address and an impressive view of the U.S. Capitol
dome, the Newseum is an inspiring tribute to freedom of the press. The First
Amendment is carved in stone on the building’s exterior. Inside, seven stories
of glass walls and open-air exhibits offer countless hours of captivation for
all generations. It’s also going out of business at the end of the year. Saddled with debt, the foundation that owns
the center will sell the building to Johns Hopkins University, which will make
it the headquarters for its Washington-based degree programs. Right now, no one
knows where the museum’s exhibits and 6,000 artifacts will go. It is too easy
to make the demise of the Newseum a metaphor for the distressed status of the
news business, but there are parallels. To make ends meet, the Newseum charged
an admission fee of $25 in a city where many attractions are free. The fate of
the Newseum could be viewed as a metaphor for the contractions that have
wracked American journalism since the birth of the internet.
“Harrison
Morgan, a spokesman for Kenney’s campaign, said that “we desperately need
quality public schools in every neighborhood, whether they are district-run or
charter schools.” But the mayor, Morgan said, believes “we need fewer
low-performing charters."
Mayor Jim Kenney says Philly should have fewer charter
schools. Their supporters push back.
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Updated: May 14, 2019- 1:49 PM
Mayor Jim Kenney
was asked during Monday night’s Democratic mayoral debate whether there should
be more, fewer, or the same number of charter schools in Philadelphia. He
hesitated, then answered, “Fewer.” The response fanned the flames at a rally of
charter-school parents and leaders outside City Hall on Tuesday morning, ahead
of a City Council hearing on the School District’s proposed budget, and a week
before the primary election. “We are under attack,” Amy Hollister, CEO of
Northwood Academy Charter School, told more than 100 people gathered at Thomas
Paine Plaza, many wearing T-shirts that read, “Respect My School Choice.” Though
4,000 children applied to Northwood and were turned away this year due to lack
of seats, Hollister said, Kenney “is not interested in more charters in our
city.”
Empty buildings, teacher turnover: City Council has
questions for Philly schools officials
Inquirer by Kristen A.
Graham, Updated: May
14, 2019- 4:52 PM
It was City
Council’s turn Tuesday to hear the Philadelphia School District’s annual budget
pitch, and as usual, Council members had a long list of questions for
Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. and his team. Hite pointed to his
administration’s strong financial record and rising student achievement, saying
the $3.4 billion schools budget was a worthy investment. (The Philadelphia
school board has no revenue-raising capabilities; it relies largely on city and
state funds to run its 220 schools.) “Our schools need every dollar that is
being proposed in the new budget, and we need more,” Hite said. The local share
of the district budget, as proposed in Mayor Jim Kenney’s budget, totals about
$1.6 billion, including tax revenue of over $1.3 billion and an increase of the
direct city grant to the district by $33 million. Overall, the tone of the
budget hearing was more cordial than in years past, a function of last
year’s return to local governance of the school system. But Council still wanted answers on some
hot-button issues.
Activists mark 65th anniversary of landmark school
desegregation case: ‘There’s always more we can do’
PA Capital Star By John L. Micek May 14, 2019
This Friday, May
17, marks 65 years since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its historic
decision in Brown v. Board of
Education, finally
desegregating America’s public schools. In the two generations since then,
America has made great progress, but “there’s always something more we can do.”
That’s the message activists at a weekly “Tuesdays with Toomey” rally in
Harrisburg wanted to send on Tuesday, as they called for U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey,
R-Pa., to vote against confirming federal judicial nominees who will not
protect the decision and its legacy. “We have federal judicial nominees,
currently, who will not say that Brown v. Board of Education was correctly
decided,” said Kadida Kenner, of the advocacy group Why Courts Matter. “And
that’s so problematic when it comes to our federal judiciary and the fact that
Sen. Toomey will confirm these nominees. He’s done so in the past, and will
continue to do so in the future.”
Pa. education chief OKs plan for Erie School District
GoErie By Ed Palattella Posted at 9:47 AM Updated at 3:37 PM May 14,
2019
State
ordered the financial report when district got $14 million. Secretary to
present plan at Erie High on Thursday.
State Education
Secretary Pedro Rivera has approved the state-mandated financial improvement
plan for the Erie School District, clearing the way for him to present the
report to the Erie School Board at a public meeting at Erie High on Thursday. The
school district announced the approval in a statement released shortly after
3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The statement includes Rivera’s approval letter. The
approval was expected, particularly because Rivera for weeks had been scheduled
travel to Erie to present the final version of the plan, which he has been
reviewing since May 1. Rivera’s acceptance of the plan nonetheless allows the
School Board to follow the state requirements and consider the plan as the
board formulates the 2019-20 budget, which is due July 1. How much the plan
will influence the budget talks remains uncertain. Some school directors have
said they would resist raising taxes, which the plan presents as an option to
address increased costs. Those cost include, in later years, a projected 2
percent increase in salaries for teachers and other district employees. Suggested
tax increases were included in the first version of the plan and the final
version. Also included in each version is a suggestion that the School Board at
some point consider outsourcing janitorial services to save money. The plan
does not order the school district to undertake such a shift, but details the
financial ramifications of leaving the current system unchanged.
New Hebrew Public Charter School Receives $600K Startup
Grant
The Jewish Exponent
By Eric Schucht May 12, 2019
Philadelphia Hebrew Public Charter School was awarded a $600,000 startup grant from the Philadelphia School Partnership (PSP) to help cover general operating costs as the school gears up
to open its doors in September. The new school is run by Hebrew Public, a network of nonprofit public charter schools operating three schools
in New York and supporting others across the country. Its new Philadelphia branch will be open for students in the 2019-2020 school year, teaching a
curriculum including modern Hebrew with a focus on Israel. Jonathan Rosenberg,
president and CEO of Hebrew Public, said the Hebrew linguistic program will be
a great addition to the educational landscape of Philly’s public schools. or
its first year, Philadelphia Hebrew will have 156 students in grades
kindergarten through first, selected via lottery (with 533 applying). Each
successive year, an additional grade level will be added until reaching eighth
grade, with an estimated 702 students at the school by 2026. Rosenberg
described the school as the city’s first “diverse by design public charter
school.” With Philadelphia Hebrew not limited to admitting students from any
one particular geographic area, Rosenberg said this allows for a more diverse
student body.
“At a board meeting in March, district
Director of Business Services Jeremy Melber said the higher spending comes in
part from increased costs with special education, which rose from $1.1 million
to $2.3 million.”
Southern Lehigh School District could see 1.27% tax
increase
By CHARLES
MALINCHAK | THE MORNING CALL | MAY 14, 2019 | 7:00 AM
Property owners in
the Southern Lehigh School District could see a 1.27% hike in taxes in the
coming school year as part of the district’s preliminary $68.9 million budget. If
the 2019-20 spending plan is approved next month as it is in the preliminary
form, the tax rate would rise from 15.82 mills to 16.02 mills. For a property
assessed at the district’s average of $240,000, the tax bill would rise from
$3,796 to $3,844. The budget is about $2 million higher than the 2018-19
budget, which had expenses at $66.8 million and did not include a tax hike. The
district raised taxes in 2017-18 by 1.2% and in 2016-2017 by 1.6%. A copy of
the budget shows the district using about $2 million from its fund balance —
which is similar to a savings account — and that the tax hike would generate
$563,835.
East Penn school board votes to expand program that
provides mental health services for students
By MICHELLE MERLIN | THE MORNING CALL | MAY
14, 2019 | 10:26 PM
East Penn School
Board members on Monday voted 8-1 to bring Communities in Schools to Eyer and
Lower Macungie middle schools next year. The program, which is already in the
high school and other schools throughout the Lehigh Valley, runs educational
programs for the community on mental health issues and does group and
individual counseling at Emmaus High School. It works toward reducing chronic
absenteeism and student suspensions, among other concerns. The program will
cost the district $96,000 per year for the next three years. The district is
paying just 60% of the program’s total cost, which is being offset by a grant
from Communities in Schools. The board, which gave the go-ahead to the program
about two years ago, also approved another year of the program at the high
school for $87,444. The approvals come about a month after board members
debated how much responsibility the district should take for its students’
mental health.
Eastern Lancaster County school board delays ‘biological
sex’ policy
WHYY/Keystone
Crossroads By Ed Mahon, PA Post May 14, 2019
This article
originally appeared on PA Post.
In the face of
legal concerns, Eastern Lancaster County school board members decided to delay
implementing a “biological sex” policy for changing areas and bathrooms. The
student privacy policy, with a “biological sex” addendum, would prohibit
transgender students from using the locker room or bathroom that matches their
gender identity. Multiple
court cases have gone against such
policies that limit the rights of transgender students. In one Allegheny County case, the district lost in court and agreed to
pay $20,000 each to
three former students, plus $75,000 for their attorneys’ fees. Board members approved the new policy in April but delayed putting
it into effect until May 14. Then on Monday, they voted 6-3 to further
delay the policy until the fall semester. More than 100 people attended the
school board meeting on Monday. Several community members spoke at the meeting,
including some who urged board members to provide a separation based on
“biological sex.”
Easton Area School District, teachers reach tentative
contract deal
By Rudy Miller | For
lehighvalleylive.com Updated May
14, 8:21 PM; Posted May 14, 4:21 PM
The Easton Area
School District teachers and the school board have reached a tentative contract
deal, according to a joint statement from both sides. The statement says the
pact was reached May 8. It doesn’t offer any details about the contract, nor
does it say when Easton Area Education Association teachers will hold a
ratification vote. "Both the board of education and the Easton Area
Education Association will be briefed on the details of the agreement in the
very near future. Once both sides ratify the terms of the agreement, details
will be provided.
Like Father, Like Son: Preschool Benefits Cross
Generations, Says Landmark Study
Education Week By Sarah D. Sparks on May 14, 2019 12:01 AM
The effects of the
small, highly intensive Perry Preschool program continue to ripple out, not just for the
original students but for their own children, too. Students who attended the Ypsilanti, Mich., preschool between 1962 and
1967 are now in their mid-50s, and they continue to be
healthier, more socially adept, and earn higher incomes than their peers who did not attend the program, according to two new studies
released this morning. Moreover, University of Chicago researchers James
Heckman and Ganesh Karapakula find the several hundred children born to those
students—and particularly the boys—also grew up to have higher education and
employment, and lower rates of displine in school or criminal behavior out of
school. "For the first time we have experimental evidence about how
the case for early-childhood education propagates across generations,"
Heckman said. Those findings come as the federal government rolls out massive new funding
for early-childhood education, from Head Start to home visits. And at a time of increasing academic
focus in preschool, the new studies also highlight the importance of
non-academic school connections to children's longterm success.
My Education Secretary Will Be a Former Public School
Teacher, Elizabeth Warren Pledges
Education Week
Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on May 13, 2019 1:43 PM
A Democratic candidate for president has made a promise: My pick to
replace Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will have experience in public
schools. On Monday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., announced in a
campaign email her pledge to pick a former public school teacher as her
education secretary. Calling DeVos "the worst Secretary of Education we've
seen," Warren goes on to say that her pick for secretary will also be
"committed to public education." "Let's get a person with
real teaching experience. A person who understands how low pay, tattered
textbooks, and crumbling classrooms hurt students and educators," Warren
states in the email. "A person who understands the crushing burden of
student debt on students and young professionals and who is committed to
actually doing something about it." She also put out a video underscoring
this sentiment, adding that DeVos doesn't really believe in public education:
Why charter school proponents have lost many of the
Democrats who once supported them
For years,
support for charter schools has been the norm in the Democratic Party. No
longer
Salon.com by JEFF BRYANT MAY 14, 2019 11:30AM (UTC)
To learn more about
school privatization, check out Who Controls Our Schools? The Privatization of American Public Education, a free ebook published by the Independent Media Institute. Click here to read a selection of Who Controls Our Schools? published on AlterNet, or here to access the complete text. This
article was produced by Our Schools, a project of the Independent Media Institute.
The politics of
charter schools have changed, and bipartisan support for these publicly funded,
privately controlled schools has reached a turning point. A sure sign of the
change came from Democrats in the House Appropriations Committee who have proposed
a deep cut in
federal charter school grants that would lower
funding to
$400 million, $40 million below current levels and $100 million less than what
the Trump administration has proposed. Democrats are also calling
for better
oversight of charter schools that got federal funding and then closed. This is
a startling
turn of events, as for
years, Democrats have enthusiastically joined Republicans in providing federal
grants to create new charter schools and expand existing ones. In explaining
this change in the politics of charter schools, pundits and reporters will
likely point to two factors: the unpopularity of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, an ardent charter school
proponent, and teachers’
unions that
can exert influence in the Democratic Party. But if the tide is truly turning
on bipartisan support for charter schools, it is the charter industry itself
that is most to blame.
Testing Resistance & Reform News: May 8 - 14, 2019
FairTest Submitted
by fairtest on May 14, 2019 - 1:31pm
With Washington's
recent repeal of its graduation testing mandate, only eleven states still have
exit exams. That's the lowest number in decades! Check out FairTest's
freshly updated fact sheet to see why so many jurisdictions have eliminated
these counter-productive requirements -- http://www.fairtest.org/graduation-test-update-states-recently-eliminated -- and use these arguments if your state still has a grad test.
There's also good news about assessment reforms from many other states.
PA Schools Work Capitol Caravan Days Wed. June 5th
and Tues. June 18th
If you couldn’t
make it to Harrisburg last week, it’s not too late. We are getting down to the
wire. In a few short weeks, the budget will likely be passed. Collectively, our
voices have a larger impact to get more funding for Pennsylvania’s students.
Legislators need to hear from you!
Public Citizens for
Children and Youth (PCCY) will be at the Capitol on Wednesday, June 5th and
Tuesday, June 18th for our next PA Schools
Work caravan days. We’d love to have you join us on these
legislative visits. For more details about the caravans and to sign up, go
to: www.pccy.org/k12caravan . Please call Tomea Sippio-Smith at (O) 215-563-5848, ext. 36
or (C) 215-667-9421 or Shirlee Howe at (O) 215-563-5848, ext. 34 or (C)
215-888-8297 with any questions or specific requests for legislative
meetings.
PCCY Annual Celebration Wednesday, May 15 at Franklin
Institute in Philly
PCCY would also
love to have you join us at our annual celebration on Wednesday, May
15, 2019 at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. PCCY’s
Celebration is a fun way to network with colleagues, make new friends and learn
more about the important role PCCY plays in the lives of children in our
region. Tickets are on sale NOW for the 2019
Celebration of the Public Citizens Of The Year honoring Chuck
Pennoni and the Penonni team and our regional Advocates of the Year. Come out
for a phenomenal evening of food, drinks, entertainment, auction and a
spirited celebration. Buy tickets and learn more at: https://www.pccy.org/event/celebration-2019-public-citizen-children-youth/
School Funding Briefing Thursday, May 23, 2019 6:30 –
8:00 PM
Drexel Hill Middle School, 3001 State Road,
Drexel Hill, PA 19026
In 2019, the Public
Interest Law Center is celebrating 50 years of fighting for justice, and
preparing for 50 more, through a series of 50th anniversary events.
As part of this
series, the Upper Darby School Board is pleased to host the Public Interest Law
Center at Drexel Hill Middle School on Thursday, May 23rd, for a School Funding
Briefing.
Pennsylvania has
the largest funding gap in the country between low-wealth and high-wealth
school districts. Pennsylvania is also ranked 46th in the share of funding that
comes from the state, leaving local taxpayers to take on rising costs. How did
we get here? At the briefing, you will learn the basics of education funding
and how it works in Pennsylvania, as well as ways you can get involved in
advocacy for fully funded public education. You will also learn about the
latest developments in the Law Center's school
funding lawsuit.
Afterward, you will
have a chance to meet Law Center attorneys working on this landmark case, as
well as mingle with other interested in Pennsylvania education.
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)
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?
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