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
“According to a study conducted this past year by the Pennsylvania
Association of School Administrators, while regular education tuition costs
$5,000 annually at public schools, those schools on average pay cyber charters
$11,300 for a student to attend them.”
Legislature mulls panel aimed at curbing charter school
costs
Logan Hullinger, York Dispatch Published 4:33 p.m. ET May 28, 2019 | Updated 5:03
p.m. ET May 28, 2019
Watered-down
legislation attempting to curb charter school costs is expected to gain more
traction in the state Senate Education Committee than more aggressive attempts
introduced earlier in the session. The legislation
by Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, would create the Charter School Funding Advisory Commission to
analyze and make recommendations to rein in charter school costs that
public school districts have griped about for years. Charter school payments
alone would cost the York City School District about $25.1 million next year
under the recent 2019-2020 proposed budget — a $1.1 million increase over this
year. That's 16% of the district's overall budget. District officials didn't
respond to multiple requests for comment by deadline. Jim Hanak, CEO of the
Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School — the fourth largest in the state with
more than 3,000 students — was quick to take issue with Browne's bill,
which was referred to the Senate Education Committee earlier this month. "Not
much good for us can come from a commission because of the presuppositions that
go into that commission," Hanak said. "The way it's structured, it's
all politicians who will be members." The commission would be composed entirely
of lawmakers, under Browne's bill. The commission would meet with both
cyber and brick-and-mortar charter schools as well as public education
organizations to work out more effective funding options. It also would review
charter school laws, analyze tuition costs and explore other funding
issues. Within 18 months of its creation, the commission would report its
findings and recommendations to the state. Browne couldn't be reached for
comment by deadline. Browne's bill comes after more
direct legislation to
curb rising costs shouldered by public schools appears stalled in both chambers
of the Legislature.
“Residents are on
a cycle of ever increasing property taxes and legislators continue to kick the
ball down the road. It is not enough to say that they are for increased
education funding, all Pennsylvania lawmakers must commit to begin working on a
permanent solution to the state’s broken education funding system, charter
school funding reform and reducing, not increasing, the EITC. Anything less
will perpetuate the current trends and more districts will find themselves
underwater as they are unable to meet the needs of their students.”
Letter to the Editor: It's time to fix education funding
in Pa.
Delco Times Letter By
Jennifer Solot Times Guest Columnist May 28, 2019
Jennifer
Solot is a school board member in the Upper Moreland Township School District.
A large number of
school districts had contested Primary Election races this past Tuesday to
determine who would move forward to the General Election and possibly become
future school directors. In the meantime, current school boards and
superintendents around Pennsylvania have been struggling to come up with
budgets that will meet the needs of their students and community residents
alike. Many districts find themselves handcuffed: how do they prepare a
balanced budget that will meet the ever-increasing needs of the students
despite not only staggeringly insufficient state support but also an increasing
number of mandated obligations like charter school payments, pensions and
special education, as well as increased security demands in the wake of far too
many school tragedies. With no other recourse, many districts look to hike
property taxes on residents to fill the deficit as commercial properties appeal
their own assessments or, worse, seek exemptions, leaving revenues tied up for
years in legal limbo. The Pa. School Boards Association reports that 75% of
school districts intend to raise taxes this year. Some will be cutting what
students receive in an attempt to eliminate or reduce those tax increases. As
many as one-third are increasing class sizes, something that is contrary to
research, especially at the younger grades. And, about a quarter report they
are cutting programs or services for students.
Carlisle board member to voters: Show state lawmakers the
door
Letter by Joseph Cress The
Sentinel May 17,
2019
Rick Coplen
challenged local voters Thursday to hold accountable in 2020 the state
lawmakers who fall short in their support of public education. The retired Army
officer had just joined six other members of the Carlisle Area School Board to
approve a proposed $86.6 million budget for 2019-20 that includes a 3-percent
tax hike. The board has scheduled June 20 for a final vote to adopt the budget
along with a motion to set the tax rate for next year at 14.9 mills — an
increase of .4342 mills from 2018-19. “No one at this table is happy about
raising taxes, reducing teacher positions and all the other things we have to
do to make this work,” Coplen said. “We have shown the political backbone and
the courage to do this. I’m now calling upon our state legislators to do the
same thing.” Specifically, he wants those in the state House and Senate “to do
the right thing” and approve Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget for public education that
includes increases in the basic education subsidy.
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 @RepGleim’s school districts in Cumberland County had to send over $5.1
million to chronically underperforming cybers that they never authorized. #SB34
(Schwank) or #HB526 (Sonney) could change that.
|
Data
Source: PDE via PSBA
|
|
|
Big
Spring SD
|
$1,457,150.44
|
|
Carlisle
Area SD
|
$1,429,522.41
|
|
Cumberland
Valley SD
|
$1,736,152.00
|
|
South
Middleton SD
|
$528,676.27
|
|
|
$5,151,501.12
|
This morning there
are 67 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
Supreme Court rejects appeal over Boyertown schools’
transgender restroom policy
Inquirer by Jeremy Roebuck, Updated: May 28, 2019- 2:40 PM
The U.S. Supreme
Court declined Tuesday to consider a challenge to the Boyertown Area School
District’s policy allowing transgender
students to use restrooms and
locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity. In so doing, the
justices rejected the latest appeal from a conservative legal organization
representing six students who say they felt uncomfortable after spotting
transgender teens using the restrooms of their choice. The decision, issued in
a one-line order, lets stand a lower-court ruling that has shaped a growing
body of law surrounding the question of whether federal statutes protect
against discrimination based on gender identity. It also effectively ends a legal fight that
has roiled the Berks County school district since 2017. That issue has become more fraught in recent years with
President Donald Trump’s decision to roll back Obama-era protections soon after
he took office. Ria Tabacco Mar, a senior staff lawyer with the American Civil
Liberties Union, hailed the Supreme Court’s decision. “This is an enormous
victory for transgender students across the country,” said Mar, who intervened
in the case on behalf of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, a coalition of LGBTQ
youth leaders. “Boyertown’s schools chose to be inclusive and welcoming of
transgender students. … This lawsuit sought to reverse that hard-won progress.”
Meanwhile, Christiana Holcomb, legal counsel for the Alliance Defending
Freedom, the Christian advocacy law firm that represented the suing students,
vowed that her firm’s fight on the issue would continue — even if the Boyertown
case was over.
The U.S. Supreme Court won’t wade into fight over Pa.
school’s bathroom policy for trans students
By Robin Bravender
Capital-Star Washington Bureau May 28, 2019
[This piece
has been updated to include comment from The Education Law Center and U.S. Rep.
Madeleine Dean, D-4th District]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme
Court on Tuesday declined to hear an appeal in a case surrounding a Pennsylvania school district’s
policy on bathroom access for transgender students. The high court’s move to
sidestep the case marks a victory for transgender rights advocates in
Pennsylvania and nationwide. It keeps in place a lower court’s decision
upholding the school district’s policy, which allows some transgender students
to use locker rooms and restrooms based on their gender identity rather than
sex assigned at birth. The legal dispute began when students of the Boyertown
Area School District complained that their privacy was violated when
transgender students were allowed to use locker rooms that aligned with their
gender identities. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit last July upheld
the district’s policy, ruling that “the presence of transgender students in the
locker and restrooms is no more offensive to constitutional or Pennsylvania law
privacy interests than the presence of the other students who are not
transgender.” The 3rd Circuit warned that requiring transgender students to use
single-user or birth sex-aligned facilities is its own form of discrimination.
SCOTUS decision further calls into question Elanco's
policy on transgender students
Lancaster Online by
ALEX GELI | Staff
Writer May 29,
2019
School districts in
Lancaster County and beyond have clearer guidelines for serving transgender
students after a U.S. Supreme Court decision Tuesday. The court declined to
hear a case against Boyertown Area School District, which was sued by a group
of students who argued that allowing their transgender peers to use restrooms
that align with their gender identity was unconstitutional. Tuesday’s action
lets stand an earlier decision by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which
ruled in favor of the school district. It prompted praise from legal experts
who say it’s a major victory for transgender students and the schools that
accommodate them. “Thankfully, today’s announcement allows schools to move
forward with policies that support transgender students,” Ria Tabacco Mar,
senior staff attorney with the ACLU, said in a statement. The Supreme Court’s action further calls into question the legality of
a controversial student privacy policy recently approved by the Eastern
Lancaster County school board. The policy favors separation by biological sex
over gender identity.
Does Philly need more schools? Should some close or
expand? The district is about to find out.
Inquirer by Kristen A.
Graham, Updated: May
28, 2019- 2:51 PM
The Philadelphia
School District is launching a four-year examination of its current school
programs and buildings, looking at demographic trends and planning for the
future of the system. It’s the first such process the district has undertaken
and could result in vast changes — new schools, replacement buildings, and
boundary and grade configuration changes — that could begin for nearly two
dozen schools in the fall. It’s also the first step in what could eventually
lead to more school closings. In some areas, including parts of Center City,
South Philadelphia, and Northeast Philadelphia, schools
are bursting at the seams as more families choose a public educationfor their children. In other places, birthrates are holding fairly
steady, but fewer families are choosing traditional public schools, and enrollment
is just a fraction of school capacity. There are also wide inconsistencies in academic programs and grade
configurations. While the district has made slow
but steady progress under Superintendent William R. Hite Jr., “there is much more work to deliver on our vision for all children
to have access to a great school close to where they live,” he said.
Philly District launches process to study building use,
population change
The announcement
could unnerve homeowners in gentrifying neighborhoods or neighborhoods with
low-enrollment schools.
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa and Avi Wolfman-Arent May 28 — 9:35 am, 2019
Updated Tuesday
with additional quotes
The School District
of Philadelphia announced Tuesday that it will re-examine its network of
neighborhood schools to plan for predicted enrollment changes, a review
that could significantly affect city parents and homeowners. This four-year
process, dubbed the “Comprehensive School Planning Review,” will touch every
corner of the city, and it could lead to boundary changes, closings, and
openings of schools; capital improvements; and shifts in grade configurations. “One
of the things we’re trying to do here is emphasize a forward-thinking
approach,” said Superintendent William Hite. The first three areas to receive
focused attention are parts of South Philadelphia, Kensington, and West
Philadelphia. The process, a first in recent memory, will include extensive
public input in each of the city’s 13 “study areas.” Each section will have a
planning committee that includes parents, principals, District officials, and
the local City Council member. Hite, Chief Operating Officer Danielle Floyd,
and Chief of Schools Shawn Bird emphasized that the process goes beyond
facilities and school boundaries. They plan to work with the city planning
department to leverage other public resources while focusing the District’s
capital improvement dollars on changes they hope will ultimately improve
learning.
“Also notable was
what Biden did not propose. He said nothing in his plan about the teacher or
school accountability ideas that animated both the Bush and Obama
administrations but irritated teacher unions. During the town hall, Biden
voiced skepticism about charter schools, which won significant support under
President Barack Obama. The former vice president said some charters work, but
he said he does not support federal money to back for-profit versions. "The
bottom line is it siphons off money for our public schools, which are already
in enough trouble," he said”
Biden unveils education plan, his first major policy
proposal as 2020 candidate
Inquirer by Felicia
Sonmez, Washington Post, Updated: May 28, 2019- 9:01 PM
Former Vice
President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled his first major policy plan as a 2020
presidential candidate, an education proposal that would help teachers tackle
debt, triple funding for districts with a high proportion of low-income
students, and boost the number of psychologists and other health professionals
in schools. The proposal came as Biden addressed a town hall in Houston hosted
by the American Federation of Teachers, the second-largest teachers union in
the country, which is staging a series of town hall meetings with Democratic
contenders vying for the union’s endorsement. Biden’s pitch was as much that of
a union booster as of a would-be education president. He offered a robust plan
for new federal spending and vowed to fight for new gun restrictions that he
hopes would halt the string of mass shootings in schools. The campaign did not
say how much total new spending Biden was proposing, but it would amount to a
significant increase. "Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget,
and I'll show you what you value," he said.
Pa. legislature puts on its annual `kick me’ sign | John
Baer
Philly.com by John Baer | @jbaernews | baerj@phillynews.com Updated: May 28, 2019 - 5:11 PM
Like many rites of
spring, the annual filing of state lawmakers’ ethics forms can get the blood
moving. Invariably, it engenders amusement and bemusement. For
some, it creates the urge to go kick something. And our legislature, a
journalist’s gift that keeps on giving, deserves a good kick on this one. Lawmakers
operate, no surprise, under one of the nation’s laxest ethics laws. In terms of
meals, gifts and travel, they can take anything they can get from lobbyists and
others if they report it each May to the State Ethics Commission. Members of
the good government activist group March on Harrisburg earlier this month protested this legal greed by standing in the visitors’ gallery of the state House
chamber, throwing dollar bills down at lawmakers, and chanting, “Stop taking
bribes.” They were ushered out by Capitol Police. Too bad. Such harassment of
legislators is earned and deserved. The Associated Press over the weekend reported that this year’s filings show lawmakers grabbed more than $83,000 in
freebies, including international travel, parties, booze and, in one case,
entrée to a Philly after-hours club.
Allentown School District purchases translation devices
so parents can follow along in native language
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO | THE MORNING CALL | MAY 28, 2019 | 4:11 PM
When Allentown
parents who don’t speak English attend their child’s graduation or a district
presentation, they’ll now be able to follow along in their native language. The
district has purchased portable translation devices for all 24 buildings in the
district. Each building will have 25 devices, which are pocket size and can be
used via headphones that the district provides. Here’s how it will work: When
parents come to an event at their child’s school, the district will ask them if
they need an interpreter. If they do, the district will give them a device, and
then someone from the district who is bilingual, will translate the
presentation or event through the device while the parents can sit in the
audience with others and listen through the headphones. In a district where
parent engagement is often lacking, Allentown hopes this will encourage more
families to come to schools. Almost 16 percent of Allentown’s 17,000 students
do not speak English as their first language. The number of parents who are not
fluent in English is likely larger.
Proposed Pennsbury budget adds $500K to address student
mental health
Bucks County Courier
Times By Chris English Posted May 28, 2019 at 4:50 PM Updated May
28, 2019 at 4:50 PM
The 2019-20
proposed final budget has a 2.3 percent property tax increase.
With the aim of
heading off student mental health issues before they become bigger problems,
Pennsbury School District officials have allocated about $500,000 in the
2019-20 proposed final budget for three more guidance counselors, and an
additional psychologist and behavior analyst. The school board is scheduled to
vote on making the $217.68 million budget final at its June 20 meeting. District
Special Education Director Sherri Morett, who oversees those types of
positions, said she firmly believes the additional guidance counselors and
other professionals are needed. “We require the additional positions to help
support the growing number of students who come to us with mental health
concerns,” she wrote in an email to this news organization. “We have numerous
students in our community who require therapy on a daily basis and we have to
be able to provide those services. “Unfortunately, there is no funding from the
state or federal government to provide services. Many times we send students to
crisis (facilities) for serious mental health concerns, including suicidal
ideation, only to have the students returned the next day due to lack of beds
and funding. It should not be the responsibility of the school district to
provide a medical model for therapy, but we have no choice. They are our
children and they need support.” The proposed final budget, approved at a
recent meeting, also includes $744,000 for 10 specialized teachers to implement
science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs in the elementary
schools and “provide opportunities for STEM education, coding, project-based
learning and design thinking,” district officials said.
Taxes going up in Ridley School District
Delco Times By
Barbara Ormsby Times Correspondent May 29, 2019
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP — A
property owner with the average assessment in the Ridley School District of
$100,000 will pay an additional $56 in school taxes in the 2019-2020 school
year, according to the proposed final budget recently approved by the school
board. Proposed general fund expenditures of $111,090,848 is an increase of
$3,511,121 over the current year's budget. The millage rate will go up 0.570
mills for a total of 41.30 mills or $4.13 per $100 of assessed property value.
The school board approved a resolution last January stating that the district
would not seek exceptions to the state's Act 1 regulations that would allow it
to raise taxes above the 3 percent index and would require a referendum. The
projected expenditures in the budget includes $1,557,931 from a portion of the
district's fund balance, which the district has done in previous years. In her
budget presentation, Superintendent Lee Ann Wentzel listed the factors that are
causing increased costs, with the lion's share of $1,279,801 going to
additional pension costs due to the increasing employer share of 7.22 percent.
She noted that special and technical education expenditures continue to go up
without corresponding funding support from federal resources. The increases
include five new special education teaching positions to meet the
state-mandated caseload requirements.
Millcreek School Board approves budget, tax increase
Board adopts
2.8-percent increase in property taxes and OKs plan to fund school repairs.
GoErie By Ron Leonardi By Valerie Myers Posted May 28, 2019 at 9:46 PM Updated May
28, 2019 at 10:14 PM
Millcreek Township
school directors on Tuesday adopted a $102.7 million district budget for
2019-20 that calls for a 2.8-percent increase in property taxes. School
directors also approved a long-range strategic plan for the school district
that focuses on keeping all 10 Millcreek schools open and repairing and
improving them with funding from a projected $40 million bond issue. School
directors approved the 2019-20 budget by a 6-1 vote. The budget calls for a 2.8
percent tax increase, or .3949 mills, which would cost Millcreek taxpayers an
additional $39 for each $100,000 of assessed property value, said Aaron
O’Toole, the district’s director of finance and operations. The increase would
raise district millage to just over 14.5 mills. “The board members understand
how difficult that balance is,” schools Superintendent William Hall said.
“People who don’t understand school funding just see this tax increase and
think, ‘You’re just coming after us trying to get money’ without really knowing
how the funding works. We did three public meetings and explained all that, so
hopefully, more people understand how it works. We’re not just taking taxpayer
money. We have to do that to maintain things.”
Mayor Jim Kenney won the Philadelphia primary; so did the
soda tax | Editorial
The Inquirer
Editorial Board | opinion@philly.com Updated: May 28, 2019 - 6:01 AM
With Mayor Kenney’s
primary win, the soda tax is likely here to stay and Philadelphia should be
proud of it. Tuesday’s vote was an affirmation of both Kenney and his
administration’s policies. Both of his primary opponents — Anthony Hardy
Williams and Alan Butkovitz — ran in opposition to the sweetened beverage tax.
Even if you combined the total votes that both of them received, Mayor Kenney still
would have won with a 33-point lead. Philadelphians love
to hate the tax, but when
they had a chance to cast a pro-repeal vote, they didn’t. Since the tax was
proposed in 2016, the beverage industry has spent millions of dollars warning
about its disastrous effects, from job losses to businesses shutting down —
using small business and poor households cynically to protect their own
profits. A study by researchers from the Philadelphia Department of Public
Health, Harvard, and University of Pennsylvania suggests shows that didn’t
happen. The researchers found no change in unemployment claims
from the industries that could be impacted by the tax in Philadelphiacompared to claims from the same industries in nearby counties. According
to the Department of Revenue, city wage tax collection data shows that
beverage-related industries continue to grow.
Harrisburg teachers preparing to strike
Penn Live By Becky Metrick |
bmetrick@pennlive.com Updated
6:25 AM; Posted May 28, 10:37 PM
In response to what
the Pennsylvania Education Association is calling “outrage and concern” over
the operations of the Harrisburg School District’s administration, teachers
will be holding a one-day strike on Friday, according to a news release. The
teacher’s union voted Tuesday to strike, voicing concerns over the district
administration’s “systemic failure to address the needs of its students.” The
union has also filed an unfair labor practice over the administration’s failure
to bargain in good faith, the release states. “The administration seeks to use
the district’s amended recovery plan to push through financial parameters that
will prevent collective bargaining over virtually all significant issues
including wages, hours and working conditions,” the PSEA release states.
Philly Policy Committee Meeting: May 16, 2019
In addition to the
ongoing acoustic problems, the Policy Committee continues its practice of
providing no copies of the policies under consideration to members of the
public in attendance. APPS members have told the Board, in both letters
to them and in public testimony, that they cannot claim they practice
“transparency” and “public engagement” when the public cannot see and
participate fully in what they are doing. There was one binder with all
of the policies on the agenda—on a desk outside the Committee room. When
I testified, I asked the Committee what they meant when they announced at the
outset of the meeting that the agenda materials were online—that we were
supposed to memorize all of the policies and proposed changes before the
meeting? The SRC provided adequate copies of the public documents at
every meeting. The Board has no excuse for not doing the same.
Philly Finance and Facilities Committee Meeting: May
16, 2019
Alliance for Philadelphia Pubic Schools by Lisa Haver May 27, 2019
The ongoing problem
of poor acoustics in the Committee room has not been resolved. Board members
and staff often do not speak into their mics, despite repeated requests from
the audience, and do not project their voices so that the members of the public
in attendance can hear. Of course, the fact that the meeting is held at 10 AM
means there are not many members of the public able to attend. Present:
Co-chairs Leticia Egea-Hinton and Lee Huang, Member Joyce Wilkerson.
Member Wayne Walker participated via phone. Board member also attended and
participated. April 11 2019 Minutes were approved. Chief Financial Officer Uri
Monson gave a brief overview of next year’s budget, to be voted on by the Board
at the May 30 Action Meeting. Monson presented information on: the twenty
schools in which air conditioning will be installed, charter costs, the revised
5-year plan, and the adoption of the levy of taxes by City Council at the June
30 Board Action Meeting.
Testing Resistance & Reform News: May 22 - 28, 2019
FairTest Submitted
by fairtest on May 28, 2019 - 12:57pm
There was no
holiday in testing news during the past week -- both new standardized exam
misuse outrages and more assessment reform progress. Help your allies and
friends fight back by encouraging them to sign up for these topical updates
at: http://www.fairtest.org/weekly-news-signup
Break Ground on PlanCon 2.0: Contact Your Senator!
PASBO Website
A year after the
PlanCon Advisory Committee issued it's final recommendations for moving forward
with a new PlanCon program, their recommendations have still not been
implemented. As a result, school districts with school construction needs have
no option for obtaining any state support for their projects, meaning that
needed projects will be deferred or property taxes will increase. Senator Pat
Browne (R-Lehigh)--co-chair of the PlanCon Advisory Committee--is reintroducing
legislation to implement the recommendation of the Committee. Those
recommendations include streamlining the PlanCon funding formula and making it
electronic, developing a small projects grant program targeted to maintenance
needs and requiring guidance on what constitutes a maintenance project for the
purposes of determining prevailing wage applicability.
Senator Browne’s Co-Sponsorship Memo: Plan Con -
Construction and Renovation of Buildings by School Entities and Establishing a
Grant Program for Maintenance Projects
Charter Reform: 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 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 and tell them to vote NO on the charter package.
Find your State Representative’s Contact Info Here:
PA League of Women Voters 2019 Convention Registration
Crowne Plaza in Reading June 21-23, 2019
DEADLINES
May 22, 2019 –
Deadline to get special room rates at Crowne
Plaza Hotel
Book Hotel
or call: 1 877 666 3243
May 31, 2019 –
Deadline to register as a delegate for the Convention
June 7, 2019 –
Deadline to register for the Convention
Registration: https://www.palwv.org/2019-convention-registration/
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.
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)
NPE Action National
Conference - Save the Date - March 28-29, 2020 in Philadelphia, PA.
The window is now open for workshop proposals for the Network for Public
Education conference, March 28-29, 2020, in Philadelphia. I hope you all sign
on to present on a panel and certainly we want all to attend. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NBCNDKK
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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