Friday, July 19, 2019

PA Ed Policy Roundup July 19: Has your member of Congress cosponsored #HR1878 which would set a 10 year flight path to reach the 40% level that Congress promised for IDEA? The federal share of special ed funding is now at 14%, the lowest level since 2001


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PA Ed Policy Roundup July 19, 2019


The PA Ed Policy Roundup will be offline for a few days; probably see you back here on Tuesday or Wednesday morning.



The federal share of special ed funding is now at 14%, the lowest level since 2001. #HR1878, the IDEA Full Funding Act, would set a 10 year flight path to Congress’ 40% promised funding level. It now has 112 cosponsors in Congress. Is your congressperson one of them? If not, why not?


“Moving forward, the governor will continue fighting to increase education funding and for cyber and charter school reform. Pennsylvania must help school districts struggling with the problem of increasing amounts of school funding siphoned by private cyber and charter schools. Funding reform would increase transparency so all schools that receive state dollars are accountable to the taxpayers.”
Pennsylvania is Making Historic Investments in Education
Governor Wolf Press Release July 16, 2019
Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf joined parents, teachers and school administrators today at the Capitol to celebrate historic investments in education during the governor’s tenure. Over the past five years the governor has secured a $1.4 billion increase in education funding from pre-k through college, including nearly $800 million for basic education, $140 million for special education, and $40 million for career and technical education provided by school districts. “Pennsylvania’s children and their future are my top priority,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “Increasing funding for public schools is investing in the lives of our children. Every Pennsylvania child deserves a great education whether they live in a big city, a growing suburb or a small rural town. Strong public schools create a well-educated and skilled workforce that will continue to attract jobs to Pennsylvania and grow the economy for everyone.” The recently enacted state budget includes increases of $160 million for basic education, which will be distributed through a formula created in 2015 to more fairly fund school districts that need it the most. The budget also increases special education by $50 million and career and technical education by $10 million. The governor’s proposal to raise the dropout age to 18 and lower the requirement to start school to age 6 was also enacted.

“Rep. Dan Meuser, R-9th District, who’s also going on the trip, said “the crisis at the border is real. I look forward to this bipartisan and informative trip discussing issues with both sides of the aisle to find a workable solution.” This isn’t the first time that a Pennsylvania lawmaker has ventured to the border. Freshmen Democratic U.S. Reps. Madeleine Dean, of Montgomery County’s 4th District, and Mary Gay Scanlon, of the Delaware County-based 5th District, have both made border visits.”
Pa. Rep. Smucker to help lead bipartisan border trip to U.S.-Mexico border on Friday
An ardent Pennsylvania supporter of President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies will be one of the co-leaders of a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border Friday, where a bipartisan congressional coalition will visit migrant detention centers, even as Washington finds itself stymied on immigration reform. U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-11th District, will serve as the co-leader of the trip, along with U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat, in the Rio Grande Valley on Friday. Members of Congress are slated to tour points of entry, a border patrol station, and a centralized processing center. They also will inspect the physical U.S.-Mexico border and will participate in briefings and discussions with experts on the ground. The lawmakers heading to the border are members of the “Problem Solvers Caucus,” a bipartisan group that’s branded its work as an effort to overcome the deep political divides that stall major policy reform. But it’s had limited success in doing so in recent years. “The crisis at the border is one of the most pressing issues facing our nation and must be addressed by Congress. I am proud to lead this bipartisan visit with Rep. Dean Phillips to see first-hand the dire situation on our southern border,” Smucker said in a statement. “I am hopeful that the Problem Solvers Caucus can once again work together to put forth bipartisan solutions to this critical issue.”

Warning of danger to children, psychologists urge Wolf to close Berks County detention center
WITF Written by Katie Meyer, Capitol Bureau Chief | Jul 18, 2019 4:05 PM
 (Harrisburg) -- A group of Carnegie Mellon psychiatrists and psychologists is urging Pennsylvania leaders to close a controversial detention center for immigrant families, because they say it is damaging the physical and mental health of the children who are held there. They argue that a preponderance of research shows detention harms children immediately and permanently. And they're collecting signatures from their colleagues across the state for a letter that aims to push Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf to intervene by declaring the center unfit to house minors. There is "no area of development that is spared by this kind of trauma," said Anna Fisher, one of the psychologists. "Oftentimes, this trauma is lasting, and it impacts all aspects of one's functioning and development. Social, cognitive development, language development, attention development." The Berks Family Residential Center is one of three U.S. facilities that holds undocumented families. With 96 beds, it is also the smallest, and the only one not in Texas.

Why it’s more important than ever to teach Holocaust education in our schools | Opinion
By Ira Bedzow & Stacy Gallin  Capital-Star Op-Ed Contributor July 19, 2019
Principal William Latson of Spanish River Community High School in Palm Beach County, Florida was removed from his position and reassigned to a different position in the Palm Beach County school district after refusing to admit that the Holocaust was a “factual, historical event.” It is not that he personally denied the Holocaust. Rather, in an email to a student’s parent, he relied on a faux professionalism and a dangerous sense of relativism, claiming that as a school district employee, he was not in a position to say that the Holocaust is a factual, historical event since not everyone believes the Holocaust happened. While it is important to recognize the limits of one’s own expertise, and it is usually a good idea to avoid speaking as an authority on issues that are outside of the scope of one’s proficiency, Latson’s claiming that he could not admit the Holocaust is a historical fact is not only unacceptable, it is irresponsible. One does not need to be a professional historian to know that the Holocaust occurred. We know that it occurred.

“Because the language was inserted as part of the house’s omnibus school code bill it’s unclear who stumped for its inclusion. Straub could not say if a particular lawmaker in the House GOP caucus pushed for the bill. A spokesperson for the Democratic House leader said the language did not originate from their party.  And inquiries to the heads of each party in the State Senate turned up non-responses on the language’s origins.”
Will this tweak in Pa. law send student test scores soaring?
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent July 17, 2019
Student test scores in Pennsylvania could spike next year — and a 90-word provision recently tucked into the state’s school code may be the reason why. The language states that Pennsylvania will no longer count the standardized test scores of students who miss at least 20% of school days prior to the end of the state testing window. That effectively means scores from PSSA and Keystone Exams from chronically truant students won’t be used to evaluate teachers, hold schools accountable, or rate Pennsylvania’s overall performance on federal reports. Chronically absent students tend to perform worse on standardized tests, so if Pennsylvania strikes those students from the testing sample it could lead to higher scores. But that’s not the purpose of the legislation, said Mike Straub, spokesperson for state House Republicans. Rather, he said the new language is a matter of fairness. “The intent is straightforward,” Straub said. “Teachers cannot educate a student who is not participating in the process. So those students’ scores should not be a reflection on the teacher.”There’s also a debate over what effect this law will have.

Let educators, not politicians, decide what should replace Keystone Exams [editorial]
Lancaster Online by THE LNP EDITORIAL BOARD July 18, 2019
THE ISSUE: In a special report released last week, Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said the commonwealth’s taxpayers are unnecessarily spending millions of dollars every year on the Keystone Exams, which have not been required since 2015, when the federal No Child Left Behind Law was replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act. “Pennsylvania should aggressively explore using a nationally recognized test that can open new doors for students rather than continuing to spend money on an exam that is no longer required,” the auditor general said. “For less than what Pennsylvania spends on the Keystone Exams, it could instead pick up the tab for every high school student to take the PSAT or SAT.” He suggested the ACT as another option. DePasquale has been an effective and energetic auditor general, rooting out wasteful spending in state-funded entities — including school districts — across the commonwealth. But he’s not an educator. Educators — not politicians — should figure out what secondary-level standardized test is employed in Pennsylvania. DePasquale is absolutely right, though, to call for transparency from the Pennsylvania Department of Education regarding its contracts with Data Recognition Corp., the Minnesota-based company that developed, administers and scores the Keystone Exam. The Keystone Exam has been something of a boondoggle.

Elanco enlists Independence Law Center for legal help as it implements policy regarding transgender students
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer July 18, 2019
The Eastern Lancaster County school board has enlisted a law firm with what critics say is a history of fighting against the rights of LGBT students to help implement, and potentially defend, its controversial student privacy policy. Randall Wenger, chief counsel for the Independence Law Center, will provide the services for no cost. He’ll replace McNees, Wallace & Nurick, the district’s previous subcontracted solicitor for matters involving the policy. “I’m glad to bring the expertise of the Independence Law Center to serve the Elanco School District,” Wenger, a Lancaster County native, said in a brief statement Wednesday. The law center is affiliated with the Pennsylvania Family Institute, a Harrisburg-based nonprofit that supports “traditional, foundational principles and values essential for the well-being of society,” its website states. The school board approved the move Monday by a 5-1 vote. Board Vice President Rodney Jones — an outspoken critic of the policy, which would force separation by biological sex in bathrooms and locker rooms — was the lone dissent. During the meeting, Jones questioned Wenger’s influence and advised the board to seek more than one opinion. Boyertown Area case: The Independence Law Center has represented a group of cisgender students — those who aren’t transgender — who sued the Boyertown Area School District over privacy issues following the district’s decision to allow transgender students to use facilities that align with their gender identity. In May, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case, letting stand an earlier decision by the Third Circuit of Appeals, which ruled in favor of the school district.

Wolf pitches $4.5 billion infrastructure plan as way to expand broadband access in Pa.
PA Capital Star By  Elizabeth Hardison July 18, 2019
Gov. Tom Wolf renewed his pitch for a $4.5 billion infrastructure plan on Thursday, when he appeared alongside local lawmakers, educators, and business leaders at the Capitol to highlight the need for universal broadband internet access in Pennsylvania. It could cost as much as much as $715 million to bring high-speed broadband to every house in the state, according to Wolf’s office. But as the governor said Thursday, Pennsylvania’s schools, healthcare providers, and businesses could pay dearly if the state continues to neglect its internet infrastructure. “If we want to be a great, competitive, 21st century commonwealth, we have got to make sure each of our 12.8 million residents have access to [broadband internet],” Wolf said. “We are not going to be in the running if we can’t figure this out.”

“The lack of broadband access across the state is affecting residents, businesses, and schools. With the Governor signing Cyber Snow Days into law, internet accessibility is more important now than ever. Educators say if students in the Commonwealth are to be given an equal chance at success, faster and greater broadband internet service needs to be available. “If we intend to have all Pennsylvania students be prepared to collaborate, communicate, create, and think critically in truly a personalized way, then we need the tools to do so,” says Dr. Brian Griffith, Superintendent of the Penns Valley Area School District.”
State Officials Highlight Lack of Broadband Access Across PA
While pushing his Restore Pennsylvania plan, Governor Tom Wolf joined state officials to highlight the need for greater broadband access across the state.
ErieNewsNow Thursday, July 18th 2019, 2:52 PM EDT by Cody Carlson Updated:  Thursday, July 18th 2019, 6:59 PM EDT
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is once again shedding light on the need for greater broadband access across the state. The Democrat pushed his Restore PA plan Thursday, focusing on the infrastructure needed to increase internet access for all residents. Back in June, the Center For Rural Pennsylvania released a broadband availability study. The results proved there’s not one county in the state where half of the residents have adequate broadband connectivity as defined by the FCC. “Pennsylvania’s internet is slowing down education, it’s slowing down business, and it’s slowing down our economy,” Governor Wolf says. Part of Governor Wolf’s 4.5 billion dollar Restore PA plan calls for infrastructure upgrades to increase broadband access. To fund the plan, the Governor has suggested implementing a severance tax on natural gas extraction. There are still unanswered questions about how exactly the plan would be implemented, but the first thing that needs to happen is securing the funding. “They cannot continue to expand broadband access unless there is some level of support, financial support, to help get to those homes, to help get to those businesses, where in fact they are currently under-served,” explains Sherri Collins, Acting Executive Director for the Office of Broadband Initiatives.

College isn’t for everybody, Pennsylvania lawmakers hear
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO | THE MORNING CALL | JUL 16, 2019 | 7:44 PM
Out of the 5,200 high school students in the Allentown School District, just 15% are exposed to career and technical education. For a district the size of Allentown, which enrolls 17,000 students from kindergarten to 12th grade, to have just 800 attend Lehigh Career and Technical Institute is low, Superintendent Thomas Parker told state legislators Tuesday afternoon. To increase that number, Parker and local labor unions and employers said, the belief that college is for everyone needs to be shattered. Instead, students need to learn as early as elementary school that they can have good careers with benefits in fields such as construction. “Every student in high school has the opportunity,” Parker said. “A lot of them just defer to the college track because they don’t know many of the possibilities that are there.” In addition to Parker, Nancy Dischinat, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Workforce Investment Board; Donna Braden, president of Jack’s Glass; Rob Franklin, training director of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 375; and Bill Dorward Jr., marketing representative of Sheet Metal Workers Local 19, also spoke Tuesday in Allentown to about a dozen lawmakers.

Columbia could pay $315K a year under new shared services agreement with Elanco
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer July 19, 2019
The Eastern Lancaster County school board has agreed to share business, human resources and technology services with the historically cash-strapped Columbia Borough School District for six more years. The agreement, which stretches from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2026, extends a partnership between two districts on opposite ends of Lancaster County. The relationship began in 2016 when they also shared a superintendent for one year. Elanco unanimously approved the extension Monday. Although the Columbia board has yet to consider it, Elanco Superintendent Bob Hollister said it’s a win-win for both districts.  “I’m thrilled that the partnership has continued to thrive,” he said. “I think it’s been a great, symbiotic relationship where both sides are gaining.” The new agreement would require Columbia to pay Elanco $315,000 annually — a $35,000 increase from the previous agreement — for support from business manager Keith Ramsey, human resources director Donna Prokay and IT director Lotsie Wooten, in addition to an on-site tech support specialist and a host of network services and equipment. Ramsey, Prokay and Wooten would continue to receive an annual stipend of $40,000, $20,000 and $20,000, respectively. That’s in addition to their Elanco salaries — $179,482, $117,656 and $112,865, respectively.

“That amount includes property and use-and-occupancy taxes and totals up to $48 million, city spokesperson Mike Dunn said Thursday — excluding interest, which the judge also ordered the city to pay. Of that amount, $14 million would come from city real estate tax revenue and $34 million is school-district revenue from both real-estate and use-and-occupancy taxes.”
Philly judge orders city and school district to repay nearly $50 million in tax revenue to commercial property owners
Inquirer by Laura McCrystal, Updated: July 18, 2019- 11:33 AM
Ruling in one of the largest assessment challenge in Philadelphia’s history, a judge on Thursday ordered the city and school district to repay commercial property owners nearly $50 million after finding their properties were unconstitutionally targeted for revaluation due to “political pressure” to boost revenue. Senior Common Pleas Judge Gene Cohen said the city and school district must repay the money collected in 2018 taxes to the owners of about 700 of the city’s most prominent and valuable office complexes, apartment buildings, and hotels — including One Liberty Place, Centre Square, and the Bellevue Hotel. The reassessment was illegal, Cohen ruled, because commercial properties were revalued while residential assessments were left largely intact. “The desire and demand of City Council for revenue from a targeted reassessment of commercial properties was a substantial motivating factor,” he wrote in his opinion. Cohen’s ruling nullified the 2018 assessments for the properties involved in the case and ordered that the city refund the difference between their 2017 and 2018 taxes.

Pa. Department of Education approves Penn Hills School District financial plan
LAUREN LEE Pittsburgh Post-Gazette JUL 17, 2019 5:45 PM
With debt exceeding $170 million, Penn Hills School District can now move forward with implementing its recovery efforts after Pennsylvania’s Department of Education approved its financial recovery plan . Through the years, the district’s debt started to pile up after the construction of two state-of-the-art schools and declining enrollment. Dan Matsook, the district’s state-appointed financial recovery officer, constructed the recovery plan with guidance from a special advisory committee. Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera approved the plan in a letter addressed to Mr. Matsook on Tuesday. Mr. Rivera said the proposed plan is “comprehensive in nature” and outlines a path to restoring financial stability in the district. Mr. Rivera said the district is expected to carry out the plan “in its entirety.” In January, the department placed Penn Hills into financial recovery status, giving the state control over the district’s finances, and it appointed a financial recovery officer to form a financial plan.

Transparency concerns loom over top-performing Fox Chapel school district
Residents of the affluent district are questioning the lack of public deliberation by the school board, leading to concerns about potential violations of state open meeting and ethics laws.
Public Source by  Mary Niederberger  | July 18, 2019
The Fox Chapel Area School District has some of the highest test scores in the state, long lists of students with academic and athletic honors, a Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year honoree and a music program that has garnered the district the distinction of being named among the Best Communities for Music Education for eight consecutive years. But in the shadow of those successes is a growing tension over the opaque operations of the district school board and administration and questions about whether state open meeting and ethics laws are being followed. At board meetings, on social media and at the polls, some taxpayers in the district have made it clear they expect more transparency from the board, which rarely holds public discussions about agenda items on which it votes each month. Those complaints, however, don't appear to resonate with district officials.

Harrisburg school board president voted for husband’s pay raise, and that could be a problem
Penn Live By Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com Posted Jul 18, 5:25 AM
The president of the Harrisburg school board may have violated the state’s ethics act in 2017 when she voted to approve a pay raise for her husband, a sixth-grade teacher, PennLive has learned. Danielle Robinson said she did not recall participating in the Aug. 21 vote that lifted Jacob Robinson’s salary at Camp Curtin Middle School from $69,864 to $73,716. But the meeting’s minutes show she did. Four other school board members told PennLive they did not know Jacob Robinson was Robinson’s husband when the vote occurred. Those members said Danielle Robinson should have disclosed the relationship. When contacted by PennLive, the State Ethics Commission said it was unaware of the vote but added it routinely investigates instances of public officials voting on raises for family members.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to reduce print publishing to 3 days a week
Trib Live by NATASHA LINDSTROM   | Thursday, July 18, 2019 5:53 p.m.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is slashing two more days of publishing in print as owner Block Communications moves on its plan to phase out print operations. Starting in October, the 233-year-old newspaper will be published in print just three days a week, owners informed union employees this week. The decision follows the company’s move last year to reduce publishing in print from seven days a week down to five. “Within a year’s time, we’ve cut four-sevenths of our print days, and that is beyond disheartening,” said Mike Fuoco, president of the PG’s editorial employee union. “We don’t feel that we have enough of a robust digital presence to cut two more days of print.”

Inquirer Management Fears Philly Could Have No Daily Paper in 5 Years
An internal memo from the newspaper’s leadership gives the company — once hailed for its unique nonprofit ownership structure — just five years to change “our business, our products, our operations and our culture.”
PhillyMag by RALPH CIPRIANO·7/18/2019, 2:19 p.m.
Top management at the Philadelphia Inquirer has told newsroom staffers they must radically transform the “newspaper of record” into a “robust digital company,” or else Philadelphia may become another “news desert” — a town without a daily newspaper. “We have fewer than five years to make fundamental changes in our business, our products, our operations and our culture,” the paper’s top managers wrote last month in an urgent, eight-page report sent to all newsroom employees, titled “Unlocking a New Era of Inquirer Journalism.” Citing plummeting ad revenues and circulation figures, the Inky’s managers wrote, “At our current trajectory, we know that in five years we will be buried under a debt load that will be next to impossible to overcome.” The report was issued after Inky managers met off-site over a period of four months for weekly “intensive half-day sessions” to “identify a common vision for our future.”

The Purpose Of School: 'To Help Grow American Citizens'
Forbes by John Merrow Contributor 130 Jul 18, 2019, 01:44pm
I spent 41 years covering education for PBS & NPR and 5 as a teacher.
What exactly is the public purpose of school? Why do communities invest in the education of all their young, instead of simply leaving the task of education to families? We know that parents send children to school for a host of reasons, but the larger purpose--the communal goal--is worth considering. Let me assert my hypothesis: the public education system has been highjacked by people obsessed with measurement, so much so that children are reduced to their test scores. For about 40 years most school reform efforts have been directed at symptoms, such as low graduation rates, low test scores, or “the achievement gap.” While these s0-called reforms sound great and may even produce temporary improvements, they inevitably fail because they are not addressing the root cause of our educational problems: an approach to schooling that is mired in the past and cannot fulfill the needs of the twenty-first century.

Probe: Oklahoma virtual charter founders embezzled millions
AP News By SEAN MURPHY June 17, 2019
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The founders of Oklahoma’s largest virtual charter school embezzled millions of dollars in state funds through an illegal scheme that involved the use of “ghost students” to artificially inflate enrollment numbers, investigators allege. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent Tommy Johnson outlined the allegations in an affidavit for a search warrant of an Epic teacher’s home filed late Monday in Oklahoma County. Investigators seized a laptop and mobile phone during their search. In the affidavit, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent Tommy Johnson wrote the school’s founders, David Chaney and Ben Harris, split illegal profits of more than $10 million between 2013 and 2018. “Ben Harris and David Chaney inflated the number of students reported to (the Oklahoma State Department of Education) by enrolling and/or retaining ‘ghost students,’” Johnson wrote. “Ghost students were students enrolled in Epic that received little or no instruction from Epic teachers.” The two men operated Epic Youth Services, a for-profit limited liability company, which contracted with the school to oversee operations and received a portion of the school’s state-appropriated funds.

OSBI warrant: 'Ghost students' at Epic
The Oklahoman by NURIA MARTINEZ-KEEL Published: Wed, July 17, 2019 1:04 AM Updated: Wed, July 17, 2019 1:25 AM
A state investigation alleges Epic Charter Schools, the state’s largest virtual charter school system, embezzled millions in state funds by illegally inflating enrollment counts with “ghost students.” The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation alleged Epic co-founders David Chaney and Ben Harris “devised a scheme to use their positions as public officers to unlawfully derive profits from state appropriated funds.” An OSBI agent made the allegations in a search warrant that sought evidence of embezzlement, obtaining money by false pretenses and racketeering. Investigators reported Chaney and Harris “created a system of financial gain at Epic” when they founded the virtual charter school in 2010. The two co-founders have managed the virtual charter school through a for-profit company, Epic Youth Services, which receives a portion of Epic’s state funds. Epic, which enrolled just under 20,000 students last year, is a public charter school that receives state education funding for each student enrolled. There is no cost to students to attend.

Maryland banned a school from voucher program over anti-LGBT views. It says that violates religious freedom.
By LIZ BOWIE | BALTIMORE SUN | JUL 15, 2019 | 7:14 AM
A private Christian school that doesn’t accept same-sex marriage or transgender people says Maryland unfairly threw it out of a school voucher program because of its religious beliefs. Administrators of the multimillion-dollar scholarship program counter that the state can’t allow taxpayer money to go to any institution — religious or otherwise — that discriminates against students because of their sexual orientation. Now, a federal court has been asked to decide who is right in a case with broad implications for the voucher system, anti-discrimination laws, and the battle between those championing religious liberties and others hoping to strengthen the rights of LGBTQ students. The Bethel Christian Academy, in Savage, filed suit in federal court last month saying the state is infringing on its First Amendment right to religious freedom by kicking it out of a program that pays tuition for low-income children to attend the school. It wants a judge to order the state to put it back into the program. “The Supreme Court has been very clear that there is no place in our society for religious hostility,” said Christiana Holcomb, the school’s legal counsel. "That is the crux of the issue of this case.” Holcomb said the state pushed Bethel out of the voucher program based “solely on the fact that Bethel has a particular religious belief around marriage.” The school is represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal organization that has been actively fighting gay rights. Its attorneys brought the case of a Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a gay couple all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, winning a narrow victory. The issues addressed in the Bethel lawsuit are being contested nationwide, and depending on the ruling, could reach far beyond Maryland, experts said.

Bethel Academy has the right to its beliefs, but the state doesn’t have to fund them
Letter by Daniel He, BALTIMORE SUN | JUL 17, 2019 | 11:24 AM
In Liz Bowie’s reporting on the potential case of Bethel vs. Maryland, my viewpoint on this issue is very simple and in line with the state (“Maryland banned a school from voucher program over anti-LGBT views. It says that violates religious freedom,”July 15). With my experience as a public school student and the knowledge I gleaned from government class, I provide the following analysis. Bethel Christian Academy is a private school. So, when Maryland supports the school with vouchers, it is a statement of outside support rather than an obligation. Thus, if the state does pull funding from a private school, it is perfectly within its rights to do so, as there was no obligation to support the school in the first place. By pulling funding, Maryland is not stopping the school from teaching or pushing against it (if it did then a case for violation of religious freedoms can be made), but rather simply withdrawing funding that the school was not entitled to from the beginning (“There’s a big difference between the Colo. gay wedding cake case and Maryland denying an anti-gay Christian school state funds,” July 16). However, in the article, an attorney for the school argued that “the teaching of the school should be no responsibility of the state.” But this is exactly my point. If Maryland cannot have influence over Bethel’s curriculum (as it does with public schools), then Bethel doesn’t deserve funding that will be used to discriminate against people in the first place.

Betsy DeVos, U.S. education secretary, promotes school choice during Taylors visit
Nathaniel Cary, The Greenville News Published 10:01 a.m. ET July 18, 2019 | Updated 7:51 p.m. ET July 18, 2019
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos stopped in Taylors Thursday afternoon to promote a new federal school-choice program that, if enacted, would subsidize private or home-school education for more students. The program could also help parents with transportation costs for rural public-school-choice programs and establish additional programs, and it would expand on South Carolina's limited private-school-choice tax credit program for special-needs students.
Gov. Henry McMaster, state education superintendent Molly Spearman, Rep. Jason Elliott, R-Greenville, and local educators and families joined DeVos around conference tables at Hidden Treasure Christian School, a private K-12 school in Taylors for special-needs students. DeVos' plan would create education scholarships for students across the country funded by tax credits for individuals and businesses to provide the scholarships. If passed, the scholarships would raise up to $5 billion annually and would be divided among states to add to school choice programs.


PCCY: 2 seconds for $200,000 and a game-changing opportunity for kids
PCCY needs your votes!  We are in the running for a $200,000 Key to the Community Grant from the Philadelphia Foundation! Our idea is simple – give more parents in the Greater Philadelphia region tools, resources and networks to amplify their voices in advocacy and policy impacting our children. To launch the Parent Advocacy Accelerator, we need your help.  The Philadelphia Foundation is running an on-line voting contest. The idea that gets the most votes in a category, wins the grant. Voting is quick and easy at  https://www.philafound.org/vote/. Just scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and vote for the project listed as the Parent Advocacy Accelerator under the “Community and Civic Engagement" category, Every vote, every day counts. VOTE EVERY DAY UNTIL JULY 26! Share with your networks in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, or Delaware and ask them to vote every day, too.
Thank you for your votes and support!


In November, many boards will be preparing to welcome new directors to their governance Team of Ten. This event will help attendees create a full year on-boarding schedule based on best practices and thoughtful prioritization. Register now:
PSBA: Start Strong: Developing a District On-Boarding Plan for New Directors
SEP 11, 2019 • 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In November, many boards will be faced with a significant transition as they prepare to welcome new directors to their governance Team of Ten. This single-day program facilitated by PSBA trainers and an experienced PA board president will guide attendees to creating a strong, full year on-boarding schedule based on best practices and thoughtful prioritization. Grounded in PSBA’s Principles for Governance and Leadership, attendees will hear best practices from their colleagues and leave with a full year’s schedule, a jump drive of resources, ideas for effective local training, and a plan to start strong.
Register online at MyPSBA: www.psba.org and click on “MyPSBA” in the upper right corner.

The deadline to submit a cover letter, resume and application is August 19, 2019.
Become a 2019-2020 PSBA Advocacy Ambassador
PSBA is seeking applications for two open Advocacy Ambassador positions. Candidates should have experience in day-to-day functions of a school district, on the school board, or in a school leadership position. The purpose of the PSBA Advocacy Ambassador program is to facilitate the education and engagement of local school directors and public education stakeholders through the advocacy leadership of the ambassadors. Each Advocacy Ambassador will be responsible for assisting PSBA in achieving its advocacy goals. To achieve their mission, ambassadors will be kept up to date on current legislation and PSBA positions on legislation. The current open positions will cover PSBA Sections 3 and 4, and Section 7.
PSBA Advocacy Ambassadors are independent contractors representing PSBA and serve as liaisons between PSBA and their local elected officials. Advocacy Ambassadors also commit to building strong relationships with PSBA members with the purpose of engaging the designated members to be active and committed grassroots advocates for PSBA’s legislative priorities. 

PSBA: Nominations for The Allwein Society are open!
This award program recognizes school directors who are outstanding leaders & advocates on behalf of public schools & students. Nominations are accepted year-round with selections announced early fall: http://ow.ly/CchG50uDoxq 

EPLC is accepting applications for the 2019-20 PA Education Policy Fellowship Program
Education Policy & Leadership Center
PA's premier education policy leadership program for education, policy & community leaders with 582 alumni since 1999. Application with program schedule & agenda are at http://www.eplc.org 

2019 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference Oct. 16-18, 2019
WHERE: Hershey Lodge and Convention Center 325 University Drive, Hershey, PA
WHEN: Wednesday, October 16 to Friday, October 18, 201
Registration is now open!
Growth from knowledge acquired. Vision inspired by innovation. Impact created by a synergized leadership community. You are called upon to be the drivers of a thriving public education system. It’s a complex and challenging role. Expand your skillset and give yourself the tools needed for the challenge. Packed into two and a half daysꟷꟷgain access to top-notch education and insights, dynamic speakers, peer learning opportunities and the latest product and service innovations. Come to the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference to grow!

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

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