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PA Ed Policy Roundup July 25, 2019
Taxpayers in Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati’s
school districts had to send over $11.4 million to chronically underperforming
cyber charter schools for 2017-18.
Take the four-week PSBA
advocacy challenge
POSTED ON JULY 22,
2019 IN PSBA
NEWS
Calling all public education
advocates! Even though students are out for the summer, we need you to continue
your efforts to share your district's story, and the needs of public
schools across the state, with your legislators. Follow the four easy steps on
the challenge to increase your engagement with lawmakers this summer and you'll
receive some PSBA swag as a thank-you. We've also included some talking points
to help inform you on the latest issues. Contact Advocacy Coordinator Jamie
Zuvich at jamie.zuvich@psba.org with
questions. Click here to see the
challenge and talking points.
Taxpayers in Senate President
Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati’s school districts had to send over $11.4 million
to chronically underperforming cyber charter schools for 2017-18.
The table below lists the school district
name, total 2017-18 cyber tuition paid and the percent of the district’s budget
that was spent on cyber tuition.
Data Source: PDE via PSBA.
|
Austin Area SD
|
$7,189.00
|
0.2%
|
|
Bradford Area SD
|
$691,169.67
|
1.9%
|
|
Brockway Area SD
|
$183,466.00
|
1.2%
|
|
Brookville Area SD
|
$260,932.78
|
1.2%
|
|
Cameron County SD
|
$445,856.65
|
3.9%
|
|
Canton Area SD
|
$141,752.69
|
1.0%
|
|
Clarion-Limestone Area SD
|
$329,361.28
|
2.4%
|
|
Clearfield Area SD
|
$905,795.41
|
2.5%
|
|
Coudersport Area SD
|
$302,242.46
|
2.6%
|
|
Dubois Area SD
|
$713,460.32
|
1.3%
|
|
Forest Area SD
|
$248,705.46
|
2.3%
|
|
Galeton Area SD
|
$347,313.00
|
5.3%
|
|
Jersey Shore Area SD
|
$961,895.24
|
2.5%
|
|
Johnsonburg Area SD
|
$126,446.72
|
1.3%
|
|
Kane Area SD
|
$240,882.23
|
1.5%
|
|
Keystone Central SD
|
$1,360,245.56
|
1.9%
|
|
Northern Potter SD
|
$91,590.42
|
1.0%
|
|
Northern Tioga SD
|
$474,585.09
|
1.6%
|
|
Oswayo Valley SD
|
$233,956.02
|
3.2%
|
|
Otto-Eldred SD
|
$156,309.92
|
1.5%
|
|
Port Allegany SD
|
$219,892.01
|
1.6%
|
|
Punxsutawney Area SD
|
$1,304,433.55
|
3.5%
|
|
Ridgway Area SD
|
$274,019.43
|
2.1%
|
|
Smethport Area SD
|
$404,314.42
|
3.0%
|
|
Southern Tioga SD
|
$0.00
|
0.0%
|
|
Saint Marys Area SD
|
$243,880.81
|
0.9%
|
|
Wellsboro Area SD
|
$450,473.00
|
2.1%
|
|
West Branch Area SD
|
$323,170.42
|
1.9%
|
|
|
$11,443,339.56
|
|
Thousands of unaccompanied migrant children could be
detained indefinitely
CBS News Last Updated Jul 24, 2019 9:06 AM
EDT
An unprecedented number of unaccompanied
migrant children are at
risk of spending the rest of their childhoods in federal custody, CBS News
learned in an exclusive interview with the head of the Office of Refugee
Resettlement (ORR), the agency that cares for these children. The federal
government is required to pursue "prompt and continuous efforts toward
family reunification" of unaccompanied migrant
children, according to a landmark court
settlement, but for thousands of kids in ORR care, that reunion may never
happen. "Unfortunately, I have well over 4,000 of those children in my
care at this time at the Office of Refugee Resettlement," the director,
Jonathan Hayes, told CBS News in June. "So conceivably someone could come
into our care at 15 years old and not have an identifiable sponsor in the
United States and remain with us for a few years." On their 18th
birthdays, many of the children will be taken from ORR's youth holding
facilities, referred to as shelters, to adult detention centers operated by
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The number of children in this group
has risen sharply in recent years, an "alarming" and "deeply
concerning" trend, according to three former agency officials who spoke
with CBS News.
Elanco school board has allowed issue of transgender
students' rights to be turned into a culture war [opinion]
Lancaster Online Editorial by THE LNP
EDITORIAL BOARD July 24, 2019
THE ISSUE: The Eastern Lancaster County
school board has enlisted the services of 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,” LNP’s Alex Geli
reported last week. Randall Wenger, chief counsel
for the Independence Law Center, will represent Elanco at no cost in matters
involving the policy, which states that transgender students should use
restrooms and locker rooms based on the sex assigned to them at birth. The
school board voted 5-1 on July 15 to work with the law center. Board Vice
President Rodney Jones “was the lone dissent,” Geli reported. Jones has resigned from
the board. We’d like to remind the Elanco school
board that there is a child at the center of this controversy. A child who is
required, by state law, to attend school until age 18. And that school, by law,
must keep him safe from bullying — by fellow students and adults alike. The
Elanco school board has made that task much more difficult. To recap: In early
April, the Elanco school board unveiled a multimillion-dollar proposal to
renovate district restrooms and locker rooms to ensure the privacy of students
— all students. We thought it was a sound plan. But some district residents
objected to the idea of transgender students
using, in the meantime, facilities that aligned with their gender identity. So
the school board tacked on an addendum to its proposed bathroom policy that
recommended “that (wherever) we cannot provide private (single-user) facilities
when changing or using the bathroom facilities, the students are to use the
facilities based on their biological sex.” It was a blatant
invitation to litigation. Now, the Elanco school board members
have turned a discussion over the accommodation of a transgender student into a
culture war. And by inviting the Independence Law Center into the mix, they
have turned up the heat on an already heated issue.
“He also opposed a recent vote to accept pro bono
legal services from the Independence Law Center,
which has been criticized for historically representing anti-LGBT litigants. The
American Civil Liberties Union, Education Law Center and other civil rights
advocates have spoken out against the policy, calling it discriminatory and
unlawful. Case law, they say, shows that transgender
students should be able to use the facilities that align with their gender
identity. “I hope the board decides to follow the precedent that’s been set in
the courts already,” Jones told LNP. “That’s, I guess, the responsibility and
the duty of the board members, regardless of how they feel about the subject.” Jones’
time on the board was already ticking, as his term would have expired Dec. 2.
He decided not to run in May’s primary after the local GOP didn’t endorse
him because he opposed the board’s
biological sex addendum.”
Critic of controversial bathroom policy resigns from
Elanco school board
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer Jul 24,
2019
The most outspoken critic among Eastern
Lancaster County school board members regarding the district’s controversial
student privacy policy has announced his resignation. Rodney Jones, currently
the board’s vice president, will end his eight-year stint on the board on Aug.
1, he announced at a public meeting last week. Jones, who works at a medical
device company called XVIVO Perfusion, told LNP that new job responsibilities
would pull his attention away from his school board position if he stayed. It’s
a position that’s required more time and energy of late as the district
prepares to implement a new bathroom and locker room
policy that discriminates against transgender
students, critics say.
Pa. school district that warned about lunch debt winds up
eating its words
Penn Live By Mark Scolforo | The Associated Press Posted Jul
24, 7:04 PM
A Pennsylvania school district that warned
parents behind on their lunch bills that their children could end up in foster
care, and then rejected a businessman's offer to pay the overdue charges, looks
as if it will end up accepting the donation after all. The head of the
district's nonprofit foundation said Wednesday that it would take a donation
from Todd Carmichael, chief executive of Philadelphia-based La Colombe Coffee. Michael
Plaksin, president of the Wyoming Valley West Educational Foundation, said the
decision was made during discussions he had with members of the school board. "What
is going on is that the school will be able to accept money, donations, so that
we will be able to pay off the program as soon as possible," Plaksin said.
Wyoming Valley West School District officials recently wrote parents, trying to
collect $22,000 in unpaid lunch bills. The letters said parents
“can be sent to dependency court for neglecting your child’s right to food,”
and that children could be removed and placed in foster care. Luzerne
County child welfare authorities protested, saying they never remove children
from homes over unpaid bills. "Did people make mistakes? Of course
mistakes were made," said Plaksin, a Wyoming Valley West graduate.
"Look, if three more people had proofread the letter before it was sent
out, it never would have been sent out. It was that simple."
‘Lunch shaming’ school district apologizes, says it will
accept La Colombe CEO’s donation
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Updated: July
24, 2019- 7:50 PM
The Northeastern Pennsylvania school district
that drew a national spotlight for
its threat to place in foster care children whose parents had not paid their
school-lunch bills has reversed course, apologizing and saying it will accept
the donation of a Philadelphia businessman to clear the unpaid bills. In a letter to the Wyoming
Valley West community, the school board said it “sincerely
apologizes for the tone of the letter that was sent regarding such debt. It wasn’t
the intention of the district to harm or inconvenience any of the families of
our school district." The board said it had decided to take La Colombe CEO
and co-founder Todd Carmichael up on the offer it had rejected. The Wyoming
Valley West Educational Foundation, a nonprofit that benefits the school
district, will accept the donation and coordinate clearing the $22,467 debt. Reached
Wednesday night, Aren Platt, a consultant who works for Carmichael, said that
he would soon speak with foundation president Michael Plaskin, “but things are
certainly moving in the right direction."
Edbuild website
Thirteen districts surround Philadelphia’s
public school system. Two-thirds of these neighboring school systems are at
least 25 percentage points whiter, and have a minimum of 10% more funding—an
average of over $5,000 more in per-pupil dollars. One of these, Lower Merion,
is consistently named one of the nation’s top school districts. Lower Merion is
60% whiter than Philadelphia, and its students receive over $30,000 per
student—nearly double that provided for the students of Philadelphia, of whom
86% are nonwhite. Philadelphia is far from alone. Nationwide, there are almost
1,000 school district borders that so significantly separate neighboring
districts by race and funding. Forty-five years ago, the United States Supreme
Court decided Milliken v. Bradley, a pivotal education equity case that set the
terms of our fractured education system. In that ruling, the Court acknowledged
profound school district segregation in and around Detroit, but upheld the use
of an arbitrary school district border to deny opportunity to the city’s
children. The Court ruled that when students are segregated not by law, but by
a school district border, the federal courts have no way to mandate integration
across that boundary. When a line is drawn, for all intents and purposes, it
becomes a wall—one that can separate our students by race, class, and
opportunity.
Gateway board reprimands director for sharing confidential
information
ELIZABETH BEHRMAN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Lbehrman@post-gazette.com JUL 24,
2019
The Gateway School District board this week
rebuked one of its members, saying she on multiple occasions had shared
confidential information discussed during executive sessions and represented
the board and district administration on various community matters without
first discussing it with her colleagues. Board members each read a
portion of two resolutions during a meeting Tuesday night condemning Valerie
Warning’s “interference and inter-meddling with the day-to-day operations
of the district.” According to the resolution that several members
jointly read into the record, the board condemned reports that Ms. Warning
entered school buildings, classrooms and food lockers without providing notice
or receiving the permission of the superintendent or building
principals, “exercised control over employees,” and “leaked”
information regarding contract negotiations. Member Jack Bova said he
initially opposed the method of addressing the issue until he saw her make
comments at a Monroeville council meeting — as a representative of the board
and the district — talking about how the district could do better to honor
first-responders and the military. He called it a “lovely” sentiment, but
said Ms. Warning made those comments and wanted to create a plan without first
discussing it with the district administration or other school board
members.
Harrisburg schools’ financial, personnel records flawed:
‘Frankly, it’s an illusionary budget,' an official says
Penn Live By Sean Sauro | ssauro@pennlive.com Updated
12:17 AM; Posted Jul 24, 9:58 PM
It has been 37 days since the state took over Harrisburg
school district and only 17 days since Receiver Janet Samuels put her new leadership team in
place. In that time, it has been discovered that financial records are a mess,
some teachers lack necessary certifications and clearances and about 60
professional positions are unfilled, said John George, who is heading Samuels’
team. That is all true as staff members are expected to return to their schools
Aug. 19 and students on Aug. 26, Samuels said. With all that said, George
remained optimistic Wednesday as he offered an update on his team’s work to bring
the district back to academic and financial success. “Clearly in the Harrisburg
School District, a large majority of the people here are dedicated to the
mission of improving the lives of the children,” said George, the district’s
financial recovery plan service director. “I think great days are ahead for
this school district.” George spoke at a Wednesday school board meeting,
telling those in attendance that his top priority is delivering quality
education to the more than 6,000 students enrolled in district schools. But to
ensure that goal is met, the receivership team must first work to get a handle
on the district’s finances, personnel and buildings — all of which have major
issues, George said.
PDE says new 20% absence provision is incompatible with
federal rules
PSBA website July 23, 2019
The PA Department of Education (PDE) has
issued initial guidance stating
that the provision under the new Act 16 of 2019 exempting test scores of
habitually absent students from school accountability requirements is
incompatible with requirements under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act
(ESSA). PDE notes that under ESSA a student be absent at least 90 days before
their test scores can be excluded from the school accountability performance
calculation, which differs from the 20% absence rate trigger, equivalent to 36
days, under Act 16.
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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