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Not one opinion from
the Pennsylvania appellate courts has held that (charter) authorizers are
forbidden from any consideration of financial impact. “Not only can charter
authorizers consider the costs of charter expansion, but they must do so”
PSBA Members: State Budget Webcast JUL
9, 2019 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Join PSBA
government affairs experts for an in-depth look at the 2019-20 state budget and
related School Code bills. What do the new numbers and policy changes mean for
your school district, teachers and students? Bring your questions to this
complimentary webcast for members!
Presenters: PSBA Chief Advocacy Officer John Callahan, Director of Government
Affairs Jonathan Berger and Director of Research Andy Christ. This webcast
is for PSBA members only. Members may register at no cost online
through PSBA’s webconferencing host: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7177219780206800141.
“Some charter proponents argue that
Pennsylvania’s Charter School Law bars school districts from giving any
consideration to the financial impact on districts when they authorize or renew
charter schools. This belief conflicts with the plain language of the Charter
School Law and its legislative history, and is not supported by court
decisions. It rests on a few decisions of the Charter Appeals Board (CAB) which
have misinterpreted the language and intent of the Charter School Law. Not one
opinion from the Pennsylvania appellate courts has held that authorizers are
forbidden from any consideration of financial impact.
A Legal Mandate that
Authorizers Consider Fiscal and other Impacts of Charter School Expansion
By Susan DeJarnatt Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law January 29, 2019
Abstract: Pennsylvania’s Constitution mandates that the Commonwealth provide “for
the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public
education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.” Pennsylvania decided to add
charter schools to this system in 1997, a decision that, like all legislation,
must be considered in light of this constitutional commitment to public
education and to its role in preparing the Commonwealth’s students for their
participation in democracy. Charter schools cost money and the vast bulk
of that money comes directly out of the budgets of Pennsylvania school
districts. Pennsylvania spent nearly $1.7 billion on charter schools in
2016-2017. Pennsylvania also underfunds its school districts. It ranks 46 out
of 50 states for the state contribution to education funding and has the dubious
honor of having the largest gap in the country between highly funded districts
and poorly funded ones. Those districts also have the responsibilities of
authorizing new charter schools, exercising oversight over existing schools,
and determining whether to renew or revoke charters.
“Without question the best aspect of
this budget is an issue Wolf has championed since leaving his York business to
seek the governor’s mansion five years ago. The budget invests more than $300
million in education. But even that accomplishment comes with an asterisk. The
new funding is constrained by the old funding formula. Several years ago, the
Legislature passed a recommendation by a blue ribbon panel for a Fair Funding
Formula, which would redistribute education funding in a way that targets need.
Those districts with the most need get the most funding. The problem is that
the Fair Funding Formula only applies to new funding. So while the gains the
governor won in education funding will be more equitably distributed, the vast
majority of funding is still doled out under the old formula, one that creates
an unfair playing field for too many districts, penalizing kids for no other
reason than their zip code.”
Editorial: State
budget leaves much work unfinished
Delco Times
Editorial Jul 7, 2019
The July 4th
holiday is in the rear-view mirror; the bulk of the summer awaits.
Dog days, as it were.
Harrisburg is a ghost town. Our elected representatives have fled the capital,
headed for the beach or other locales in one of their many off periods. They
won’t be back until September. Remember, these supposedly are full-time jobs,
with gold-plated full-time benefits. Our elected representatives will spend a
grand total of about two dozen days in session between now and the end of the
year. Nice work if you can get it. But the government is not shut down. That is
a good thing. That is because, as expected, Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf and
Republican leaders in the House and Senate signed off on a $34 billion budget
that was passed on time and did not include a tax hike. So what did we get for
their efforts? Not a lot. Well, that’s not entirely true. There is no tax hike
included in the spending plan. And it was delivered on time. Of course, pretty
much anything would be better than the rancor that was the emblem of Wolf’s
first few budget forays, including a government shutdown that left hundreds of
state workers laid off.
“The educators plan to visit 702 homes
with 802 students in first through fifth grades who are enrolled in cyber
charters or one of the four bricks-and-mortar charter schools that enroll Erie
district students. They will distribute information on the district’s programs
and discuss them. They’ll even be prepared to register students for district
schools on the spot. “We want our students back with us,” said Don Orlando, a
district principal and one of the campaign’s organizers. “We feel we offer the
best educational opportunities.”
Our view: Erie district taking case to the public
GoErie By the Editorial Board Posted
at 2:01 AM
One key element of
stabilizing the Erie School District’s finances for the long run is stanching
the flow of students to charter schools and retaining the money that goes from
the district to those schools and students. The most important piece of that is
improving academic offerings and results. After extensive community engagement
and input, district leaders put in place an ambitious strategic plan to do just
that. But part of the challenge is to get the word out to the community,
especially the families of charter school students, about good things happening
in the district’s schools. That’s where the Welcome Home campaign and the blue
wave come in. As reporter Ed Palattella detailed on Sunday, teams of district
administrators and teachers will fan out across the city starting Thursday to
visit charter school households to make the case that returning to the
district’s schools is the better option for those students. Those educators
will be clad in blue T-shirts proclaiming their love for Erie’s Public Schools.
“The idea is to remove any and all barriers,” said Erica Erwin, the district’s
coordinator of public relations and strategic communications. “Students and
families will get an opportunity to meet the principal. It is about building
relationships.”
PASBO: If school
districts could deduct their charter school tuition from the tuition
calculation to ensure that it didn't unfairly ratchet up the tuition rate from
year to year, it would save them $450 million.
Pennsylvania’s
Expensive, Ineffective Cyber Charters
Diane Ravitch’s Blog
By dianeravitch July 3, 2019
School Lane Charter School renewed through 2023
Bucks County Courier Times By Chris
English Posted at 4:04 AM
The renewal process
for the Bensalem charter school had dragged on through 2018 and half of this
year before the school board recently voted to grant another charter. Bensalem’s
School Lane Charter School is good to go through June 30, 2023, but it wasn’t
easy. After talks on a new five-year charter had dragged on through 2018 and
half of this year, the Bensalem school board voted 5-4 at a recent meeting to
grant another charter with a term running retroactively from July 1, 2018
through June 30, 2023. State law requires public school boards to consider
renewals for charter schools located within their boundaries every five years,
though there is no requirement the new charter be granted the first year it’s
up for renewal. Bensalem’s school board had originally approved the School Lane
charter in 1998 and then renewals in 2003, 2008 and 2013. Board President Kim
Rivera and members Marc Cohen, Kathleen Lesnevec, Heather Nicholas and Pamela
Strange voted yes on the latest charter, with members Stephanie Ferrandez, Rachel
Fingles, Vanessa Woods and Anand Patel voting no. For the 2018-19 school year
that ended June 30, School Lane had 1,300 students in grades K-12, with K-6
housed in a building on Bristol Pike (Route 13) and grades 7-12 in two
buildings on Tillman Drive, just off Street Road. The school is open to
students from all area school districts, but those living in Bensalem get first
preference. In 2018-19, 903 of School Lane’s students lived in Bensalem, at a
total cost of $12.8 million to the school district in tuitions. State law
requires public school districts to pay the per-pupil cost as tuition for any
students living within their boundaries who opt to attend charters.
Families are being
torn apart, children are being held in squalid conditions. Demand reform.
[editorial]
Lancaster Online by
THE LNP EDITORIAL BOARD July 7, 2019
THE ISSUE: LNP’s Jeff Hawkes
reported last week on a restaurant worker, husband
and father of three from Manor Township stranded in Mexico, where he’d gone to
complete his path toward legal, U.S. permanent residency. Jesus Palacios
Herrera, 43, was 24 when he entered the United States illegally “to seek a
better life,” Hawkes wrote. Several months ago, eager to obtain legal status,
he traveled to “the U.S. consulate at Ciudad Juarez, where he was scheduled for
fingerprinting March 27, a medical exam March 28 and an interview March 29,”
Hawkes wrote, noting that “these were the final steps required for an immigrant
visa and permanent residency.” Instead, he was denied a visa, barring him from
returning to Lancaster. Nearly two
decades after doing it the wrong way, Jesus Palacios Herrera was trying to do
it the right way. He had built a life here. He married a Lancaster County
native and worked hard. He and his wife have two children: ages 3 and 16
months. Herrera also has an 8-year-old son with another woman. In February
2018, he received a waiver from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that
allows undocumented immigrants to seek permanent residency if deportation would
cause extreme hardship to a U.S. citizen — in Herrera’s case, his wife Tiffany.
But a U.S. consular official in Mexico ruled that Herrera wasn’t eligible for
permanent residency because he might end up using public benefits — a ruling
that immigration experts say has become increasingly common during the Trump
administration.
With Supreme Court
ruling, the fight over gerrymandering reform moves to the states
By Allison Stevens
Capital-Star Washington Bureau July 7, 2019
WASHINGTON – Battles over partisan gerrymandering are poised to shift to the
states in the wake of a major U.S. Supreme Court decision issued last
week. The high court dealt a major blow to efforts to combat politicized
redistricting when it issued a high-profile 5-4 opinion finding that courts
couldn’t settle such disputes. Now, state-level efforts to combat
partisan gerrymandering are moving forward in what some advocates see as a new
era of reform. “Now that the Supreme Court has walked away from its
constitutional responsibility, it’s even more important … to fight this on a
state-by-state basis,” said Dan Vicuña, manager of the national redistricting
program at Common Cause, a democracy reform group. We’ve seen “incredible
momentum” over the last few years and “we fully expect that momentum to
continue.” Tom Wolf, legal counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice,
echoed the sentiment. “We have to keep pushing forward,” he said – and
advocates around the country seem to agree.
“School officials point to rising
special education, pension, charter school tuition and health insurance costs
as the main reasons for raising taxes.”
School property taxes
are increasing (almost) everywhere in Lancaster County [graphic]
Lancaster Online by
ALEX GELI | Staff
Writer Jul 6, 2019
One is the loneliest
number when it comes to school property tax increases in Lancaster County. That’s
because all but one of the county’s 17 school districts are raising property
taxes in 2019-20, with increases ranging from 1.2% in Octorara Area, which
straddles Lancaster and Chester counties, to 3.5% in Penn Manor. Warwick,
meanwhile, is sticking with its current rate. School
officials point to rising special education, pension, charter school tuition
and health insurance costs as the main reasons for raising taxes. And some,
like Penn Manor, also must raise revenue for major construction projects. Penn
Manor, which is knee-deep in a $99.9
million high school renovation and construction project, has now raised taxes over the Act 1 index for four consecutive years,
starting with a 7% increase in 2016-17. But Chris Johnston, the district’s
business manager, said taxpayers should feel some relief soon. “We had to go
over the index for the last time to put in place millage to cover the debt for
the new high school,” he said, adding that he expects to remain below the Act 1
index next year.
More tax-credit scholarships needed: Bruce Kern II
GoErie Opinion Posted
Jul 3, 2019 at 2:01 AM
Erie has potential.
Everyone around town says it and sees it.
A couple of years
ago, CBS News called my hometown “a sinking ship” and said “you’d be crazy not
to get off.” But they’re not paying attention. We have a lot going on in Erie,
and in the last year or so, development and jobs have come roaring back. People
in the Erie region are learning how to adapt in this changing economy. The key
to our turnaround? We’ve taken advantage of business innovation and a skilled
workforce through improving education — but we still have a long way to go. The
challenges facing Erie’s public schools are well-documented. We’ve felt the
effects of generations trapped in schools that don’t meet students’ needs — a
ripple effect of families moving, businesses leaving and opportunities drying
up. While progress is being made to resolve these issues, the level of education
some students receive remains a recipe for stagnation, not success and growth. Thankfully,
Pennsylvania has an immediate solution to this problem: tax-credit
scholarships. Last year, more than 50,000 of these scholarships helped families
afford private school tuition and escape schools that weren’t meeting their
needs.
In 2017, Pa.
lawmakers outlawed ‘lunch shaming.’ Now, alternative meals are back.
Pa Capital Star By Elizabeth Hardison July 5, 2019
When the final bell
rang in Weatherly Area School District in June, administrators calculated more
than $4,000 of debt from unpaid school lunches. It’s a relatively small sum in
a multi-million dollar district budget. But according to business manager Peter
Bard, it’s enough to put a burden on local taxpayers in the Carbon County
school district, who are on the hook for any outstanding lunch bills. The debt
load has also doubled in the past two years, Bard said, ever since Pennsylvania
outlawed “lunch shaming” — the practice of denying lunch or providing a
low-cost meal to a student with unpaid lunch bills. School administrators say
the well-intentioned policy change in the state’s sprawling school code has
allowed lunch debt to skyrocket. “We’ve seen an exponential increase,” Bard
said. “We’re not in the business of taking people to the debt collector… but
the amount we’re looking to collect has gone up significantly since [the
Legislature] passed that law.”
Union says new state
law should end Tamaqua district’s attempt to arm teachers
By PETER HALL | THE MORNING CALL | JUL 03, 2019 | 8:36 PM
The teachers union
challenging Tamaqua Area School District’s policy allowing armed teachers in
classrooms says a new state law makes clear the policy is illegal. But one
school board member who supports arming teachers, and a gun violence prevention
group that called on Gov. Tom Wolf to veto the bill, said they’re doubtful it
will end efforts to arm teachers and expect it will lead to further legal
battles. Wolf signed Senate Bill 621 on Tuesday, amending the Pennsylvania
School Code to provide more rigid training requirements and clarify who may
serve as an armed school security officer or school resource officer. It adds
sheriff’s officers to the definition of police and also gives school districts
and private schools the option of employing armed security guards through a
contractor. In response to critics including CeaseFirePA and the Education Law
Center, which urged Wolf to kill the legislation, the governor’s office said
the law “removes any ambiguity about whether teachers can be designated
‘security personnel.’"
Does new Pa. law ban arming teachers? Depends on whom you
ask.
Pocono Record By Justine McDaniel The
Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS) Posted
Jul 6, 2019
The Pennsylvania
legislature has spoken in the debate about arming teachers and school
employees. The only problem: People can’t seem to agree on what it said. Gov.
Tom Wolf on Tuesday signed a bill into law governing who can become a school
safety officer and elaborating on training requirements for officers to carry
firearms in schools. The law seeks to clarify Pennsylvania’s stance on arming
teachers and other employees after a year and a half of heightened debate on
the topic nationwide. Wolf said the law firmly established that teachers cannot
be school security personnel, removing any question of whether teachers can
carry arms in Pennsylvania schools. “The students, parents, and educators in
this commonwealth can now be secure in the knowledge that teachers can dedicate
themselves to teaching our children, and that the security of school facilities
rests in the hands of trained, professional security personnel,” Wolf said in a
statement Tuesday. But education and gun control advocates said they feared the
law’s ambiguous wording could have the opposite effect. One school district
seeking to arm employees has already disagreed with Wolf’s interpretation. Schools
in Pennsylvania can hire law enforcement officers as school police or school
resource officers. The law also creates a new category called school security
guards, allowing third-party vendors or independent contractors — who are not
law enforcement officers — to be hired for school security. A clause
stipulating that school security guards cannot be involved in any other school
programs was stripped from the bill before its passage, leaving opponents
concerned that the law could be used to label teachers as security guards and
arm them.
Legislation signed
into law by Gov. Wolf gives school districts the option of using 'cyber snow
days'
Bucks Local News Jul
4, 2019 Updated Jul 5, 2019
HARRISBURG >>
A new state law will provide school districts with another tool to address
unplanned school closures, according to state Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York),
who sponsored the legislation. Act 64 of 2019 will allow school districts, both
public and private, charter schools, career and technical schools and
intermediate units to apply with the Pennsylvania Department of Education to
have the option to use up to five flexible instructional days, also known as
cyber snow days, per school year in the event of a closure. Schools would need
to reapply every three years. Schools may use technology to ensure the
continuity of learning during a flexible instructional day. Students who lack
internet access at home will also have special accommodations. The Department
of Education recently conducted a three-year pilot program with a dozen
schools, including three in Senator Phillips-Hill’s district. “Flexible instructional
days have been very popular for Central York, Red Lion and Southern York County
School Districts and I’m pleased to see the governor acknowledge the merits of
this helpful tool for schools to address unplanned closures,” Phillips-Hill
said. “Act 64 will allow each school district to work with its students,
parents, faculty and school board to see if flexible instructional days should
be implemented. I have heard positive reviews from local parents whose children
attend schools involved in the pilot program. Opening this option to the entire
state makes sense to ensure there is a continuity in learning when extenuating
circumstances close school buildings.” Schools would need to provide flexible
instruction in English and math for all students, as well as science and social
studies for high school students. Governor Tom Wolf signed the new "cyber
snow day" bill into law on July 3. It will take effect in 60 days.
Pennsylvania offers aid to schools for homebound students
Penn Live By The Associated Press Posted Jul 5, 2019
HARRISBURG, Pa.
(AP) — Pennsylvania is offering aid to school districts to pay for
accommodations for students who are homebound while recovering from a serious
injury or illness. Gov.
Tom Wolf signed
the bill last week after it passed the Legislature unanimously. Under the law,
the Department of Education must write program guidelines, and award up to
$300,000 a year in grants to intermediate units that apply. The grants could be
used to buy equipment that helps students participate in real time with
classroom activity through a video link. The sponsor, Sen. Scott Martin,
R-Lancaster, says the equipment resembles an iPad mounted on a Segway unit and
will help students keep up with classmates while dealing with a serious illness
or injury.
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/07/pennsylvania-offers-aid-to-schools-for-homebound-students.html
Pennsylvania sets aside security dollars for private
schools
AP News July 5,
2019
HARRISBURG, Pa.
(AP) — Pennsylvania is setting aside money to help private schools with
security needs after requests for help, including from Jewish day schools near
the Pittsburgh synagogue that was the site of a mass shooting. Budget-related
legislation signed last week by Gov. Tom Wolf earmarks $3.2 million for intermediate
units to award to private schools through the Department of Education’s safe
schools grant program. The Jewish education advocacy organization Teach PA says
the program awarded $459,000 to private schools last year. The program is $11
million total this year. That’s separate from a year-old $60 million school
security grant program in Pennsylvania spurred by last year’s high school
shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Jewish day school
parents and staffers have said they’re particularly alarmed about security
after synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh and California.
Allentown teachers
offered retirement incentive in one-year contract
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO | THE MORNING CALL | UL 05, 2019 | 2:34 PM
Allentown teachers
have a one-year contract that offers a retirement incentive for eligible
employees. The school board approved a new contract last week that expires
August 2020 for the more than 1,000 teachers in the district. The current
contract expires in August. Allentown will pay $45 per every unused sick day
eligible teachers accrued. Those interested in the retirement incentive must be
at least 55 years old and have 25 years or more of service in Pennsylvania
public school education. Teachers receive 11 sick days and are allowed to roll
over any unused days. The retirement incentive is for the cumulative number of
unused sick days for a teacher’s entire period of time in the district, so the
number of unused days can be different for every person retiring. Teachers
interested in the retirement incentive must notify the district by Jan. 2,
2020. The contract also bumps starting pay for first-time teachers to $46,665.
The current starting salary is $46,558.
Defenders of Public Education Speak before the Philly BOE,
June 27, 2019
Alliance for
Philadelphia Public Schools July 3, 2019 appsphilly.net
What do you want to know about education spending?
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE JUL 8, 2019 5:00 AM
Americans have long
invested in education, whether through their property taxes or in paying
tuition bills of some sort. We debate over whether we’re paying too much or not
fully supporting our students and schools. In 2019, the Post-Gazette has
launched a regular feature called The Business of Pittsburgh, which is tracking
data, talking to key decision makers and consumers, and working to develop
insights on the region’s economy and the people who drive it. As part of that,
we want to understand what’s sparking your curiosity — and try to answer your
questions. The Business of Pittsburgh installment In September will focus on
education spending. Here’s your opportunity to be part of the research. Ask us
your question: What do you want to know about how Pennsylvania pays for its
schools?
Schools still struggling with how to teach about slavery
WHYY By Associated Press Carolyn Thompson July 6, 2019
“They made me a slave today.” Aneka Burton
still remembers the way her then 10-year-old son, Nikko, who is black,
recounted his experience to his grandfather after school one day. It was 2011.
But Burton believes the classroom exercise in which Nikko’s classmates were
encouraged to examine and pretend to bid on each other during a history lesson
continues to affect his life, even now as an 18-year-old high school graduate. “He
tries to act like it didn’t bother him, but I really think it changed him,” the
Gahanna, Ohio, mother said. It’s those memories that leave her shaking her head
years later as reports about mock slave auctions continue to emerge, reminders
that schools are still struggling with how to teach about slavery and its
impacts. There are no national standards on how to teach about slavery,
although it is often recommended as a topic in curriculum at the state and
local levels, according to Lawrence Paska, executive director of the National
Council for the Social Studies. The guidance leaves specific lessons up to
schools and teachers, who on several occasions have caused offense with
attempts to bring history to life.
Democratic Presidential Candidates Make Their Pitches to
Teachers' Union Leaders
Education Week
Politics K12 Blog By Madeline Will on July 5, 2019 7:28 PM
Ten Democratic
presidential contenders pledged to bring back respect to the teaching
profession and, in many cases, raise teacher pay as they made their pitches to
the delegates of the nation's largest teachers' union. Former Vice President
Joe Biden, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, former HUD Secretary Julian
Castro, Sen. Kamala Harris, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Sen. Amy Klobuchar,
former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, Rep. Tim Ryan, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Sen.
Elizabeth Warren all spoke to National Education Association delegates on July
5. During the forum, Biden and de Blasio joined Warren in
pledging to nominate a
former public school teacher to the position of U.S. Secretary of Education if
elected. Harris also pledged to nominate "someone who comes from public
schools," and to make sure NEA is "at the table to help me make that
decision." The candidates covered a wide range of issues during the forum
by responding to questions educators had posed through NEA's campaign website.
The website is part of the NEA's endorsement process designed to give voice to more educators. (Last presidential
election, the NEA endorsed Hillary Clinton early on in the primary, angering
many delegates who preferred Sanders.)
Why Charter Schools Must Waste Money
Forbes by Peter Greene Contributor Jul 3, 2019, 02:37pm
Back in March, the
Network for Public Education, a public education advocacy group, released a
study showing that the
Department of Education has spent over a billion dollars on charter school
waste and fraud. Education
Next, a publication that advocates for charter schools, offered
a reply to that
report. The
rebuttal to the rebuttal just appeared in the Washington Post, but there is one portion of the
Education Next piece that deserves a closer look. Charter schools should be
held accountable for performance, which requires closing them when they don’t
meet standards. Even with the best plans and under the ideal circumstances,
opening a charter school is difficult. Charter Schools Program funding is
intended to serve as seed capital to encourage innovation, and some experiments
will fail. That is expected." This is part of the premise of corporate
education reform--that schools should open and close and rise and fall just
like a car dealership or a food
truck. For these
fans of choice, having schools closed down is a sign that the system is
working, not a sign of failure. There are several problems with this feature.
Why Some of the Country’s Best Urban Schools Are
Facing a Reckoning
Amid a growing
backlash against charter schools, leaders within the movement are acknowledging
that some criticism of their schools is warranted.
New York Times By Eliza
Shapiro July 5, 2019
When the charter
school movement first burst on to the scene, its founders pledged to transform
big urban school districts by offering low-income and minority families
something they believed was missing: safe, orderly schools with rigorous
academics. But now, several decades later, as the movement has expanded,
questions about whether its leaders were fulfilling their original promise to educate
vulnerable children better than neighborhood public schools have mounted. When
Richard Buery took over last year as the head of policy at KIPP, the nation’s
largest charter network, he began to ask the same questions. He was used to
challenging charter schools after years as a top deputy to Mayor Bill de
Blasio, who is skeptical of the schools.
An Online Preschool
Closes a Gap but Exposes Another
It is not a
program for children of the rich. It is geared to lower-income families who
have fewer prekindergarten options.
New York Times By Nellie
Bowles July 7, 2019
FOWLER, Calif. —
David Cardenas, a mechanic and the mayor of Fowler, knows families in his town
want high-quality and free daylong preschool. But options are thin. A government-subsidized
program fills up fast and fits only a small fraction of the town’s 4-year-olds,
he said. A private program that closed a decade ago was unaffordable for many
of the 6,500 residents of Fowler, a predominantly Latino community of
agricultural workers in California’s Central Valley. Otherwise, there are a
handful of private day cares. So Mr. Cardenas recently seized on an unusual
preschool alternative that a group from Utah presented to him. “This is
something that I have never seen before,” he said. “I wanted to be on the front
line right away.” Mr. Cardenas was referring to a “kindergarten readiness
program” for 4-year-olds that takes place almost entirely online. Called
Waterford Upstart and run by a nonprofit group, Waterford.org, it has children
spend 15 minutes a day, five days a week over the course of nine months, tapping
through lessons on a computer. About 16,000 children in 15 states graduated
from the program this year, and the Waterford expects to expand the program to
a projected 22,000 students by 2020. This is not a program for children of the
rich, who are generally enrolled in play-based preschools that last at least
several hours. Instead, it is geared to lower-income families with fewer
prekindergarten options. Like hospitals that have doctors consulting through
teleconferencing and elder-care facilities that offer nursing via avatar,
online preschools are cheaper than traditional schooling.
SURVEY OF RURAL SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES
Rural Schools
Collaborative By Ryan Fowler, TNTP JUNE 25, 2019
Through a
partnership between NREA, Rural Schools Collaborative, and TNTP, the Survey of
Rural Schools and Communities gathered input from rural teachers and community
members from across the country to help us gain a sense of assets and
opportunities that rest within individuals states and regions. When it comes to
recruiting teachers to rural schools, we know that an understanding of
individual places matters deeply. So, we asked rural people to tell us what
they love about their communities and what they see as barriers for recruiting
teachers to come to their local schools.
PA STATE CHARTER SCHOOL APPEAL BOARD
Schedule of Meetings
Pennsylvania Bulletin [49 Pa.B. 3456] [Saturday, June 29, 2019]
Pennsylvania Bulletin [49 Pa.B. 3456] [Saturday, June 29, 2019]
The State Charter
School Appeal Board will meet as follows:
|
July 24, 2019
|
1 p.m.
|
Honors Suite
|
|
September 17,
2019
|
1 p.m.
|
Honors Suite
|
|
October 22, 2019
|
1 p.m.
|
Honors Suite
|
|
December 3, 2019
|
1 p.m.
|
Heritage Suite A
|
|
January 14, 2020
|
1 p.m.
|
Honors Suite
|
|
February 25, 2020
|
1 p.m.
|
Honors Suite
|
|
April 14, 2020
|
1 p.m.
|
Honors Suite
|
|
May 19, 2020
|
1 p.m.
|
Heritage Suite A
|
|
June 16, 2020
|
1 p.m.
|
Honors Suite
|
Unless due and
timely notice to the contrary is given, these meetings will be held as previously
stated. The Honors Suite is on the First Floor, Department of Education
Building, 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA. Heritage A is off the lobby right
past the security gates.
Persons with
disabilities needing special accommodations to attend the meetings may contact
Sara Hockenberry, Counsel to the Board, 9th Floor, 333 Market Street,
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333, (717) 787-5500 or the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay
Service (800) 654-5984 at least 24 hours in advance so that arrangements can be
made.
PSBA Members: State Budget Webcast JUL 9, 2019 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Join PSBA government affairs experts for an in-depth look at the 2019-20
state budget and related School Code bills. What do the new numbers and policy
changes mean for your school district, teachers and students? Bring your
questions to this complimentary webcast for members!
Presenters: PSBA Chief
Advocacy Officer John Callahan, Director of Government Affairs Jonathan Berger
and Director of Research Andy Christ. This webcast is for PSBA members only. Members
may register at no cost online through PSBA’s webconferencing host: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7177219780206800141.
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
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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