Started in November 2010, daily postings from the Keystone State
Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education
policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and
congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of
Education, Wolf education transition team members, superintendents, school solicitors,
principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher
leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations,
education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory
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These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
If any of your colleagues would like to be added to the
email list please have them send their name, title and affiliation to KeystoneStateEdCoalition@gmail.com
PA Ed Policy Roundup August 23, 2019
Of 90 kids starting 6th grade at KIPP, 34 finished 8th
grade; of those 34, 7 years later, 44% (~15) had completed a 2 or 4 year
degree.
PA Ed Policy Roundup will be offline on vacation
next week
PA House is back in session on September
17th
PA Senate is back in session September
23rd
PA Charter Trivia: The Inquirer
reported this week that in Philadelphia, about one-third, or 70,000 of the
city’s 200,000 public school students, attend charters. On February 22, 2011 I testified at a House
Democratic Policy Committee hearing in Philly where Mary Rochford, the
Superintendent of Archdiocese Schools at the time, testified that they had lost
upwards of 30,000 students to charter schools.
Blogger comment: Powerful, compelling
work by WHYY’s Avi Wolfman-Arent in the article and podcast below. Education
advocates and policymakers of all stripes continue to struggle mightily with
how to best educate these students. "Of 90 kids
starting 6th grade at KIPP, 34 finished 8th grade"; of those 34, 7 years
later, 44% (~15) had completed a 2 or 4 year degree.
“When KIPP came to Philly, it made a big
promise to its first class of students. It would get them to and through
college. On this week’s episode of Schooled, @Avi_WA finds out if that promise came true 15 years later.”
Don’t eat the marshmallow: Students from a ‘no excuses’
charter grow up to tell the tale
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent August 21, 2019 Listen
Jayuana Bullard sat
upright on her bed — in a room wallpapered with lipstick imprints, in a house
crumbling from neglect, in a neighborhood known as one of Philadelphia’s most violent. The thought came easily, like she’d summoned it before. “I wonder if
they felt like they failed somehow,” she said. They were her
teachers from a middle school she’d left more than a decade ago. She not only
remembered them, she wanted their approval. Still. All these years later. “Sometimes
I think about it,” she said. “And I wonder.” Jayuana is 25, an age when middle
school is often a distant memory. We may be able to name a teacher or class
that still resonates. Perhaps we had some social awakening as we passed from
childhood to adolescence. Few of us probably see our lives as a referendum on
the people that taught us in middle school.
Not Jayuana. “As
far as my character, as far as me figuring out how to get things done and
figuring out how to treat people on a daily basis…Me as a human?” she said.
“They played such a big role.” There’s not a statistic, a data point, a
concrete, measurable outcome in Jayuana’s life that would lead you to this
conclusion. But, when you talk to Jayuana and hear the plain conviction in her
voice — you know it. So what was this school? It was one of Philadelphia’s
first ‘no excuses’ charter schools. And the students were like guinea pigs in
an intense educational experiment, one designed to alter lives and, crucially,
measure whether it worked. A dozen years after the school’s first class
graduated eighth grade, the students are now in their mid 20s. We caught up
with Jayuana and 32 of her former classmates. Some who made it to graduation,
some who didn’t. Some who praise the school, others who abhor it. But we were
most interested in the people themselves.
“Despite having our own successful cyber
option, Conneaut School District has been required by the 2002 Pennsylvania
Cyber Charter School Law to pay in excess of $7.6 million tax dollars to
outside cyber charter schools since 2014-15. Moreover, for the fiscal year
ending June 30, Conneaut School District is paying over $1.5 million tax
dollars or an average $16,505 per student to outside cyber charter businesses. The
average amount per regular education student is $13,324 and $32,626 for each special
education student enrolled in outside cyber charter business. Despite these
mandatory fees, statewide performance of these outside cyber charter schools
has been poor. Of the 13 current Pennsylvania cyber charter businesses,
four-year, on-time graduation rates after students begin high school range from
31 percent to 71 percent. Only five exceed a 60 percent
graduation rate within four years of starting high school.”
COLUMN: Proposed
legislation on cyber schools would help districts like Conneaut
Meadville Tribune
Letter By Kevin Jacobs Jun 27, 2019
Kevin Jacobs is a
member of the Conneaut Board of School Directors.
As a member of
the Conneaut School Board, I want to inform readers about cyber charter school
tuition payments that Conneaut School District has been required by PA Cyber
Charter School Law to pay to outside, for-profit, cyber charter schools. I’m
also asking readers to contact our elected state representatives, state
senators and Gov. Tom Wolf to support House Bill 526 sponsored
by Rep. Curt Sonney and Senate Bill 34 sponsored by Sen. Judy
Schwank to update the 2002 PA Cyber Charter School Law. Conneaut School
District, covering a geographical area of 319 square miles in western Crawford
County, recognized cyber school eight years ago and created our own cyber
curriculum to serve district families. Conneaut’s cyber curriculum has proved
beneficial to hundreds of students’ education needs through either full-cyber
or blended-cyber (combination of cyber and brick-and-mortar curriculums). For
example, during the 2018-19 school year, over 180 Conneaut students
participated in Conneaut’s cyber curriculum with 11 being full-cyber and the
remaining using the blended option. Conneaut’s cyber students with their
parents or guardians are required to periodically meet with our faculty and
guidance counselors to ensure they remain on track toward graduation
requirements. Students receive remedial tutoring when difficulties arise. This
greatly reduces failures and wasting valuable tax dollars.
“Wolf — who acknowledged that some
charters are "doing an excellent job” — drew a favorable response Tuesday
from several Republican lawmakers. “Quite frankly, I find it encouraging,” Rep.
Curt Sonney (R., Erie), who chairs the House Education Committee, said Tuesday.
“I agree it’s long overdue." Sonney said he planned to introduce cyber
charter reform legislation, though he did not know whether House leadership
would support it. In the Senate, Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Browne
(R., Lehigh) called for a special session on charter-school funding, saying the
issue had “reached a crisis point." Pennsylvania’s charter-school funding
formula, passed into law in 1997, was “the best available platform at that
time,” Browne said in a statement. “However, now it has created an
irreconcilable financial conflict between charter and traditional schools which
mandates both in-depth review and responsible legislative and executive action
to address.” Under the charter law, school districts fund charter schools based
on enrollment. Charter schools have become one of the biggest expenses for school districts, along with pension contributions and special education
services. Charter schools have a large presence in cities like Philadelphia,
where about one-third, or 70,000 of the city’s 200,000 public school students
attend charters”
Gov. Tom Wolf pledges to change charter-school policy,
says more accountability needed
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Updated: August 13, 2019
Gov. Tom Wolf on
Tuesday pledged to overhaul Pennsylvania’s charter-school policy to increase accountability
for the schools, which have long been a source of controversy. At a news
conference at a school in Allentown, Wolf said he would direct the state
Department of Education to change regulations for charters, including
tightening ethics standards, charging fees for services provided by the state,
and allowing school districts to limit enrollment at charters that don’t
provide a “high-quality” education. Wolf also said he would push to revise
Pennsylvania’s charter law, which he called “one
of the most fiscally irresponsible laws in the nation." “I want to create a level playing field for
all taxpayer-funded public schools," Wolf said, and “increase the
accountability and quality of the charter-school system." It’s the latest
effort in Pennsylvania to reshape the charter-school movement, which has grown
even as the divisions over it have deepened. More than 143,000 students
attended Pennsylvania charter schools last year, up from 79,000 students nearly
a decade earlier.
“The debate on charters and cyber
charters has reached perfect storm status. We finally have enough voices in
Harrisburg to address a problem 22 years in the making. I look forward to
working with Governor Wolf, Senator Pat Browne, Senator Wayne Langerholc, and
others who are willing to stand up for a fair system of education funding for
all of our public schools. We must act now before it is too late.”
Guest Column: Charter
school reform crucial for fair education funding
Delco Times By Sen.
Tommy Tomlinson Times Guest Columnist August 23, 2019
Sen. Tommy
Tomlinson, R-Bucks, serves in the Pennsylvania Senate. (and
is a member of the Senate Education Committee)
For years,
traditional public school districts have come to Harrisburg concerned about the
costs of charter and cyber charter education. Local property taxes continued to
increase, but districts had little to show for it as they were sending that
money directly to the charter schools. Harrisburg has been slow to address the
problem. So slow that we hit a crisis in education. It’s time to fix the
problem; fix it now: to solve the funding crisis, to demand accountability and
to see the results.
Charters started as
a means of improved innovation and educational outcomes. Twenty-two years into
the experiment, the results are mixed. Sure, there are success stories of
children who thrived in these alternative settings and we applaud those. But we
also have to ask, at what cost?
Case in point: The
Bensalem School District. It’s a top notch school district and ground zero for
the charter school funding debate. Like most districts, Bensalem has seen
staggering increases in charter, special education and pension costs. These increases
have forced districts to cut programs, raise taxes and deplete fund balances.
In the last decade, Bensalem’s payments to charter schools have quadrupled and
yet outside of these large cost drivers, their actual spending has increased on
average by less than 1% each year. Their tax increases are going to fund
charter schools. While Bensalem is a good steward of its resources, how can it
continue a practice that will lead to financial failure for our students and
community?
If this charter
school funding fiasco can cripple Bensalem, none of the other 499 school
districts are immune and Harrisburg is finally seeing those districts hit the
financial cliff. For years, I have watched charter proposals that address
“charter reform,” but fail to talk about the underlying problem of funding.
This legislative session I put together a package of bills to address those
issues in a fair and responsible manner. I’m not looking to close charter
schools, but I do want students to be funded equally. I want common sense
approaches that direct funding in a logical manner.
Nothing to see here; move along…..
After a Philly charter school operator gave Pa. lawmakers
hundreds of thousands of dollars, they rewrote the law. One critic calls it
‘very suspicious.’
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Updated: August 23, 2019- 5:00 AM
When Belmont
Charter School in West Philadelphia reopens Thursday, it will have a
designation unlike any other in the state. The charter will be Pennsylvania’s
only “innovation school,” a status it received this month under a quickly
enacted change to state law that will allow it to seek waivers from federal and
state requirements. How Belmont got the title and what it might mean — for the
school, the School District, and the charter school movement — remains a bit of
a mystery. Belmont leaders — including its founder, a West Philly landlord and
generous political donor — say the new designation will allow the school to
better serve needy students and provide more mental health services. Critics
question why the change was necessary. “No one has any idea what this is,” said
Donna Cooper, executive director of the advocacy group Public Citizens for
Children and Youth (PCCY) and policy chief for former Gov. Ed Rendell. “I’ve
never seen anything like this.” The designation allows a school to request
waivers from certain state and federal requirements, including academic
testing, raising questions about whether Belmont could become exempt from
standards for other schools. It was enacted June 28, two days after being added
to legislation amending the public school code.
Blogger commentary: So nobody knows who
in Harrisburg inserted the language in the PA School code and nobody knows who at
Belmont Charter asked for it to be done. What we do know is that over $600,000
in campaign contributions were made by Mr. Karp and his company, UCH, for PA
state offices from 2016 through 2019.
And don’t forget for a minute that this
is a PUBLIC Charter School….
Here’s a rerun of our rant on this topic
from July 10th.
Reprise: Follow the Money:
Charter Operator Cost of Doing Business?
Keystone State Education Coalition PA Ed Policy
Roundup July 10, 2019
In an effort to gain a better understanding
of the dynamics in Harrisburg, from time to time over the years we have
published “Follow the Money” charts using data from the PA Department of
State’s Campaign Finance Reporting website:
We’ll leave it up to our readers to draw
their own conclusions regarding how such contributions may or may not influence
policymakers as they go about the people’s business in Harrisburg. Michael Karp
is the founder and board chair of the Belmont Academy and Belmont Elementary
Charter Schools in West Philly. He is also the principal at
University Housing Company (UCH), which owns and manages 4000+ apartment units.
The chart below lists
over $600,000 in campaign contributions made by Mr. Karp and UCH for PA state
offices from 2016 through 2019. Highlights include $280,000 to the House
Republican Campaign Committee, $160,000 to the Senate Republican Campaign
Committee, $100,000 to House Speaker Mike Turzai, $25,000 to Senate Majority
Leader Jake Corman’s Build PA PAC, $25,000 to Senate President Pro Tempore Joe
Scarnati, $25,000 to House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, $10,000 to Senate
Appropriations Majority Chairman Pat Browne and, for good measure, $10,000 to
Senate Appropriations Minority Chairman Vincent Hughes, $10,000 to the Senate
Democratic Campaign Committee and $2500 to Governor Wolf’s Wolf PAC.
#HR1878 would create
a 10 year "flight path" to reach the full 40% federal funding level
intended for IDEA, saving all school districts and taxpayers $$$. Has your PA
congressperson cosponsored it yet? If not, why not?
Here’s the twitter
handles of PA members of Congress who have NOT cosponsored HR18178 thus far: @RepFredKeller @MikeKellyPA @RepDwightEvans @GReschenthaler @ConorLambPA @RepScottPerry @RepSusanWild @USRepMikeDoyle @RepCartwright @RepJohnJoyce @RepMeuser @RepSmucker
Blogger note: No, I am not related to
Mike Feinberg…
KIPP co-founder Mike
Feinberg sues charter school network for defamation
Houston Chronicle
by Lisa Gray and Jacob Carpenter Aug. 22, 2019
Mike
Feinberg, co-founder of KIPP, filed a lawsuit against the national charter
network Thursday, the beginning of what he said was an attempt to clear his
name. KIPP fired Feinberg, shown here in June 2011, in 2017 after declaring
that investigation into allegations Feinberg had sexually assaulted a middle
school student 20 years ago and had harassed two adult female KIPP alumni were
credible.
Mike Feinberg,
co-founder of KIPP, filed a defamation lawsuit against the national charter
network Thursday in a bid to force the organization to turn over information to
rebut the sexual assault and harassment allegations that led to his firing. KIPP
fired Feinberg 18 months ago, at the height of the #MeToo movement, saying it
had deemed allegations that he had sexually assaulted one of KIPP’s middle
school students 20 years ago and had harassed two adult female alumni who
worked for KIPP were credible. Feinberg denied he had ever done anything
sexually improper with KIPP students or alumni. The lawsuit, filed in the 11th
state district court in Harris County, is an attempt to clear his name, he
said. “I’m finally getting a chance to defend myself,” Feinberg said. “For the
past 18 months, I’ve wanted to defend myself while not wanting to trash KIPP in
any way. KIPP is my baby. But what the board did to me is flat-out wrong. I
can’t sit idly back and take one for the team. “I go to bed every night with a
hole in my soul,” he said. KIPP leaders issued a prepared statement in
response, calling Feinberg’s lawsuit “baseless and frivolous.”
“K12’s software is used by three
conventional cyber charters in Pennsylvania – Agora, Insight Pennsylvania, and
Pennsylvania Virtual – along with Passport Academy, a charter that provides
accelerated online courses for older students.”
Cyber operator K12 Inc. exposed students’ personal data
The notebook August
22 — 8:28 am, 2019
Such
breaches present an increasing threat in the education sector. "Our data is
the new oil," said one parent.
Nearly 7 million
student records containing personal information were exposed to the public
earlier this summer at K12 Inc., one of the country’s largest operators of
cyber charter schools and a provider of online services to school districts. Researchers
exposed the breach in late June, and the company fixed it five days later. The
incident is not unique, and it illustrates a threat to educational data that
grows worse each year, under a shaky legal framework that is rarely enforced. Across
the country, K12 Inc. has 45,000 students in the schools it operates. It has contracts
with 1,100 school districts, bringing the total number of students for whom it
has records to more than 200,000. Some of the data exposed belonged to former
students, because the database went back to 2015. The millions of compromised
records included information on 19,000 individuals, according to a K12
spokesman. The records were left open to anyone with an internet connection,
said Paul Bischoff, one of the two researchers who discovered the
security breach and wrote a report for Comparitech, a website that researches and compares tech services and reports
what it finds out. The available information included name, gender, age,
birthday, school, and email address, among other academic information. The
database was also indexed by two search engines, meaning it would appear as a
search result for users.
MAP: Where are
Pennsylvania school property taxes highest?
By EUGENE TAUBER THE MORNING CALL | AUG 22, 2019 | 8:00 AM
Pennsylvania
taxpayers are engaged in discussions around water coolers, kitchen tables and
committee meeting rooms over whether to overhaul the complicated taxing
mechanisms that provide funds to the state’s 499 school districts. Approximately
$16.6 billion was raised through local taxes, the overwhelming majority of
which were through property taxes. The Pennsylvania Department of Education
calculates an equalized millage rate for each district by dividing the total
revenue generated by the total market value of the taxed property. The result
shows that some districts place vastly different burdens on their property
owners than others. The highest rate in the region is East Stroudsburg Area
School District in Monroe County, which collects $35.20 for every $1,000 of
property value. The lowest regional rate of $12.80 per $1,000 of property value
is shared by three districts: New Hope-Solebury and Palisades in Bucks County;
and Upper Merion Area in Montgomery. Hover over a district on the map below to
see more information. Districts shaded in orange are below the average tax rate
and districts in blue are higher than average. Use the sliding filters to show
only the higher- or lower- ranked districts.
Paul Muschick:
Seniors are being taxed out of their homes. Here’s one solution.
By PAUL MUSCHICK THE MORNING CALL | AUG 22, 2019 | 8:00 AM
The Pennsylvania
Lottery was started in 1971 for the sole purpose of providing property tax
relief to senior citizens. That’s no longer the case. But what if all lottery
earnings once again helped seniors pay taxes? Seniors frequently
complain about
how they fear being taxed out of their homes. Reverting the lottery to its
original purpose could significantly reduce some seniors’ tax bills. My
calculations show the state could provide more than $1 billion — nine times
more than it does now — to help struggling seniors pay property taxes. The
typical tax cut? About $2,300. MAP: Where are
Pennsylvania school property taxes highest? » That would be a tremendous help for seniors whose incomes are fixed but
whose property taxes rise almost every year. I raise the point
in light of the firestorm that was ignited in Harrisburg recently by Rep. Frank
Ryan, R-Lebanon. He suggested an alternate way to fund schools that includes
taxing some retirement benefits. The outcry was fierce, but I lauded
him for at
least reviving the discussion about changing the school funding formula. When I
asked for other suggestions to eliminate or reduce the burden of school taxes,
a few people mentioned the lottery. Susan L. Snyder of Emmaus noted she had
just seen a headline about the lottery having a record profit of more than
$1.14 billion in the fiscal year that ended in June.
Red Flag laws prevent
gun suicides and mass shootings. Pa. needs this law now | Opinion
PA Capital Star
Opinion By Sen. Tom Killion Capital-Star Op-Ed
Contributor August 23,
2019
The numbers are
beyond horrific. Every day in the United States, 100 people are killed with
guns and hundreds more are shot and injured. Nearly two-thirds of all yearly
gun deaths in this country are suicides, including over 1,000 children and
teens. In Pennsylvania, gun violence claims more than 1,500 lives every year,
with gun suicides comprising 63 percent of firearm deaths. Sixty-five percent
of veteran suicides in our state involve a gun. The everyday toll of gun
violence in America is utterly heartbreaking, and this violence routinely
shocks the collective soul of our nation. As we look for solutions to end
America’s epidemic of gun violence, one sure way to reduce firearm deaths is
through the implementation of Red Flag laws, also known as Extreme Risk
Protection Order (ERPO) laws. To date these laws have been enacted in 17 states
and the District of Columbia. Back on Feb. 14, which was the one-year
anniversary of the Parkland, Fla. tragedy where a gunman with a long history of
dangerous behavior killed 17 students and school employees, I introduced Red
Flag legislation here in Pennsylvania. My proposal, Senate Bill 90, would allow our
judges to temporarily remove firearms from people in crisis who pose an imminent threat of harming
themselves or others. It is currently before the Senate
Judiciary Committee.
McKeesport Area applies for flexible instruction program
Post-Gazette by DEANA CARPENTER AUG 22, 2019 4:08 PM
McKeesport Area
School District is applying for the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s
Flexible Instruction Day Program, which districts can use when students can’t
be in school - such as snow days. The school board on Aug. 14 unanimously
directed the administration to apply for the program, which was passed as part
of Act 64 earlier this year. If McKeesport’s application is approved, the
district would have five flexible learning days each school year during which
students could complete their studies at home on snow days or for any other
reason school may be canceled. The flexible instruction days would also cut
down on any additional makeup days, said Superintendent Mark Holtzman. “This is
so all students can be engaged on their day off,” Mr. Holtzman said. He added
that “there are certain criteria we have to meet,” to be approved for the
program. According to the state Department of Education, schools wanting to
participate must develop a local flexible instruction program, which must be
approved by the district’s school board prior to acceptance by the department. Districts
applying for the program will be notified by Nov. 1 by the Department of
Education if they have been approved.
Adolescent Health and
School Start Times: Science, Strategies, Tactics, & Logistics
Workshop Nov 13, Exton
Join school administrators and staff, including superintendents, transportation directors, principals, athletic directors, teachers, counselors, nurses, and school board members, parents, guardians, health professionals and other concerned community members for an interactive and solutions-oriented workshop on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Join school administrators and staff, including superintendents, transportation directors, principals, athletic directors, teachers, counselors, nurses, and school board members, parents, guardians, health professionals and other concerned community members for an interactive and solutions-oriented workshop on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Clarion Hotel in
Exton, PA
The science is clear. Many middle and high school days in Pennsylvania, and across the nation, start too early in the morning. The American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, and many other major health and education leaders agree and have issued policy statements recommending that secondary schools start no earlier than 8:30 am to allow for sleep, health, and learning. Implementing these recommendations, however, can seem daunting. Discussions will include the science of sleep and its connection to school start times, as well as proven strategies for successfully making change--how to generate optimum community support and work through implementation challenges such as bus routes, athletics, and more. Register for the workshop here: https://ssl-workshop-pa.eventbrite.com Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are able to offer early bird registration for $25, which includes a box-lunch and coffee service. Seating is limited and early bird registration ends on Friday, September 13.
For more information visit the workshop website www.startschoollater.net/workshop---pa or email contact@startschoollater.net
The science is clear. Many middle and high school days in Pennsylvania, and across the nation, start too early in the morning. The American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, and many other major health and education leaders agree and have issued policy statements recommending that secondary schools start no earlier than 8:30 am to allow for sleep, health, and learning. Implementing these recommendations, however, can seem daunting. Discussions will include the science of sleep and its connection to school start times, as well as proven strategies for successfully making change--how to generate optimum community support and work through implementation challenges such as bus routes, athletics, and more. Register for the workshop here: https://ssl-workshop-pa.eventbrite.com Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are able to offer early bird registration for $25, which includes a box-lunch and coffee service. Seating is limited and early bird registration ends on Friday, September 13.
For more information visit the workshop website www.startschoollater.net/workshop---pa or email contact@startschoollater.net
EPLC/DCIU 2019 Regional Training Workshop for PA School
Board Candidates Sept. 14th
The Pennsylvania Education
Policy and Leadership Center will conduct a regional Full Day Workshop for 2019
Pennsylvania School Board Candidates at the DCIU on September 14, 2019.
Target Audience: School Board Directors and
Candidates, Community Members, School Administrators
Description: Full Day Workshop for 2019 Pennsylvania School Board Candidates. Incumbents, non-incumbents, campaign supporters and all interested voters are invited to participate in this workshop. The workshop will include Legal and Leadership Roles of School Directors and School Boards; State and Federal Policies: Implications for School Boards; School District Finances and Budgeting; Candidates and the Law; Information Resources; "State and Federal Policies" section includes, but is not limited to: K-12 Governance; PA Standards, Student Assessment, and Accountability; Curriculum and Graduation Requirements; K-12 State Funding; Early Education; Student Choices (Non-Public, Home Schooling, Charter Schools, Career-Technical, and more); Teacher Issues; Linking K-12 to Workforce and Post-Secondary Education; Linking K-12 to Community Partners
***Fee: $75.00. Payment by Credit Card Only, Visa or Mastercard, PLEASE DO NOT SELECT ANY OTHER PAYMENT TYPE*** Registration ends 9/7/2019
Description: Full Day Workshop for 2019 Pennsylvania School Board Candidates. Incumbents, non-incumbents, campaign supporters and all interested voters are invited to participate in this workshop. The workshop will include Legal and Leadership Roles of School Directors and School Boards; State and Federal Policies: Implications for School Boards; School District Finances and Budgeting; Candidates and the Law; Information Resources; "State and Federal Policies" section includes, but is not limited to: K-12 Governance; PA Standards, Student Assessment, and Accountability; Curriculum and Graduation Requirements; K-12 State Funding; Early Education; Student Choices (Non-Public, Home Schooling, Charter Schools, Career-Technical, and more); Teacher Issues; Linking K-12 to Workforce and Post-Secondary Education; Linking K-12 to Community Partners
***Fee: $75.00. Payment by Credit Card Only, Visa or Mastercard, PLEASE DO NOT SELECT ANY OTHER PAYMENT TYPE*** Registration ends 9/7/2019
“Each member entity will have one vote
for each officer. This will require boards of the various school entities to
come to a consensus on each candidate and cast their vote electronically during
the open voting period (Aug. 23 – Oct. 11, 2019).”
PSBA Officer
Elections: Slate of Candidates
PSBA members
seeking election to office for the association were required to submit a nomination
form no later than June 1, 2019, to be considered. All candidates who properly
completed applications by the deadline are included on the slate of candidates
below. In addition, the Leadership Development Committee met on June 15th at
PSBA headquarters in Mechanicsburg to interview candidates. According to
bylaws, the Leadership Development Committee may determine candidates highly
qualified for the office they seek. This is noted next to each person’s name
with an asterisk (*).
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.
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.
