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PA Ed Policy Roundup August 14, 2019
Public hearing on Charter School
Funding
Senate Education Committee Wednesday, August 14, 2019 |
1:00 p.m.
Everett High School 1
Renaissance Cir, Everett, PA 15537 Bedford
County
Watch
Live at 1:00 pm;
Click on panelists names below to read their submitted written testimony
1:00 – 1:10
Opening Remarks
Senator
Wayne Langerholc, Jr. and Senator Andrew
Dinniman
1:10 – 1:40
Local Superintendents Panel
Dr. Daniel Webb, Superintendent, Everett Area School District
Dr. John Zesiger, Superintendent, Moshannon Valley School District
Dr. Mark Kudlawiec, Superintendent, Chestnut Ridge School District
Arnold Nadonley, Superintendent, Richland Area School District
Dr. John Zesiger, Superintendent, Moshannon Valley School District
Dr. Mark Kudlawiec, Superintendent, Chestnut Ridge School District
Arnold Nadonley, Superintendent, Richland Area School District
1:45 – 2:15
Statewide Perspectives Panel
Dr. Gerald Zahorchak, Former Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, 2006 – 2010
Mr. David Lapp, Director of Policy Research, Research for Action
Ms. Hannah Barrick, Assistant Executive Director, PASBO
Dr. Alan Sell and Tom Bullington, Bedford Area School District, PSBA
Mr. David Lapp, Director of Policy Research, Research for Action
Ms. Hannah Barrick, Assistant Executive Director, PASBO
Dr. Alan Sell and Tom Bullington, Bedford Area School District, PSBA
2:20 – 2:50
Charter Schools Panel
Dr. Maurice Flurie, CEO, Commonwealth Charter Academy Cyber School
Mr. Lawrence F. Jones, Jr., CEO, Richard Allen Preparatory Charter School
Mr. Michael Whisman, CPA, Shareholder, Charter Choices
Mr. Lawrence F. Jones, Jr., CEO, Richard Allen Preparatory Charter School
Mr. Michael Whisman, CPA, Shareholder, Charter Choices
2:50 – 3:00
Closing Remarks
Senator
Wayne Langerholc, Jr. and Senator Andrew Dinniman
Gov. Wolf Acts to
Ensure Charter Schools Better Serve Students and Taxpayers
Governor Wolf Press
Release August 13, 2019
Allentown, PA – Recognizing
Pennsylvania’s flawed and outdated charter school law is one of the worst in the nation, Governor Tom Wolf
is taking executive action, overhauling regulations, and will propose
legislation to comprehensively reform the law. The governor outlined his vision
that will strengthen charter school quality, accountability and transparency to
control costs and improve outcomes for students.
“Pennsylvania’s
charter school law is unfair for students, parents, school districts, and
taxpayers,” said Governor Wolf. “While many charter schools are succeeding,
others, especially some cyber charter schools, are underperforming and we are
not doing enough to hold them accountable to the taxpaying public and the
children they serve. “Today I’m announcing comprehensive charter school reform
through executive action, regulation, and legislation. These changes will level
the playing field for all taxpayer-funded public schools, strengthen the
accountability and transparency of charter and cyber charter schools, and
better serve all students.”
Brick-and-mortar
charter and cyber charter schools, and for-profit companies that manage many of
them, are not held to the same ethical and transparency standards of
traditional public schools. Despite the rising costs of charter schools to
school districts and property taxpayers, school districts and state government
have limited authority to hold charter schools accountable.
The poor academic
performance of some charter schools is also a concern. A recent report from
Stanford University found overwhelmingly negative results from Pennsylvania’s
cyber schools and called for the commonwealth to take urgent action.
Governor Wolf’s
proposal promotes innovation and choice, while ensuring that charter schools
are providing a high-quality education and meeting the same standards
Pennsylvanians expect from traditional public schools.
Rolling out charter
school reforms, Wolf calls for a ‘level playing field’
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth
Hardison August 13, 2019
Pa. Education
Secretary Pedro Rivera speaks alongside Gov. Tom Wolf in Allentown on Aug. 13.
Decrying
Pennsylvania’s charter school law as one of the worst in the nation, Gov. Tom
Wolf announced on Tuesday a series of executive actions that he says will
increase accountability and transparency for taxpayers and school students
across the commonwealth.
Charter schools
across Pennsylvania receive $1.8 billion in taxpayer funding each year and
enroll 140,000 students. Unlike traditional public schools, they’re run by
private management companies and boards that aren’t publicly elected. According
to Wolf, that’s because Pennsylvania has one of the most fiscally irresponsible
charter school laws in the nation.
“This is a problem
we all have to deal with,” Wolf said Tuesday at Harrison-Morton Middle
School in Allentown, where he appeared alongside public school
administrators and state lawmakers. “What we’re trying to do is make sure that
as students and families exercise [school] choice, we create a level playing
field.” Wolf said his reforms will hold brick-and-mortar and cyber charter
schools to the same standards as traditional public schools.
The new executive
actions will authorize the Pennsylvania Department of Education to recoup the
cost of administering the charter school law by billing charter schools for
payment processing and legal and administrative assistance, Wolf said. They’ll
also require charter schools to solicit public bids for goods and services, and
to comply with new ethics standards that prevent administrators from directing
public funds to themselves or their friends or families.
After years of gridlock, Wolf plans executive action on
charter school reform
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent August 13, 2019
After years of
political gridlock on charter school reform, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said
Tuesday he would use his executive power to hold charters to “the same ethical
and transparency standards of public schools.” Wolf’s proposal would allow
districts to cap enrollment at charter schools that fail to provide
“high-quality” education or equitable access and would ramp up oversight of
charter management companies — the private companies that sometimes provide
academic and logistical services to non-profit charter schools. He’d also
charge charter schools for the cost state agencies incur to oversee them and
reform charter enrollment practices, among other changes. He plans to direct
the Pennsylvania Department of Education to make these changes through
regulation. “Our laws currently do not allow us — they don’t allow us — to hold
charter schools and their operators to the same standards as our traditional
public schools,” Wolf said Tuesday. The announcement triggered an immediate
backlash from the state’s growing charter school sector, which educates about
143,000 children. “We’re very disappointed,” said Ana Meyers, executive
director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools.
Wolf announces executive orders and legislative proposals
on charter school reform
He called
for a moratorium on cyber charters and a cap on enrollment for low-performing
cybers.
The notebook by Greg Windle August 13 — 4:31
pm, 2019
Gov. Wolf announced
a plan on Tuesday to improve financial accountability and academics among
Pennsylvania’s charter schools, focusing on cyber charters and charter
management companies, through executive actions and new legislation. “Charter
schools, like traditional public schools, should be high quality and they
should be held accountable,” Wolf said. “But the laws currently don’t allow us
to hold charter schools and their operators to the same standards as
traditional public schools.” Wolf called the state’s charter law
“irresponsible” and “flawed.” He described the original intent of the law as
“creating new and innovative educational opportunities” and said that some
charter schools are doing this and doing it well. “Unfortunately, this is not
the case for all charter schools, especially among cyber charter schools,” he
said. On average, Pennsylvania charter schools have not improved student test
scores in reading compared to public schools and have done worse in math,
according to a study from Stanford
University cited by Wolf. It
also found that the academic situation was worse among the state’s cyber
charters, which dramatically underperform compared to public schools. The
governor plans to propose several pieces of legislation in the fall, including
one that would impose a moratorium on new cyber charter schools and cap
student enrollment at low-performing cybers, among other things. These would
require legislative approval, of course.
Note: This article includes a breakdown
of how much money each school district in the state spent in 2017-18 on charter
school tuition payments:
Wolf moves to reform Pa.’s ‘flawed’ charter school law
that he calls one of the worst in the nation
Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Aug 13, 9:22 PM; Posted Aug 13, 11:15
AM
Gov. Tom Wolf is
calling for some radical changes in Pennsylvania’s charter school law, a law
that he calls flawed, outdated and one of the worst in the nation. At a news
conference in Allentown Tuesday, Wolf announced executive actions he is
undertaking to reform the 22-year-old law. “We must update our flawed and outdated
charter law for the benefit of every student and every taxpayer in the
commonwealth," he said. Wolf acknowledged at the news conference that
“there are charter schools out there doing an excellent job ... unfortunately
this is not the case for all charter schools, especially among cyber
schools."
Governor wants to take Pa.’s charter school law from
among nation’s worst to 1 of its best
By Sara K. Satullo | For lehighvalleylive.com Updated Aug 13, 4:21 PM; Posted Aug 13, 12:57
PM
Pennsylvania’s
22-year-old charter school law’s gained national notoriety for being one of the
nation’s worst, Gov. Tom Wolf says. Now he wants to flip that reputation on its
head. Wolf on Tuesday visited Allentown’s Harrison-Morton Middle School to call
for a major reform of the state’s charter school law, which he called flawed
and outdated. When it was enacted, the charter school law was one of the first
in the nation, billed as an engine to spur creativity and innovation outside of
the confines of the traditional public school system. Its track record has been
mixed. “This law has gained national notoriety for being one of the most
fiscally irresponsible laws in the nation," Wolf said, flanked by the
superintendents of the Allentown and Bethlehem Area school districts, which
deal daily with the financial ramifications of the law. "(It’s) a law that
has forced some school districts to increase property taxes way out of
proportion to the educational outcomes. I want Pennsylvania to be known for
having a good charter school law.” Wolf acknowledged there are charter schools
doing excellent work -- he pointed to one his wife helped found a decade ago in
York County as such an example -- but that’s not the case for all, especially
among the state’s 15 cyber charter schools that offer students the opportunity
to learn remotely via computer, he said. Wolf pointed to a study by Stanford
University’s Center for Research
on Education Outcomes’ 2019 that
identified “overwhelming negative results from online charter schools" in
Pennsylvania and urged lawmakers to reassess Pennsylvania’s charter school
rules.
Gov. Wolf calls for
sweeping reforms for charter schools in Pennsylvania
Trib Live by DEB ERDLEY | Tuesday,
August 13, 2019 5:16 p.m.
Gov. Tom Wolf on
Tuesday vowed to level the playing field between Pennsylvania’s traditional
public schools and charter and cyber charter schools. He said the latter lack
accountability and transparency and are draining millions of dollars from
struggling school districts. Calling the state’s 22-year-old public charter
school law flawed and outdated, Wolf said he plans to introduce a sweeping
array of executive orders and will propose legislation to require additional
transparency and accountability from charter and cyber charter schools that
enroll about 140,000 students across Pennsylvania at a cost of $1.8 billion a
year to taxpayers. While the majority of brick-and-mortar charter schools are
located in urban areas, rural and suburban school districts feel the impact of charter school costs when students leave to enroll in cyber charter schools. The governor’s
proposals come on the heels of months of complaints from public school
advocates in the state who say school districts are being made to pay through
the nose when students leave for charter and cyber charter schools that have
little accountability to the public. When a student leaves a traditional school
for a charter, the amount the district spends per pupil goes with them to the
alternate school.
Charter schools decry ‘blatant attacks’ in Gov. Tom
Wolf’s plan to revamp state law
Penn Live By Ron Southwick | rsouthwick@pennlive.com Updated Aug 13, 5:52 PM; Posted Aug 13, 5:49 PM
Pennsylvania’s
charter schools took issue with Gov. Tom Wolf’s plans to revamp Pennsylvania’s
charter school law. Earlier Tuesday, the Democratic governor announced plans
to update
the state’s charter school law. Wolf said the law is “flawed and outdated” and hurts public schools. He
also said he wants to ensure the quality of charter schools and make them more
accountable to the public. The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools
sharply criticized Wolf’s proposals, saying they are ill-considered,
potentially illegal and could be considered discriminatory. Ana Meyers, the
coalition’s executive director, said in a statement that some of Wolf’s plans
represent “blatant attacks” on charter schools. The coalition said it would
pursue court action if the state’s charter school law is broken. Pennsylvania’s
180 charter schools serve more than 137,000 students. Under state law, students
can freely enroll in a charter school and districts are required to pay their
tuition. Last year, those costs reached more than $1.8 billion.
Gov. Tom Wolf pledges to change charter-school policy,
says more accountability needed
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Updated: August
13, 2019- 1:30 PM
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.
Gov. Tom Wolf calls
for charter school changes that could ease Allentown schools deficit
By JACQUELINE
PALOCHKO THE MORNING
CALL | AUG 13, 2019 | 4:10 PM
Gov. Tom Wolf
called Tuesday for changes in the special education and cybercharter funding
formulas that, if adopted by a reluctant Legislature, would save Allentown and
other financially strapped school districts millions. Calling the charter
school law “flawed" and “outdated,” Wolf told reporters in Allentown he
also is instructing the state Department of Education to develop new
regulations that would allow districts to limit student enrollment at charters
that do not provide a “high-quality” education, and to boost oversight over
charter school management companies. Democrat Wolf’s call for changes in
reimbursement formulas dictating how much public school districts must pay
charter and cyberschools for students would save districts like Allentown, now
facing a $6 million deficit, millions. But passage in the Republican-controlled
state Legislature, which created the charter school system, is far from
guaranteed. Unless that happens, Allentown remains over a financial barrel,
dependent on its charter schools to accept a voluntary 10% reduction in
payments for the 2019-20 fiscal year. Tuesday morning The Morning Call reported
incorrectly that the formula changes could be done by Wolf, guaranteeing an end
to the Allentown School District’s fiscal woes. But the administration, when
pressed for details, made it clear those changes would require legislative
approval.
PSBA Supports
Governor Taking Steps to Address Charter Funding Issues
PSBA Tuesday,
August 13, 2019 (Mechanicsburg, PA) – Today, Governor Tom Wolf is calling for reform of the currently
flawed funding system for charter and cyber charter schools and strengthening
accountability and transparency. PSBA is pleased to see the Governor take
action both by pushing much needed regulatory reform and proposing
comprehensive legislation. PSBA has long-supported efforts to promote a level
playing field between charter schools and traditional public schools, and has
continuously called for desperately needed funding reform.
Our current funding
system allows for drastically different tuition amounts from school districts
for similarly situated students, without regard to the charter schools’ actual
program costs. Based on preliminary numbers for the 2019-20 school year, school
district tuition payments to charter and cyber charter schools range from $9,052
per student for one district to $21,602 per student for another district for
the same education. When it comes to special education costs, the range is even
more dramatic, as one district is paying $17,939 per student, while another is
paying $48,522 per student, regardless of the severity of the student’s special
educational needs.
Digging further
into special education funding for charter schools, we know with certainty that
school districts are over-paying charter schools for special education students.
In 2016, a PSBA analysis of charter school special education revenue and
spending estimated that charter schools received $100 million more than the
reported spending on special education. Further, we have seen that special
education overpayments are exacerbated in cyber charter schools. 21.8% of cyber
charter students were identified for special education, compared to 16.8% in
traditional school districts.
PASBO: Governor Wolf Proposes Charter School Reform
PASBO 08/13/2019 15:44:34
PASBO APPLAUDS GOVERNOR WOLF'S PRIORITIZATION
OF CHARTER SCHOOL REFORM
The PA Association of School Business Officials (PASBO) applauds Governor Wolf for today's announcement prioritizing the need for charter school reform. While we appreciate the comprehensive charter school reform he has outlined, we are most encouraged by his recognition of the critical need for charter school funding reform, and we look forward to working with the governor and the General Assembly to include meaningful charter school funding reform in future modifications to the charter school law. Charter school tuition is one of the largest areas of mandated cost growth for school districts. During the 2017-18 school year, school districts paid $1.8 billion to charter schools, an increase of 10%—or $170 million—from the prior year. As a result, $0.37 of every new dollar raised in property taxes in 2017-18 went directly to charter schools. The amount of tuition a school district must pay a charter or cyber charter school each year is dependent on a calculation defined in the charter school law. Based on this law, each school district must pay a unique charter school tuition rate for each regular and special education student enrolled in a charter school.
https://www.pasbo.org/blog_home.asp?Display=107
The PA Association of School Business Officials (PASBO) applauds Governor Wolf for today's announcement prioritizing the need for charter school reform. While we appreciate the comprehensive charter school reform he has outlined, we are most encouraged by his recognition of the critical need for charter school funding reform, and we look forward to working with the governor and the General Assembly to include meaningful charter school funding reform in future modifications to the charter school law. Charter school tuition is one of the largest areas of mandated cost growth for school districts. During the 2017-18 school year, school districts paid $1.8 billion to charter schools, an increase of 10%—or $170 million—from the prior year. As a result, $0.37 of every new dollar raised in property taxes in 2017-18 went directly to charter schools. The amount of tuition a school district must pay a charter or cyber charter school each year is dependent on a calculation defined in the charter school law. Based on this law, each school district must pay a unique charter school tuition rate for each regular and special education student enrolled in a charter school.
https://www.pasbo.org/blog_home.asp?Display=107
Education Law Center
Applauds Gov. Wolf’s Call for Charter Reform
Statement from
Reynelle Brown Staley, policy director, Education Law Center August 13, 2019
“Gov. Wolf is
preparing to introduce regulations and propose new legislation governing the
state’s charter schools. The Education Law Center shares his sense of urgency
in addressing the issues of poor academic performance, equity concerns, and
rapidly growing costs of charters. We look forward to working with state
officials to implement regulatory and legislative changes that rectify these
problems. “As an organization dedicated to ensuring the educational rights of
all students in Pennsylvania’s public schools, we have repeatedly warned about
the lack of adequate oversight and accountability tools to protect Pennsylvania
students in the charter sector from unfair and discriminatory treatment. “Our
recent study of Philadelphia charter schools found that the city’s traditional
“brick-and-mortar” charter schools are not sharing equitably in the
responsibility of educating all students. For example, they serve significantly
fewer English learners than district schools, their population is less
economically disadvantaged, and fewer of their students receiving special
education require higher-cost aids and services. The result is that district
and charter schools do not compete on a level playing field, and far from
fulfilling their goal of providing educational alternatives to underserved
student groups, charters are not equitably serving these students. We know that
many of these same issues have arisen in districts across the state. We are
encouraged that Gov. Wolf is committed to developing new regulations that
ensure non-discriminatory charter school admissions and enrollment policies.
PCPCS Reacts to
Governor Wolf’s Charter “Reform” Proposal
Harrisburg – This
morning, Governor Tom Wolf held a press conference at the Allentown School District to introduce his charter “reforms”
which include executive actions to implement regulatory overhauls and changes
to PA’s Charter School Law. The following is a statement from Ana Meyers,
Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools, on
the Governor’s announcement.
“Pennsylvania’s
charter school community – 180 schools educating 135,000+ students – was
shocked to learn of Governor Wolf’s press conference this morning announcing
his so-called charter reform package. Though the Governor often touts his
willingness to bring stakeholders together to collaborate on issues affecting
the Commonwealth, it seems that this only applies to stakeholders who share his
political ideologies. Despite the Governor’s reform proposal having the
potential to drastically impact PA charter schools and the thousands of
families they serve, he neglected to consult any stakeholders from the charter
school community in the drafting of his proposal. There is no way that Governor
Wolf would ever think of proposing reforms that effect the operations of school
districts or the teaching profession without consulting the special interest
groups who represent these entities in Harrisburg. Furthermore, it seems that
Governor Wolf is abusing his authority as we believe that some of what he is
proposing through executive order and regulatory action is contrary to the law.
This includes a “fee for services” that he is directing the PA Department of
Education to institute for the work they do to implement the Charter School
Law. It is outrageous that charter schools will have to spend taxpayer dollars,
earmarked for educating children, to navigate the red tape that politicians and
bureaucrats have created. We will be watching how the Governor implements his
proposal in the coming days and weeks, and are prepared to challenge this
administration in court if the Charter School Law is broken in any way.
2019 Legislative
Trends Impacting Authorizing: More Expectations and Protecting Autonomy
National Association
of Charter School Authorizers August 2019
Despite the tenor
of the national rhetoric, 2019 was a quiet year for charter school legislation
in statehouses across the country. That said, as we reflect on this year’s
legislative activity, two trends highlight how policymakers are looking to
authorizing as a lever to strengthen and grow their state charter school
sectors. This week, we’ll explore the first trend: legislation that either
places more expectations on authorizers or protects and expands their autonomy.
Next week, we’ll dive into states with diverging views on statewide
authorizing.
Placing Additional
Expectations for Authorizers
Seven states
introduced bills that placed additional expectations on authorizers, though
many of these bills either failed to reach a final vote or are still pending. Bills
with additional expectations for authorizers passed in two states. Nevada enacted authorizer-supported
legislation requiring
authorizers to conduct an academic needs assessment for the geographic area
they cover, conduct three site visits during a charter school’s term, and
develop action plans alongside schools for addressing deficiencies. Hawaii enacted legislation giving authorizers additional financial
oversight, including granting them input on which independent auditor schools
can use. Legislation in other states ultimately fell short. In Arizona, legislation would have required an authorizer to annually compile and
publicly report information on the governing boards of each school it oversees.
In California, a bill would have required authorizers to review and approve “local
control and accountability plans,” in addition to mandating charter schools
follow the same requirements applicable to school districts when developing
these plans. In Missouri, authorizers would have been required to evaluate charter schools on
financial and operational metrics in addition to academic metrics. Lastly, a
bill is pending in Washington DC that would require the DC Public Charter
Schools Board to monitor new governance requirements, publish additional
financial information from charter schools, and oversee FOIA compliance.
Innovative Arts
Academy Charter pledges curriculum overhaul, benchmarks for academic
improvement
By SARAH M. WOJCIK THE MORNING CALL | AUG 13, 2019 | 9:52 PM
As the Innovative
Arts Academy Charter School awaits a vote on the renewal of its charter,
leaders sought to demonstrate their commitment to academic improvement Tuesday.
The career-focused charter school, which serves grades 6 through 12, is under
new leadership with interim CEO Bradley Schifko. School leaders sought to
distance themselves from the school’s past by presenting a strategic growth
report to the Catasauqua Area School Board, pledging to rework curriculum and
follow data-driven benchmarks for growth and progress. The school’s
charter is under review for renewal after administrators with the Catasauqua Area
School District, where the
charter school is located, determined the school was failing its students. The
decision on whether to renew the charter rests with the school board, which
will likely vote on Sept. 10. Ernest Batha, director of curriculum for the
charter school, said there would be a new focus on data benchmarks at the
school to track progress as well as professional development and teacher
performance.
Last Chance High: Beautiful band of misfits fight to
graduate — part two
WHYY Air
Date: August 14, 2019 Listen 24:32
On this episode
of Schooled, we continue following Joshua Martinez and his
classmates at El Centro de Estudiantes as they fight to graduate. But a teacher
at El Centro raises serious criticism about the rigor of the school that leads
to bigger questions: For students who are far behind grade level, how much
should we really expect? Where’s the line for who deserves a diploma? “Being
bit of a whistleblower, or saying, like, ‘This is the man behind the curtain’
comes with a certain level of risk,” said El Centro teacher Kate Wand.
This is the
conclusion of the “Last Chance High” storyline in Schooled’s third season.
Listen to part two
above, or wherever you get your podcasts. The full story can be read here.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick finds ‘incredible’ overcrowding at
southern border facility
Bucks County Courier Times By Chris
English Posted at 5:00 AM
The Republican
Congressman and a Democratic colleague visited a full-fledged detention center
and three other spots for processing immigrants during a fact-finding trip
Tuesday. He wanted to see conditions for himself, and one of the things
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick witnessed during a fact-finding trip to the
southern border Tuesday was “incredible” overcrowding at a detention center in
Hidalgo County, Texas. Fitzpatrick, R-1, of Middletown, and Democratic
colleague Rep. Josh Harder, of California, toured the detention center and
three other Customs and Border Protection facilities in Texas to get a better
idea of the complex issues facing the nation’s immigration system. Both are
members of the Problem Solvers Caucus. “We saw the whole system from soup to
nuts,” Fitzpatrick said in a telephone conversation after the tour. “We saw
incredible overcrowding but not mistreatment. We spoke to several children and
adults, and they all said they were being treated well.” His visit came a day
after a new Pew Research Center survey found the American public is broadly
critical of the administration’s handling of the wave of migrants at the
southern border, with nearly two-thirds of Americans — 65% — saying the federal
government is doing a very bad or somewhat bad job. The survey found broad
support for developing a pathway to legal status for immigrants living in the
country illegally.
“At the other end of the wealth scale,
Morrisville Borough School District in Bucks County has the largest annual tax
increase in the region, 6.3%. Bob Bruchak, Morrisville’s business manager, said
rising special education and charter school costs have forced tax hikes. From
the 2015-16 to 2018-19 school year, Bruchak said charter school costs nearly
doubled, from $589,000 to more than $1 million. In that time, Morrisville’s
state funding increased by less than $100,000. "State funding has been
pretty flat for us,” said Bruchak. “The increases have been nominal. … They
don’t even cover the increases in pension funds.”
How much are your school taxes increasing? Here’s a
district-by-district look at the Philly region.
Inquirer by Lucia Geng and Laura McCrystal, Updated: 57
minutes ago
Barbara Robertson
moved to Chester County to live closer to her daughter. Robertson and her
husband, who are in their 80s, left Montgomery County and settled into a home
in the Villages at Hillview, a 55-and-older community in Valley Township. There’s
just one problem: The annual school district tax bill for their home is nearly
$6,500, after the Coatesville Area School District board approved a 3.9%
increase for the 2019-2020 school year. In the six years they’ve owned the
house, school taxes have increased more than 20 percent, and their district’s
tax rates are among the highest in the region. “I’m just fed up with it,”
Robertson said Monday, after attending a hearing on education funding hosted by
state lawmakers in Coatesville. “I’m ready to go back to the house I left.” The
Robertsons are among hundreds of thousands of homeowners in the Philadelphia
region who have learned to expect regular school-tax increases. In all, 52 of
59 school districts in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware Counties have
raised taxes for the 2019-2020 fiscal year, according to an Inquirer analysis. The
average increase is about $100 per household, or 2%, and continues a trend. In
the last 10 years, on average, taxes have risen close to $1,000 per household,
or nearly 25%, The Inquirer’s analysis showed. Increases in 48 school districts
have exceeded the rate of inflation; rates were double inflation in eight
districts.
School officials
say they are waging a constant battle against rising expenses, particularly for
mandated costs for pensions, special-education programs, and charter-school
payments.
Property tax
elimination hearing draws big crowd, but agreement still scarce
PA Capital Star By Stephen Caruso August 13, 2019
YORK, Pa. — To Jim Rodkey, property tax
is serfdom. “I am here today because I
believe the property tax to be the most morally irresponsible, regressive, and
unfair system of taxation in existence,” Rodkey, the head of the Pennsylvania Property Rights Association, a nonprofit group opposed to property taxes, said Tuesday. “Regardless
of the strides that have been made in our society in the name of justice and
progress, here we are still clinging to a system of taxation that is rooted in
European feudal systems.” Rodkey
was one of a half dozen advocates and experts who joined a gaggle of Republican
lawmakers at Penn State University’s York campus for a hearing on property tax
elimination. In front of a midday crowd of more than 100 people, the
Senate Majority Policy Committee heard fiery pleas for the commonwealth to
replace its system of collecting school taxes, as well as some bubbling anger
over perceived waste in education spending. According to an estimate by the
Independent Fiscal Office, a nonpartisan state policy analysis agency,
Pennsylvania’s school districts are forecasted to collect $15.28 billion in property taxes this fiscal
year to
help pay for education costs. These locally collected taxes are supplemented
with money allocated by the state from its General Fund.
Lawmakers hear calls for action on property tax reform;
‘we’re reaching the breaking point’
Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Posted Aug 13, 6:27 PM
Why Pennsylvania
has struggled for decades to come up with a different funding source other than
property taxes to pay for public schools became apparent during a two-hour
discussion on Tuesday. At a well-attended workshop in a Spring Garden Township
auditorium, state representatives and senators heard from school officials who
aren’t opposed to moving to a different way of funding schools. What they are
worried about though is being starved for money to pay for mandated costs such
as pension, charter school and special education over which they have no
control. Businesses, meanwhile, don’t want to end up bearing a larger tax
burden. No one wants to see retired people on fixed incomes lose their home
because of unpaid taxes.
Renters want
guarantees their rents will decrease if the tax burden gets shifted to higher
income or sales taxes.
Plan to tax
retirement income instead of property will be yanked without support of
seniors, author says
By FORD TURNER THE MORNING CALL | AUG 13, 2019 | 6:17 PM
State Rep. Frank
Ryan, a 68-year-old longtime CPA and newcomer to politics, said Tuesday that he
would not move forward with a proposal to eliminate the school property tax in
part by taxing retirement income unless seniors embrace the plan. So far, they
have not. Ryan, who first took office two years ago, caused a stir two weeks
ago when he outlined a proposal to get rid of school property taxes with a mix
of increases to other taxes and a new tax on retirement income, excluding
Social Security. The Morning Call received many emails and phone calls from
upset retirees following a story about the proposal. “People don’t understand that Social Security is not taxed,” said Ryan,
a Lebanon County Republican. Beyond that, he said, his proposal also would
exempt from the new retirement income tax any distributions from a retirement
plan that are a portion of the saver’s original contribution to the plan ―
referred to in CPA lingo as the “basis,” according to Ryan.
‘Biological sex’
policy to begin this month in Eastern Lancaster County
The ACLU of
Pennsylvania says the district is inviting a lawsuit.
PA Post by Ed Mahon
AUGUST 13, 2019 | 5:32 PM
A transgender
locker room policy is set to take effect later this month in one south central
Pennsylvania school district, despite concerns from the superintendent about
how it will be enforced. The board of the East Lancaster County School District
voted in April to require students to use bathrooms or locker rooms of the sex
they were assigned at birth — or to use private facilities. That policy was put
on hold in May after Superintendent Robert Hollister told school board members
he would not discipline transgender students who refused to comply with the new
policy. “It would be a violation of the law, as I understand it as a
superintendent,” Hollister said, adding, “I won’t ask the administrators to
pull the transgender student out of those areas, because of the ramifications
of that, because of trampling on that student’s rights.” The policy was created
after hundreds of community members showed up at board meetings, many of them
there to criticize the district’s practice of allowing a transgender student to
use the locker room and
bathrooms that matches his gender identity.
https://papost.org/2019/08/13/biological-sex-policy-to-begin-this-month-in-eastern-lancaster-county/
Mt. Pleasant teachers
issue strike notice
Trib Live by DEB ERDLEY | Tuesday,
August 13, 2019 2:10 p.m.
Mt. Pleasant Area
School District teachers who have been working without a contract for the last
year issued a strike notice this week after failing to reach an agreement
during their 15th negotiating session. The Mt. Pleasant Area Education
Association, which represents 143 teachers, counselors, nurses and school
psychologists, said it is not planning to strike prior to the Aug. 26 start of
school. The notice merely means the union has voted to give its leaders the
authority to call a work stoppage should they deem it necessary. Negotiations
have grown increasingly contentious since last fall, when the school board
declined to accept the recommendations of a 56-page fact finder’s report that weighed heavily in favor of the union’s
position. The two
sides remain deeply divided.
PHOTOS: Where The
Kids Across Town Grow Up With Very Different Schools
NPR July 25, 201911:06 AM ET
On one side of the
line — fresh paint and computer labs. Across that line? Old textbooks, broken
chairs and, above all, many more students of color. Decades after Brown
v. Board supposedly ended segregated schooling, these boundaries show
a country where education remains deeply divided and unequal. "You know it
as soon as you look at the school. You know it the minute you walk into a
classroom," says Rebecca Sibilia, the founder and CEO of EdBuild. Her
organization has a new report on the pervasive inequality in U.S.
schools.
"There are kids who see this every day, and they understand." Across
the country, racist housing policies created segregated neighborhoods. And
because many schools in the U.S. are funded locally, through property taxes or other funds, school districts
with wealthier residents are able to funnel money to their schools. Neighboring
school districts miss out. Additional money from state and the federal
governments is meant to close these local funding gaps, but it's seldom enough.
Decades after Brown, housing segregation combined with this funding
model have entrenched what EdBuild calls "racially isolated" school
systems. In nearly 1,000 communities, according to EdBuild, one school district
directly abuts a district that differs dramatically by racial makeup and
spending per student.
IU1 and The
Consortium for Public Education: Rachel's Challenge Presentation - Aug. 14 9:00 – 3:30 California University of
PA
IU1 and the
Consortium for Public Education are joining forces to bring you a FREE
professional development opportunity, Rachel's Challenge, presented by Darrell
Scott. The mission of Rachel's Challenge is to equip and empower adults and
students to sustain a positive culture change in their organization and
communities by starting a chain reaction of kindness and compassion. Rachel's
inspiring story provides a simple, yet powerful example of how small acts of
kindness and acceptance motivates us to consider our relationships with people
we come in contact with every day. Rachel's story gives us permission to start
our own chain reaction of kindness and compassion, which positively affects the
climate in our schools and communities. For more information, please visit https://rachelschallenge.org/.
To receive Act 48
hours for this event, you must complete all areas of the registration form
below, including entering your PPID number. Each person from your team must
register individually.
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
Join @RepBrianFitz and @CongBoyle at this complimentary focus meeting to talk about the
critical need to modernize and fully fund the federal Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Register for Federal Focus: Fully funding IDEA at William
Tennant HS Wednesday August 21st, 7-9 pm
PSBA News July 30, 2019
Join U.S. Representative Brian
Fitzpatrick (R-01) and other IDEA Act co-sponsors at this complimentary focus meeting to
talk about the critical need to modernize and fully fund the federal
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Learn about bipartisan
efforts now in the U.S. Congress to ensure that special education funding is a priority
in the federal budget, and how you can help bring this important legislation to
the finish line. Bring your school district facts and questions. This event
will be held Aug. 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Centennial School District in Bucks Co.
There is no cost to attend, but you must register through myPSBA.org. Questions
can be directed to Megan McDonough at (717) 506-2450, ext. 3321. This
program is hosted by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) and the
Centennial School District.
“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 (*).
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.
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 daysęź·ęź·gain 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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