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
agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via
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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 19, 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
EITC: Who’s Trading Public School Funding for a
Tax Credit?
Gadfly on the Wall
Blog August 18, 2019 stevenmsinger
Ever wonder why our
roads and public school
buildings are crumbling?
Ever wonder why schools
can’t afford books, buses and nurses?
Ever wonder
why classroom
teachers are forced to buy paper,
pencils and supplies for their students out of pocket? Because businesses
like Giant Eagle,
American Eagle Outfitters, and Eat’n Park aren’t paying their fair share. It’s a simple concept – you belong
to a society, you should help
pay for the
roads, bridges, schools, etc. that everyone needs to keep that society healthy.
After all, as a stockholder, CEO or business owner, you directly benefit from
that society. If it didn’t exist, you wouldn’t have nearly as many customers –
if any. Many of us learned this kind of stuff in kindergarten or grade school. But
ironically programs that allow businesses to avoid paying their fair share are
being used to short change many of those same kindergarten and grade schools. In
Pennsylvania, one such program is called the Educational
Improvement Tax Credit (EITC), and everyone from local banks to Duquesne Light
to UPMC healthcare providers are using it to lower their taxes while stealing from the public school
cookie jar. Here’s how it works.
EdWeek: A Big Charter School Struggle Has Been Galvanized
by a Democratic Governor
Education Week
Politics K12 Blog By Andrew Ujifusa on August
18, 2019 8:48 AM
A battle over
school choice in Pennsylvania is intensifying, in large part due to a governor
who doesn't like his state's status quo. Back in June, we reported
on Gov. Tom Wolf's decision to veto a bill expanding the state's tax-credit
scholarship program and
how, in doing so, the Democratic governor captured the mood of the national
party's skepticism of choice. Just a few days ago, Wolf underscored the
position he's staked out on the issue by calling for major changes to charter schools in the Keystone State. On Tuesday, the second-term governor
directed his state department of education to determine a way to limit
enrollment in "underperforming" charters (as the Associated Press put
it). In addition, according to the AP, Wolf also "wants charter schools to
meet stricter transparency, ethics, and financial management standards and to
prevent them from overcharging public schools for their services." (The
Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, which applauded Wolf's
proposals, said that in the 2017-18 school year, state school districts provided $1.8
billion to charter schools.) There
still is some uncertainty about what Wolf is proposing. Among the questions we
had about Wolf's suite of policy proposals:
- How exactly would the state determine what
constitutes a high-quality charter school or (conversely) a school that
fails to meet that standard?
- Why would Wolf oppose limiting enrollment at
these charters, instead of calling on them to be shut down or presenting a
proposal to the state legislature to do so?
- Does the state have any numbers to share about
how much his proposed financial reforms could benefit districts?
We put those
questions to the state education department, and we'll update this post if we
hear back. Pennsylvania's legislature is controlled by Republicans, making any
legislative proposals on this issue from Wolf a tough sell.
“Those who support charters say that
Wolf and legislators calling for reform are acting at the behest of state
teachers' unions. Those who support reforms point out that charter school
management companies are significant political contributors to legislative
leadership which can keep reform bills from coming to votes. And so it goes
with politics in Harrisburg. Charter school proponents say the system
guarantees choice for families who want an alternative to a struggling public
school. But it is a "choice" that leaves taxpayers with an unfair
burden and no accountability in the charter school to meet performance
standards. That's not a choice we can justify. Charter school reform is
desperately needed in Pennsylvania, both to contain costs for taxpayers and to
ensure educational standards are being met. The governor's leadership on this
issue is timely and on target.”
Pottstown Mercury Editorial
Aug 18, 2019
Gov. Tom Wolf last
week brought the long-simmering issue of charter school cost and accountability
to the front lines, vowing executive action and legislative reform of the
22-year-old charter school option in Pennsylvania. Speaking in
Allentown flanked
by public school officials, Wolf said he would take action to "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.” The specific reforms he promised would require transparency into the
ownership and management of charters and give local districts the authority to
limit enrollment in poor-performing schools. Currently, students can freely opt
for a charter school and their local public school district pays the tuition. In
recent years, particularly with the growth of cyber charters, the cost to
public schools has exploded. According to a statewide list compiled by PennLive, local district costs range from $2.7 million in Pottstown; $4 million
in Souderton; $8.9 million in Norristown; $9.3 million in Reading; $5.8 million
in Phoenixville, and up to $54.9 million in Chester-Upland. Public
schools take the most issue with cyber charters that provide online instruction
without the expense of brick-and-mortar schools and with poor to mediocre results.
School boards had strongly supported two reform proposals in the last
legislative session that would allow public school districts to acknowledge
their own cyber-learning programs as a competitive alternative to cyber
charters. House Bill 526 and Senate Bill 34 -- neither of which made it to floor votes -- could save $19.6
million in school taxes each year in Montgomery County alone, according to a March 2019 analysis by the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit.
“In
a statement after the committee hearing Wednesday, Langerholc said there’s
consensus that such reforms are needed. “It is clear from what we have heard
today that we need to establish fair, commonsense approaches that will provide
education funding in a way that supports all public students no matter where
they attend school without imposing a huge financial burden on taxpayers,” the
chairman said. State Sen. Pat Browne, R-Allentown, said the key issue is to
identify what the actual cost is to educate a student and use that as the
starting point for funding.”
Pennsylvania superintendents, charter school
administrators agree on need for funding changes, differ on details
By Steve
Bittenbender | The Center Square Aug 15, 2019
Members of the
Pennsylvania State Senate Education Committee heard contrasting comments this
week from public education superintendents and leaders of statewide cyber
charter schools about funding issues both face in educating students. Committee
Chairman Wayne Langerholc, R-Richland Township, called for the committee to meet
in Everett, a rural community roughly halfway between Harrisburg and
Pittsburgh, and hear from some leaders of smaller school districts about the
cost issues they face when students leave the public school system and enroll
in a statewide cyber charter. The issue in particular is a 22-year-old state
law that established how to fund charters. Many claim that law has set up a
sometimes contentious battle between educators. On Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf issued an executive order outlining changes in managing charters. Those changes include
requiring the charters to pay the state for the costs the state Department of
Education incurs to oversee them. In addition, Wolf wants the same ethics
standards for public educators to be applied to charter leaders. The governor
also wants the Republican-led General Assembly to push through a reform package.
Charter reform proposal must tackle cost inequity, local
school officials say
Lindsay C. VanAsdalan, York
Dispatch Published 8:45 a.m. ET Aug. 17, 2019 | Updated 9:01 a.m. ET Aug.
18, 2019
It's clear that the
funding formula for Pennsylvania charter schools does not equate tuition costs
with the cost of education — with skyrocketing price tags and a huge
discrepancy between districts, say local superintendents. "For 15
years, I've been waiting for someone to tackle this problem," said
Northern York County Superintendent Eric Eshbach. Northern York paid about
$10,000 in regular education tuition and about $19,000 for special education
last year to charter schools. Spring Grove Area School District
paid about $1.4 million combined, and West York Area School District paid
about $2.7 million — with about $1.19 million allocated to cyber charters.
That's the highest
cost to Spring Grove yet, said the district's superintendent, George Ioannidis,
and the biggest increase from one year to the next. Last year was just
over $1 million. On Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf Tuesday rolled out a slew of
proposed changes to how charter schools are funded and regulated —
some executive actions and some proposed legislative changes — aimed
at addressing cost and accountability. Among them were regulations
ensuring boards of trustees and operating companies be free from conflicts of
interest and that charters not overcharge for services; enrollment
caps in low-performing schools and a moratorium on new cyber charters.
“Wolf’s moves were welcomed by lobbying
organizations for traditional schools and also got the backing of a powerful
Republican, state Sen. Patrick Browne, R-Lehigh County, the chairman of the
Senate appropriations committee. “The Governor’s actions today are an indication
of the seriousness of the concerns for the current funding of public charter
and cyber charter schools and its effect on overall public school finance in
Pennsylvania,” Browne said. “It has reached a crisis point creating the
potential of significant detrimental effects on all of our students’ progress
in school.” Browne said the issue of updating the state’s charter school law
has been debated at the Capitol for a decade without success. He called for
Wolf to convene a special session of the General Assembly focused on finding a
solution to the stalemate.”
Wolf targets charter
schools
Meadville Tribune By
John Finnerty CNHI News Service August 18, 2019
HARRISBURG — Gov.
Tom Wolf announced a series of executive steps to improve oversight of charter
schools while calling on the Legislature to follow his moves with action as
well. The administration’s steps will include establishing clearer processes
for charter schools to document how much they spend educating students, as well
as requiring that charter school operators abide by the same ethics rules other
education officials must follow. In addition to ordering the Department of
Education to act, Wolf said the Legislature should pass and send him bills that
would establish a moratorium on new cyber schools, cap enrollment at
poor-performing cyber schools until outcomes improve and pass fairer funding
rules for charter schools. Traditional public school officials have long
complained that charter schools and computer-based cyber charter schools
collect more in tuition revenue paid by the local school districts while
underperforming in educating students. Wolf said the state’s current charter
school law has attained “national notoriety” for being fiscally irresponsible. While
charter schools account for only 6 percent of the schools in the state, they
represent 25 percent of the schools identified as underperforming by the
Department of Education.
“Today I’m
announcing comprehensive charter school reform through executive action,
regulation, and legislation," Wolf said. "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.”
Gov. Tom Wolf, GOP leader address reforming
Pennsylvania's charter school system
WRITTEN BY READING EAGLE AUGUST 19, 2019 05:58 AM
HARRISBURG, PA
— Reforming the way Pennsylvania funds charter schools was the talk of
Harrisburg last week. Under the state's Charter School Law of 1997, charter
schools are considered public schools and receive funding from the home school
districts of their students based on the per-pupil cost of educating those
children in their home districts. Complaints about their funding include the
inequity some see in funding a cybercharter school at the same rate for a
special needs student when the public school is spending money on physical
supports not being provided by a cybercharter. The other big issue is the
Charter School Law's failure to demand accountability of charter schools
regarding costs and academic performance. The latter is a concern raised about
I-LEAD Charter School in Reading, which the city school board has sought to
deny recertification over its students' poor performance on standardized tests.
Concerns over cost and accountability were bipartisan. “Pennsylvania's charter
school law is unfair for students, parents, school districts, and taxpayers,”
said Gov. Tom Wolf said in a news release announcing his reform plan. “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.” State Sen.
Wayne Langerholc Jr., a Clearfield County Republican and chairman of the Senate
Education Committee, expressed similar sentiments during a hearing held last
week in Everett, Bedford County. “It is clear from what we have heard today
that we need to establish fair, commonsense approaches that will provide
education funding in a way that supports all public students no matter where
they attend school without imposing a huge financial burden on taxpayers,”
Langerholc said in a news release after the hearing.
Wolf orders change to
Pennsylvania's charter regulations; operators fire back
KYW by MIKE DENARDO AUGUST 18, 2019 - 4:00 AM
PHILADELPHIA (KYW
Newsradio) — Pennsylvania
Gov. Wolf wants more accountability from charter schools, and he's taking
executive action to change the state's charter regulations. But charter
operators are saying "not so fast." The governor's executive order
would allow school districts to cap enrollment at charters that aren't
providing a "high-quality, equitable" education. It would also allow
for more oversight of charter management companies. "I want to create a
level playing field for all taxpayer-funded public schools," Wolf said.
"I want to increase the quality and accountability of the charter school
system." The governor is proposing new legislation that would establish
charter performance standards, and place a moratorium on new cyber charter
schools. Charter schools are publicly funded but independently run. David
Hardy, who founded Boys Latin Charter in Philadelphia and is the executive
director of Excellent Schools PA, says Wolf should demand accountability from
all schools. "The governor is trying to make it seem like if we fixed
these things, we've done something to fix public education," Hardy said.
"I think that is a fallacy." The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public
Charter Schools said it seemed Wolf was abusing his authority, and that it was
prepared to challenge the governor's actions in court.
Pennsylvania: The
Political Contributions of the Owner of the State’s Largest Charter School
Diane Ravitch’s
Blog By dianeravitch August 17, 2019 //
Pennsylvania’s
largest charter school is the Chester Community Charter School. It is owned by
Philadelphia lawyer Vahan Gureghian, who is a major donor to the Republican
Party in the State. He was the biggest contributor to former Republican
Governor Tom Corbett. What is surprising about his political donations is how
little it takes to win the affection of the party in power. The Chester
Community Charter School enrolls most of the elementary students in its
district and even draws students from Philadelphia, despite the fact that it is
a low-performing school on state tests. As you will see in one of the articles
below, CCCS received a charter renewal through 2026, an extension not given to
any other charter in the state. The Keystone State Education Coalition posted this
list of his political contributions.
Blogger commentary: 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.
Steven Singer:
Charter Schools Are Gobbling Up My School District
Diane Ravitch’s
Blog By dianeravitch August 17, 2019 //
Do you want to
understand why Pennsylvania’s charter school law needs to be reformed?
Let Steven Singer
explain. Singer teaches in Pennsylvania. In this post, he describes the dangers that privatization poses to his school
district. I work in a little suburban school district just outside of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that is slowly being destroyed by privatization. Steel Valley Schools have a proud history. We’re located (in part) in Homestead –
the home of the
historic steel strike of 1892. But today it isn’t private security agents and industrial business
magnates against whom we’re struggling. It’s charter
schools, voucher schools and the pro-corporate policies that enable them to pocket tax dollars meant to educate kids and then
blame us for the shortfall.
Blogger note: State Rep Ciresi
previously served for several years as a member and as President of the Springford
Area School Board
“Ciresi is a cosponsor and active
proponent of bipartisan cyber charter funding reform through H.B. 526, which
would end the use of taxpayer funds to pay for external cyber charter education
if the school district already offers a comparable cyber program. He has
also introduced H.B. 1571 to allow school districts to decide whether to
pay for charter schools outside of their boundaries and oversight, and has
repeatedly called for reforms to give elected school boards greater oversight
and board representation over charter school operations.”
Ciresi supports Gov. Wolf’s Charter School Reforms
Rep. Joseph Ciresi
August 13, 2019 | 4:27 PM
HARRISBURG, Aug. 13 – State Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, applauded the executive action
Gov. Tom Wolf announced today to
reform Pennsylvania’s charter school law, and echoed his call for comprehensive
charter school reform legislation. “Charter school costs have been growing at
an unsustainable rate at the expense of PA taxpayers, and it’s time we got
better results,” Ciresi said. “The outdated charter school law written in 1997
doesn’t fit the new reality of cyber charter education, and too many charter
schools statewide underperform without any accountability to their students and
our taxpayers. “The additional oversight Governor Wolf announced today,
including holding charter schools to the same transparency and ethical
standards as school districts, limiting enrollment at under-performing charter
schools, providing more oversight of for-profit charter operators, and
preventing charter schools from overcharging taxpayers are all commonsense
measures that will give us greater confidence that taxpayer funds are being
spent responsibly. “I have been actively working towards charter school reform
in the legislature, including pushing for cyber charter funding reform,
returning local control over charter funding to school districts, and ensuring
accountability over how taxpayer money – $9.7 million just from my district –
is spent through elected school board oversight. I am pleased to see the
governor calling for new legislative reforms including performance standards,
funding reform and relief for school districts, and greater transparency, and I
look forward to working with him on creating meaningful change,” he said.
Urgent: Support Pa. Governor’s fight to reform charter
schools
Network for Public
Education
Governor Tom Wolf
is taking a bold and important step. Because the legislature refuses to enact
charter reform, the Governor is promising his own reform by executive order.
And he also called out charters for what they are: the privatization of public
education.
Call his office (717-787-2500) and say, “Thank
you for your courageous push for charter reform by Executive Order. I agree.
Charter schools are not public schools and their funding is destroying the
Pennsylvania public school system.”
Then send him a thank you email by
clicking here.
Cyber charters,
which have been an educational disaster in Pennsylvania, are draining millions
from local districts. The Pennsylvania charter law has been called the “worst
charter law in the country” by the state’s own attorney general. The time to
fix the law is now.
Call 717-787-2500 now and let the Governor know you applaud his courageous stand for
charter reform. Then follow up with your email here.
Pat Toomey pushed for
gun control after Sandy Hook. Can the Republican senator lead again?
By Robin Bravender
Capital-Star Washington Bureau August 18, 2019
WASHINGTON — After the U.S. House passed sweeping gun control legislation in February,
freshman Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean went to see a fellow Pennsylvanian:
Sen. Pat Toomey. The two-term senator had been the lead Republican
sponsor of an effort to expand background checks for guns in the wake of the
mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012. Toomey’s
effort, co-sponsored by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, failed in April 2013 and again in 2015. “I went over and asked for a meeting with Sen.
Toomey on the gun violence stuff after we passed the two bills,” Dean told the
Capital-Star in a June interview, referencing House-passed legislation to
expand background checks and give the FBI more time to conduct then. Dean
got the meeting — “and he certainly was gracious to take the meeting,” she says
— and asked Toomey, “‘Will you partner with me? How can we get your leadership
to take up these bills? They will save lives.’” “And he said, ‘They’ll never be
taken up,’” Dean recalled of their 20-minute conversation. “He said, ‘It’s not
going to happen.’ If anything, he would offer an amendment to some vehicle that
begins there — a weaker background check bill.” The legislation that
cleared the House in February is stricter than Toomey’s effort. His Senate bill
would have required background checks on all commercial gun sales; the House
bill would
mandate federal criminal background checks on all gun sales, including private
transactions. A second gun
control bill passed
by the House in February would extend the timeframe for the FBI to conduct
background checks.
No area school
districts will try snow day alternative this year
Delco Times by Evan Brandt
ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com @PottstownNews on Twitter August 18, 2019
The Boyertown Area
School District is the latest to abandon plans to implement a new state program
that would allow students to do school work from home to avoid having too many
snow days. Boyertown and Pottsgrove were the only two tri-county area districts
to indicate they were considering submitting plans to the state by the Sept. 1
deadline, but both have now reversed course. Flexible instruction days use
nontraditional methods to provide instruction to students in their homes. While
they can involve off-line instruction, the most common method is online
lessons. Earlier in the month Pottstown, Phoenixville, Owen J. Roberts and
Methacton all indicated they would not participate this year. MediaNews Group
has now confirmed the same also holds true for Upper Perkiomen, Spring-Ford,
Daniel Boone and Perkiomen school districts.
Scranton School Board
approves recovery plan in 7-2 vote
Scranton Times-Tribune
BY KATHLEEN BOLUS, STAFF WRITER PUBLISHED: AUGUST 16, 2019
SCRANTON — The
Scranton School District is officially on the path to financial recovery under
a plan that calls for hefty tax hikes and recommends closing schools while
seeking to boost academic achievement and upgrade technology, curriculum and
textbooks. Before approving the recovery plan during a special meeting Thursday
at Scranton High School, the board unanimously appointed longtime district
administrator Melissa McTiernan as assistant acting superintendent. She
replaces Alexis Kirijan, Ed.D., who resigned Thursday. The board voted 7-2 to
approve the recovery plan. Board President Barbara Dixon and Directors Mark
McAndrew, Paul Duffy, Tom Schuster, Katie Gilmartin, Kenneth Norton and Tom
Borthwick voted yes. Board Vice President Greg Popil and Director Bob Lesh, who
participated in the meeting by phone, voted against the five-year plan. In
February, the state put the district in financial recovery. Candis Finan,
Ed.D., former Delaware Valley superintendent in Pike County, was appointed
chief recovery officer and worked with a team for six months to draft the
214-page recovery plan. If the board did not approve the plan, Scranton could
come under state receivership by February.
Our view: Erie board breaks faith with state
GoErie By the Editorial Board Posted
Aug 18, 2019 at 2:01 AM
We’ve frequently
been critics of state officials when it comes to public education, among other
things. And we believe Pennsylvania still has a long way to go in making public
school funding adequate and fair. That said, the Erie School Board owes those
same state officials some good faith in the aftermath of Harrisburg providing
an additional $14 million a year in funding to give the Erie School District a
path out of its years-long financial crisis. On Wednesday night, the board
snubbed them instead. The legislation that granted the $14 million required the
district to work with a state-appointed financial administrator on a fiscal
improvement plan to be approved by the state secretary of education. The legislation
also gave Education Secretary Pedro Rivera the power to have that
administrator, Charles Zogby, take over the district’s operations if the School
Board balked at implementing the provisions of the plan. On Wednesday, the
board did just that in two separate votes. In doing so, school directors
started a game of chicken with the state and raised questions about what, and
whom, their priorities are. The School Board voted, 7-1, to reject eliminating
a union-friendly policy for bidding construction jobs that was aimed at
lowering district costs. It also failed, in a 4-4 vote with one member absent,
to approve a proposal to seek bids to possibly outsource custodial work, also
in search of major savings. Zogby called the vote on custodial services “very
troublesome.” And a spokesman for the Department of Education on Thursday told
reporter Ed Palattella that officials there were discussing what to do in the
face of the School Board’s defiance.
Why a pizza contract is causing controversy (again) at
State College Area School District
Centre Daily Times BY SARAH PAEZ AUGUST 16, 2019 02:34 PM, UPDATED AUGUST 17, 2019 12:11 PM
With the State
College Area School District board of directors poised to consider a contract
for Papa John’s delivered pizza for elementary and middle school students,
district parents and community members are lodging an effort to stop that. An
email from a SCASD parent sent out to Standing Up for Racial Justice members
urged them to tell the school district to vote against approving a contract for
delivered Papa John’s pizza. “Papa John’s founder uses the N-word to describe
people of color,” SCASD parent and SURJ member Lorraine Jones wrote in the
email. “In response, many Allies have been protesting the sales of Papa Johns.
Locally, the school district wants to continue to support the sales of Papa
John’s pizza as a fundraiser in the district despite the fact of racist language
has been used by the former owner.” Jones said several SCASD parents and
community members from different racial backgrounds and nationalities are
trying to get the school board to reject the bid for Papa John’s. “From the
beginning, our district has taken the Papa John’s contract very seriously
because we understand the sensitivity of his comments within our black
community,” SCASD Superintendent Bob O’Donnell said in a statement. “While
nothing is final with the current proposed contract, we are committed to equity
and inclusivity.”
Editorial: Keep up
fight against vaping by children
Pottstown Mercury
Editorial August 18, 2019
For years now
health professionals, educators and government officials have been warning
about the dangers of vaping by children and trying to come up with ways to
eradicate the practice. Yet despite attempts to spread the word about the
dangers of e-cigarettes and to impose regulations meant to discourage their use
by young people, the problem persists. Electronic cigarettes have been
described as a less dangerous alternative to regular cigarettes, but they
contain heavy amounts of nicotine, which health officials say is harmful to
developing brains and might make kids more likely to take up cigarettes.
According to the surgeon general, each Juul cartridge contains as much nicotine
as a pack of cigarettes, and it’s formulated to give a smoother, more potent
buzz that can get people hooked quickly. It’s almost time for a new school
year, meaning educators once again will be put in the difficult position of
trying to tame a problem that’s so hard to control because popular vaping
devices are so easy to hide. And the latest news on the subject is not
encouraging. The Associated Press reported that as many as 50 people in at
least six states have come down with breathing illnesses that may be linked to
vaping products. No deaths have been reported, but at least a few have come
close. Symptoms have included shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain and
vomiting.
The need to heed other
voices, to understand other people's concerns, despite our political
differences [editorial]
Lancaster Online by
THE LNP EDITORIAL BOARD August 18, 2019
THE ISSUE: The children of El Paso, Texas,
started school last week, nine days after a gunman fatally shot 22 people
and injured two dozen others at a
Walmart in that American city on the U.S.-Mexico border. The gunman told police
he was targeting “Mexicans.” The fear and anxiety stemming from that domestic
terrorist act continue to be felt across the U.S. and in Lancaster County.
According to the most recent U.S. census data, Hispanics constitute nearly 11%
of Lancaster County’s population of 519,445; 39% of Lancaster city’s 59,322
residents are of Hispanic descent. Maria Taveras moved with her family to the U.S. from the Dominican
Republic when she was 19. Her brother needed open-heart surgery that the
physicians of that island nation could not perform. Taveras now co-owns La
Cocina Restaurant on East King Street. She has lived in Lancaster city for 25
years and in the U.S. for 35 years. And, as she recently told LNP staff writer Junior Gonzalez, “I’ve never felt the discrimination that is now going on.” People with
racist views, she said, express them “so openly.” President Donald Trump, she
maintained, is “giving people permission to be the way they are now. They feel
entitled.” She is not alone in feeling this way. Her voice deserves to be heard
and considered. So, too, does that of Elizabeth Soto Albrecht, an ordained Mennonite minister and Lancaster
city resident who writes in
today’s Perspective section of her concern about the language used by the
president, of the way he “flings his words carelessly ... not worrying that
they might spawn destruction.”
Your View by school
board member: How to avoid having people being taxed out of their homes
Opinion By MERLYN
CLARKE THE MORNING CALL | AUG 15, 2019 | 8:00 AM
Merlyn J.
Clarke is a member of the Stroudsburg Area School Board
It is apparently becoming
fashionable to refer to the school property tax as “the hated tax.” This is the
tax that, incidentally, bolsters the value of our property, educates the
workforce that will pay for senior citizen benefits such as Social Security and
Medicare and insures an educated public that is essential for our democratic
society. There’s really only one thing wrong with school property taxes: they
are too high. It’s instructive to consider why these taxes are high. The cost
of providing universal education is expensive. It requires buildings,
transportation and the services of thousands of professionals. But there are
factors that exacerbate these expenses — unnecessarily — that are the result of
legislative mandates or failures to act. A few are worth mentioning. Schools
are mandated to administer standardized exams, at the cost of millions of
dollars, that are of zero benefit to either students or teachers. Yet state
officials insist on them.
There is the
“school choice” craze, supported by many legislators. School districts in
Monroe County are mandated to spend $20 million every year in tuition for
redundant charter schools, whether brick-and-mortar or at-home cyber schools,
because some people prefer these schools over public schools. Taxpayers must pay
for this “choice” even though there isn’t a single failing school in Monroe
County. (For what other “public need” provider do we have choices? None.)
Additionally, the
State House recently passed
legislation that diverts some $200 million away from public schools to provide scholarships to private and religious
schools through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program. Finally, the
Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg and Pocono Mountain school districts are
underfunded a combined $40 million every year because the state Legislature
fails to distribute education money according to its own fair funding formula.
“Let it be said that, yes, there are
some wonderful charter schools. And yes, there are lousy traditional public
schools. That isn’t open for debate. The question is whether the remedies
pursued as part of school reform efforts are really helping the problem or
hurting. Here is a piece on some of the negative consequences of school choice
that supporters don’t like to talk about. It was written by Carol Burris, a
former New York high school principal who is executive director of the Network
for Public Education, a nonprofit advocacy group. She has been chronicling
problems with corporate school reform efforts for years on this blog. Burris
was named the 2010 Educator of the Year by the School Administrators
Association of New York State, and in 2013 the same organization named her the
New York State High School Principal of the Year.”
Three big problems with school ‘choice’ that supporters
don’t like to talk about
Washington Post Answer
Sheet By Valerie Strauss May 3, 2017
President Trump and
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have been quite clear that expanding school
choice is their top education priority. On Wednesday at a White House event,
Trump said, according to a White House transcript: During my campaign for
president, I promised to fight for school choice — very important. It was
featured in my joint address to Congress. And today, I’m calling on all
lawmakers to work with us to help extend school choice to millions more
children all across the United States of America, including millions of
low-income Hispanic and African American children who deserve the same chance
as every other child in America to live out their dreams and fill up their
hearts and be educated at the top, top level.
But one thing
Trump, DeVos and many other choice advocates don’t talk publicly about are the
negative consequences that have come with the implementation of school choice
in states throughout the country. We hear a lot from them about how
wonderful it is that some families have some educational choices beyond their
neighborhood public schools — the public schools DeVos has flatly called a
“dead end” — but we don’t hear about the financial scandals or the lack of
transparency or public accountability that have resulted in many places. If
these were outliers, it would be understandable, but they aren’t. The charter
and voucher/voucher-like sectors in some states are so broadly flawed that some
choice supporters have recognized it. In 2015, charter-school researcher
Margaret “Macke” Raymond of the
Hoover Institute at Stanford University said this to people from Ohio about
their troubled charter sector: “Be very glad that you have Nevada, so you are
not the worst.” Raymond had previously issued a report saying Ohio
charter-school students were learning 36 fewer days of math and 14 fewer days
of reading than traditional public school students.
How the NRA Rewrote
the Second Amendment
The Founders
never intended to create an unregulated individual right to a gun. Today,
millions believe they did. Here’s how it happened.
The Brennan Center
by Michael Waldman May 20, 2014 Crossposted on Politico Magazine
"A fraud on
the American public." That’s how former Chief Justice Warren Burger
described the idea that the Second Amendment gives an unfettered individual
right to a gun. When he spoke these words to PBS in 1990, the rock-ribbed
conservative appointed by Richard Nixon was expressing the longtime consensus
of historians and judges across the political spectrum. Twenty-five years
later, Burger’s view seems as quaint as a powdered wig. Not only is an
individual right to a firearm widely accepted, but increasingly states are also
passing laws to legalize carrying weapons on streets, in parks, in bars—even in
churches. Many are startled to learn that the U.S. Supreme Court didn’t rule
that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual’s right to own a gun until
2008, when District of Columbia v. Heller struck down the
capital’s law effectively banning handguns in the home. In fact, every other
time the court had ruled previously, it had ruled otherwise. Why such a
head-snapping turnaround? Don’t look for answers in dusty law books or the
arcane reaches of theory.
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 (*).
In November, many boards will be
preparing to welcome new directors to their governance Team of Ten. This event
will help attendees create a full year on-boarding schedule based on best
practices and thoughtful prioritization. Register now:
PSBA: Start Strong:
Developing a District On-Boarding Plan for New Directors
SEP 11, 2019 • 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In November, many
boards will be faced with a significant transition as they prepare to welcome
new directors to their governance Team of Ten. This single-day program
facilitated by PSBA trainers and an experienced PA board president will guide
attendees to creating a strong, full year on-boarding schedule based on best
practices and thoughtful prioritization. Grounded in PSBA’s Principles for
Governance and Leadership, attendees will hear best practices from their colleagues
and leave with a full year’s schedule, a jump drive of resources, ideas for
effective local training, and a plan to start strong.
Register online at MyPSBA: www.psba.org and click on “MyPSBA” in the upper right corner.
The deadline to
submit a cover letter, resume and application is August 19,
2019.
Become a 2019-2020 PSBA Advocacy Ambassador
PSBA is seeking
applications for two open Advocacy Ambassador positions. Candidates
should have experience in day-to-day functions of a school district,
on the school board, or in a school leadership position. The purpose of the
PSBA Advocacy Ambassador program is to facilitate the education and engagement
of local school directors and public education stakeholders through the
advocacy leadership of the ambassadors. Each Advocacy Ambassador will
be responsible for assisting PSBA in achieving its advocacy goals. To
achieve their mission, ambassadors will be kept up to date on current
legislation and PSBA positions on legislation. The current open
positions will cover PSBA Sections 3 and 4, and
Section 7.
PSBA Advocacy
Ambassadors are independent contractors representing PSBA and serve
as liaisons between PSBA and their local elected officials. Advocacy
Ambassadors also commit to building strong relationships with PSBA members with
the purpose of engaging the designated members to be active and committed
grassroots advocates for PSBA’s legislative priorities.
PSBA: Nominations for The Allwein Society are open!
This award program
recognizes school directors who are outstanding leaders & advocates on
behalf of public schools & students. Nominations are accepted year-round
with selections announced early fall: http://ow.ly/CchG50uDoxq
EPLC is accepting
applications for the 2019-20 PA Education Policy Fellowship Program
Education Policy & Leadership Center
PA's premier education policy leadership program for education, policy
& community leaders with 582 alumni since 1999. Application with program
schedule & agenda are at http://www.eplc.org
2019 PASA-PSBA School
Leadership Conference Oct. 16-18, 2019
WHERE: Hershey Lodge and
Convention Center 325 University Drive, Hershey, PA
WHEN: Wednesday, October
16 to Friday, October 18, 201
Registration is now open!
Growth from knowledge acquired. Vision inspired by innovation. Impact
created by a synergized leadership community. You are called upon to be the
drivers of a thriving public education system. It’s a complex and challenging
role. Expand your skillset and give yourself the tools needed for the
challenge. Packed into two and a half daysꟷꟷgain access to top-notch education
and insights, dynamic speakers, peer learning opportunities and the latest
product and service innovations. Come to the PASA-PSBA School Leadership
Conference to grow!
NPE Action National
Conference - Save the Date - March 28-29, 2020 in Philadelphia, PA.
The window is now open for workshop proposals for the Network for Public
Education conference, March 28-29, 2020, in Philadelphia. I hope you all sign
on to present on a panel and certainly we want all to attend. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NBCNDKK
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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