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PA Ed Policy Roundup Sept. 3, 2019
“Reforming
Pennsylvania’s charter school system isn’t going to happen easily. The best way
to make meaningful changes is incrementally. And the easiest place to start is
with cybercharters.”
EdVotersPA: Buckle up—we are building momentum for
charter school reform in PA!
Education Voters PA
Published by EDVOPA on August 30, 2019
It is an exciting
time for public education advocates who support charter and cyber charter
school reforms that will benefit students and taxpayers in Pennsylvania. In
mid-August, Governor Wolf put forward
strong proposals to improve the quality, transparency, and accountability of
Pennsylvania’s charter schools and to control costs and improve outcomes for students. His
proposals include new commonsense
regulations that will be developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education
(PDE). Among
other things, these will aim to help prevent discrimination in charter school
admissions and enrollment, hold charter schools and their management companies
to the same transparency standards as school districts, and establish
requirements for charter to document their costs to prevent them from
overcharging taxpayers and districts.
“Reforming Pennsylvania’s charter school
system isn’t going to happen easily. The best way to make meaningful changes is
incrementally. And the easiest place to start is with cyber charters.”
Paul Muschick:
Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools perform poorly and are overpaid. So why do
we put up with them?
Opinion By PAUL MUSCHICK THE MORNING CALL | AUG 29, 2019 | 8:00 AM
There’s a logical
starting place for reforming Pennsylvania’s charter school system — the cyber
charters. Regardless of where you stand on charter schools, you can’t ignore
the fact that those schools, as a whole, are underperforming while being overpaid.
That’s been pointed out repeatedly. It’s time to finally do something about it.
Hundreds of millions of tax dollars are at stake annually — $463 million was
spent statewide on cyber charters in 2016-17. That amount surely will rise
because enrollment is rising — it’s already at about 35,000. Pennsylvania has
15 cyber charter schools, where students are taught online in their homes by
instructors who are elsewhere. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has called for a
moratorium on new cyber charters and for capping enrollment at low-performing
ones until they improve. Cyber charters provide an alternative to traditional public
education, offering flexibility that appeals to some parents. But the cost is
appalling to school districts, which fund them through tuition for each of
their students who enrolls. Tuition can range from $7,300 to $18,000 per
student, according to a February report from Education Voters of Pennsylvania.
That’s far too much, considering that some districts have their own cyber
schools and can teach a child for $5,000 or less. The cost disparity for
special education students is equally out of whack. It’s bad enough that
taxpayers overpay. It’s even worse when they don’t get results.
Altoona Area SD cyber school payout hits $3M
District expecting to pay $400,000 more than
last year
Altoona Mirror by RUSS
O'REILLY Staff Writer roreilly@altoonamirror.com AUG 30, 2019
Cash-strapped
school districts are getting hit hard by cyber charter bills.
“Obviously it’s a
strain on the school district and it’s getting increasingly worse,” Altoona Area Assistant Superintendent Brad Hatch said at a Thursday
a committee of the whole school board meeting. Altoona Area is projected to pay
$3 million to cyber charter schools this year — about $400,000 more than last year
— for tuition for 300 students to attend cyber charters, Hatch said. Cyber charter
school enrollment is not easily predicted. The only thing certain is that if a
student wants to go, school districts have to pay. Tuition for cyber charter
schools advertised on TV and radio is free for families, but school districts
pay the bills. A cyber charter student costs a district the same as a student
who attends a brick-and-mortar school. At the core of the cyber charter debate
is that the cost to educate a student in a cyber program is much less expensive
than education in a traditional school. Hatch said the low academic quality of
cyber charters, too, is at the core of the years-long debate over whether they
are wise investments for taxpayers.
Pa. cyber enrollment
practices questioned
Sharon Herald By
John Finnerty CNHI State Reporter September 2, 2019
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania
needs to examine the way cyber schools are funded and explore whether there
should be criteria used to determine if students should be allowed to study
online at home, former state Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak said Friday. Ensuring
that children who turn to online classes can succeed is vitally important
because too often students quickly fall behind their peers if they
unsuccessfully try cyber school enrollment, Zahorchak said. Zahorchak served as
education secretary during the administration of former Gov. Ed Rendell, a
Democrat. Cyber schools may be fine for students who’d otherwise be
home-schooled, he said. For students who are trying to avoid public schools
because of behavioral problems or are just unwilling to show up for school
every day, the cyber programs only make matters worse. A recent analysis by
researchers at Stanford University found that in Pennsylvania, “students lose
an academic year in math and reading for every year they spend in cyber
school,” Zahorchak said. The Education Commission of the States found that of
the 44 states that have charter schools, only 22 allow students to enroll in
schools that offer classes online. “Pennsylvania’s current legislation seems to
have the least amount of accountability and the only illogical funding system,”
Zahorchak said. There are 140,000 children enrolled in charter schools in
Pennsylvania, about 37,000 of them enrolled in online-based schools, according
to the Department of Education. Charter schools and cyber schools, in
particular, have become a hot-button subject at the Capitol.
“Pennsylvania school districts paid more
than $1.8 billion to charter schools last year, almost triple the amount from
10 years ago.”
Allentown School District wants to cut charter costs to
fill budget hole
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Updated: August 30, 2019
The Allentown
School District’s costs for students to attend charter schools have grown faster
than anywhere else in Pennsylvania, district officials say — and it is taking a
possibly unprecedented step of asking charters to accept a pay cut. Charter
advocates worry that other districts might make similar requests. Superintendent
Thomas Parker says charter costs have grown from $15 million to $60 million
annually in the last seven years, “crippling” the state’s fifth-largest school
district. Facing a deficit in its $341.8 million budget, the district has asked
charter schools that educate Allentown students to agree to accept smaller
payments. So far, most of the 23 charters — which are paid based on a state
formula — have refused, saying
they aren’t the cause of the district’s financial troubles. The situation will
likely be closely watched by school districts across the state amid
intensifying debate over charters and their mounting costs to districts. And
the charter community is wary. Allentown’s request “could certainly be
replicated” by other school districts under financial distress, said Ana
Meyers, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter
Schools.
A charter school has
applied with the Conestoga Valley School District. Here's what you need to
know.
Lancaster Online by
ALEX GELI |
Staff Writer Aug 27,
2019 Updated Aug 27, 2019
A nonprofit based
in Montgomery County is offering a potential solution for kids struggling with
mental health issues in Lancaster County: another charter school. The Lincoln Center for Family & Youth, a community-based organization that offers counseling and mental health
services in southeast Pennsylvania, has proposed a 200-student charter school
in the Conestoga Valley School District. What would be the county’s second
publicly funded brick and mortar charter school — with La Academia Partnership Charter School in Lancaster city being the first — the TLC Leadership Charter School
would serve students in kindergarten through 12th grade who have experienced
trauma or suffer from anxiety, depression or other mental health issues. If
approved by the school district, classes would begin Sept. 1, 2020. GT Freeman,
CEO of the Lincoln Center, told LNP on Monday that he hopes the proposed school
will fill a need in Lancaster County. “We’re focused on a very small segment of
the population who need additional socioemotional health supports that they’re
generally not getting,” Freeman said.
Wolf to Erie educators: Charter school law ‘outdated’
GoErie By Ed
Palattella Posted Aug 29, 2019 at 12:07 PMUpdated
Aug 30, 2019 at 5:46 AM
The Erie School
District has the highest charter school costs in Erie County, but it is far
from the only local public school system that is concerned about charters. The
support throughout the county for charter reform was apparent on Thursday, when
Gov. Tom Wolf advocated for changes to the 1997 state charter law in a speech
at Grandview Elementary School in Millcreek Township. Erie schools
Superintendent Brian Polito followed Wolf as a speaker, but so did Millcreek
schools Superintendent William Hall and Brenda Sandberg, a member of the
Wattsburg School Board and the executive director of the Erie
Western-Pennsylvania Port Authority. And among the other officials who attended
was Richard Scaletta, the superintendent of the General McLane School District.
For the Erie School District, a major concern is funding and accountability for
the four brick-and-mortar charters that enroll students from within the
district, plus cyber charter schools. For the other Erie County school
districts, cyber charters are the main focus. Because of cyber charter costs,
the General McLane School District “will be close to insolvency in 2023 if we
don’t raise any taxes. We will be where Erie is,” Scaletta said, referring to
the woes of the Erie School District, which is receiving an additional $14
million in annual state aid to stay solvent.
Wolf Administration
Takes Next Step in Updating Charter School Regulations
Governor Wolf’s
Website August 26, 2019
Harrisburg, PA – The reform to Pennsylvania’s flawed and outdated charter school
law is moving forward with the process of developing regulations by opening a public comment period to gather information on the
need for charter school reform, Governor Tom Wolf announced today. The governor
outlined a three-part approach earlier this month that includes executive
action, regulations, and legislation to provide comprehensive charter school
reform. Gov. Wolf encourages education stakeholders to submit comments to
inform the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s proposed regulations. “Pennsylvania’s
charter school law is one of the worst in the country and is failing students,
teachers, school districts and taxpayers,” said Governor Wolf. “We cannot wait
any longer to take action. Improving transparency and holding underperforming
charter and cyber charter schools accountable will level the playing field with
school districts and help to control costs for taxpayers.” 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. Charter schools cost taxpayers $1.8 billion last
year, but school districts and the state have limited authority to hold charter
schools accountable.
At the direction of
the governor, the Department of Education is developing new regulations for
charter schools. The regulations will include:
“Thanks to a change in state law that
took effect in June, the commission can’t review special education funding
payments to charter schools or cyber charter schools, which enroll more than
140,000 students across the Commonwealth. … Browne said that special education
payments to charter schools need to be part of a larger discussion about
charter school funding in Pennsylvania.”
Legislative panel
will travel the state this fall to hear concerns on the way Pa. pays for
special education
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth
Hardison August 28,
2019
Sen. Pat
Browne will chair the Special Education Funding Commission with Rep. Curtis
Sonney and Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera.
A special
commission reestablished on Tuesday will examine Pennsylvania’s education
funding for children with disabilities — albeit with a slightly narrower scope
than in the past. Pennsylvania’s 15-member Special Education Funding
Commission, which has been dormant since 2013, will travel across the state
this fall to hear parents, educators, and school administrators sound off on
special education funding. They’ll compile their findings in a report due
by Nov. 30, which may include recommendations to the General Assembly to change
the formula that distributes special education dollars to Pennsylvania’s public
school districts. It’s the same charge the commission had in 2013, when it
recommended Pennsylvania adopt a new funding formula based on the severity of a
student’s special education needs. But as commission member Rep. Mike
Sturla, D-Lancaster, pointed out at a meeting on Tuesday, the panel faces one
significant limitation this time around. Thanks to
a change in state law that took effect in June, the commission can’t review
special education funding payments to charter schools or cyber charter schools,
which enroll more than 140,000 students across the Commonwealth. “I
know that is a factor driving costs in special education,” Sturla said,
referring to tuition payments to charter schools. “How we can dance around
that?” The new rule doesn’t faze Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, who was elected commission
co-chair on Tuesday, along with Education Secretary Pedro Rivera and Rep.
Curtis Sonney, R-Erie, who also chairs the House Education Committee. Browne
said that special education payments to charter schools need to be part of a
larger discussion about charter school funding in Pennsylvania.
Blogger note: During his tenure as
Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, Senator Piccola was also the lead sponsor
of voucher legislation.
“As a member and later chairman of the
Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee, I was proud to help Gov. Tom Ridge
enact Pennsylvania’s Charter School Law, which was later updated to include
cybercharter schools.”
Your View by a former
state senator: Why Pennsylvania needs its 180-plus charter schools
Opinion By JEFF
PICCOLA THE MORNING CALL | AUG 28, 2019 | 10:25 AM
Jeff Piccola served
as a Republican state senator, 1995-2012, and as state representative, 1977-1995.
He is on the board of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools and
Commonwealth Charter Academy.
Gov. Wolf
recently proposed a series of so-called reforms to the Charter School Law. He asserted that Pennsylvania’s Charter School Law is one of the
worst in the nation. If you look at the law from the perspective of high cost
and failing school districts, he may be right. Charter schools, which are public schools, educate 7% of all public
school students and do
so with 15% less taxpayer funding than traditional school districts. The question is: Why do these students want to leave? The answer is simple
and can be simply stated by every parent who chooses to send their child to a
charter school. The regular public school is either failing, unsafe, not
meeting the educational needs of the student, or all the above. Even many of
our so-called “good” school districts are not meeting the needs of all their
students. The truth is Pennsylvania’s charter schools are serving a higher
percentage of minority and low-income student populations and working with less
financial support, according to Stanford University’s Center for Research on
Education Outcomes report, “Charter School Performance in Pennsylvania 2019.” The solution is and always has been educational choice. Unfortunately,
until the late 1990s, the only alternatives to traditional school districts
were expensive private or parochial schools, or home schooling.
Charter Schools; Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
Pennsylvania Bulletin PROPOSED RULEMAKING DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION [ 22 PA. CODE CH. 711 ] [49
Pa.B. 4817] [Saturday, August 24, 2019]
Sections 1732-A(c)
and 1751-A of the Public School Code of 1949 (School Code) (24 P.S. §§ 17-1732-A(c)
and 17-1751-A) authorize the Department of Education (Department) to promulgate
regulations relating to charter schools and to implement the Charter School Law
(CSL) (24 P.S. §§ 17-1701-A—17-1751-A). Through this advance notice of proposed
rulemaking (ANPR), the Department is announcing its intention to exercise this
authority and submit a rulemaking that will propose amendments to 22 Pa. Code
Chapter 711 (related to charter school and cyber charter school services and
programs for children with disabilities).
Your View: Why it can
be misleading to call charter schools ‘privately run’
Opinion by Jim
Hanak THE MORNING CALL | AUG 31, 2019 | 12:00 PM
James Hanak is CEO
of the PA Leadership Charter School in West Chester, Chester County.
Morning Call reporter Jacqueline Palochko in her article of August 21,
stated, “Charter
schools are publicly funded but privately run.” Her thinking is that because
charter schools have board of directors that are not directly chosen by the
public at large, therefore, charter schools are “privately run.” This can be
misleading. Charter schools are public schools that not only receive public
funding, but these same schools are not truly private as a true “private
school” would be. Private schools are totally independent of the public school
system when it comes to the running of that school — even though private
schools may receive some funding from the state for curriculum and busing (for
example). A private school has its own board of directors that make all the
financial decisions of the private school. The state has the authority to see
that private schools are not acting illegally but the running of the school is
left up to the private school board. A charter school board of directors has
the authority to run the day-to-day operations of a charter school. The local
school district, however, has oversight responsibilities for the charter
school. The local school district evaluates the application for a charter and
grants the charter to the school. The initial charter and each renewal lists
the charter school’s board of directors.
Charter school oversight change shows Pa. government
undercutting Philly’s power | Opinion
Opinion by Lisa Haver, for the Inquirer Updated: August 27, 2019 - 8:08 AM
In the last 20
years, the Pennsylvania legislature has taken control of the School District
and the Parking Authority; it has thwarted efforts of local officials to lessen
gun violence and to regulate tobacco sales. As an Inquirer
editorial decrying
the state’s recent efforts to undermine Philadelphia home rule by limiting the
type of cases District Attorney Larry Krasner can prosecute asked: “What’s the
point of our local elections?” At the end of the legislature’s last session, a
last–minute amendment to the School Code was introduced by the Republican
leadership. It in effect allows a school in the Belmont Charter network to secede from the School District of Philadelphia. The Public
School Notebook reported that House Bill 1615 “allows for the creation of
Innovation Schools, using specific language that appears to single out Belmont Charter School.” The list of qualifications for placement in this special category is very specific, applying
only to schools in a federal "promise zone.” There is only one such zone in the
state — in
West Philadelphia. The only charter school in that zone is Belmont. The move
allows the school to seek waivers from federal and state requirements. This
latest stealth move by the state legislature means that the district would be
required to fund schools over which it has virtually no oversight. Some fear
that it would open the door for other charter operators, who have
consistently pushed back against district oversight.
After battle with Philly School District, Eastern charter
won’t open for new school year
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Updated: August 27, 2019
Eastern University
Academy Charter School, which told parents earlier this month it planned for
classes to resume as scheduled even though it had lost School District funding,
has announced that it won’t reopen Sept. 9. A state board in June upheld the
former Philadelphia School Reform Commission’s (SRC) closure decision, and the
district cut off its payments. Eastern’s leaders had informed parents it was
fighting the School District in court and intended to open next month. But the
school now says it wouldn’t be possible to resume classes then.
The charter school goes upmarket with opening of two
suburban-style campuses in Northeast Philadelphia | Inga Saffron
Inquirer by Inga
Saffron | @IngaSaffron | isaffron@inquirer.com Updated: August 29, 2019
It’s hard to
believe, but it’s been two decades since the first charter schools opened in
Philadelphia. In the early years, those newly minted institutions tended to
burrow into buildings that had seen better days — shuttered district schools, Class B offices, old car dealerships. Their main attraction was
supposed to be their educational approach, not their facilities. Maybe that’s
why it doesn’t feel right calling the two new locations that MaST Community Charter will open this fall in Northeast Philadelphia “schools.” Set on lushly
landscaped, amenity-packed campuses, they might be better described as total
educational environments. Whatever you think of the charter movement, the
quality of the new designs ups the game for public education in Philadelphia.
Your view: Charter schools provide a quality educational
experience
Wilkes Barre Times
Leader Letter by Steve Zapoticky, Learning Support Teacher, Bear
Creek Community Charter School September 2, 2019
The negative press
relating to public charter school concerns me.
I am a learning
support teacher at Bear Creek Community Charter School. I can honestly say that
I am not the same teacher that I was prior to joining the charter school staff.
I am now a better teacher. My passion for teaching is why I have so much pride
in Bear Creek Community Charter School. I have never experienced a school that
is so committed to student growth and development. This school provides a
welcoming learning culture that focuses primarily on the students’ needs. I
have taught at several different public schools in the Wyoming Valley and not
one can compete with the “Bear Creek Experience.”
“In 2015, the federal secretary of
education flagged Pennsylvania as having the nation’s worst “school-spending
gap” — the difference in how much the wealthiest and poorest school districts
spend per student.”
Landmark lawsuit challenges how Pennsylvania funds its
public schools
ELIZABETH BEHRMAN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Lbehrman@post-gazette.com SEP 3, 2019
With some
exceptions, the consensus surrounding school funding in Pennsylvania is that
there’s not enough, particularly when it comes to the state’s contribution. Whether
spending more money per student actually affects academic outcomes is
debatable, but state and federal data show one thing clearly: There are huge
disparities among Pennsylvania’s 500 public school districts and what they are
able to spend to educate each child. This
fact is the subject of a landmark lawsuit headed for trial in Commonwealth
Court. It argues that the state is not meeting constitutional requirements
because school funding in Pennsylvania relies too much on local tax dollars and
therefore is inadequate and discriminates against districts that cannot raise
sufficient revenue on their own. “Our current school funding system is
unfair to students because of the disparities, and it’s unfair to taxpayers
because of the disparities, and it’s unfair to the communities that are having
to bear the costs because the state's not willing to pay their share,” said
Michael Churchill, an attorney with the Philadelphia-based Public Interest Law
Center, which filed the lawsuit along with the Education Law Center and a
handful of Pennsylvania districts.
House Speaker Mike
Turzai proposes school voucher program for Harrisburg City Schools
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth
Hardison August 27,
2019
The top Republican
in Pennsylvania’s state House announced on Tuesday a plan to create a new
school voucher “pilot program” for students in the Harrisburg City School
District, which was placed under state control this year in an attempt to
rescue it from financial and academic ruin. House Speaker Mike Turzai,
R-Allegheny, wants to require the Harrisburg City School District to award
scholarships of at least $4,100 to children who wish to enroll in private or
other public schools, according to a memo he circulated to colleagues on Tuesday. Turzai’s
yet-to-be-introduced proposal also calls on the state to provide an additional
$3,000 to each scholarship, bringing the total value to at least $7,100 — a sum
that “will provide affordability for Harrisburg children to attend a school of
their choice in the region,” Turzai writes in the memo. Area public schools
would have to opt-in to enroll Harrisburg students.
Vouchers: Pa. House Speaker Mike Turzai proposes new
school choice program for Harrisburg school families, students
Penn Live By Charles Thompson | cthompson@pennlive.com Updated Aug 27, 2019
Pennsylvania House
Speaker Mike Turzai, a leading proponent of school choice, has proposed a new
scholarship program aimed at helping Harrisburg School District students, if
they and their families choose, find educational alternatives while the
struggling system rebuilds itself. Turzai’s bill, which is currently being
drafted, would require any Pennsylvania district in receivership to provide
scholarship grants worth at least half of their per-student state subsidy,
coupled with an additional $3,000 direct from the state. Harrisburg, which went
into receivership earlier this year, would be the first such district to
trigger the new requirement. Based on Harrisburg’s current state aid figures,
the bill would create grants of about $7,100 per student. The grants could be
used to pay tuition at any private or public school. Public schools, however,
would have the ability to opt-out of receiving the Harrisburg students, and the
private schools would retain full discretion to offer admission to children
that meet their requirements.
Skopov to Challenge Turzai Again in 2020
PoliticsPA Written
by John Cole, Managing Editor August 7, 2019
A second
shot at the Speaker.
Emily Skopov, a
former screenwriter and founder of the nonprofit No Crayon Left Behind,
announced her intentions to seek the Democratic Party nomination for the
state’s 28th House District held by Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny). She
challenged Turzai in 2018, but lost by close to 9 points in the Pittsburgh
suburban district. She ran unopposed in the Democratic primary to face
Turzai in 2018 election
and is the first declared Democratic candidate for the seat for 2020 as
well.
“Currently, six of the commonwealth’s
500 school districts — including Duquesne City and Penn Hills — are in
financial recovery status. To qualify, a district must meet at least one of
several requirements, such as receiving advances on its basic education subsidy
to make ends meet.”
In cash-strapped school districts, these are the folks
called to help the recovery
MATT MCKINNEY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mmckinney@post-gazette.com SEP 3, 2019
The school
district’s money troubles have worsened for years by the time it reaches this
point. Enrollment and property values may have waned. Debts and deficits have
likely snowballed. And tax hikes are as routine as summer breaks, with many
residents skirting the bill. When a school system drifts too far toward the
financial brink and other fixes fall short, the state Education Department puts
it under financial recovery status. The label means diminished freedom but
extra resources, such as allowing the district to apply for interest-free loans
to get back on track. Cue the chief recovery officer — a state-appointed
school finance maestro hired to come up with and carry out a plan to rescue the
district from deeper hardship. Endowed with broad powers but limited
accountability — answering only to the state education secretary — chief
recovery officers take on outsize roles in their districts, often for years to
come. They have the authority to usher in big changes amid dire financial
situations.
Heading into 8th year, Philly schools chief Hite wants to
‘think about reform differently’
By Avi
Wolfman-Arent September 3, 2019
With each passing
year, the story of William Hite’s tenure as Superintendent of the School
District of Philadelphia becomes more and more about how long that tenure has
lasted. Hite will begin his eighth year leading the region’s largest school
district, a rare feat among superintendents in large, high-poverty school systems. “I do
think too often urban school districts are whipped around with new leadership
that will come and create a different direction,” said Hite in a
back-to-school-year interview with WHYY. Hite has preached a message of
stability, especially since the district crawled out of a fiscal crisis that
plagued the early years of his superintendency. There are no labor disputes to
cloud the beginning of the ‘19-’20 school year. Nor are there any impending
budget crunches. The district continues to slowly replacepositions lost during the last financial crisis, while maintaining its
emphasis on academic areas it deems critical — such as early literacy.
Despite increase, Pottstown
remains most underfunded district in the region
Pottstown Mercury
by Evan Brandt
ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com @PottstownNews on Twitter Aug 31, 2019
Before Pottstown
School District students stepped through the front door of their school for the
start of a new school year, each one of them had already been robbed of nearly
$4,000. That's how much more funding the state's fair funding formula says they
need to get an adequate education. But under Pennsylvania's current education
funding system, they won't get it. What is the Fair Funding Formula? Pennsylvania has been identified as having the most unfair education
funding system in America, one that
relies too heavily on local property taxes, thus ensuring the distribution of
education resources is determined more by zip code than demonstrable need. The
formula uses a variety of factors, such as median household income, local
tax-base, student population, the percentage of English language learners and
other considerations to determine a fair share of the state's education funding
pot for each district and ensure students in poorer districts get opportunities
equal to those in wealthier districts. The fair funding formula, common in most
other states, was adopted in 2016 to address that inequity, but only a small
portion of the state's education budget each year is distributed using its
guidelines.
Chartiers Valley adds online academy
Post-Gazette by DEANA CARPENTER AUG 28, 2019
Starting this
school year, Chartiers Valley launched its own online academy.
Assistant
Superintendent Scott Seltzer said at an Aug. 27 meeting that the online academy
is a way to “entice students to come back” to Chartiers Valley from other cyber
schools. Mr. Seltzer added that the district starting its own online academy is
significantly less expensive than paying for district students to go to cyber
charter schools. So far, 10 students are enrolled in Chartiers Valley’s online
academy. Mr. Seltzer added that four students who had been enrolled in cyber
school outside the district have enrolled in Chartiers Valley’s program. “It’s
a good opportunity for kids that may not be traditional students to get a
Chartiers Valley diploma,” Mr. Seltzer said. The district is offering regular,
honors and advanced placement classes through its online program. He added
Chartiers Valley is working toward integrating activities like band, art and
other extracurricular activities into the online academy.
Pa. school district still pushing to arm teachers
WHYY Air
Date: August 26, 2019 Listen 14:26
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Last year in hopes
of preventing a mass shooting, Tamaqua, Pennsylvania became the first school
district in the state to allow staff to carry firearms. But now, as students
begin the school year, implementing that idea has been put on hold. Keystone
Crossroads contributor Jen Kinney explains why Tamaqua’s controversial plan
rests on competing interpretations of state law and a heated school board
election.
State still looking at Erie School Board vote
GoErie By Ed
Palattella Posted Sep 1, 2019 at 2:01 AM
School
directors avoided takeover by reversing one decision, but an unchanged vote
continues to defy state-mandated plan.
The state
Department of Education is still reviewing the Erie School Board’s rejection of
one of the requirements in the district’s state-mandated financial improvement
plan. The school directors on Aug. 14 voted 7-1, with one absence, to reject
the elimination of a pro-union rule in the district’s bidding policy for
construction jobs of more than $25,000. The Department of Education “has not
reached a definitive conclusion yet” about what to do about the vote, the
department’s spokesman said. The School Board on Aug. 19 reversed another vote
from Aug. 14. The board on Aug. 19 approved, in a 7-2 tally, another
requirement that the district seek bids on outsourcing custodial services. That
resolution failed to pass in a tie vote on Aug. 14. The Aug. 19 reversal on the
custodial bids lifted the threat that the Department of Education would take
over the school district due to noncompliance with the financial improvement
plan. The General Assembly in 2017 mandated the creation of the plan as part of
lawmakers’ allocation of $14 million in additional annual state aid to keep the
school district solvent. Still unresolved is whether the state Department of
Education will take action against the district in light of the School Board’s
continued defiance over the policy for construction bids. With the reversal of
the vote related to custodial bids, the requirement over construction bids is
the lone directive in the 64-page financial improvement plan that the School
Board has refused to follow.
Back to school in Harrisburg was big win for new
leadership, but real test is still ahead | PennLive Editorial
By PennLive
Editorial Board Updated Aug 28, 2019; Posted Aug 28, 2019
Cpl. Josh Hammer,
Community Policing Officer for Harrisburg police, stood at the door of Foose
Elementary School on the first day of school high-fiving little hands and
offering consoling hugs to tiny tykes who just didn’t want to leave Mommy’s
arms. “There have been a few tears this morning,” said school nurse Portia
Bolen-Geter, “but overall this is a beautiful day for the kids.” Bolen-Geter is
a veteran of back to school frenzy, which she says can be both joyful and
tearful for kids and parents. It was that and more at Foose and other
Harrisburg schools Monday as anxious parents led their children down the halls
looking for clues about what changes the state’s takeover of the district would
bring to the classrooms.
‘A child can’t learn
when they’re hungry:’ Pa’s Wolf, other guvs protest Trump’s food stamps cuts |
Thursday Morning Coffee
PA Capital Star
Commentary By John L. Micek August 29, 2019
Good Thursday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, along with a coalition of governors, on Wednesday sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue opposing the agency’s plan to cut food assistance. President Donald Trump’s USDA has essentially proposed eliminating Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE) from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). An estimated 3 million people nationwide could lose benefits, with 500,000 schoolchildren losing free breakfast and lunch at school. And as many as 200,000 adults and children in Pennsylvania could be affected by this change, according to state Department of Human Services data.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, along with a coalition of governors, on Wednesday sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue opposing the agency’s plan to cut food assistance. President Donald Trump’s USDA has essentially proposed eliminating Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE) from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). An estimated 3 million people nationwide could lose benefits, with 500,000 schoolchildren losing free breakfast and lunch at school. And as many as 200,000 adults and children in Pennsylvania could be affected by this change, according to state Department of Human Services data.
Pennsylvania: Leaders Matter
August 27, 2019 In LeaderMatter By AASA
David Baugh,
Superintendent Of Schools, Centennial School District, Warminster, Pa., And
Richard Sniscak, Superintendent, Parkland School District, Allentown, Pa.
Summer internships expand horizons for Philly teens
This year,
some 8,000 students spent between 120 and 160 hours at one of about 1,000 work
sites throughout the city.
The notebook by Paul Jablow August 30 — 7:07 am, 2019
Every year since
its founding in 1999, the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN) has provided summer
internships to high school students throughout the city. This year, about 8,000
students spent between 120 and 160 hours at one of about 1,000 work sites
throughout the city. These included IBX, Comcast, Bank of America, Drexel
University, the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation, and
nonprofits, including PYN itself. The students are paid a minimum of $7.25 an
hour, with some earning up to $12. They are chosen from about twice as many
applicants. Graduates of WorkReady and its predecessor, YouthWorks, have included
a 6th-grade charter school teacher, an assistant dean at the Community College
of Philadelphia, a psychologist with the Navy, and a senior labor and employee
relations analyst with the Mayor’s Office of Labor Relations. “No matter where
a young person is working,” said PYN’s president and CEO, Chekemma J.
Fulmore-Townsend, “we know that they are refining their natural talents and
gaining essential skills that will help prepare them for successful futures.”
Here are four
snapshots of this past summer’s interns.
Adolescent Health and
School Start Times: Science, Strategies, Tactics, & Logistics
Workshop Nov 13, Exton
Join school administrators and staff, including superintendents, transportation directors, principals, athletic directors, teachers, counselors, nurses, and school board members, parents, guardians, health professionals and other concerned community members for an interactive and solutions-oriented workshop on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Join school administrators and staff, including superintendents, transportation directors, principals, athletic directors, teachers, counselors, nurses, and school board members, parents, guardians, health professionals and other concerned community members for an interactive and solutions-oriented workshop on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Clarion Hotel in
Exton, PA
The science is clear. Many middle and high school days in Pennsylvania, and across the nation, start too early in the morning. The American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, and many other major health and education leaders agree and have issued policy statements recommending that secondary schools start no earlier than 8:30 am to allow for sleep, health, and learning. Implementing these recommendations, however, can seem daunting. Discussions will include the science of sleep and its connection to school start times, as well as proven strategies for successfully making change--how to generate optimum community support and work through implementation challenges such as bus routes, athletics, and more. Register for the workshop here: https://ssl-workshop-pa.eventbrite.com Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are able to offer early bird registration for $25, which includes a box-lunch and coffee service. Seating is limited and early bird registration ends on Friday, September 13.
For more information visit the workshop website www.startschoollater.net/workshop---pa or email contact@startschoollater.net
The science is clear. Many middle and high school days in Pennsylvania, and across the nation, start too early in the morning. The American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, and many other major health and education leaders agree and have issued policy statements recommending that secondary schools start no earlier than 8:30 am to allow for sleep, health, and learning. Implementing these recommendations, however, can seem daunting. Discussions will include the science of sleep and its connection to school start times, as well as proven strategies for successfully making change--how to generate optimum community support and work through implementation challenges such as bus routes, athletics, and more. Register for the workshop here: https://ssl-workshop-pa.eventbrite.com Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are able to offer early bird registration for $25, which includes a box-lunch and coffee service. Seating is limited and early bird registration ends on Friday, September 13.
For more information visit the workshop website www.startschoollater.net/workshop---pa or email contact@startschoollater.net
EPLC/DCIU 2019 Regional Training Workshop for PA School
Board Candidates Sept. 14th
The Pennsylvania
Education Policy and Leadership Center will conduct a regional Full Day Workshop
for 2019 Pennsylvania School Board Candidates at the DCIU on September 14,
2019.
Target Audience: School Board Directors and
Candidates, Community Members, School Administrators
Description: Full Day Workshop for 2019 Pennsylvania School Board Candidates. Incumbents, non-incumbents, campaign supporters and all interested voters are invited to participate in this workshop. The workshop will include Legal and Leadership Roles of School Directors and School Boards; State and Federal Policies: Implications for School Boards; School District Finances and Budgeting; Candidates and the Law; Information Resources; "State and Federal Policies" section includes, but is not limited to: K-12 Governance; PA Standards, Student Assessment, and Accountability; Curriculum and Graduation Requirements; K-12 State Funding; Early Education; Student Choices (Non-Public, Home Schooling, Charter Schools, Career-Technical, and more); Teacher Issues; Linking K-12 to Workforce and Post-Secondary Education; Linking K-12 to Community Partners
***Fee: $75.00. Payment by Credit Card Only, Visa or Mastercard, PLEASE DO NOT SELECT ANY OTHER PAYMENT TYPE*** Registration ends 9/7/2019
Description: Full Day Workshop for 2019 Pennsylvania School Board Candidates. Incumbents, non-incumbents, campaign supporters and all interested voters are invited to participate in this workshop. The workshop will include Legal and Leadership Roles of School Directors and School Boards; State and Federal Policies: Implications for School Boards; School District Finances and Budgeting; Candidates and the Law; Information Resources; "State and Federal Policies" section includes, but is not limited to: K-12 Governance; PA Standards, Student Assessment, and Accountability; Curriculum and Graduation Requirements; K-12 State Funding; Early Education; Student Choices (Non-Public, Home Schooling, Charter Schools, Career-Technical, and more); Teacher Issues; Linking K-12 to Workforce and Post-Secondary Education; Linking K-12 to Community Partners
***Fee: $75.00. Payment by Credit Card Only, Visa or Mastercard, PLEASE DO NOT SELECT ANY OTHER PAYMENT TYPE*** Registration ends 9/7/2019
“Each member entity will have one vote
for each officer. This will require boards of the various school entities to
come to a consensus on each candidate and cast their vote electronically during
the open voting period (Aug. 23 – Oct. 11, 2019).”
PSBA Officer
Elections: Slate of Candidates
PSBA members
seeking election to office for the association were required to submit a
nomination form no later than June 1, 2019, to be considered. All candidates
who properly completed applications by the deadline are included on the slate
of candidates below. In addition, the Leadership Development Committee met on
June 15th at PSBA headquarters in Mechanicsburg to interview candidates.
According to bylaws, the Leadership Development Committee may determine
candidates highly qualified for the office they seek. This is noted next to
each person’s name with an asterisk (*).
In November, many boards will be
preparing to welcome new directors to their governance Team of Ten. This event
will help attendees create a full year on-boarding schedule based on best
practices and thoughtful prioritization. Register now:
PSBA: Start Strong:
Developing a District On-Boarding Plan for New Directors
SEP 11, 2019 • 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In November, many
boards will be faced with a significant transition as they prepare to welcome
new directors to their governance Team of Ten. This single-day program
facilitated by PSBA trainers and an experienced PA board president will guide
attendees to creating a strong, full year on-boarding schedule based on best
practices and thoughtful prioritization. Grounded in PSBA’s Principles for
Governance and Leadership, attendees will hear best practices from their
colleagues and leave with a full year’s schedule, a jump drive of resources,
ideas for effective local training, and a plan to start strong.
Register online at MyPSBA: www.psba.org and click on “MyPSBA” in the upper right corner.
PSBA: Nominations for The Allwein Society are open!
This award program
recognizes school directors who are outstanding leaders & advocates on
behalf of public schools & students. Nominations are accepted year-round
with selections announced early fall: http://ow.ly/CchG50uDoxq
EPLC is accepting
applications for the 2019-20 PA Education Policy Fellowship Program
Education Policy & Leadership Center
PA's premier education policy leadership program for education, policy
& community leaders with 582 alumni since 1999. Application with program
schedule & agenda are at http://www.eplc.org
2019 PASA-PSBA School
Leadership Conference Oct. 16-18, 2019
WHERE: Hershey Lodge and
Convention Center 325 University Drive, Hershey, PA
WHEN: Wednesday, October
16 to Friday, October 18, 201
Registration is now open!
Growth from knowledge acquired. Vision inspired by innovation. Impact
created by a synergized leadership community. You are called upon to be the
drivers of a thriving public education system. It’s a complex and challenging
role. Expand your skillset and give yourself the tools needed for the challenge.
Packed into two and a half daysꟷꟷgain access to top-notch education and
insights, dynamic speakers, peer learning opportunities and the latest product
and service innovations. Come to the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference to
grow!
NPE Action National
Conference - Save the Date - March 28-29, 2020 in Philadelphia, PA.
The window is now open for workshop proposals for the Network for Public
Education conference, March 28-29, 2020, in Philadelphia. I hope you all sign
on to present on a panel and certainly we want all to attend. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NBCNDKK
Any comments contained herein are my comments, alone, and
do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any other person or organization
that I may be affiliated with.
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