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
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PA Ed Policy Roundup Sept. 5 2019
For 2017, Chester Community
Charter paid 27% in management fees to GOP superdonor Vahan Gureghian’s company
CSMI
Comparative percent of taxpayer dollars
spent on Charter Management Fees:
Mastery Pickett paid 12%
KIPP Philly paid 10%
MaST paid 1%
Blogger note: We inadvertently ran this
piece yesterday without the link:
“And that translates into assured big
profits for the charter school’s management company, CSMI. According to the
CCCS 990 tax return for 2017, CCCS paid Gureghian’s company $18 million in
management fees that year. That amount represents 27 percent of all the income
that the school received, almost exclusively from taxpayers. In contrast,
Philadelphia’s Mastery Pickett Charter School paid about $1.5 million to its
nonprofit management organization in 2015 (12 percent of the money it receives
almost exclusively from taxpayers) and KIPP Philadelphia Academy paid a little
more than $1.2 million (10 percent of the money it receives mostly from
taxpayers). MaST Community Charter School, which does not have a charter
management organization to which it is obligated, spent $113,491 on management
costs — less than 1 percent of its income.
CSMI has not shared how much of $18
million it receives is profit.”
The governor
is vowing to restructure it.
Washington Post By Valerie Strauss Reporter September 3 at 3:08 PM
Pennsylvania Gov.
Tom Wolf (D) has been making charter-school supporters in his state mighty
unhappy. The charter sector in Pennsylvania has long been beset by fraud and a
lack of transparency and accountability. In fact, in 2016, the state’s auditor
general called the state charter law the “worst” in the nation. Now Wolf has
raised the ire of supporters of charter schools — which are publicly funded but
privately operated — referring to the “growing cost of privatization of our
public schools” while discussing cyber charters. Meanwhile,
a recent news release issued
by the governor’s office said he wanted to stop the drain of public resources
from traditional public school districts that instead are going to these
schools: “Pennsylvania must help school districts struggling with the problem
of increasing amounts of school funding siphoned by private cyber and charter
schools.” Calling these schools “private” angered charter supporters, who say
they are public because they are publicly funded (though not accountable to the
public in the same way school districts are). Now Wolf is moving ahead to try
to change the charter sector in his state in the absence of movement from the
Republican-led legislature. In August, he said he would, among other things,
use executive power to make sure charters are held to the same “ethical and
transparency standards of public schools,” and allow school districts to cap
the number of charters. This post looks at the state of the charter sector in
Pennsylvania, the reality that Wolf is trying to change. It was written by
Carol Burris, a former New York high school principal who serves as executive
director of the Network for Public Education, a nonprofit advocacy group for public schools. Burris was named the
2010 Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators Association of New York
State, and in 2013, the National Association of Secondary School Principals
named her the New York State High School Principal of the Year. Burris has been
chronicling problems with modern school restructuring and school choice for
years on The Answer Sheet.
“New cyber charter school applications
will require an $86,000 fee to cover the review costs. The fee begins on or
after Jan. 1, 2020.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf adds tighter restrictions, costs
on charter schools
Centre Square By Kim Jarrett
| The Center Square September 4, 2019
Gov. Tom Wolf
announced a new executive order Wednesday that will require charter schools to
pay new fees and comply with a list of regulations. Charter schools that
request the Pennsylvania Department of Education to redirect tuition payments
to their charter school due to a dispute with a school district will be charged
a $15 redirection fee beginning Sept. 15, Wolf announced. The number of
redirection requests has increased by 60 percent in the past seven years and
the fees are needed to help the PDE recoup its costs, according to a
statement by Wolf. Supporters of
charter schools say their popularity is increasing because many do a better job
of educating students, and that parents should have a choice where to send
their children, particularly when the local public school is failing.
Gov. Wolf announces
new fees for Pennsylvania charter schools
Trib Live by JAMIE MARTINES | Wednesday, September 4, 2019 3:16 p.m.
Gov. Tom Wolf on
Wednesday announced that the state Department of Education will enact new fees
directed at charter schools. The “fee-for-service model” will charge charter
schools to resolve payment disputes with local school districts. It is part of
a sweeping charter school reform plan that Wolf announced earlier
this month. “These fees
will help the Pennsylvania Department of Education recoup costs they are
incurring right now by charter schools,” Wolf said during a news conference at
Twin Rivers Elementary in the McKeesport Area School District. “This will allow
more money to go toward where it should go, tax dollars toward educating our
children.” When a student leaves a local school district to attend a charter
school — either brick-and-mortar or cyber — state funding follows the student
from one school to the other. If there’s a dispute between the local school district
and the charter school over transferring those funds, the charter school can
ask the state Department of Education to step in. The department processed more
than 13,500 such requests in 2018, costing taxpayers tens of thousands of
dollars, Wolf said.
Gov. Wolf: Charter
School Reform Benefits Students and Taxpayers in Southwestern PA
Governor Wolf’s
Website September 04, 2019
McKeesport, PA – As part of his three-part plan to address Pennsylvania’s flawed
charter school law, Governor Tom Wolf announced today the Department of
Education will institute new fees to fund the growing costs of administering
the Charter School Law and recoup the rising costs to taxpayers. The
fee-for-service model is part of the governor’s commitment to improving charter
school quality, accountability, transparency, and outcomes for students, while
containing costs. The governor’s proposal includes executive action,
overhauling regulations and legislation to reform Pennsylvania’s outdated
charter school law. “Pennsylvania’s charter school law is failing students,
teachers, school districts and taxpayers,” said Gov. Wolf. “While there are
high-quality charter schools, some of them, especially some cyber charter
schools, are underperforming. The state and school districts need more tools to
hold charters accountable and increase educational quality. “My plan preserves
school choice, holds charters to the same standards as traditional public
schools, and strengthen education in classrooms across the commonwealth. “Despite
costing taxpayers $1.8 billion last year, 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.” Governor Tom Wolf is taking executive action, overhauling
regulations, and will propose legislation to comprehensively reform the law.
The proposal promotes innovation and choice, while ensuring that charter
schools are providing a high-quality education and meeting the same standards
Pennsylvanians expect from traditional public schools.
“Yet,
thousands of students will begin a new school year in radically different
classrooms. Some live in districts that can give them tools that boost skills –
seasoned teachers, counselors, adequate supplies, librarians, etc. Many don’t.
Their districts must keep raising taxes to cover basic costs. As the recent
editorial noted: “Property taxes are a harsh reality” for many and even that
revenue is not enough. To get more students prepared and relieve the burden on
local taxpayers, the state must adequately fund every school. In 2020, the
state can and should do more for our students.”
Letter to Editor:
Unequal funding is handicapping too many kids
Delco Times Letter
by Martin Stamper September 4, 2019
According to a
recent report from the Public Citizens for Children and Youth, 40% of Delaware
County families are underwater. PCCY’s report lays the dire situation out
at www.pccy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Underwater-DelCo-PCCY2019.pdf And it’s about to get worse. Philadelphia Energy
Solutions, a 150-year-old refinery, is closing. Workers who had good,
family-sustaining jobs are looking for other options. If the region’s next
generation of workers are to weather this kind of storm, they must be more
skilled and adaptable than ever before. Today’s students must enter the
workforce with skills that can keep pace with our ever-changing,
technology-centered world.
“House Bill 1355 could ensure that all
Pennsylvania public schools have access to a certified school librarian, which
would be instrumental in aiding student development and improving
Pennsylvania’s standing in national education rankings. Ensuring that certified
school librarians are involved in our children’s education is an investment,
not an expense.”
HB1355: Guest Opinion: Decline in school librarians in PA
school districts takes a toll
Intelligencer Opinion By Thomas P. Murt Posted at 5:56 AM September 4, 2019
Grace Devlin and
Emilie Vayner from Lower Moreland High School contributed to this article. Rep.
Thomas P. Murt represents the 152nd Legislative District which includes Upper
and Lower Moreland townships, Hatboro, Bryn Athyn and parts of Upper Dublin and
Northeast Philadelphia.
In the 21st
century, the need for successful research and accurate information is more
profound than ever. With misinformation so prevalent in today’s media and
society, the skill of recognizing precise and competent sources of information
is critical and should be developed early in a child’s academic career. Certified
school librarians possess a vital role in guiding students and assisting them
in developing these skills. Despite librarians’ critical importance, some
school districts do not provide certified school librarians in every school.
Over the past six years, the number of certified school librarians in
Pennsylvania has decreased 9%, and in Philadelphia, only 7 of 214 Philadelphia
public schools have certified school librarians. The lack of librarians within
Philadelphia’s schools can be attributed primarily to inadequate school budgets
and insufficient funding for public education. In the eyes of some misguided
budget-cutting officials, the increased access to the internet diminishes the
necessity for libraries. I have been discreetly advised that some principals in
Philadelphia must choose between a certified school librarian or a certified
school nurse for their buildings.
“Several board members lamented the fact
that third-grade reading scores, which had been a bright spot in the 2018 exam
results, had dropped from 56.1% of third-grade students reading proficiently to
50.9%. Third-grade reading is significant because the grade level marks
the point at which students transition from learning to read to reading to
learn. After third-grade, reading skills are needed to solve math problems and
comprehend lessons in other classes. Udin said of the elementary schools
in the Hill District, which he represents, 70% to 80% of students have not been
reading at grade level in 2017, 2018 or 2019. (He did not cite specific data
points and the test results were not publicly broken down by school on
Tuesday.) Udin criticized the district’s reading program ReadyGen, which he
said was opposed by teachers. He said researchers have predicted that
students who can’t read by the end of third grade will never be proficient
readers and are more likely to drop out of school. “
Stubborn gaps, minor gains and ‘deflating’ drops: A
breakdown of Pittsburgh students’ state test scores
Superintendent
Anthony Hamlet stayed quiet at Tuesday's district board meeting. In a
statement, he said the district would 'drill down' on the falling scores.
Public Source by Mary
Niederberger September 4, 2019
Pittsburgh school
board members heard disappointing news about student test performance Tuesday
night. Scores for several grade levels fell, and the district continues to have
wide achievement gaps between black and white students. Reading
proficiency rates among third-grade students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools
[PPS] have dropped. Performance by secondary students on the state
Keystone Exams in literature, biology and algebra I is down. And students
across the district continue to struggle with math. In every subject and
every grade level tested, black students scored far lower than white students,
with percentage-point gaps ranging from 27.1 in eighth-grade math to 40.9 in
algebra. Though the gap was smallest among eighth-grade students in math, just
8.2% scored proficient. “We cannot continue to allow failing performance
to be normalized,” school board member Sala Udin said after results were
presented at the Tuesday board meeting. Board president Lynda Wrenn
called the results “rather deflating.” Wrenn, along with Udin and fellow board
member Regina Holley voiced particular concern about the drop in third-grade
reading scores.
Toyota dealership pays off student meal debt
Beaver County Times By Patrick
O’Shea Posted Sep 2, 2019 at 5:10 PM
With one check,
large debts that have hung over three local school districts and some parents
have been wiped out. Baierl Toyota of Cranberry Township has agreed to give the
Ellwood City Area School District $22,181 to pay off all the outstanding debt
incurred by students for meals eaten at its four school buildings over the last
several years. The car dealership also agreed to send $20,000 each to the Big
Beaver Falls Area and New Brighton Area school districts for programs there. Joseph
Mancini, Ellwood City Area superintendent, said Thursday that about 800
students owed amounts ranging from $5 to $300 affected by the donation. He said
it will take some time for district officials to get into individual accounts
and credit them, so some parents might still see a delinquency note until then.
Mancini said the donation “helps the community, helps parents and helps our
kids. ... It does a lot for us.” He added, “This lets every kid start off with
a clean slate.” The Ellwood City Area School Board has debated how to handle
the lag in getting payment at times for meals, sometimes not seeing the money
until a student reaches graduation, which can create a delinquent bill of
several hundred dollars. The board has discussed adding finance or late fees to
delinquent accounts.
“The
$12.43 billion in abated value translates into an estimated $109 million in
actual property tax revenue that will be foregone by the city and school
district next year, according to city projections.”
Who benefits most from Philly’s tax abatement? Center
City developers
WHYY By Ryan Briggs September 5, 2019
When Philadelphians
think about the city’s 10-year tax abatement, many picture the ostentatious
mega-rowhouses that have sprouted in historically working-class neighborhoods,
igniting controversy along the way. But if residents want to see where most of
those tax breaks are going, they might be better off looking at the downtown
skyline. Just 1,700 structures, mostly concentrated in the city’s commercial
core, will account for $6.39 billion in abated tax value next year. That’s more
than half of the $12.43 billion total abated in the fiscal year, according to
the city’s 2020 property tax revenue projections. Most of these properties are
apartment buildings, hotels or large commercial and industrial properties. The
13,900 other buildings that received the abatement, mostly rowhouses or other
single-family home, added up to a smaller $5.19 billion in abated tax value. “A
new townhome gets built in a working-class, rowhome neighborhood, and they’re
getting the abatement, and it’s a three story home on a block that’s all
two-story, and they’re gentrifying the neighborhood. That’s the most visible
abated property to the average Philadelphian,” said economist Kevin Gillen, a
Building Industry Association of Philadelphia board member. “But the
reality is that most of the abated properties are heavily concentrated in and
around Center City. And they’re mostly commercial or multifamily.”
South Philly teen is city’s new youth poet laureate
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Updated: September 4, 2019- 6:44 PM
Mia Concepcion, a
17-year-old high school student from South Philadelphia, is the city’s new
youth poet laureate. She was awarded the title Tuesday during a ceremony at the
Free Library of Philadelphia’s central branch. Concepcion is a senior at
Science Leadership Academy, a poetry powerhouse that produced four out the
first six young people to earn the title. She succeeds Wes
Matthews, another
SLA student. She got interested in poetry as an eighth grader at Meredith
Elementary, and was quickly hooked. She joined SLA’s slam poetry team as a
freshman and was published in an anthology by the time she was a sophomore. “It
took off from there, and I haven’t stopped since,” said Concepcion, who applied
for the city post and was chosen from a competitive pool, officials said.
Jennifer Elliott:
Pennsylvania school screenings missing vital asthma test
Trib Live Letter by
JENNIFER ELLIOTT | Wednesday, September 4, 2019 7:00 p.m.
With students back
in class, schools across the state are providing annual vision and hearing
screenings to help ensure student well-being. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania does
not mandate a screening for the most common chronic childhood disease: asthma. Such
screenings should be required in Pennsylvania, which has the second highest
percentage of children suffering from asthma in the United States, according to
the Environmental Protection Agency. A 2017
Allegheny Health Network study
found that of more than 1,200 Western Pennsylvania school children, 24%
suffered from asthma, as compared to the national average of 8.3% as reported
by the National Center for Health Statistics. In my work in the Pittsburgh
region, I’ve screened thousands of students for asthma and personally seen how
the disease affects parents and their children. The impact on their lives is
significant. Asthma is one of the top reasons
for missed school days, causing
students to not only fall behind in their classes but also miss opportunities
to socially interact with peers, take on an active lifestyle or participate in
sports. Without treatment, these children face an uphill battle to keep up.
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 daysęź·ęź·gain access to top-notch education and
insights, dynamic speakers, peer learning opportunities and the latest product
and service innovations. Come to the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference to
grow!
NPE Action National
Conference - Save the Date - March 28-29, 2020 in Philadelphia, PA.
The window is now open for workshop proposals for the Network for Public
Education conference, March 28-29, 2020, in Philadelphia. I hope you all sign
on to present on a panel and certainly we want all to attend. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NBCNDKK
Any comments contained herein are my comments, alone, and
do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any other person or organization
that I may be affiliated with.
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