Monday, October 14, 2019

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Oct. 14: For the sake of students and taxpayers, the state has to increase its share of special education funding [opinion]


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 emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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PA Ed Policy Roundup for Oct. 14, 2019



The Roundup may be intermittent this week due to the PSBA/PASA School Leadership Conference in Hershey. If you are in Hershey come say hello on Wednesday, Oct. 16th - I’ll be at the PSBA booth from 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. with the other PSBA Advocacy Ambassadors.  Find out how we can assist you with engaging your legislators, scheduling Show Them What it Takes school visits, and taking advantage of free statewide advertising to share positive news about public education via the Success Starts Here campaign.



Experience an evening of high-energy, top-quality public school student performances! Join us for the 2019 Student Showcase, October 17 from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. in the Chocolate Ballroom at the Hershey Lodge & Convention Center.
PSBA Website
Congratulations to those selected to perform at this year’s Showcase:
Master of Ceremonies: Sofia Mains, Cumberland Valley SD
Easton Area Middle School Jazz Band, Easton Area SD
The Dr. Kistler Handbell Choir, Wilkes-Barre SD
Washington High School Steel Drum Band, Washington SD
New Hope-Solebury High School Chamber Strings, New Hope-Solebury SD
Cheltenham Twp. High School Choir, Cheltenham Twp. SD
Eisenhower Select Musicians, Norristown Area SD
The Meistersingers, Southern Lehigh SD
Canon-McMillan High School Jazz Band, Canon-McMillan SD
Student Showcase Artistic Director: Sal Scinto, Radnor Township SD band director and Haverford Twp. SD school director

For the sake of students and taxpayers, the state has to increase its share of special education funding [opinion]
Lancaster Online by THE LNP EDITORIAL BOARD Oct 10, 2019
THE ISSUE: Lancaster County school and health officials expressed concerns Monday over the increasingly unsustainable costs of special education. They aired those concerns at the third public hearing of Pennsylvania’s recently reconstituted Special Education Funding Commission; the hearing was held at the Manheim Township School District office. As LNP’s Alex Geli reported Tuesday, “The commission, originally formed in 2012 and called upon again this year to study the special education (funding) formula it recommended in 2013” has among its co-chairs state Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera. Also on the commission are Republican state Sen. Scott Martin, of Martic Township, and Democratic Rep. Michael Sturla, of Lancaster. Special education has a branding problem. What it really should be called is education. Just education. Perhaps then it might not be viewed as some kind of optional extra. Because it’s not. Under federal law, Pennsylvania children with disabilities are guaranteed a “free appropriate public education.” Unfortunately, they — and their parents — sometimes are made to feel as if they’re imposing on school districts by asking simply for what the law guarantees them. No child asks to have a disability. And no parent wants his or her child to need extra help and accommodations. We’d all like our children to sail through school without obstacles, external or internal.

A-plus idea needs work: Worrisome details in new PPS program
The primary goal of a first-rate school system should be the best teaching and learning possible.
THE EDITORIAL BOARD Pittsburgh Post-Gazette OCT 13, 2019 7:00 AM
Pittsburgh Public Schools, the largest elementary and secondary institution in Western Pennsylvania, is concerned that its diverse student body is not seeing a reflection of that diversity in the faculty that stands at the front the classrooms. This is a valid concern and the district is trying to change. Interested paraprofessionals in the district — a group that is predominantly nonwhite — are being given a potential pipeline to teaching. Candidates have the opportunity to complete a two-year, online program aimed at concluding with their employment as teachers in the district, thus increasing diversity in the faculty ranks (pre-K through eighth grade.) But PPS is partnering with a potentially troubled institution to teach the would-be teachers. Background: The PPS pilot program, Para2Teacher, is backed by the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers and The Heinz Endowments, each of which will contribute $49,500 toward the program in the first year. There is no financial impact on taxpayers this year. A district spokeswoman said candidates must have at least three years seniority at PPS and a bachelor’s degree. The initial group of up to 33 students will be taught by Grand Canyon University, a private, Christian school based in Phoenix. This school, with some 85,000 students, is suspect.

Upper Bucks Tech event lauds career, vocational education connection
Bucks County Courier Times By Chris English Posted Oct 11, 2019 at 5:15 PM
Three area lawmakers and representatives for two others attended the first Legislator Day at the Bedminster school Friday. Area federal, state and county lawmakers spent a good part of Friday taking a deep dive into career and vocational education, and hearing about the importance of further strengthening ties between labor, business and schools to meet the demands of industry. Attending the first Legislator Day at Upper Bucks County Technical School in Bedminster were three federal or state elected officials and representatives for two others, along with Bucks County Commissioners Chairman Rob Loughery. U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1, Middletown; state Rep. Wendy Ullman, D-143, Plumstead; state Rep. Craig Staats, R-145, Richland, and representatives for state Sen. Steve Santarsiero, D-10, Lower Makefield and Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey were on hand. They started the day by listening to remarks from area business leaders on their present and future needs and the instrumental role schools like UBCTS plays in filling them. Following was a tour of several classrooms or labs to watch students practice their skills in areas like large and small engine repair, mechatronics and dental technology, and then lunch with the lawmakers and business and school officials enjoying food prepared by students in the UBCTS culinary program.

Soaring school lunch debts driving Pennsylvania districts to collection agencies
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO THE MORNING CALL | OCT 11, 2019 | 7:00 AM
At the end of last school year, taxpayers paid off nearly $30,000 in meal debt that Quakertown students had.The unpaid meals were considered bad debt, and covered with money in the district’s general fund budget. That’s why the school board is considering a drastic measure that some other area districts have already taken — a policy that would send any student’s unpaid meal debt to a collection agency when the balance exceeds $1,000. Under the proposal, Quakertown students could be prevented from participating in events like school dances and graduation ceremonies. The plan, expected to be voted on this month, might seem harsh, but in just a month of school, Quakertown Community School District students and their families already have amassed $4,000 in meal debt this school year — $1,000 ahead of this time last year. That $4,000 is expected to increase as the school year goes on. Zach Schoch, Quakertown’s chief operating officer, said there are two reasons for considering a new policy. “One was the ballooning of our student lunch debt that led us to create a line item in the general fund to cover the bad debt,” Schock said. The other was a change to a 2017 state law that banned schools from stigmatizing children for having debt, a practice known as “lunch shaming.” Now districts can take away student privileges, such as school dances or attending graduation ceremonies, for unpaid meals if the same restrictions apply for library fees and overdue books.

Displaced by asbestos and construction, Philly’s Ben Franklin High moves north, SLA stays near Center City
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Updated: October 10, 2019
Philadelphia school superintendent William R. Hite Jr. announced Thursday that students from the two schools displaced by construction problems and the discharge of asbestos will resume classes in new locations Monday. Benjamin Franklin High School will use the former Khepera Charter School at 926 W. Sedgley St. The school with which it is to share a Spring Garden location, Science Leadership Academy, will adopt a campus model, sending its students to two locations a couple of blocks apart — at School District headquarters, 440 N. Broad St., and Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 N. Broad. The Sedgley location will cost the district $70,000 per month to rent, and renting Rodeph Shalom will cost $80,000 through December. The nearly 1,000 students at both schools are expected to be back in their building along North Broad after winter break.

Calling Ben Franklin situation a ‘watershed moment,’ school board chair says leaders must do better
“We significantly underestimated the challenges of maintaining a healthy learning environment. … I offer my sincerest apologies,” the superintendent said.
The notebook by Bill Hangley Jr. October 10 — 9:30 pm, 2019
With Ben Franklin High School and Science Leadership Academy students finally on the way to their new homes, Board of Education chair Joyce Wilkerson says it’s time for the entire School District of Philadelphia leadership team to re-examine how it makes decisions, manages projects, and communicates with school communities. “We can’t have a breakdown like this again. What can we do better?” said Wilkerson, after Thursday’s meeting of the board’s Finance and Facilities Committee. Wilkerson acknowledged that the responsibility for the Ben Franklin debacle falls heaviest on Superintendent William Hite, whose administration hatched the co-location plan and has been working on it for two years. “This happened on his watch. He’s accountable,” said Wilkerson of Hite, who has acknowledged making numerous missteps during the process, including disregarding warnings and complaints from Ben Franklin staff and failing to develop contingency plans in case things went wrong. Construction to prepare for the co-location of the two schools in the 50-year-old Ben Franklin building, 550 N. Broad St., dislodged some asbestos, causing fears that dangerous airborne fibers from the widely used insulation material could compromise the health of staff and students. About 1,000 students in the two schools will have missed 11 days of school by Monday, when they will show up at their new sites, and they will not return to the Ben Franklin building, where the renovations cost $37 million, until after winter break.

How race, class, and privilege shape the asbestos crisis at two Philly high schools
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Updated: October 11, 2019
During her junior year, Mecca Taylor coped with near-constant construction noise in her high school, tools lying in the hallways, and dust everywhere. Her allergies acted up in a way they never had, and her friend’s asthma was awful. “You could see your footprints [along dust-covered floors] when you walked,” said Taylor, 17, now a senior at Benjamin Franklin High School. “We took the SATs in the basement because that was the only place where it was quiet enough."  When classes resumed this September, the school in the city’s Spring Garden section was still an active construction site, but things seemed “10 times better," Taylor said. Still, work was shut down once and then again, indefinitely, when asbestos contamination was discovered and a cry went up from teachers, staff, and students. Classes were canceled for 11 school days.

‘Protect our legacy!’ How a public school crisis exposed a rift in the Philly Catholic school community
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent October 11, 2019
The signatures piled up and the comments poured in.
“No outsiders should be allowed…”
“I pay to send my daughters to Hallahan…”
“This petition is shameful.”
“Send them to Southern!”
“As an alum, I’m ashamed…”
“I’m all for helping others but…”
On the website, Change.org, a woman identifying herself as an alum of John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School in Center City, Philadelphia posted a petition on Oct. 10 with an urgent, bolded warning. “HALLAHAN Alumni Protect our Legacy! STOP the relocation of Public school students to HH.” The petition came shortly after administrators at Hallahan sent a letter to parents and guardians floating the idea of temporarily loaning some of their space to students from Science Leadership Academy (SLA). Students from SLA — a selective, often sought-after public magnet school — have been exiled from their home building due to the discovery of asbestos in the school’s boiler room. In a desperate search to find new spaces for SLA’s 500 marooned children, the School District of Philadelphia and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia briefly considered a partnership.

Synagogue says plan to host displaced SLA students was announced ‘without our knowledge’
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent October 11, 2019 Update 4:32 p.m.
After missing weeks of classes due to asbestos in their building, Science Leadership Academy students thought they had a semi-permanent home. One problem: their host apparently wasn’t yet committed to the plan. The School District of Philadelphia announced Thursday afternoon that 500 SLA students would spend the next three months splitting time between classrooms at district headquarters in Center City and a nearby synagogue, Rodeph Shalom. Late Thursday evening, Rodeph Shalom executive director Fred Katz sent an email to congregants saying the district’s announcement was “premature and made without our knowledge.” Katz said that a “thorough review is underway” with a “particular focus on security.” Katz added that synagogue leadership is “optimistic all details can be worked through.” At first, the district did not respond to questions about the uncertainty sparked by Katz’s note. Friday afternoon, the district and Rodeph Shalom sent a joint statement. “While a signed agreement is not yet concluded, if feasible, there is a mutual desire to temporarily house a portion of the students of the Science Leadership Academy at Congregation Rodeph Shalom. We are working through open issues while concurrently addressing the needs of the Rodeph Shalom community.”

Bangor Area School Board twice rejects fact-finder’s proposal on new teachers contract
By MICHELLE MERLIN and CHRISTINA TATU THE MORNING CALL | OCT 11, 2019 | 3:53 PM
The Bangor Area School District and its teachers union are back to square one after the school board twice rejected a fact-finder’s recommendation. The fact-finder was called in after the union and district officials were unable to reach an agreement on their contract, which expired June 30. Negotiations started in October 2018, said Bangor Area Education Association President Edward Ziegenfuss. The groups couldn’t reach an agreement on salaries, benefits and other issues, according to the fact-finder’s report. Union members approved the fact-finder’s recommendations, which called for a five-year contract that simplified the step schedule and called for a $921 increase in the first year, a $1,000 increase in the second and third years, and $1,100 and step movement in the last two years. But school board members rejected the recommendations at their meetings Oct. 2 and on Wednesday, putting both parties back at square one. “We voted ‘no’ on the fact-finder’s report because it wasn’t economically viable,” said board President Michael Goffredo.

“A state report on the subject is expected to be issued in October, Citarelli Jones said at the latest board meeting. Thus far, 13 districts in Pennsylvania have already changed their start times, with eight opting for times between 7:50 and 8:10 a.m. and five revising them to between 8:15 and 8:40 a.m. What’s more, there are numerous others investigating modifications.”
Wallingford-Swarthmore to consider later starting times
Delco Times By Neil A. Sheehan Times Correspondent Oct 10, 2019
NETHER PROVIDENCE >> Strath Haven High School students in the future may be able to hit the snooze button without fear of being dinged for tardiness. Whether that occurs depends in large part on the findings of committees studying the issue of sleep and school start times and due to report back to the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board in February. Superintendent Lisa Palmer said the school district selected the issue as an area of focus last May and began the work of considering changes. Denise Citarelli Jones, the district’s director of secondary education, said an expert on the topic, Wendy Troxel, spoke at a Wallingford-Swarthmore gathering recently. Troxel recommended that rather than state officials coming up with policies in this area districts would be expected to follow, it should seek to validate the latest data and allow them to make choices based on the research.

“The new start times will be implemented by the beginning of the 2022-23 school year or when a school’s three-year collective bargaining agreement with its employees comes to an end, whichever is later. Schools that have recently negotiated agreements or are in the midst of negotiating new agreements with teachers would have the option of adjusting to the later times when their contracts end.”
California becomes first state in the country to push back school start times
Senate Bill 328 calls for delaying middle and high school start times in California in order to give students more time to sleep.
Los Angeles Times By TARYN LUNA STAFF WRITER OCT. 13, 2019 5:22 PM
California will become the first state in the nation to mandate later start times at most public schools under legislation signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom Sunday, a proposal designed to improve educational outcomes by giving students more sleep. The new law is not without controversy, though, opposed by some school officials and rejected twice before by lawmakers and Newsom’s predecessor. The governor didn’t offer any explanation for why he signed the bill. A request for comment to his office wasn’t immediately returned on Sunday. The law will take effect over a phased-in period, ultimately requiring middle schools to begin classes at 8 a.m. or later while high schools will start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The law does not apply to optional early classes, known as “zero periods,” or to schools in some of the state’s rural districts. While school schedules vary, a legislative analysis in July said that roughly half the schools in the state will be required to delay their start times by 30 minutes or less to comply with the law. An analysis of the 2011-2012 school year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the average start time for California schools attended by some 3 million middle school and high school students was 8:07 a.m. Some of the state’s students were required to be in class before 7:30 a.m.

“Delloso and other pols who have signed on to the plan think it could raise $600 million in new revenue for the state, as well as supporting 18,000 new jobs. He wants to use the bulk of the revenue for education. Delloso relates the story of knocking on doors in his campaign for the Legislature and hearing the same two stories again and again: Young parents complaining about the lack of adequate funding for their local school district, and older residents complaining about skyrocketing property taxes, the basic building block of education funding in Pennsylvania.”
Letter From the Editor: High time for Pa. to get out of the booze business?
Well, this is certainly going to complicate my one-man mission to get Pennsylvania out of the booze business. My stance is not a secret. For years I have told anyone who would listen of my delight in visiting other states where you can stroll your local supermarket, put a six-pack or case of beer, or perhaps a bottle of wine, into your cart along with the rest of your groceries and pay for them all at the checkout counter. Or perhaps duck into your local convenience store on the ride home and grab a cold six. Pennsylvania is being dragged - of course much slower than most would like - out of the dark ages when it comes to the sale of alcohol.

Philly Student Achievement and Support Committee: October 10, 2019
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools by Lynda Rubin October 10, 2019
Present were Co-chairs Chris McGinley and Angela McIver, Committee members Maria McColgan and Julia Danzy,  and Student Representative Doha Ibrahim.
Doha Ibrahim is one of the two non-voting Student Representatives selected to sit on the Board of Education for this school year. Doha is a senior at Lincoln High School, President of the ESOL Ambassador Program (English to Speakers of Other Languages), and she identifies herself as the voice of non-English speaking students. She owns her own business, Doha Photography. Doha wants to increase student support at all schools throughout the District.   APPS welcomes Doha Ibrahim! McGinley presided over the first half of the meeting. He stated that Action items on the agenda were posted publicly on October 3 to be voted on at the Board of Education Action meeting to be held Thursday, October 17.  When possible, agenda items will be posted approximately one week in advance of the Student Achievement Committee meeting. McGinley then announced that two Action Items were just added to this meeting and will be on the agenda of the Action Meeting: Action 34, Non-renewal of Aspira Olney High School Charter and Action Item 35, Non-renewal of Aspira John B. Stetson Middle School. McGinley invited the public to submit written items on any topic to the Committee by emailing them to schoolboardcommittees@philasd.org The minutes of the September 5, 1919 Student Achievement were approved.

Philly Finance and Facilities Committee Meeting: October 10, 2019
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools by Diane Payne October 13, 2019 
The SLA/Franklin snafu was the subject of remarks from Board members, Superintendent Hite, and community members. Some public speakers asked why no Board members were present during the community meetings earlier in the week. 
Present and Opening Remarks: Present were Co-chairs Lee Huang and Leticia Egea-Hinton, Committee members Joyce Wilkerson and Wayne Walker (who again participated via phone). The remaining five Board members also attended: Julia Danzy, Mallory Fix-Lopez, Maria McColgan,  Angela McIver, and Chris McGinley. Also seated at the head table were Superintendent Hite, Chief Operating Officer Danielle Floyd, and Chief Financial Officer Uri Munson. Wilkerson announced that the City of Philadelphia CFO Rob Dubow was in attendance in the audience. Continue reading here.

Ridley Proud: You can now rock a Ridley license plate
By Barbara Ormsby Times Correspondent
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP — Members of the Ridley Educational Foundation are hoping they have found the perfect Christmas gift for people to give Ridley High School graduates--an official Pennsylvania license plate featuring the Ridley School District's distinctive "Rocking R" logo. And buying the specialty license plate will help to fund programs and projects for Ridley students through grants provided to teachers by the volunteer REF. The new license plate was on display at a recent Ridley School Board meeting. Ridley School Board Vice President Beverly Kapanjie , who is president of the REF, noted that the license plate is offered through PennDOT's Special Organization Program. The program allows approved groups to promote their organization with a distinctive registration plate. According to a release from the REF, Ridley School District appears to be the first school district to pursue the opportunity. Anyone residing in the school district or a graduate residing in the state may access an application for their vehicle on the school district website at www.ridleysd.org. The REF receives a $17 donation from the sale of the plates.


The Contradiction at the Heart of Public Education
Gifted education puts in tension two equally treasured American ideals: egalitarianism and individualism.
The Atlantic by Andy Smarick OCT 10, 2019
Over the summer, an education panel convened by Bill de Blasio put New York City’s mayor in a bind: It recommended dismantling much of the city’s programming for gifted students in order to advance integration. Hizzoner is known for his charged progressive rhetoric about ending inequality, but the proposal would compel him to stop talking and take on the thousands of families who like special academic offerings for their high-performing children. The panel argues in its report that the system serves to segregate by race, income, and language, and to “perpetuate stereotypes about student potential and achievement.” The panel would institute a moratorium on new gifted-and-talented programs, phase out existing programs, end the use of middle-school entrance criteria (such as grades, test scores, behavior, and lateness), and fundamentally alter high-school admissions practices. The panel would instead prioritize schoolwide enrichment programs so a diverse student body could learn together under one roof. The recommendations were met by swift opposition from several city leaders, who defended programs for precocious children while acknowledging the imbalance in program enrollment. As for the mayor: He was conspicuously noncommittal in response to the panel of his administration’s own creation.

Why Market Forces Will Not Provide Charter School Accountability
Forbes by Peter Greene Senior Contributor Oct 10, 2019, 02:48pm
It has been a rough day at my house. The IRS is auditing me and needs me to send them money now. My computer has a virus. My Microsoft Windows is expired and will shut down soon. And if I don’t re-enter my personal information, my email, Netflix, and bank accounts will all be shut down. The only good news is that I still have a chance to buy great insurance, and I’m still waiting to hear back from that Nigerian prince. Why do phone and online scammers keep at it, long after the vast majority of folks have heard about the most common scams, and even your mother knows not to say “yes” to a robocaller? Why don’t these scammers think, “Time to change my business model?” Because if scammers get a return on even one hit out of 10,000, that’s more than enough to keep them in business. Charter school advocates have long argued that one reason that charters don’t need much formal government oversight is that they are subject to a greater accountability, that they must answer to parents who can “vote with their feet.” But the feet of charter parents don’t exert very much pressure. The vast majority of charter school operators have nothing in common with phone scammers, but the same basic market principle applies.

Your Guide to ESSA's New School-by-School Spending Mandate
Education Week By Daarel Burnette II October 8, 2019
For decades, "per-pupil spending" has been the public's main lens on how $700 billion in K-12 funding gets spread around at the school district level. But experts have long argued the yardstick does little to illuminate districts' academic and financial priorities or spending inequities. The Every Student Succeeds Act, passed in 2015, requires states for the first time to break out how much districts spend on each school. Advocates hope such detailed data will revolutionize the public's understanding of K-12 finance and drive academic- and fiscal-policy shifts at the state, federal, and local levels. It could also land like a dud and confuse the public even more about how taxpayers' dollars are distributed. A recent survey conducted by the Education Week Research Center found that more than 67 percent of district administrators and principals don't believe that ESSA's requirement for public reporting of school-level spending will lead to more equitable spending. Either way, the flood of new district spending data is coming. While U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos set a deadline of this school year for states to display the information to the public, 17 states so far have already released the information.


On the Table: We Count in Delco 2020! Thursday, October 17 @ 1:00 PM
Delaware County Intermediate Unit (DCIU) 200 Yale Avenue Morton, PA 19070
On The Table, Greater Philly, is a one-day event on October 17, when communities all over the region are having conversations about important local issues.   Along with our local sponsor, The Community Foundation for Delaware County, we invite community leaders and partners for lunch and conversation on the 2020 census right here in Delaware County.   We want to make sure everyone gets counted.  Please help us find and connect with underrepresented communities and brainstorm ideas on how we can facilitate access and completion. We know there are other local events happening this week.  We’re working with Congresswoman Scanlon and the Delco Counts Committee to make sure we accommodate schedules and get a complete count. 
Registration Link (space is limited):  https://www.senatorkearney.com/event/census-roundtable/  

Career, Trades & Labor Apprenticeship Fair Saturday • October 26, 10 a.m.– 2 p.m.
Delaware County Intermediate Unit (DCIU) Marple Education Center • 85 N. Malin Road • Broomall, PA
Sponsors: Senator Kearney’s Office, Delco AFL-CIO and DCIU
This event will be open to students from grades 8 – 12, along with their parents and guardians. We are also inviting school administrators and teachers, local businesses and trades, and all community stakeholders who are interested in preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s opportunities. The 26th Senate District has a wide range of career, technical, and labor apprenticeship training programs for young people seeking careers in growing fields where they can earn living wages and, in some cases, even Associate degrees during their training. We hope to connect students with these opportunities and to build new relationships between everyone invested in our young people’s educational and career paths. Please RSVP no later than October 25, 2019. You can RSVP online at https://www.senatorkearney.com/apprenticeship-fair/  or by contacting Gina Curry, my Constituent Relations Associate, at Gina.Curry@pasenate.com or 610-352-3409 (ext. 222). We look forward to seeing you at the fair!

Know Your Facts on Funding and Charter Performance. Then Call for Charter Change!
PSBA PA Charter Change Website September 2019

Register now for PSBA’s Sleep & Student Performance Webcast OCT 31, 2019 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 IN PSBA NEWS
Our students face many issues today, but who would have imagined sleep deprivation could be a significant issue? The Joint State Government Commission established an advisory committee to study the issues, benefits and options related to school districts instituting later start times in secondary schools. Register now to hear from the executive director of the Commission, Glenn Pasewicz, commission staff and David Hutchinson, PSBA’s appointee to the commission, on the results of their study and work.

According to state law, all school directors must complete training. How many hours are required if you are a new school director? What about if you’re re-elected? Get the answers to these and other related questions in this episode of PSBA’s #VideoEDition

Information about the education sessions for the 2019 @PasaSupts @PSBA School Leadership Conference are now live on our website! We hope to see you there! #PASLC2019

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 
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

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!

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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