Friday, November 15, 2019

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Nov. 15, 2019 Turzai’s vouchers bill is on deck in the Pa. House next week. Let’s send it to the back of the class | 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.

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

If any of your colleagues would like to be added to the email list please have them send their name, title and affiliation to KeystoneStateEdCoalition@gmail.com

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Nov. 15, 2019



PA Schools Work Webinar: Focusing on School Funding Advocacy
Tuesday November 19th 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Join us for an Education Advocacy Lunch & Learn webinar Tuesday at noon. It's a brief 30-min session on how to effectively communicate with your state legislators about doing more to support our schools, so that all #PASchoolsWork. Register below! http://register.createdacard.me/9zIdB



School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where
Education Week's 2019 School Shooting Tracker February 1, 2018 | Updated: November 14, 2019
School shootings—terrifying to students, educators, parents, and communities—always reignite polarizing debates about gun rights and school safety. To bring context to these debates, Education Week journalists began tracking shootings on K-12 school property that resulted in firearm-related injuries or deaths. In 2018, when we began this project, there were 24 such incidents. (Visit our 2018 page to see where these shootings happened and key information about them.) Now, in 2019, we are continuing this important—and heartbreaking—work. More information about this tracker and our methodology is below.

“Students presently in private and religious schools who have never attended Harrisburg public schools would also be eligible for vouchers under the program, draining even more sorely needed funding from the district. There are no fiscal or student performance accountability provisions in the bill. Turzai’s bill is on the agenda for consideration by the House Education Committee on Monday, Nov.18, with subsequent consideration by the full Pennsylvania House as soon as that Thursday, Nov. 21. This bill would be a “camel’s nose under the tent”. Though funded by taxpayer dollars, it paves the way for future expansion of the program across the state – far from scrutiny and accountability by taxpayers.
Public money is public money and it belongs in our public schools.”
By Lawrence A. Feinberg  Capital-Star Op-Ed Contributor November 15, 2019
Lawrence A. Feinberg was recently re-elected to a sixth, four-year term as a school director in Haverford Township, Delaware County. He also serves as Co-Chair of the Delaware County School Boards Legislative Council.
The 2022 race for governor’s race has begun, and Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai wants to make it clear that he shares Betsy DeVos’ vision for privatization of public education. In a recent Philadelphia Inquirer opinion piece, Turzai, R-Allegheny, touted our state “as a gold standard with respect to funding public school districts”, completely ignoring the fact that Pennsylvania is home to the widest per pupil funding gap between wealth and poor districts in the country. Under his leadership, the Pennsylvania Legislature has been negligent, willfully and deliberately ignoring the state’s historic gross inequity in the distribution of school funding and locking students in poorer districts into their underfunded and under resourced predicament. A school funding lawsuit is pending, with the trial tentatively set to begin in summer 2020.

Legislative Alert: House Education Committee to push voucher bill next Monday
On Monday, November 18,The House Education Committee is scheduled to vote on voucher legislation under House Bill 1800 (Rep. Turzai, R-Allegheny). House Bill 1800 establishes a voucher program for students in the Harrisburg School District, which entered state receivership in June. The legislation sets a precedent for expansion in other districts – and in fact, using the definitions in the bill there are 13 school districts that would qualify for the voucher program if they enter receivership. Enactment of House Bill 1800 sets the stage for the eventual rollout of an expensive statewide voucher program. Adding tuition and transportation outlays, House Bill 1800 is estimated to cost the Harrisburg School District $5.5 million to $8.5 million. Could your district be next?  Once this bill is reported out of the House Education Committee, it is expected to quickly be pushed on the House floor.
There are no fiscal or student performance accountability requirements in the bill.
Please contact your representatives ASAP and ask them to please remain focused on ensuring that every student in every community has equal access to an excellent system of public education, and to please oppose HB 1800 or any other bill that would create a taxpayer-funded voucher program. Tell them to reject vouchers and vote NO on HB1800.
House Ed Committee members list:
House member contact info:

Vulture Voucher Bill Latest in Mike Turzai’s Quest to Please Betsy DeVos in PA
Gadfly on the Wall Blog by Steven M. Singer November 15, 2019 
The best way to help a struggling public school is to cannibalize it.
At least that’s what Betsy DeVos thinks – and so does her Pennsylvania puppet Mike Turzai. The Republican Speaker of the state House is expected to propose a school voucher bill Monday that will treat Harrisburg Schools as nothing more than carrion fit for plunder by school privatization vultures. Sure the district is in state receivership after decades of neglect and bad decisions by the elected school board. But instead of helping the school and its students get back on their feet, Turzai proposes siphoning away as much as $8.5 million in state funding set aside for the school’s aide. Alternatively, that money would go to help offset some of the cost of sending Harrisburg students to private or parochial schools if they so desire.

Inaction on school funding in Pennsylvania could lead more schools into distress, academic report warns
It’s a message Timothy Shrom has been preaching since his co-authored report with William Hartman was published 11 month ago – about 60 percent of Pennsylvania’s school districts are expected to face financial hardship in the next few years unless something changes. “I am kind of upbeat,” Shrom, the director of research for the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, told the Pennsylvania Economy League recently. “But this can kind of get to the point where you shake your head.” “A Tale of Haves and Have-Nots: The Financial Future of Pennsylvania School Districts” is more than just a forecast of doom and gloom. The 28-page report published by the Temple University Center on Regional Politics outlines the reasons why some districts have more funding than others. Over the last few years, on average 20 percent of the districts in the state did not see their assessed property values grow. Another reason is the state's funding formula for charter schools, Shrom told the Pennsylvania Economy League recently. School districts are required to fund charter school tuition costs. But for some districts, that expenditure exceeds what they receive from the state in basic and special education needs. Shrom pointed out that giving parents a choice through charter schools is not the problem. “The biggest problem we have with our choice policy is that we did a one-size fits all across the state, and a lot of school districts didn’t really need that kind of choice,” Shrom said. “But we never really let the public vote on that either. We just kind of did it." Shrom's statements on charter schools echoed those this past summer of state Sen. Pat Browne, a Republican and chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. Browne had described charter school funding as having reached a "crisis point."

Find out who your PSBA Advocacy Ambassadors are and how to contact them via email and follow them on twitter
PSBA Advocacy Ambassadors - Bringing the Voice of Local Communities to Harrisburg
A PSBA Advocacy Ambassador is a liaison between school directors and lawmakers. The objectives of the individual in this role:
  • Be a key resource to school districts and legislators on public education issues.
  • Inform legislators on the impact of bills moving through the General Assembly.
  • Build capacity at the local level; help school officials build relationships with legislators.
  • Bring legislators and school leaders together through district visits. The ‘Show Them What It Takes’ campaign will tell you how.
  • Create awareness to ignite regional grassroots advocacy efforts.
  • Help implement the Show Them What It Takes program
School boards across the state are represented in the halls of the Capitol every day, on matters impacting public education. PSBA is a prominent voice in Harrisburg on issues affecting public policy, legislation, and regulation. The Advocacy Ambassador network creates a web of connectivity—PSBA, local communities and legislators linked in an ongoing dialogue around public education.

Blogger note: media consolidation continues, with fewer reporters and less local news. In addition to the Beaver County Times and Ellwood City Ledger, it is my understanding that this new entity owns the Bucks County Courier Times, the Doylestown Intelligencer, the Pottstown Mercury, the Norristown Times Herald, the Reading Eagle, the West Chester Daily Local and the Delco Times
New Media, Gannett shareholders approve media merger deal
New Media Investment Group, which operates under its GateHouse Media subsidiary, is expected to close on its acquisition of USA Today parent Gannett Co. in the next several days, now that the last remaining hurdles have been cleared. GateHouse owns 153 daily newspapers, including the Beaver County Times and Ellwood City Ledger in Lawrence County.
Beaver County Times By Bob Sechler, GateHouse Media Posted Nov 14, 2019 at 11:58 AM
New Media Investment Group, which operates under its GateHouse Media subsidiary, is expected to close on its acquisition of USA Today parent Gannett Co. in the next several days. The two biggest newspaper chains in the country are on the verge of combining, after shareholders of both gave green lights to the $1.13 billion deal Thursday. New Media Investment Group, which operates under its GateHouse Media subsidiary, is expected to close on its acquisition of USA Today parent Gannett Co. in the next several days, now that the last remaining hurdles have been cleared. New York-based New Media owns the Beaver County Times and the Ellwood City Ledger, as well as 153 other daily newspapers, including the Columbus Dispatch in Ohio and the Palm Beach Post in Florida. Gannett, based in McLean, Va., owns USA Today and 109 dailies, including the Detroit Free Press and the Arizona Republic.

Girls Who Code is launching coding clubs in 6 Philadelphia public schools
It's not just tech education: "We’re also empowering them to learn how to persevere in a male-dominated field while thinking about how to apply their technical skills to positively impact their community."
Technically Philly By Adriana Fraser Nov. 13, 2019 12:20 pm
Correction: The list of schools with coding clubs has been updated to correct Science Leadership Academy's entry and to add Martin Luther King High School. (11/14/19, 2:10 p.m.)
Girls Who Code (GWC), a New York City-based nonprofit seeking to close the gender gap in technology, is set to launch its first set of coding clubs in Philadelphia public schools this month. Six schools across the city will now offer the six-week, after-school coding program to any girl and/or feminine-presenting person interested in exploring careers in computer science and technology. While the seven-year-old, Reshma Saujani-founded nonprofit has nearly 300 clubs currently established across the state and hosted a free STEM immersion camp in Philly this summer, this will be the first time the organization will be integrated into the city’s public schools.

Charter school knew about toxic lead in drinking water but kept parents in the dark
Mastery officials said this week that all drinking fountains at the school have been decommissioned.
The notebook WHYY NEWS by Avi Wolfman-Arent and Ryan Briggs November 14
It was a display of kindness that should have been heartwarming. Instead, Frederick Douglass Elementary School teacher Alison Marcus just felt queasy. In 2016 — while headlines blared about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan — Marcus’ North Philadelphia charter school raised money to buy bottled water for residents of the distressed Midwestern city. But as she watched students at the charter, run by Mastery, toss change into a large plastic bucket, she felt a pang of guilt. “I just remember thinking, ‘We should definitely be testing the water here,’” she said in an interview this month. That’s because Marcus says she and other teachers feared the drinking water at the school wasn’t much better than Flint’s. That same year, for roughly a week, some hallway fountains and sinks spurted a brown liquid that looked more like apple cider than water, according to nine former and current staffers. Administrators say they were unaware of the issues. However, Marcus says she and others complained about the brown water in 2016 to school leaders. No one ever formally notified parents.

Erie Rise Charter Gets Approved For 5 Years
The Erie School Board agreed to renew the charter for Erie Rise Leadership Academy, but there are additional guidelines that the school must follow.
Erie News Now Thursday, November 14th 2019, 12:15 AM EST by Brianna Andrews
Tonight the Erie School Board decided to renew Erie Rise Leadership Academy’s charter for the next five years. The meeting took place at East Middle School, Wednesday evening where the board announced their decision. Although the school board voted to renew the charter there are still some challenges for Erie Rise. The school board is requiring a cap on the number of students per class, limiting it to 25 students per classroom. Additional requirements include a high attendance rate, and stronger academics overall. This is all included in the school board’s improvement plan. If Erie Rise fails to meet these requirements within five years the charter may end sooner than five years. Erie Rise Leadership Academy has a history of low test scores and poor attendance but teachers are confident they can make a difference. “We have like an amazing staff teachers and teacher’s aide in every classroom that are dedicated more than anybody I've ever seen. I have so many kids that have behavioral problems rough home lives and stuff and I am there to make a difference in their lives as much as I personally can,” said Teacher’s Aide, Austin Smith. Erie Rise will have to adopt this improvement plan in the next 30 days or Erie School Board can revoke the renewal proposal.

Next steps for Keystone after vote against SV charter renewal
Lock Haven Express by PAT CROSSLEY FOR THE EXPRESS NOV 11, 2019
LOGANTON — Following a vote by the Keystone Central School Board Wednesday to not renew the charter for Sugar Valley Rural Charter School, a three-step process is triggered to deal with the issue, according to Tracie Kennedy, CEO for the school. Noting that the school was not surprised by the vote, Kennedy said the next step entails the district sending an official letter to the school concerning the denial. Taped hearings will then be conducted. The school board will view the tapes to decide if everything has been presented and holds another vote. If that vote is again no, Kennedy noted, Sugar Valley can appeal to the Charter Appeal Board. According to the appeal board’s website, the charter school files an appeal with CAB stating their reason for disagreeing with the school board’s denial. The CAB provides written notice of receiving the appeal, then assigns a docket number and a hearing officer. The school board has to provide a certified record to the CAB within 10 days. The hearing officer then holds a pre-hearing conference with both counsels to determine if more evidence is needed and to set a date for presentation of the case to CAB. Following the hearing, CAB issues its decision within 60 days. If CAB grants the appeal, the school board has 10 days to grant the renewal. If they do not vote to approve in that time, the application is considered automatically renewed. Kennedy stressed that the school is not closed. The school’s charter, which runs for a five-year period is good until June 2020.

“Since taking office, the governor has secured a $1.4 billion increase in education funding for pre-K through college, including nearly $800 million for basic education, $140 million for special education, and $40 million for career and technical education.”
Pennsylvania recognized for education excellence for students with disabilities
Pottstown Mercury MediaNews Group Nov 14, 2019 
WEST CHESTER—State Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera announced Thursday that Pennsylvania has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) for a 12th year as achieving the highest level of performance under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B. “Every student in our commonwealth deserves a high-quality education and must have opportunities to be engaged in academic coursework that prepares them to be college, career and community ready,” Secretary Rivera said. “This recognition is a testament to the educators, administrators and staff who deliver high-quality services to students with disabilities and their families.” Pennsylvania was one of only 21 states and territories that received the distinction this year. The state’s excellent work has been recognized with the highest “Meets Requirements” designation for 12 of the 13 years that the USDE has been issuing its determinations. Additionally, Secretary Rivera noted the administration’s commitment to special education, including a $50 million increase in this year’s budget. Rivera said schools are working hard to ensure every student regardless of disability is provided with meaningful education supports, services, and opportunities.

Quakertown approves new policy that sends lunch debt to collection agency, prohibits students from attending dances, graduation ceremony
THE MORNING CALL | By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO NOV 14, 2019 | 9:22 PM
The Quakertown Community School Board has approved a new policy that bars any student with a $1,000 debt from participating in activities such as dances, school trips and graduation ceremonies. The policy also sends the debt to a collection agency.
After a lengthy discussion, the Quakertown Community School Board approved a policy that could prohibit students who have lunch debt, overdue books or lost textbooks from participating in dances, graduation ceremonies or class trips. And if the debt is $1,000 or more, it will be forwarded to a collection agency under the parents’ or guardians’ name. The school board voted 7-2 Thursday night on the policy, which will go into effect immediately. Directors David Ochmanowicz and Kaylyn Mitchell voted against it. Directors Steaven Klein, Dwight Anderson, Robert Diliberto, Ron Jackson, Jonathan Kern, Keith Micucci and Jennifer Weed voted for it. Zach Schoch, Quakertown’s chief operating officer, said the policy was prompted by the ballooning lunch debt that has essentially become a line item in the district’s budget. Last year, taxpayers paid off $27,000 in unpaid debt. But school directors were split on the policy. Ochmanowicz said he was not comfortable with taking away privileges from students. He also said the district does not know what families are going through financially. “The child should not pay for the irresponsible parent who is not paying the debt,” he said.

100 Women Reading turns into 200 at Harrisburg area schools – with more on the way | Commentary
Penn Live By Joyce M. Davis | jdavis@pennlive.com;Posted Nov 14, 2019
I have been a bit peeved for a while that the fellas in 100 Men Reading were having a grand old time going into the schools and reading to the kids, with women being left out of all the fun. Then, Super Reader Floyd Stokes turned the 100 men into 500, and that was about all the great women of the Harrisburg region could take. We got our chance to step up to the plate on Wednesday with the first 100 Women Reading, and we knocked it out of the ballpark when more than 200 women showed up for the first event.

Students with mental illness find treatment at school | Opinion
Penn Live By Scott Suhring Updated Nov 14, 2019;Posted Nov 14, 2019
Educators have long recognized that mental illness is a disease that can impact many students in many different ways throughout the school day, including suicidal thoughts, depression and anxiety. The recent report from the state’s Safe2Say program, a platform for anonymously potentially unsafe activities, provided a stark reminder of how these challenges are mounting. The program received roughly 28,500 safety tips in the first six months of 2019, and more than 90 percent of the tips dealt with mental health issues. We also know and understand much more clearly that adverse experiences at home such as abuse, or neglect have a tremendous impact on students. If a parent is absent or incarcerated, for instance, their children might need additional mental health support. Growing numbers of students have family members impacted by the opioid crisis or are facing housing or food insecurities. There are any number of factors that can impact students as they enter the classroom.

Projection: Pennsylvania deficit to exceed $1 billion but smaller than previous forecast
By FORD TURNER THE MORNING CALL | NOV 14, 2019 | 1:35 PM
The "structural deficit” created by state government’s projected spending exceeding projected revenue will surpass $1 billion in a few years, but still be much smaller than previously anticipated, the Independent Fiscal Office predicted on Thursday. The office released its annual economic and budget outlook in a presentation at Harrisburg University. Director Matthew Knittel said some reasons for expectations of smaller deficits were a good economy and wage growth in Pennsylvania that exceeded forecasts. The report is issued annually by the office to help state residents and lawmakers in policy decisions. It made economic and demographic assumptions to conclude that, putting aside various alternate scenarios that could affect both revenue and expenditures, the state’s deficit will exceed $1 billion by 2022-2023. Specifically, it called for a deficit of $1.3 billion in that year. Last year, the projection for the same year was a deficit of $1.8 billion. Among the many assumptions underlying the office’s projections was one that the economy would not fall into recession.

“So, it is all the more remarkable anyone would give so much of their time to serve on a school board. Some might view it as thankless work, but board members would tell you the intrinsic rewards of preparing students for success in life are enormous. School board work is not for the faint of heart, but it is a perfect fit for those who care deeply about the importance of ensuring all children receive a great public education. These are the people, from every walk of life, that I have met over more than 39 years of working with and advocating for school boards. They inspire me every day.”
School Board: Demanding, invaluable public service
By Tom Gentzel Executive Director & CEO at National School Boards Association Published on November 14, 2019
This article first appeared in the December 2019 issue of American School Board Journal.
If there is one thing to know as a school leader, it’s that there is more than one thing to know. Back in the 1800s, when public schools first were being formed in most places around the country, the local school board provided basic oversight of a fledgling operation. The work included building a school (often one room), and then making sure it was heated, books and other supplies were secured and, of course, teachers were hired. School board members typically also handled maintenance and other hands-on duties to keep the school running. Along the way, as the population grew and the country changed, so too did the public schools. The growth of urban areas and then suburbia, the Industrial Revolution and later the Technology Revolution, diversification of the economy, and the increasing need to be competitive with other countries all have had profound influences on how public schools evolved. Those school board members who were in office when the school system was founded would be stunned at the change. They likely would be in awe of the sheer scope of the operation, and they probably would have trouble comprehending that the institution they helped to start, in many communities, now hires more employees and has larger budgets than any other organization.

Ohio House passes bill allowing student answers to be scientifically wrong due to religion
by WKRC Staff Wednesday, November 13th 2019
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKRC) - Ohio lawmakers are weighing in on how public schools can teach things like evolution. The Ohio House on Wednesday passed the "Student Religious Liberties Act." Under the law, students can't be penalized if their work is scientifically wrong as long as the reasoning is because of their religious beliefs. Instead, students are graded on substance and relevance. Every Republican in the House supported the bill. It now moves to the Republican-controlled Senate.


PSBA Alumni Forum: Leaving school board service?
Continue your connection and commitment to public education by joining PSBA Alumni Forum. Benefits of the complimentary membership includes:
  • electronic access to PSBA Bulletin
  • legislative information via email
  • Daily EDition e-newsletter
  • Special access to one dedicated annual briefing
Register today online. Contact Crista Degregorio at Crista.Degregorio@psba.org with questions.

PSBA New and Advanced School Director Training in Dec & Jan
Do you want high-impact, engaging training that newly elected and reseated school directors can attend to be certified in new and advanced required training? PSBA has been supporting new school directors for more than 50 years by enlisting statewide experts in school law, finance and governance to deliver a one-day foundational training. This year, we are adding a parallel track of sessions for those who need advanced school director training to meet their compliance requirements. These sessions will be delivered by the same experts but with advanced content. Look for a compact evening training or a longer Saturday session at a location near you. All sites will include one hour of trauma-informed training required by Act 18 of 2019. Weekend sites will include an extra hour for a legislative update from PSBA’s government affairs team.
New School Director Training
Week Nights: Registration opens 3:00 p.m., program starts 3:30 p.m. -9:00 p.m., dinner with break included
Saturdays: Registration opens at 8:00 a.m., program starts at 9:00 a.m. -3:30 p.m., lunch with break included
Advanced School Director Training
Week Nights: Registration with dinner provided opens at 4:30 p.m., program starts 5:30 p.m. -9:00 p.m.
Saturdays: Registration opens at 10:00 a.m., program starts at 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., lunch with break included
Locations and dates

Congress, Courts, and a National Election: 50 Million Children’s Futures Are at Stake. Be their champion at the 2020 Advocacy Institute.
NSBA Advocacy Institute Feb. 2-4, 2020 Marriot Marquis, Washington, D.C.
Join school leaders from across the country on Capitol Hill, Feb. 2-4, 2020 to influence the legislative agenda & shape decisions that impact public schools. Check out the schedule & more at https://nsba.org/Events/Advocacy-Institute

Register now for Network for Public Education Action National Conference in Philadelphia March 28-29, 2020
Registration, hotel information, keynote speakers and panels:

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.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.