Tuesday, December 10, 2019

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Dec. 10: Report: Federal government wasted millions of dollars on charter schools that never opened


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PA Ed Policy Roundup for Dec. 10, 2019


PSBA/PASA/PAIU Advocacy Day at the Capitol-- March 23, 2020
Sign up today at myPSBA.org. School directors can register online now by logging in to myPSBA. If you need assistance logging in and registering contact Alysha Newingham, Member Data System Administrator at alysha.newingham@psba.org  


POTTSTOWN — Seventeen simultaneous press conferences across the commonwealth marked the 64th anniversary of the start of the landmark civil rights bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala. with a civil rights protest for this century — calling for fair school funding. Invoking a civil rights protest of the past to point to a civil rights injustice in the present is appropriate, organizers argue, because Pennsylvania's school funding system has a racial bias. Studies show it provides more state aid dollars per student to districts with higher white populations, punishing poorer, more urban districts with non-white student populations.
"Rosa Parks was arrested and fined for refusing to give up her seat to a white man. The boycott lasted for over a year. It was the first large-scale U.S demonstration against segregation. This date in history marks for us a time when people stood up and took a stand," Pottstown Schools Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez said during the Dec. 5 event. "Today, the PA League of Urban Schools are remembering that movement as we stand in solidarity to say — it is time to give every student in Pennsylvania an equitable chance at an excellent, high quality education, regardless of where they live," he said. "Injustice goes on all across the world," Rodriguez said. "The only thing that stops it is when people stand up and say enough." "The destruction of public education begins in urban centers," he warned. "Today, we are standing up to say no." It should come as no surprise that one of those 17 press conferences was in Pottstown. Not only is the borough's school district underfunded by more than $13 million every year by Pennsylvania's lopsided public school funding system, considered among the most unfair in the nation, but in October, Rodriguez was named the president of the Pennsylvania League of Urban Schools, which coordinated the protests.

Is Pennsylvania's financial recovery law helping school districts?
Lindsay C VanAsdalan, York Dispatch Published 10:47 a.m. ET Dec. 9, 2019 | Updated 11:09 a.m. ET Dec. 9, 2019
After the state denied York City School District's request to have its recovery status terminated this summer, it is unclear what the district has to do to move forward. State-appointed monitor Carol Saylor has criticized the state's financial recovery law for not clearly laying out what districts have to do to get out from under state control. "This has been the complaint from the very beginning," said state Rep. Carol Hill-Evans, D-York City, who also sits on the state's Education Committee. The longer the state doesn't provide a roadmap, the more vulnerable it makes (districts), she said. York City Superintendent Andrea Berry said she's not against being in recovery if it's helping the district make needed improvements. She said she does feel like the state's given enough direction, but the district just has not reached those goals yet. "We will continue to work diligently," she said. "It doesn’t mean that we’re going to give up. We’re just going to have to work a little harder to do it." Four of the state's school districts were placed in financial recovery — under a law that issues state watchdogs to guide academic and financial improvement in financially distressed districts — in 2012. York City and Harrisburg were deemed "moderate" and received a state overseer but retained board control. Duquesne City and Chester-Upland were deemed "severe," and given a state receiver.  Since then, two of those districts have fallen deeper into distress, fending off recent attempts at privatization.  

Washington Post By  Valerie Strauss  Dec. 9, 2019 at 4:12 p.m. EST
More than 35 percent of charter schools funded by the federal Charter School Program (CSP) between 2006 and 2014 either never opened or were shut down, costing taxpayers more than half a billion dollars, according to a new report from an advocacy group that reviewed records of nearly 5,000 schools. The state with the most charter schools that never opened was Michigan, home to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The report, titled “Still Asleep at the Wheel,” said that 537 “ghost schools” never opened but received a total of more than $45.5 million in federal start-up funding. That was more than 11 percent of all the schools that received funding from CSP, which began giving grants in 1995. In Michigan, where the billionaire DeVos has been instrumental over several decades in creating a charter school sector, 72 charters that received CSP money never opened, at a total cost of some $7.7 million from 2006 to 2014. California was second, with 61 schools that failed to open but collectively received $8.36 million. The Education Department did not respond to a query about the findings. DeVos has made expanding alternatives to school districts — including charters and programs that use public money for private and religious schools — her top priority as education secretary, and has said her metric for a state’s education success is how much they expand school “choice.”

New Report: Charter Fraud And Waste Worse Than We Thought
Forbes by Peter Greene Senior Contributor Dec 10, 2019, 06:00am
Last March, the Network for Public Education released a report showing that the federal government has lost a billion dollars to charter school waste and fraud. But the organization had not stopped sifting through the data. Their follow-up report, “Still Asleep At The Wheel: How the Federal Charter Schools Program Results in as Pileup of Fraud ands Waste,” reveals that the situation is even worse than shown in the first report, while laying out more state by state details. Particularly striking—the vast amount of money that has been wasted on ghost schools that never served . NPE is a group co-founded by Diane Ravitch, the Bush-era Assistant Secretary of Education who has since become an outspoken critic of education reform. The organization's executive director is Carol Burris, a former award-winning New York principal. Burris was the primary author of this report.

NPE Report: Still Asleep at the Wheel
How the Federal Charter Schools Program Results in a Pileup of Fraud and Waste
Network for Public Education December 6, 2019 6:09 pm
Still Asleep at the Wheel continues our investigation of the U.S. Department of Education’s Charter Schools Program (CSP) that began with our March 2019 report, which you can find here. The Charter Schools Program has spent more than $4.1 billion dollars to fund new charter schools and to expand existing charter schools. In this report, we document over a half-billion dollars that was wasted on defunct charter schools that received grants from 2006-2014 alone. There is no data for granted money from 1995-2005. That is because the Department did not require the states to report to which schools they gave over a million dollars of taxpayer funds. Given that 28% of all of the funds spent during those select years (2006-2014) were wasted, we conclude that over $1 billion has been wasted during the 25 years that the program has been in existence. According to our analysis, 37% of the charter schools that were funded by CSP during those years either never opened (11%) or opened and then closed (26%). That figure is the result of our confirmation of the status of nearly 5000 charter schools that received funds from CSP.

Turzai Discusses Educational Opportunities at White House with Students, Parents, Educators and Trump
Speaker supports the work of federal government for school choice
PA House GOP Press Release December 9, 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) joined President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and leaders from around the United States today at the White House for a roundtable discussion of expanding educational opportunities.  “It is a great honor to be invited to the White House to join this panel and discuss school choice, something that I am passionate about,” said Turzai. “One size does not fit all. Parents, grandparents and guardians should have the opportunity to send their child to a school that best suits their educational needs.  “The proposal to use state tax credit scholarships put together by President Trump, Secretary Devos and Sen. Ted Cruz will provide more educational opportunities for more students across the United States. We truly support your work because every child deserves access to quality education, and we have a responsibility to ensure that families who cannot afford that education receive assistance to do it.”

Trump Says He's Fighting for the 'Forgotten Child,' Touts Education Choice Bill
Education Week Politics K-12 By Evie Blad on December 9, 2019 5:50 PM
President Donald Trump used a Monday White House event held to promote school choice and urge Congress to consider a proposal that would use federal tax credits to help pay for a variety of educational services, including private school tuition.  Those who joined Trump included Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican and the sponsor of a Senate version of that proposal; U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos; students and teachers who use state-level school choice programs; and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has successfully championed choice in his state. "As president, I am fighting every day for the forgotten American," Trump said, citing criminal justice reform, the creation of Opportunity Zones, and declining unemployment rates as accomplishments. He spoke as a House committee held an impeachment hearing.  "Now is the time to fight for the forgotten child, and that's what we are doing with respect to education," Trump said. "For decades, countless children have been trapped in failing government schools. In my administration, these children are forgotten no longer." 

Gov. Pat Toomey? Lehigh Valley lawmaker eyeing 2022 options
By LAURA OLSON THE MORNING CALL | DEC 09, 2019 | 5:32 PM
He’s served in both chambers of Congress. Now U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey reportedly is mulling whether to seek a third U.S. Senate term — or set his sights on the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion. Toomey, a Republican who lives in Lehigh County, didn’t foreclose on the possibility he might run for governor in 2022 when asked about such a bid over the weekend at the Pennsylvania Society gathering in Manhattan. “I’ll be thinking a lot more about my own political future after the election next year,” Toomey told The Philadelphia Inquirer. Toomey’s campaign consultant, Mark Harris, declined Monday to elaborate on Toomey’s thinking regarding his plans. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf won’t be running in 2022 because the governor cannot serve more than two consecutive terms.

Scott Wagner will cover Trump's security costs for Hershey rally, report
Shelly Stallsmith, York Daily Record Published 6:28 p.m. ET Dec. 9, 2019 | Updated 6:32 p.m. ET Dec. 9, 2019
Derry Township has picked up the costs for candidates' campaign stops at Hersheypark Arena and Giant Center over the years. York County businessman and former state senator Scott Wagner  doesn't want that to happen Tuesday when President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence appear at Giant Center, PennLive is reporting. Requests for comment from Wagner and Derry Township Manager Christopher Christman were not answered. Wagner has been out of the public eye since losing his bid to become governor in the 2018 election. PennLive says Wagner offered to pay "up to $20,000" for municipal police costs. Wagner told the media outlet he believes supporters in southcentral Pennsylvania have a right to come out to the see the president with "no ill feelings toward the township."

PA Society Rumor Mill Recap
PoliticsPA Written by John Cole, Managing Editor December 9, 2019
The annual weekend gathering in New York City has come to a close, and we are giving a rundown of some of the top stories and rumors coming out of the receptions. 

Ephrata residents skeptical of later school start times; homework loads partly to blame
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer December 10, 2019
A discussion about sleep turned into a rebuke of excessive homework Monday as officials from Ephrata Area School District fielded questions about potentially shifting secondary school start times. More than 100 residents attended the community information session at Ephrata Middle School as administrators consider later start times as early as the 2020-21 school year. The session began with presentations from sleep experts with WellSpan Health, who said teenagers undoubtedly need more sleep than what they’re getting on average. “Sleep is essential,” said Dr. Meera Ranganathan, a specialist at WellSpan Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine in Ephrata. “It’s not a luxury.” That’s especially true for adolescents, she said, because puberty causes a shift in their sleep cycles. Their brains, she said, delay the release of melatonin, so it’s difficult for teenagers to fall asleep before 11 p.m. This can have a myriad of health implications, from increased anxiety and mood swings to obesity and drug use.

North Hills Middle School Teacher Named Pa. Department Of Education Teacher Of The Year
KDKA CBS Pittsburgh December 9, 2019 at 2:12 pm
HERSHEY (KDKA) — Joseph Welch, a middle school teacher at the North Hills School District, has been named the Pennsylvania Department of Education 2020 Teacher of the Year. “Teachers make a difference every day in the lives of their students by inspiring and motivating them to learn,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “It is my pleasure to congratulate Mr. Welch on receiving this distinguished honor and to thank the Teacher of the Year candidates and all educators for their dedication and service to our students.” Welch was honored during the SAS Institute, the Department of Education’s yearly development conference. He is an American History teacher at North Hills Middle school and was one of 12 teachers in the state nominated for the award, and only one of two teachers from Western Pennsylvania nominated.

Women won’t reach men in computer sciences until 2137 — unless we act now | Opinion
Marisa Porges, For the Inquirer Updated: December 9, 2019 - 10:41 AM
2137. According to a recent study, that’s when women will reach parity with men in the publication of computer science research. What’s more, the number of women entering the field of computer science is actually on the decline. In 1984, women accounted for 37 percent of computer science majors in college, but today account for only 18 percent of computer science graduates. These trends are even more worrisome given the economic opportunities that computer science training will offer in the decades ahead. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for software developers are projected to grow 24 percent between 2016 and 2026, and similar growth is projected in dozens of jobs that fall under the category of computer science and engineering. But women make up only 20 percent of the workforce in these fields and, as a result, many are likely to miss emerging career opportunities related to computer science.

“He didn’t want it to be a charter school. He didn’t want it to be a private school,” Grady said. “He wanted it to be a neighborhood school where anyone from the community could come.”
Powel-SLAMS construction project finally breaks ground
The new building, backed by a public-private partnership, will open in fall 2021.
The notebook by Bill Hangley Jr. December 9 — 6:43 pm, 2019
The glass half-full version: Two new public schools will open in West Philadelphia in 2021, backed by a host of government and corporate investors who say they’ve created a powerful template for future public-private partnerships. And the glass half-empty: It took nine years to do it. But despite the rainy, gray weather, lawmakers and officials focused on the positive Monday as they gathered to break ground for a new building to be shared by Powel Elementary and the Science Leadership Academy Middle School (SLAMS). The two schools will share the site of the now-demolished University City High, a block north of Market Street in the heart of West Philadelphia’s growing science and technology sector. Just getting the project to this point was an achievement, said John Grady of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. (PIDC), the city’s community development bank. “I’ve been involved in a lot of projects in the city of Philadelphia, and usually the more people involved, the less likely it is to happen,” Grady said. But what will make the Powel/SLAMS project a long-term success, Grady and other officials said, was multiple partners’ “unwavering dedication” to the mission of creating a high-quality public school, open to all local residents. At the top of that list, Grady said, was Drexel University president John Fry.

With $40M in public and private money, a new building is rising for two West Philly schools
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Updated: December 9, 2019- 6:15 PM
As a backhoe rumbled in the background, officials Monday trumpeted the start of a $40 million construction project they said would provide a template for the city and the Philadelphia School District. Powel Elementary and Science Leadership Academy Middle School (SLAMS) will rise at 36th and Filbert Streets in University City, the product of a complicated funding structure that brings in public and private money in a deal arranged by Drexel University.  “Nothing is more important than what’s happening here,” said State Sen. Vincent Hughes (D., Phila.), who helped attract state dollars for the building. “This is the road map of how corporate and philanthropic and community can come together to not just stop here, but to build numerous other schools all across the city of Philadelphia.” John Fry, Drexel’s president, began discussing the possibility of the university’s partnering with the district for a neighborhood school nine years ago. On Monday, he turned over a shovelful of dirt on a project that he hailed as “transformational.”

Architect speaks to students at Lynnewood Elementary School
Delco Times By Linda Stein lstein@21st-centurymedia.com @lsteinerporter on Twitter December 10, 2019
HAVERFORD — Ryan Orr told students at Lynnewood Elementary School that he knew he wanted to be an architect since he was 6 years old and building with Lego blocks. Lynnewood Principal Jillian McGilvery invited Orr to speak to students in the third, fourth and fifth grades about architecture and the new school that is rising just outside the hall windows of the current school. As Orr spoke, workers in hardhats scurried around the steel beams that will be the skeleton of the new Lynnewood Elementary, an 89,700 square-foot structure that will have space for 700 students. Orr, 29, with KCBA Architects of Hatfield, spoke about designing the new $34.2 million school and answered their questions on Nov. 26. His firm specializes in schools. The old school, which dates to the 1950s, will be razed and that land turned into parking and student drop off areas and an athletic field. The new school will also have a playground. Orr, a Lansdale resident, said when he was a boy, he would put Legos together by following instructions but sometimes he would “think outside the box” and make his own creations. He also liked Brio trains and putting them together and making new configurations with towns and tunnels. To be an architect, you need an education, he told the kids. He studied at Penn State and then did an internship under an architect. And finally you need to pass a series of tests, he said.

With salaries capped at $30K, Philly’s classroom aides are demanding more
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Updated: December 9, 2019- 3:54 PM
Robbin Blake has spent her career in Philadelphia classrooms, supporting the city’s most vulnerable children as a special education assistant. Her salary is capped at $30,000, a sum so low that for years, she worked two full-time jobs to make ends meet, leaving her only three hours per night to sleep. (Health problems eventually forced her to quit the second job.) Blake, who currently works at Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, is a 26-year district veteran. She is one of the forces behind a growing movement to draw attention to the plight of Philadelphia School District paraprofessionals, the district’s aides, bilingual counseling assistants, and other low-wage classroom employees. Blake and a group of paraprofessionals with increasing visibility have issued a manifesto with 15 demands, ranging from better pay and more opportunities for advancement and training to dedicated office space to store educational materials and have meetings with parents. Dozens rallied Saturday to underscore their campaign.

Eyes on the Philly Board of Education: December 12, 2019
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools by Karel Kilimnik  December 9, 2019
Walk down any hall at 440 and pass five senior staff members–odds are that three will be Broad Academy alums or fellows,  including Superintendent William Hite. Go to their Linkedin pages and search for any not Teach for America-trained.  Central Office staff are now all “Chiefs”–not Directors– taking a page from Jeb Bush’s  Chiefs for Change, another corporate reform lobbying group advocating the usual failed policies including uniform implementation of Common Core State Standards, using test scores to evaluate teachers, A-to-F report cards for schools, expanding charter schools, and expansion of dehumanizing online learning. The Board is poised to approve contracts for more Broad Fellows based both in Central Administration Offices and in targeted schools. Instead of rising through District administrative levels,  many are brought in from afar via TFA and TNTP. Grants from foundations and non-profits open the door for  their anonymous board members to influence curriculum and learning across the District. The William Penn Foundation, who paid for the now infamous Boston Consulting Group plan to close neighborhood schools in 2013,  has moved into underwriting Early Childhood Education programs. The Neubauer Family Foundation, built on Aramark money, is partnering with the Philadelphia School Partnership (PSP) on Principal Mentoring (Item 31).

Eight Democratic candidates commit to public education forum
Beaver County Times By J.D. Prose Posted at 4:01 AM
Two Democratic presidential candidates have joined the six previously committed to attending the forum in Pittsburgh.
Two more Democratic presidential contenders have committed to participating in a public education forum Saturday in Pittsburgh, bringing the total to 11. A coalition of 11 progress groups is organizing the Public Education Forum 2020: Equity and Justice for All starting at 10 a.m. at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The two new candidates joining the forum are U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado. Previously, organizers said former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and billionaire Tom Steyer would attend. MSNBC’s Ali Velshi and NCB News’ Rehema Ellis will moderate the event, which will be livestreamed on NBC News Now, MSNBC.com and NBC News Learn. Topics will include school investment, student services, special education, student debt, teaching conditions, education equity and justice issues in American schools. More than 1,000 educators, students, parents and community members are being invited to the forum. Candidates will give opening remarks and take questions from the moderators, forum attendees and viewers.

After 10 Years of Hopes and Setbacks, What Happened to the Common Core?
It was one of the most ambitious education efforts in United States history. Did it fail? Or does it just need more time to succeed?
New York Times By Dana Goldstein Dec. 6, 2019
The plan was hatched with high hopes and missionary zeal: For the first time in its history, the United States would come together to create consistent, rigorous education standards and stop letting so many school children fall behind academically. More than 40 states signed on to the plan, known as the Common Core State Standards Initiative, after it was rolled out in 2010 by a bipartisan group of governors, education experts and philanthropists. The education secretary at the time, Arne Duncan, declared himself “ecstatic.” American children would read more nonfiction, write better essays and understand key mathematical concepts, instead of just mechanically solving equations. “We are being outpaced by other nations,” President Barack Obama said in one 2009 speech, in which he praised states that were moving toward the Common Core. “It’s not that their kids are any smarter than ours — it’s that they are being smarter about how to educate their children.” A decade later, after years full of foment in American schools, the performance of American students remains stagnant on the global and national exams that advocates often cited when making the case for the Common Core.

These charter schools couldn't find startup cash. So they got it from Chinese nationals
USA Today Craig Harris Arizona Republic December 2, 2019
Editor's note: This is the third in a multipart series that examines the growth of charter schools across the country and how the changing landscape of school choice could affect Arizona, the state with the largest percentage of kids in charter schools. See the previous part on New Orleans' charter-only public school system here.
CORNELIUS, N.C. – When Lakeside Charter Academy opened five years ago in this boating community outside Charlotte, it faced the same challenge that confronts many new charter schools. It had governmental approval to operate and the tax dollars that come with it to pay for teacher salaries, supplies and other expenses. But it had no money to build a school or lease classrooms. Like most of the 45 states with charter schools — taxpayer-funded campuses operated largely by private businesses — North Carolina provides no money to new operators for start-up or capital costs. So Lakeside struck a devil's bargain of sorts. It entered an agreement with an Arizona company to renovate a former church building, funded, in part, by a federal program that allows private companies to raise money by essentially selling green cards to wealthy foreign nationals.

“But critics say Broad-trained superintendents "use corporate-management techniques to consolidate power, weaken teachers' job protections, cut parents out of decisionmaking, and introduce unproven reform measures," Education Week wrote in 2011.”
With $100 Million Donation, Broad Center Moves Education Leadership Programs to Yale University
Education Week Politics K12 Blog By Evie Blad on December 5, 2019 4:31 PM
The Broad Center will move to the Yale University School of Management, using a $100 million gift from the foundation of powerful Los Angeles philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad to continue its educational leadership programs in perpetuity, the center announced Thursday. The donation, the largest ever for the Yale School of Management, will fund successors to The Broad Residency in Urban Education, which will become a new master's program for "emerging public education leaders," and The Broad Academy, a training program for "top school system executives. The new program will also develop policy initiatives, and it will complete research focused on education leadership, the announcement said. "I'm very proud of what we've accomplished in the last 20 years, and I can think of no better future for The Broad Center than Yale University," Eli Broad said in a statement. The center's competitive leadership programs have trained more than 850 education leaders since they were created in 2002 and 2003. They've drawn praise from those who share Broad's vision of education transformation, and leaders and former leaders of many large urban districts are among the programs' alumni.

“Scanlon is one of three Pennsylvanians on the Judiciary Committee, which is expected to soon advance articles of impeachment against Trump.”
Pa. Rep. Scanlon says Trump’s behavior ‘exactly what our founders feared’ as House panel takes up impeachment
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon think it’s easy to distill the case for impeaching President Donald Trump — despite what her Republican colleagues on the U.S. House Judiciary may claim. During an hours-long hearing Monday, the judiciary panel’s top Republican, U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, of Georgia,  derided the proceedings as a “charade.” He pointed to famous lines from past presidential impeachment efforts, like “What did the president know, and when did he know it?” when President Richard Nixon was under investigation.  “What would be known about this one is probably, ‘Where’s the impeachable offense? Why are we here?’” Collins said. “We don’t have a crime.” Scanlon, the committee’s vice-chairman, disagreed. 
“I don’t think there’s any question” about the phrase that will define this inquiry, the 5th District Democrat told reporters outside the hearing.  That phrase? It’s “‘I want you to do us a favor though,’” Scanlon, of Delaware County, said, referring to Trump’s request that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy investigate Trump’s political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.  “The president solicited foreign interference into our national elections using a foreign country,” Scanlon said. “That’s exactly what our founders feared and that’s why they put impeachment in our Constitution. It’s a pretty clear case.” 

Politico: We're tracking where all of the Dem candidates stand on education and more than 50 other issues
Politico UPDATED: DECEMBER 8, 2019

Charter Schools; Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
PENNSYLVANIA BULLETIN PROPOSED RULEMAKING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [ 22 PA. CODE CH. 711 ]


PSBA New and Advanced School Director Training, Haverford
Thursday December 12, 2019 • 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Haverford Middle School, 1701 Darby Road, Havertown, PA 19083


The award winning documentary Backpack Full of Cash that explores the siphoning of funds from traditional public schools by charters and vouchers will be shown in three locations in the Philadelphia suburbs in the upcoming weeks.
The film is narrated by Matt Damon, and some of the footage was shot in Philadelphia. 
Members of the public who are interested in becoming better informed about some of the challenges to public education posed by privatization are invited to attend.
At all locations, the film will start promptly at 7 pm, so it is suggested that members of the audience arrive 10-15 minutes prior to the start of the screening.   
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Backpack Full of Cash hosted by State Senator Maria Collett, and State Representatives Liz Hanbidge and Steve Malagari
Monday, December 2, 2019
Wissahickon Valley Public Library, Blue Bell 650 Skippack Pike Blue Bell, PA 19422
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Backpack Full of Cash hosted by Montgomery County Democracy for America (Montco DFA)
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Jenkintown Library (Park and enter at rear.)
460 York Road (across from IHOP) Jenkintown, PA 19046
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Backpack Full of Cash hosted by State Representatives Mary Jo Daley, Tim Briggs, and Matt Bradford
Monday, January 6, 2020
Ludington Library 5 S. Bryn Mawr Avenue Bryn Mawr, PA 19010

A Networking and Supportive Event for K-12 Educators of Color (teachers, school counselors, and administrators)! Thursday, December 12, 7:00-8:30 pm Villanova University, Dougherty Hall, West Lounge
You are cordially invited to this gathering, with the goal of networking and lending support and sustenance to our K-12 Educators of Color and their allies. This is your chance to make requests, share resources, and build up our community. Please feel free to bring a school counselor, teacher, or administrator friend! Light refreshments provided.
Where: Villanova University, Dougherty Hall, West Lounge (first floor, back of building)
Directions, campus and parking map found here
Parking: Free parking in lot L2. Turn on St. Thomas Way, off of Lancaster Avenue. You will need to print a parking pass that will be emailed shortly before the event to all who register.
Questions? Contact an event organizer: Dr. Krista Malott (krista.malott@villanova.edu), Dr. Jerusha Conner (Jerusha.conner@villanova.edu), Department of Education & Counseling, and Dr. Anthony Stevenson, Administrator, Radnor School District (Anthony.Stevenson@rtsd.org)

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.

Save the Date: PSBA/PASA/PAIU Advocacy Day at the Capitol-- March 23, 2020
PSBA Advocacy Day 2020 MAR 23, 2020 • 8:00 AM - 2:30 PM
STRENGTHEN OUR VOICE.
Join us in Harrisburg to support public education!
All school leaders are invited to attend Advocacy Day at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units (PAIU) and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) are partnering together to strengthen our advocacy impact. The day will center around meetings with legislators to discuss critical issues affecting public education.
Registration: As a membership benefit, there is no cost to register. Your legislator appointments will be coordinated with the completion of your registration. The day will begin with a continental breakfast and issue briefing prior to the legislator visits. Registrants will receive talking points, materials and leave-behinds to use with their meetings. Staff will be stationed at a table in the Main Rotunda during the day to answer questions and provide assistance.
Sign up today at myPSBA.org.

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:

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