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PA Ed Policy Roundup for Dec. 13, 2019
PSBA Members - Register now for PSBA
Advocacy Day at the Capitol in Harrisburg Monday March 23, 2020
Register for
PSBA Advocacy Day now at http://www.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
Tom Wolf: Pennsylvania leads the way on education
There is no
better place for a debate on the future of education policy
Post-Gazette
Opinion by TOM WOLF DEC 13, 2019 4:45 AM
Tom Wolf is the
governor of Pennsylvania.
The Democratic
candidates for the 2020 presidential election will soon be arriving in
Pittsburgh to debate education policy. There’s no place better for them to
learn about using education to drive long-term economic growth and spur success
for every resident than right here in Pennsylvania. We’ve been
strategically investing in education at all ages in a model that can be used as
a template for national success. Our investments in the past five years include
$1.2 billion in increased funding for pre-K to 12 classrooms. We’ve doubled
state support for early childhood education and elevated diverse career
training programs to ensure we’re using every opportunity to prepare
Pennsylvanians for the workforce. Just last month, I visited with Pre-K Counts
preschoolers in Whitehall who are integrating STEM into story time.
Kindergarteners in Delaware County are learning to code and program robots.
Allegheny Intermediate Unit and the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation are
providing STEM equipment to hundreds of Western Pennsylvania schools. And
students from across Pennsylvania are building and coding robots for the
Pennsylvania Rural Robotics Initiative.
What To Watch For At The Democratic Education Town Hall
In Pittsburgh Saturday 9:45 a.m.
Forbes by Peter Greene Senior
Contributor Dec 12, 2019, 02:46pm
I look at K-12
policies and practices from the classroom perspective.
This Saturday, a
consortium of education groups is teaming up with MSNBC to host a forum for
Democratic Presidential candidates, centered around education issues. The event
kicks off at 9:45 and will run most of the day; it will all
be livestreamed. The crowd
of about 1,000 invitation-only attendees (I’ll be one of them) includes a
sampling of teachers and parents, as well as members of unions and civil rights
groups. They are largely pro-public education; at least one pro-charter ed
reform group (the Center for Education Reform) has put out an e-mail call to
mount a protest at the event. The format will allow each of the attending
candidates to take the stage, make their pitch, and then take questions from
the audience. Currently eight candidates are expected; each will have their own
baggage to heft onto the stage. Here’s what to watch for with each.
“Camden Community Charter, which opened
in 2013, is managed by CSMI. The company also manages Chester Community Charter
School in Pennsylvania and Atlantic City Community Charter School. The
company’s CEO is Vahan Gureghian, a Main Line lawyer and prolific political
donor. He was a to the super PAC supporting Gov. Christie’s unsuccessful
presidential campaign, and has given more than $15,000 to the campaign
committee of U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, a South Jersey Democrat, among a
multitude of federal and state donations.
Camden charter school says it has mayor’s support, will
‘aggressively fight’ closure
Livingston Ledger Written
by Livingston Contributor on December 13, 2019
The Camden charter
school directed to close by June 30 is telling parents it intends to
“aggressively fight” the state’s decision. Camden Community Charter School also
says it is supported by the city’s mayor, Dana L. Redd, according to a copy of
a letter students at the North Camden school were given Friday. “I am proud to
let you know that we have received the full support of Mayor Dana Redd and
other education leaders in the community who know what an important role our
school is playing in the education of your sons and daughters,” the president
of the school’s board of trustees, Edmond George, said in the letter, addressed
to parents. “Mayor Redd and
others who have visited the school have witnessed firsthand the impact that
CCCS is having, the education it is providing, and the opportunities it is
helping its students realize,” George said. A spokesman for Redd asked for a
copy of the letter and then did not respond to a request for comment Friday
afternoon. The state Department of Education the school’s charter for academic
reasons, citing inadequate growth scores on the PARCC assessment and the share
of students meeting grade-level expectations. The school, which has
kindergarten through eighth grade, enrolled 679 students in the 2015-16 school
year. During site visits by the department, “many observed classrooms were
characterized by low levels of student engagement and disruptive behavior,”
acting Education Commissioner Kimberley Harrington said in a letter to George.
“Representatives McClinton, Maria
Donatucci, D-185 of Philadelphia, and Mike Zabel, D-163 of Upper Darby,
collaborated to get $500,000 more in block grant funds. There were no immediate
plans on how to spend the money as Harbert and her administrative team had only
recently received the guidelines from PDE outlining how the funds must be
spent. The state lawmakers released a statement expressing their happiness to
help William Penn. “I’m proud that our collective efforts on behalf of the
William Penn School District have helped to garner this funding,” said state
Rep. Margo Davidson, D-164 of Upper Darby, who chairs the Pennsylvania House
Democratic Southeast Delegation that fought for the grants. “This grant money
will help level the playing field, giving the children of Delaware County the
chance at an education they deserve. This funding is a critical investment in
our children and our society’s future.” The district is currently in the swell
of an ongoing lawsuit in Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court as the lead plaintiff
against the state for the right to constitutionally protected equal education.
That case is expecting to go to trial next summer.”
William Penn gets $1M
boost in Pa. funding
Delco Times By Kevin Tustin
ktustin@21st-centurymedia.com December 12, 2019
A large chunk of
state education grant money is heading to William Penn School District
classrooms. Local state lawmakers announced that $1 million in various grants
from the Pennsylvania Department of Education have been awarded to the
district, equaling a $500,000 grant each from the state House of
Representatives and the state Senate. Senators Tim Kearney, D-26 of Swarthmore,
and Anthony Williams, D-9 of Philadelphia, were able to secure a grant from
PDE’s Job Training and Education Program fund that will be used to purchase 240
Chromebooks for students in grades 7-12, 60 interactive televisions for
classrooms in grades 7-12, and English Language Arts Curriculum Technology
Package for students in grades K-6. This new technology will provide enhanced
instruction, make learning more fun and engaging, and offer the applications and
access students need to help prepare them for their future careers.
Last year, William
Penn School District received $700,000 from the same fund, thanks to Williams
and Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-191 of Philadelphia. This will be William Penn’s
first year receiving additional Ready to Learn Grant funds. “Our students need
technology in the classroom. We have to respect the needs of modern students,
as they are engaging with technology outside of the classroom on a daily
basis,” said William Penn Superintendent Jane Ann Harbert. “It’s part of their
lifestyle and they love it. As educators, we have to respect that inclination.”
On top of what was appropriated through the state budget, William Penn for the
first time received additional Ready to Learn Block Grant funds.
Philly Board of Education renews six charters
It also
hears from neighborhood HS fearing that proposed new charter will undercut it.
And the District could lose Medicaid reimbursements as a result of not
replacing its chief medical officer.
The notebook by Bill Hangley Jr. December 12 — 11:56 pm, 2019
The Board of
Education met for the final time in 2019 on Thursday, approving five-year
renewals for six charter schools, and moving to resolve a health-care situation
first raised last month. The board also
heard from staff at a neighborhood high school in Kensington that fears its
growing roster of career and technical programs will be undercut by a proposed
new charter high school in North Philadelphia. The board unanimously approved
five-year renewals for five Mastery charter schools, as well as for the Folk
Arts Cultural Treasures Charter School, which was co-founded by City Council
member Helen Gym. Mastery supporters crowded the room, cheering loudly as a
parade of staff and students from various schools delivered passionate
testimony – about a dozen speakers in total. Typical testimony was that of
Juliet Reyes, a Mastery Smedley parent and employee, who described a stable,
supportive, effective school that deserves five more years. “As a parent, I
don’t need the data. I see my daughters,” she said. “I will continue to fight
for our school.” The five Mastery renewals – Hardy Williams, Thomas, Smedley,
Harrity and Lenfest – collectively educate about 3500 students. The District’s
renewal procedures do not include cost estimates, but the watchdog group the
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools estimates the annual cost to be about
$65 million annually, or about $325 million over the life of the charters,
based on 2019 budget figures. By the same estimates, FACTS, with about 500
students, will receive $6.3 million annually, or about $31.5 million over the
five-year charter. APPS’ Lisa Haver called the group’s figures “a rough
estimate” based on past
budget spending.
Final spending figures will depend on enrollment and per-pupil allotments,
which fluctuate annually, she said.
“At a news conference last week at Bethlehem’s Northeast Middle School about charter school law reform, Roy was asked why parents
choose to send their children to charter schools. More than 2,000 students from
the Bethlehem Area School District attend charter schools, costing the district
about $30 million a year. Roy listed a number of reasons why parents choose
charters such as bus transportation, longer school days, specific academic
programs and required uniforms. He then mentioned race as an issue too. “The
honest fact is, not all, but some parents send their kids from urban districts
to charters to avoid having their kids be with kids coming from poverty or kids
with skin that doesn’t look like theirs,” Roy said last week. “That’s a fact.”
Ten charter school
parents send letter to Bethlehem Area School District demanding superintendent
apologize for comments on race
Morning Call By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO THE MORNING CALL DEC 12, 2019 7:32 PM
Local parents who
send their children to charter and cybercharter schools have sent a letter to
the Bethlehem Area School District demanding that Superintendent Joseph Roy
apologize for his comments that some parents in urban districts choose charter
schools so their children won’t have to attend school with poor children or
minorities. The letter, sent
on behalf of the campaign 143K Rising through the Pennsylvania Coalition of
Public Charter Schools, was
signed by 10 parents and delivered Thursday to Roy and school board President
Michael Faccinetto. Roy confirmed that his office received the letter. “We are
taxpayers of the Bethlehem Area School District,” the letter states. “Dr. Roy
works for us. We are respectfully requesting that the Bethlehem Area School
Board direct Dr. Roy to issue a public apology for his hurtful comments and
read his apology at a school board meeting.” The parents who signed the letter
send their children to Circle of Seasons Charter School in Weisenberg Township,
Seven Generations Charter School in Emmaus, Pa Cyber Charter School and
Commonwealth Charter Academy (a cybercharter).
Black Families Haven’t Been Hoodwinked, We Come From a
Legacy of School Choice
Education Post by
Sharif El-Mekki POSTED DEC. 12, 2019 IN CHARTER SCHOOLS
Sharif
El-Mekki is the principal of Mastery Charter School–Shoemaker Campus, a
neighborhood public charter school in Philadelphia, and he is a principal
fellow with the U.S. Department of Education. FULL
PROFILE →
The Democratic
party once embraced charter schools as a tool for equity and opportunity. Now,
as Andre Perry points out in his recent op-ed, “Support for
charters in 2020 election comes with a price,” many prominent Democrats have largely reversed their position in the
current political climate. Unfortunately, that’s about the only accurate
observation in Perry’s op-ed. I respect Andre Perry, and I think his work on
poverty and a lot of his ideas about his
hometown of Pittsburgh, for
example, should influence the work. But his latest piece misses the mark.
Badly. I’m a staunch advocate for Black families to have access to a continuum
of education choices for their children, including and especially charter
schools. But Perry accuses people like me of trying to clean up the “messes”
that charters created. But he’s got it backward. When I chose to spend 11
years leading a charter school—a turnaround school in my old neighborhood in
West Philadelphia—it was because of the mess the traditional system had left in
my community, having long forsaken any attempt to hold itself accountable for
Black student outcomes.
Support for charters in 2020 election comes with a price
Black leaders must
not sacrifice jobs, communities for false charter promises
Hechinger Report Column
by ANDRE PERRY December 4, 2019
At a campaign rally in
Atlanta for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a day after the fifth presidential debate in November, dozens of
charter school supporters interrupted Warren’s speech to protest the
presidential candidate’s plan to curb charter school growth. The New York Times
reported that the
protesters were members of the Freedom Coalition for Charter Schools, an
alliance of black and Latino education leaders, who toted signs that read
“Charter schools = self-determination,” and “Black Democrats want charters!” Rep.
Ayanna S. Pressley of Massachusetts, a black lawmaker and Warren
surrogate, threw the
presidential candidate a life preserver. “We are grateful for your activism and your voice and you are welcome
here,” Pressley told the activists. But she also made it very clear that
Warren’s voice would not be silenced. It was, once again, an example of black
leaders rushing to the rescue. Oddly enough, the charter activists and Pressley
were both coming to the defense of white-led causes that could stand more
vigorous feedback from black people. Because Democrats have to earn the black vote in
black cities, the black
community has leverage to demand that our concerns be addressed. Warren needs
to learn from black voices — but the charter school movement is not ours to
defend.
STEM and shredding
guitars: Unique class at Mifflin HS
WFMZ byJim Vasil Dec 12, 2019 Updated 13 hrs ago
SHILLINGTON, Pa. -
The sounds of the electric guitar playing in a wood shop are a far cry from
what you'd expect from a science, technology, engineering, or math class, but
at Governor Mifflin High School, one STEM class shreds any pre-conceived notion
you may have about the subject. "I think this
is a really cool experience," said senior Beny Iordanescu. In this class,
students studying STEM fields learn how to design and, yes, build electric
guitars. "It's actually a national program called the STEM Guitar Building
Project," said tech-ed teacher Tyler Smith. "I said, 'I gotta be a
part of this.'" The class uses curriculum developed by professors and
backed by the National
Science Foundation.
Free public education | PennLive letters
PennLive
Letters to the Editor by David L. Faust, Selinsgrove Posted Dec 12, 2019
Did you know that
the U.S. Constitution does not give responsibility for free public education to
the federal government? That’s right! That responsibility rests with the
Pennsylvania State Government. However, the Pennsylvania Department of
Education delegates some of its power to local school districts. Unfortunately,
the revenue that is necessary to operate the local public schools is generated
by unfair and/or unpopular taxes. Free public education, like other public
services, is supported by taxpayers regardless of their use or not. Therefore,
it is not necessary for students to solicit donations or to participate in
fundraising activities. It is the Board of Education’s responsibility to
collect enough tax revenue to pay for all the educational programs and
school-sponsored activities, such as band and sports teams, without fees, so
that any student can participate regardless of family income. The best thing
that ever happened for the children of Pennsylvania is free public education.
How Philadelphia finally changed the loved and loathed
10-year tax abatement
Inquirer by Laura McCrystal, Updated: December 12, 2019- 6:23 PM
Colorful signs
filled the gallery in Philadelphia City Council chambers this month, held up by
longtime residents worried their neighborhoods are gentrifying too quickly and
parents pleading for more money for schools. “END IT," one sign said as lawmakers
debated an almost two-decades-old tax break for new construction that has
become a lightning rod for critics who say it contributes to economic
inequality. Developers also crowded the room, making their own argument:
Changing Philadelphia’s
10-year tax abatement could
plunge the city’s real estate market into a recession. The debate wasn’t new.
But for the first time since the 10-year abatement took effect, business
interests were unable to keep calls for reform at bay. City
Council unanimously gave final passage Thursday to legislation that will cut the value of the tax break
roughly in half. After years of failed attempts at change, the moment grew from
a combination of political will, public pressure, rising property taxes, calls
for more school funding, and an election in which many candidates voiced
support for changing or eliminating the abatement.
City Council passes changes to the city’s 10-year tax
abatement — shrinking the controversial tax break
The value of
the abatement, which resulted in millions less for schools, is approximately
cut in half.
The notebook by Jake
Blumgart, Plan Philly, WHYY NEWS December 12 — 5:42 pm, 2019
After weeks of
heated debate, City Council President Darrell Clarke’s reform to the 10-year
property tax abatement on new residential construction moved smoothly through
the legislative body. It passed 17-to-0 on Thursday, the last City Council
session of the term. Mayor Jim Kenney has already promised to sign the bill
into law before the end of the year. The long-awaited reform essentially halves
the value of the controversial tax incentive, which was established in the
1990s to encourage development in the city after decades of urban population
loss. Philadelphia no longer needs to be so generous in stoking new development,
Clarke said Thursday. He did not rule out further changes in the new year. “There
are a lot of people that would like to see this go further,” Clarke said. “But
we think we hit the sweet spot in terms of being fair and equitable. The
conversation around that will probably continue.” The bill will phase out each
individual abatement so that the tax break’s value will be 100% in the first
year and ratchet down 10% each subsequent year. It will go into effect at the
beginning of 2021. The starting date reflects a concession to the development
industry won after Mayor Jim Kenney threatened a pocket
veto of the
legislation if the implementation date was not pushed back.
Heavy turnout at District’s skilled-trades job fair
Some
attendees were motivated by reports of problems in schools. But training and
experience are needed.
The notebook by Bill Hangley Jr. December 12 — 2:18 pm, 2019
Prospective
applicants line up at the School District's skilled-trades job fair on
Wednesday. At a time when School District officials are promising a surge of
repairs for Philadelphia’s aging school buildings, more than 100 prospective
workers turned out at the District’s latest skilled-trades job fair, held
Wednesday evening at Dobbins High School in North Philadelphia. “We definitely
got a good turnout,” said the District’s director of recruitment, Sara Metzger.
“There’s a lot of really excited folks here.” The Dobbins fair drew a total of
132 job seekers – about three times as many as District officials had expected.
“We got 80 RSVPs, so normally from that, we would expect 40 or 50 people,” said
District recruiter Nikia Sterling. The hiring surge comes as the District
prepares to borrow half a billion dollars to invest in facilities that are in
potentially dangerous conditions due to years of bare-bones maintenance.
District leaders have said that they plan to rely on expanded staff and
contractors to handle asbestos remediation and other facilities repairs.
Philly schools will lose money because of medical
services gap
Inquirer by Kristen A.
Graham, Updated: December
12, 2019- 9:48 PM
The Philadelphia
School District will lose out on revenue because of a gap when it was without a
district physician, officials said Thursday night. Typically, the district
bills Medicaid for some services provided by its nurse-practitioners, physical
and occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, and other providers.
But because it went weeks without a physician, services performed in that
period will not be reimbursed. Medicaid reimbursements typically pay for
expensive equipment needed by children with special needs that allows them to
sit, stand, and communicate. Robin Roberts, a district physical therapist,
called the problem “a self-inflicted wound.” She estimated that the district
would lose out on $2.5 million because of the physician gap. The district’s
chief financial officer, Uri Monson, said that number was way too high.
“There is probably
a loss — we’re still trying to figure it out. The early estimate of the most at
risk we would be is less than 10% of the amount cited tonight," Monson
said after the meeting. That would put the loss at $250,000. The board moved
Thursday night to pay the city Public Health Department up to $100,000 to serve
as interim district physician until the end of the year, effective
retroactively to Wednesday.
Cracking the code -- schools compete in robotics coding
event at CMU
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE Got a news tip? 412-263-1601 localnews@post-gazette.com DEC 12, 2019 7:21 PM
It wasn't secret
code when fifth through eighth grade students from five states competed in a
regional virtual robotics coding tournament at Carnegie Mellon University in
Oakland Thursday. The final round of the region was a live in-person one-day
event where two student teams from each finalist school to wrote code to
manipulate virtual robots in real-time. The teams wrote code for their missions
on Intelitek’s CoderZ Cyber Robotics Learning Environment, a cloud-based
programming platform featuring LEGO's Mindstorms EV3 robots. The Cyber Robotics
Coding Competition judges evaluated teams from Pennsylvania, West Virginia,
Ohio, Wisconsin, and Missouri for scores based on time to complete, number of
missions attempted and completed, quality of code and team strategy. Professionals,
college and graduate students talked with students, their families and
educators about their STEM/STEAM experiences and STEM/STEAM-related study and
career opportunities.
Opinion submission guidelines: Op-eds, commentary and
letters to the editor | Philadelphia Inquirer
Inquirer Updated: October
27, 2019 - 4:15 PM
WHAT IS AN OP-ED?
An opinion or
commentary piece is written about a news issue by someone outside our newsroom.
The author could be anyone from an elected official to your next door neighbor.
You can find them online at inquirer.com/opinion and on weekdays, in print on the editorial pages at the back of the
A section. On Sundays, opinions run in the Currents section, which will
sometimes explore a special theme or issue. Opinion or commentary pieces are
sometimes called op-eds, meaning opposite of editorial, a reference to their
traditional placement on the page in the print newspaper. The Inquirer is
looking for pieces that are well-written with a fact-based viewpoint. That
primarily takes the shape of commentary on news events, but we also strive to
publish reflections on cultural trends, and the occasional personal or
explanatory essay.
Op-eds are reviewed
and edited by:
» Deputy Editor,
Opinion: Erica Palan epalan@inquirer.com
» Coverage Editor,
Opinion: Elena Gooray egooray@inquirer.com
Sandy Hook lawsuit against gun-maker set for trial in
2021
Education Week December
12, 2019
HARTFORD, Conn.
(AP) — A Connecticut judge said Wednesday a lawsuit by families of Sandy Hook
Elementary School shooting victims against Remington Arms will go to trial in
September of 2021. A survivor and relatives of nine victims of the 2012
massacre filed the wrongful death lawsuit against Remington in 2015, saying the
company should have never sold such a dangerous weapon to the public and
alleging it targeted younger, at-risk males in marketing and product placement
in violent video games. Remington, based in Madison, North Carolina, made the
Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle used to kill 20 first graders and six educators at
the Newtown, Connecticut, school on Dec. 14, 2012. The Hartford Courant
reported that Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis in Waterbury set the court
date after nearly two hours of discussions with attorneys for Remington and the
families. The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled 4-3 in March that Remington could
be sued under state law over how it marketed the rifle. The decision overturned
a ruling by a state trial court judge who dismissed the lawsuit based on a
federal law that shields gun-makers from liability, in most cases, when their
products are used in crimes. Remington appealed that ruling to the U.S. Supreme
Court, which declined to hear the case.
“Alan Weller, president of the New
Jersey chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said as doctors, “we all
have a responsibility to protect...children in schools who cannot be
vaccinated” because of a compromised immune system. "Your right to
practice religion freely does not include...exposing the community or a child
to a communicable disease,” Weller said.”
N.J. bill to remove religion as reason to avoid
vaccinating kids enrages parents at hearing
NJ.com By Susan K. Livio | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Updated Dec 13, 2019;Posted Dec 12, 2019
Unpersuaded by
hundreds of pleading and occasionally hostile parents, a state Senate panel
voted Thursday to eliminate religion as an acceptable reason for New Jersey
children to avoid vaccines required for school attendance. After seven years of
stalled efforts to compel better vaccine compliance and a recent reemergence of
measles, state lawmakers are moving quickly to end the religious exemption that
allowed 14,000 students to decline their shots last year.
The Senate Health,
Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee approved the bill (A3818) by a 6-4 vote Thursday. Even before the hearing, the measure was
listed on Monday’s agenda for action by the full 40-member body. But hundreds
of parents amassed outside the Statehouse in Trenton anyway. The crowds started
arriving hours before the afternoon
hearing. Hundreds of
sign-waving, child-toting parents queued up in the first-floor hallway waiting
for space inside the committee room. Before the hearing began, the audience
recited the “Serenity
Prayer."
They said they were
outraged by what they see as government intrusion in violation of their First
Amendment right of religious freedom. They vowed to pull their children out of
school or move out of New Jersey.
Training: Enhancing
School Safety Jan. 9th, 8 am – 1 pm Council Rock High School South
The training is
provided by the United States Secret Service and the Office PA Rep Wendi
Thomas, in partnership with the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, Bucks County DA
Matt Weintraub and PSEA.
Date: Thursday,
January 9, 2020, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Council Rock High
School South, 2002 Rock Way, Holland PA 18954
This is the region’s
first presentation of the National Threat Assessment Center's (NTAC) 2020
research on actionable plans to prevent violence in schools. The training is
provided by the United States Secret Service (USSS)
and is based on updated operational research conducted by the USSS and the
NTAC. The training will offer best practices on preventing incidents of
targeted school violence. This workshop will focus solely on how to proactively
identify, assess, and manage individuals exhibiting concerning behavior based
on USSS methodologies.
At the conclusion
of the training, attendees will be able to:
· Understand operational research on preventing incidents of targeted
school violence;
· Be able to proactively identify, using USSS methodologies, concerning behaviors
prior to an incident;
· Be able to assess concerning behaviors using best practice standards and
use identified methods to better manage individuals who exhibit concerning
behaviors with the goal of preventing school violence.
Charter Schools;
Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
PENNSYLVANIA
BULLETIN PROPOSED RULEMAKING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [ 22 PA. CODE CH. 711 ]
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.
………………………………………….
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
………………………………………….
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
………………………………………….
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
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:
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.
Register
Today for 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
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
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
- Saturday, December 14 — State College
Area High School, 650 Westerly Pkwy, State College, PA 16801
- Saturday, January 11, 2020 — PSBA
Headquarters, 400 Bent Creek Blvd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
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.
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