Wednesday, January 22, 2020

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Jan. 22, 2020 Tell me why cybers get the same tuition rates as brick & mortar charters…..


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PA Ed Policy Roundup for Jan. 22, 2020


Religious School Choice Case May Yield Landmark Supreme Court Decision
With oral arguments coming on Wednesday, both sides of the long-running fight over vouchers for religious schools are preparing for a watershed moment for public education.
New York Times By Erica L. Green Jan. 21, 2020
WASHINGTON — A potentially landmark education case before the Supreme Court on Wednesday has pulled in heavy hitters on both sides of the school choice debate who are trying to shape a ruling that could end decades of wrangling over school vouchers and religious education. Oral arguments in the case, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, have attracted briefs from President Trump’s Justice Department, which hopes the high court will bolster the administration’s marquee education issue: public funding for private schools. On the other side, Democratic state governments, school boards and teachers’ unions argue that a ruling in favor of a disbanded voucher program in Montana could open the floodgates for publicly funded religious education while draining traditional public schools. Such a decision would be a “virtual earthquake” in the public education system, said Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers. She added that it would send money cascading away from public schools.

'If we had fair funding, our schools wouldn’t be in such disrepair': 3 takeaways from editorial board meeting with School District of Lancaster's superintendent and board president
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer January 22, 2020
Overseeing 11,000 students on a daily basis requires great balance.
That’s particularly the case considering most of those students come from low-income households and about one-fifth are English language learners. That’s one of the significant challenges facing leaders of Lancaster County’s largest school district: determining which services to provide, and which to cut, with a limited amount of resources. School District of Lancaster Superintendent Damaris Rau and school board President Edith Gallagher both described how they deal with the struggles the district and its students regularly face, as well as what makes the district special, during an interview Tuesday with the LNP | LancasterOnline Editorial Board. Here’s three takeaways from the conversation.

‘Bazooka to a knife fight’? The plan to close Pa. cyber charter schools
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent January 21, 2020
A bill that could radically reshape Pennsylvania’s cyber education landscape received a public hearing Tuesday in the House Education Committee, inspiring strong reactions from advocates and lawmakers. The proposal would close all cyber charters in the commonwealth by the 2020-21 school year. It would also require all traditional school districts to offer their own, full-time virtual education programs. If enacted, the proposal would effectively remove 37,000 students from 14 state-sanctioned, privately-run, publicly-funded cyber schools, potentially rerouting them to virtual programs run by their home districts. It would be a drastic response to what some lawmakers see as the growing financial and academic detriments of Pennsylvania’s cyber charter sector, which is among the nation’s largest. “I introduced this legislation because I hear concerns from constituents related to the cost and accountability of cyber charter schools,” said Rep. Curt Sonney (R-Erie), the bill’s author and committee chairman, during the hearing.

“According to a 2018 survey by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, most districts spent less than $5,000 per student in their cyber programs, compared with more than $11,000 on average for students enrolled in cyber charters. Cyber charter leaders have disputed that comparison, questioning the districts’ calculations and arguing their programs are more comprehensive than what some districts offer.”
West Chester wants to win back charter students with its own cyber program, and it’s not alone
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Updated: January 21, 2020- 7:43 PM
At an open house in a West Chester middle school library last week, a string quartet of high schoolers played classical music. Culinary students tended to a table arrayed with edible cookie dough and other treats, while district teachers and administrators greeted arriving parents. The goal wasn’t to attract families to the West Chester Area School District’s traditional schools, but to a new cyber program led by its teachers. The selling points? A diploma from one of the district’s well-rated high schools and access to all of its offerings — like its 1,600-student orchestra program — with the flexibility of go-at-your-own-pace schooling.  “You’re getting everything we have to offer here in West Chester,” Kristen Barnello, the district’s supervisor of fine arts and social studies, told parents — a number of whom had children enrolled in cyber charter schools. As Pennsylvania’s sizable cyber charter sector continues to draw students and funding from school districts — despite posting poor academic results — West Chester’s attempt stands as the latest effort by a district to beat back the competition by offering its own online program.

York County officials support cyber bill, but wary of hidden costs
By Lindsay C VanAsdalan, York Dispatch Published 4:19 p.m. ET Jan. 21, 2020 | Updated 4:19 p.m. ET Jan. 21, 2020
A cyber charter bill created proponents say will bolster accountability and reduce costs for public school districts could also hold significant unknown costs, local officials say. HB 1897 requires districts to offer their own cyber programs and contract with two third-party vendors to provide alternative options for students. Cyber charters throughout Pennsylvania have struggled for years to meet state standards and public school districts regularly gripe about costs.  Effectively, the legislation would dissolve any cyber charter not directly linked to a public school district, which the private charter industry has called an attack on school choice.  Eric Wolfgang, a former school board member at Central York, said Tuesday that some provisions in the bill could end up inflating costs for districts. For example, districts would have to adhere to student-to-teacher ratios, and depending on the need to hire more staff, this could be a "significant unfunded mandate" for the district, he said.
"That eliminates flexibility in student and teacher placements and erodes local control," said Wolfgang, also speaking as president of the Pennsylvania School Board Association.

PA Cyber’s CEO testifies against bill that would eliminate all cyber charters, require students to attend district-run virtual programs
Ellwood City Ledger By J.D. Prose Posted Jan 21, 2020 at 5:31 PM
In a state House hearing on Tuesday, Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School CEO Brian Hayden slammed a bill requiring school districts to offer cyber programs, saying proponents were ignoring the history behind cyber charter schools and the will of students. “Do not treat our students as second-class citizens,” Hayden told a House Education Committee. In a state House hearing on Tuesday, Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School CEO Brian Hayden slammed a bill requiring school districts to offer cyber programs, saying proponents were ignoring the history behind cyber charter schools and the will of students. “We welcome meaningful discussions on funding, but they must be transparent, fair, based on fact not misperceptions,” Hayden told the House Education Committee, “and do not treat our students as second-class citizens. And, I want to repeat that part. Do not treat our students as second-class citizens.” The hearing, which lasted more than two hours, was on House Bill 1897, proposed by state Rep. Curt Sonney, R-Erie County, the chairman of the Education Committee. In a co-sponsorship memo in September, Sonney said his bill would address fiscal and accountability issues with cyber charter schools, which are funded by per-student payments from traditional school districts.

“Before the Board of Education acts on deciding to eliminate or maintain these programs, the Board is respectfully asking the parents/guardians of students attending commercial cyber charter schools to enroll their child(ren) in the Susquehanna Community School District’s cyber program. By enrolling their child(ren) in the district’s cyber program, the district would be able to save valuable programs.”
Cyber Charter Impact
Susquehanna Community School District Website January 21, 2020
District Stakeholders,
The Susquehanna Community School District is significantly impacted by the loss of funding to commercial cyber charter schools. Currently, the school district has 27 students enrolled in commercial cyber charter schools resulting in over $500,000 in funding being taken from the school district to pay for the enrollment of these 27 students. Commercial cyber charter schools are not free and are funded explicitly by taking funding directly from the public school districts of the Commonwealth. The loss of this funding is resulting in deficit spending by the school district. The Board of Education has discussed the loss of funding and must act, as annual deficit spending by the school district cannot be maintained. The Board of Education is considering the future elimination of the district’s Four-Year-Old Kindergarten program, a program that benefits approximately 55 students each school year, and other valuable programs that help the children in our local community.

“I can no longer accept cash in bags in a Pizza Hut parking lot.”
Reprise Sept. 2013: ‘Bags’ of cash: Court records detail allegations against Trombetta
Ellwood City Ledger By Kristen Doerschner Posted Sep 19, 2013 at 12:01 AM Updated Sep 19, 2013 at 8:30 PM
PITTSBURGH -- Brown bags stuffed with cash dropped off at a local Pizza Hut parking lot figured into the federal investigation of former Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School leader Nick Trombetta. According to court documents unsealed Thursday by federal officials, Trombetta told one of his former associates, “I can no longer accept cash in bags in a Pizza Hut parking lot.” After that, regular payments from Avanti Management Group were sent to One2One, according to the affidavit. The bags of cash, a private plane bough by Avanti but used mostly by Trombetta, a Florida vacation home and a home in Mingo Junction, Ohio, for Trombetta’s former girlfriend all were described as perks enjoyed by Trombetta as part of a scheme to siphon money from taxpayers’ funds sent to PA Cyber for more than four years. Trombetta, 58, of East Liverpool, Ohio, and his accountant, Neal Prence, 58, of Koppel were indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 21. Trombetta is facing charges of mail fraud, theft and bribery concerning a federal program, tax conspiracy and filing false tax returns. Prence is facing one count of tax conspiracy. The cyberschool had been paying Trombetta’s legal fees up until Monday when the board voted to stop paying them.

Conestoga Valley denies charter school for second time in 4 months
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer January 22, 2020
The Conestoga Valley school board unanimously shot down a proposed charter school Tuesday for the second time in four months. The school, dubbed the TLC Leadership Charter School, lacked “sustainable support in the Conestoga Valley community,” district Superintendent Dave Zuilkoski said in a statement following Tuesday’s meeting at Leola Elementary School. CV denied the charter school in September 2019 for the same reasoning but by an 8-1 vote. This time the vote was 5-0. Michael Talley and John Smucker were absent. Charles Maines, the lone supporting vote four months ago, is no longer with the board. “We are greatly disappointed in the school board’s decision to deny parents the option to choose a school that best meets the educational and socioemotional needs of their children,” said GT Freeman, CEO of the Lincoln Center for Family and Youth, which proposed the school. The Lincoln Center runs a private school in Montgomery County called the TLC Leadership Academy. It focuses on students who suffer from mental health issues such as school phobia and anxiety. The proposed charter school here was meant to serve a similar purpose, offering trauma-informed teaching and daily counseling sessions for up to 200 students from throughout the region. School District of Lancaster would have been the largest source of students. TLC’s original application stated only 25% of students would come from Conestoga Valley. Its updated application says it pre-enrolled 50 additional students, including four from Conestoga Valley. That wasn’t enough for the school board to change its mind.

“Tobash also helped pass a law that removed the Keystone exams as a graduation requirement for high schoolers. Tobash is the 14th lawmaker to announce he will not seek re-election in November, and the 10th Republican.”
Schuylkill County’s Tobash announces retirement from state House
PA Capita Star By  Stephen Caruso January 21, 2020
A Republican lawmaker from Schuylkill County says he’s joining the growing list of state House members who aren’t running for re-election in November.  Rep. Mike Tobash, R-Schuylkill, is the latest lawmaker to announce their retirement. He served five terms in the House. “When I first ran for office nearly 10 years ago, I had the belief that careers should be dedicated to private sector work and not elected positions,” Tobash said in a statement Tuesday. “I hold that same belief today.” Tobash told the Capital-Star that he also would not run for auditor general, as had been rumored. A fiscal hawk, Tobash was first elected to his 125th House District seat in 2010. His tenure was defined by pushes for pension reforms and workforce development. Some of that work, including a proposal to combine the state’s pension funds, is ongoing.

“Kortz is the fifth Democrat, and 13th lawmaker so far, that they will not seek re-election in 2020. Neighboring Democratic Rep. Harry Readshaw announced earlier this year he is retiring.”
Kortz announces retirement, 13th House lawmaker leaving in 2020
PA Capital Star By  Stephen Caruso January 21, 2020
Another Allegheny County Democrat announced their retirement Tuesday. Rep. Bill Kortz, who’s represented the 38th House District south of Pittsburgh since 2007, said in a statement that deciding against running for a seventh term “wasn’t easy,” but “it’s now time for me to take care of my health and step aside for future leaders of this great district.” News of Kortz’s retirement was first reported by WESA-FM in Pittsburgh, which also reported that Chris Kelly, the Democratic mayor of West Mifflin borough, was running to replace Kortz.  The district includes parts of Pittsburgh’s southern suburbs and the Mon Valley, including Baldwin, Whitehall, Dravosburg, West Mifflin and Glassport.

“Over the weekend, Bensalem Democrats tapped Fingles, a 34-year old family law attorney who was elected to the Bensalem school board in 2017, to oppose Tomlinson. …House Democrats are targeting southeastern districts to flip the House and earn their first legislative majority since 2010. Nine seats must flip red to blue to change control of the lower chamber.”
In the battle of the Philly ‘burbs, Republicans tap a familiar name in March special House election
PA Capital Star By  Stephen Caruso January 21, 2020
*This story was updated to clarify that Joe DiGirolamo is Gene DiGirolamo’s uncle.
The scion of a local political dynasty and a school board director are — almost — set to face off in a March 17 special election for a swingy Philadelphia suburban seat. Republican K.C. Tomlinson, daughter of current state Sen. Robert “Tommy” Tomlinson, R-Bucks, will likely face Democrat Rachel Fingles in the fight for the open 18th House District in lower Bucks County. Moderate Republican Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, who won election to the Bucks County Board of Commissioners last November, had held the seat since 1994. The district, made up entirely of Bensalem Township, borders Philadelphia’s far northeast.  According to Statistical Atlas, the district’s median income is 11 percent higher than the state average, but 28.5 percent lower than the Bucks County median. Demographically, it’s 70 percent white.

Philadelphia teachers’ union takes legal action against School District over asbestos
Inquirer by Wendy Ruderman, Updated: January 20, 2020
Leaders of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit late Monday against the School District, accusing it of failing to protect roughly 125,000 students and 13,000 employees from asbestos hazards in aging buildings. “From start to finish, the district’s egregious missteps have shown a disregard for the health of my members and our students,” PFT president Jerry Jordan said at a morning news conference at union headquarters in Center City. “Not only is the process by which the district deals with known hazards extraordinarily flawed, but also, from the start, they are missing even identifying extremely hazardous conditions.” Since October, district officials have closed six schools after the discovery of damaged asbestos that the district’s environmental inspectors had either missed previously or the district failed to repair or remove.

Its power taken away, Harrisburg school board seeks role in district’s recovery
Penn Live By Sean Sauro | ssauro@pennlive.com Updated Jan 21, 2020;Posted Jan 21, 2020
Since mid-June, Janet Samuels has been in charge. By court order, she’s was appointed Harrisburg School District’s receiver and given nearly all of the decision-making power typically held by the nine elected members of the district’s school board. For the three-year duration of a state takeover of Harrisburg schools, it’s Samuels — an outsider from eastern Pennsylvania — who alone is expected to determine at monthly meetings whether contracts are signed, employees are hired and policies and procedures are approved. And that’s raised questions about exactly what role the elected school board members will play. These questions have been asked by at least a few board members, who said that Samuels hasn’t been forthcoming about what is happening inside city schools. They’ve said the lack of information sharing has made it difficult to fulfill Samuels’ earlier suggestion that they should act as community liaisons.

Are Allegheny County schools adequately supporting the mental health of their LGBTQ students?
Public Source by  Juliette Rihl | January 20, 2020
A few dozen students sat at long cafeteria tables, each with a blank paper figure in front of them. They would spend the next hour decorating the figures in a way that represents their identities.  “The word of the day is ‘identity,’” art teacher Lauren Rowe said, giving directions to the West Mifflin Area High School students.  The activity was part of a November joint meeting with the school’s gay-straight alliance [GSA] and the  Stand Together Team mental health club. After the meeting, the figures were displayed in the hallways. To protect students’ identities, there were no names attached to them. “We want our school to see how we proudly identify ourselves,” said Rowe, who also serves as the Stand Together Team faculty sponsor.

Preserve options for Pennsylvania’s children | Opinion
Penn Live Opinion By Ana Meyers Updated Jan 21, 2020;Posted Jan 21, 2020
Ana Meyers is the executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools.
Do you prefer Coke, or Pepsi? Drive a Ford, Chevrolet—or maybe even a Honda? What about your personal style—do you like dressing up in suits and dresses, or does casual apparel fit your tastes? When it comes to food, transportation, or fashion, choice provides Americans with more options. The same principle applies to one of the most important decisions a family will make: Where to educate their children. This National School Choice Week, we should remember the ways in which school choice empowers parents—of all incomes, races, and religions—to pick the educational options that work best for their families. School choice operates from the premise that parents, who understand their children best, should select from quality schooling options based on their children’s unique abilities, interests, and learning style. In making their decisions, parents examine a school’s entire profile—its test scores, to be certain, but also other important factors like the school’s overall size, the size of most classes, its safety, and the philosophy behind its curriculum.

East Penn schools could get new schedules in addition to later start times
By MICHELLE MERLIN THE MORNING CALL | JAN 20, 2020 | 7:00 AM
Citing studies that show more sleep can improve grades and health, East Penn School District has spent nearly a year looking at the possibility of later start times for older students. Now, the district is also examining bell schedules within the day. The high school’s bell schedule calls for nine, roughly 42-minute periods from 7:23 a.m. to 2:25 p.m., with five minutes between each period. The middle schools’ schedules are similar, but start at 7:40 a.m. In December, district officials sent a survey to parents, students and staff about the high school schedule. The results will be released during a session Tuesday, according to a note sent to parents and posted on the district’s website. The committee looking at the schedule within the day is not the same committee looking into later start times.

Philly District’s comprehensive planning process slows down
Two meetings have not been enough for participants to absorb all the data and implications for schools and communities.
The notebook Bill Hangley Jr. January 21 — 5:06 pm, 2020
Officials in charge of the Philadelphia School District’s new strategic planning process have postponed a series of planned public forums, saying that they’re not yet ready to discuss specific changes for particular schools. “Our team reviewed the proposed schedule in late December and determined that in order to give the planning committees adequate time to deliberate, they would need to move back [the dates of] the [community] input forums,” said District spokesperson Megan Lello in an email. The now-postponed community forums were to be the public’s first opportunity to take part in the ambitious effort known as the Comprehensive School Planning Review (CSPR), a newly launched planning process using demographic data to reorganize feeder patterns and prioritize investments in facilities and academic programs. This year, three CSPR “study areas” in North, South, and West Philadelphia are considering possible changes, including school closures, expansions, consolidations, and catchment adjustments. Planning committees for each study area – which include principals, school staff, and selected community members – have already held two closed-door sessions each to discuss possible changes.


PARSS Annual Conference April 29 – May 1, 2020 in State College
The 2020 PARSS Conference is April 29 through May 1, 2020, at Wyndham Garden Hotel at Mountain View Country Club in State College. Please register as a member or a vendor by accessing the links below.

Allegheny County Legislative Forum on Education March 12
by Allegheny Intermediate Unit Thu, March 12, 2020 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT
Join us on March 12 at 7:00 pm for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit's annual Allegheny County Legislative Forum. The event will feature a discussion with state lawmakers on a variety of issues impacting public schools. We hope you will join us and be part of the conversation about education in Allegheny County.

Five compelling reasons for .@PSBA .@PASA .@PAIU school leaders to come to the Capitol for Advocacy Day on March 23rd:
Charter Reform
Cyber Charter Reform
Basic Ed Funding
Special Ed Funding
PLANCON
Register at http://mypsba.org

School Leaders: Register today for @PSBA @PASA @PAIU Advocacy Day at the Capitol on March 23rd and you could be the lucky winner of my school board salary for the entire year. Register now at http://mypsba.org

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 in Dec & Jan
Additional sessions now being offered in Bucks and Beaver Counties
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

PSBA Sectional Meetings
Hear relevant content from statewide experts, district practitioners and PSBA government affairs staff at PSBA’s annual membership gathering. PSBA Sectional Advisors and Advocacy Ambassadors are on-site to connect with district leaders in their region and share important information for you to take back to your district.
Locations and dates

Sectional Meetings are 6:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m. (across all locations). Light refreshments will be offered.
Cost: Complimentary for PSBA member entities.
Registration: Registration is now open. To register, please sign into myPSBA and look for Store/Registration on the left.

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

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. Click here for more information or register 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

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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