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Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education
policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and
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PA Ed Policy Roundup for Feb 10, 2020
2. Ask your legislators to cosponsor HB2261 or SB1024
3. Register for Advocacy Day on March 23rd
.@PSBA .@PASA .@PAIU school leaders - this is the best shot
we've had for charter reform in 20 years. Adopt PSBA’s resolution for charter
school funding reform and register to come meet your legislators in their
Capitol offices for Advocacy Day on March 23rd. Register at http://mypsba.org
Adopt the 2020 PSBA resolution for charter school funding
reform
PSBA Website POSTED ON FEBRUARY 3,
2020 IN PSBA
NEWS
In this legislative session, PSBA has been
leading the charge with the Senate, House of Representatives and the Governor’s
Administration to push for positive charter reform. We’re now asking you to
join the campaign: Adopt the resolution: We’re asking all school
boards to adopt the 2020 resolution for charter school funding reform at your
next board meeting and submit it to your legislators and to PSBA.
A 120-page charter
reform proposal is being introduced as House Bill 2261 by Rep. Joseph
Ciresi (D-Montgomery), and Senate Bill 1024, introduced by Senators
Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny) and James Brewster (D-Allegheny). Ask your
legislator to sign on as a cosponsor to House Bill 2261 or Senate Bill
1024.
Political Cartoon: School vouchers for a divided society
Inquirer Signe Wilkinson Updated: February 7, 2020 - 5:00 AM
After this week of democracy-wrenching
politics, it’s nice to think there might be some place where Americans from a
variety of backgrounds could co-exist. Say, public schools where American
students could once safely divide themselves into rival tables in the lunch
room and hurl snarky remarks at each other. At least the tables were in the
same building. Now, what was once a public education system that let little
Johnny find out that not everyone thinks and believes like his family is being
micro-managed so Johnny can go to a school where everyone’s just like him. That
should help “bring us together.”
“Lancaster Superintendent Damaris Rau has suggested the district
wouldn’t be in such a dire position if the state paid its fair share to schools
with the most need. While she said district officials appreciate any state
increase, it doesn’t solve the issue of inequitable funding. “We are grateful
that Gov. Wolf again called an increase in basic education funding,” Rau said.
“But we are still underfunded by $20 million, according to the funding
formula.” The state’s funding formula, enacted in 2016, factors in objective
measures such as student poverty and charter school enrollment. But the state
decided to implement it gradually by allowing only new money since the 2014-15
school year to flow through the formula. Under Wolf’s proposed budget,
Lancaster would receive a total of about $64.4 million in basic education funding,
of which only $10.6 million, or 16%, would go through the fair funding formula.
“We call on the Legislature to speed up full implementation of the formula to
help our struggling school districts,” Rau said.”
'We are still underfunded': Funding inequities cast a
shadow on Gov. Wolf's proposed increases in education funding
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer Feb 7, 2020
The $100 million in additional basic
education funding Gov. Tom Wolf requested in his budget address this week may
not go as far as one might think. Inequitable school funding is to blame, local
school officials say. In Lancaster County, Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal would mean
about $3.3 million more in basic education funding for schools in the 2020-21
budget year, or 1.74% more than the current year’s state funding. Individual
district increases would range from 0.37% at Elanco to 6.88% at Columbia
Borough. That’s money that will no doubt go toward instruction, support services
— and, perhaps in some cases, budget deficits. School District of Lancaster,
which has 11,000 students and is the county’s largest district, would get an
additional $644,207 in basic education funding under Wolf’s proposed budget.
That would be a 1% increase over 2019-20. But this year, the Lancaster district
is facing a $10 million deficit. To balance its budget, the district is
considering raising taxes, increasing class sizes and leaving vacant positions
unfilled.
The inconvenient truth about charter ‘success’: They weed
out students; traditional public schools must teach all
By MICHAEL MULGREW NEW YORK DAILY
NEWS | FEB 08, 2020 | 5:00 AM
Cheerleaders for New York City’s charter
school sector typically trumpet the academic achievements of charter school
students. But there is an inconvenient truth about these schools that charter
supporters rarely discuss, or even admit. The schools’ “success” is due not to
any superior instructional strategy but rather to segregation — segregation
based on students’ academic and social needs. Though charters are open to all
by lottery, as a group they enroll a significantly smaller percentage than
public schools of our neediest children, such as English language learners,
special education students or those from the poorest families. Children like
these typically have the largest learning challenges. For the 2018-19 school
year, for example, the latest for which data is available, charters as a group
enrolled half the
citywide average of ELLs (6.9% vs. a citywide average of 14.6%) and a third of the
special education students with the highest level of need (1.7% vs. a citywide
average of 5.4%). But the charter sector average turns out to be only half the
story. An analysis of
individual charter schools clearly shows that the schools most successful at
excluding these kinds of students turn out to be — no surprise — the charters
with the highest test scores.
“The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the
whole people and be willing to bear the expenses of it. There should not be a
district of one mile square, without a school in it, not founded by a
charitable individual, but maintained at the public expense of the people
themselves.”
School choice and the fight for public education’s soul |
Editorial
The Inquirer Editorial Board | opinion@inquirer.com February
10, 2020
The political and philosophical divides that
the election of President Trump exposed often play out as a fight for the soul
— and the meaning — of the country. It’s perhaps not surprising that we are
also seeing a fight for the soul of education in this country. That battle got
particularly heated last week on a number of fronts. During last week’s state of the union address, Trump
reiterated his support for school choice — promoted by his Education Secretary
Betsy DeVos — and his support for the “Education Freedom Scholarships and
Opportunity Act.” Those scholarships would be funded by tax credits, meaning
public dollars would be used by students to pay tuition for private and
religious schools. Pennsylvania already has a massive educational tax credit
program that diverts $110 million in revenues to
private schools; Governor Wolf has vetoed an expansion of this program, which
drew Trump’s criticism during the speech. The true rift that Trump underscored
in his speech was not just over the separation of church and state that such
scholarships challenge, but his reference to “failing government schools.” This
derisive and dismissive reference to public schools shows that the president
lacks an understanding and appreciation for the purpose and aspirations of
public education. He is clearly unfamiliar with the importance the founding
fathers placed when they created a system of public education, or with the
words of President John Adams:
Trump used Philly girl’s story to attack ‘failing
government schools.’ But she’s at one of the city’s most desired charters.
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna and Kristen A. Graham, Updated: February
7, 2020- 10:41 PM
President Donald Trump turned a Philadelphia
fourth grader into a poster child for the school-choice movement Tuesday when
he told the nation that thousands of students were “trapped in failing
government schools" and announced that the girl was at last getting a
scholarship to attend the school of her choice. But Janiyah Davis already
attends one of the city’s most sought-after charter schools, The Inquirer has
learned. In September, months before she was an honored guest at Trump’s State
of the Union address, she entered Math, Science and Technology Community
Charter School III. MaST III opened in the fall in a gleaming facility on the
site of the former Crown Cork & Seal headquarters in Northeast Philadelphia,
part of a charter network so popular that the school received 6,500
applications for 100 seats next year. Like all charters, it’s independently run
but funded by taxpayers — meaning that Janiyah and the other 900 students at
the school do not pay tuition.
The Billion-Dollar Disinformation Campaign to Reelect the
President
How new technologies and techniques pioneered
by dictators will shape the 2020 election
The Atlantic Story by McKay Coppins MARCH 2020 ISSUE
One day last fall, I sat down to create a new
Facebook account. I picked a forgettable name, snapped a profile pic with my
face obscured, and clicked “Like” on the official pages of Donald Trump and his
reelection campaign. Facebook’s algorithm prodded me to follow Ann Coulter, Fox
Business, and a variety of fan pages with names like “In Trump We Trust.” I
complied. I also gave my cellphone number to the Trump campaign, and joined a
handful of private Facebook groups for MAGA diehards, one of which required an
application that seemed designed to screen out interlopers. The president’s
reelection campaign was then in the midst of a multimillion-dollar ad blitz
aimed at shaping Americans’ understanding of the recently launched impeachment
proceedings. Thousands of micro-targeted ads had flooded the internet,
portraying Trump as a heroic reformer cracking down on foreign corruption while
Democrats plotted a coup. That this narrative bore little resemblance to
reality seemed only to accelerate its spread. Right-wing websites amplified
every claim. Pro-Trump forums teemed with conspiracy theories. An alternate
information ecosystem was taking shape around the biggest news story in the
country, and I wanted to see it from the inside.
“One of their findings highlights a problem with charter funding
in Pennsylvania. In the 2014-15 school year, districts paid out $294.8 million
for special education supplemental money to charter schools. In the 2014-15
school year, charter schools spent $193.1 million on special education
services.”
Pennsylvania Governor Sets Out To Fix “Worst Charter
School Laws” In Nation
Forbes by Peter Greene Senior Contributor Feb 8, 2020, 02:00pm
It was Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene
DePasquale who four years ago deemed Pennsylvania’s charter school law the “worst in the United States,” but it
may be Governor Tom Wolf who takes a first step toward fixing it. The law is
over two decades old, and after letting that sleeping dog continue to lie for
the first part of his term, Governor Tom Wolf has pledged to push changes
in accountability and funding rules for
the charter school industry. Pennsylvania already has school funding problems.
Pennsylvania has ranked consistently near the very
bottom for contributing state money to local
districts, which means that local districts must provide the bulk of the money
to run schools. Since schools depend on that local funding, it’s no surprise
that the commonwealth also has the largest gaps between rich and poor
districts in the country. Charter
funding exacerbates the funding problem, with some communities having been
besieged by charter schools that are draining taxpayer dollars. At one point,
Chester Uplands School District was paying more to charter schools than it was
receiving in support from the state.
KCSD board talks charter school reform
Will vote on resolution next week
LockHaven.com The Express by CHRIS MORELLI cmorelli@lockhaven.com
FEB 8, 2020
MILL HALL — Charter school reform has been a
hot topic in many school districts — including Keystone Central — for the past
several years. On Thursday night at the Keystone Central school board’s work
session, the board discussed a resolution calling for charter school reform. If
adopted next week, the resolution would be signed by school board president
Boise “Bo” Miller and sent to Harrisburg and Pennsylvania Gov.
Tom Wolf. “I think it’s important for the board of directors to look at
charter school reform and to support the proposal that’s out there because of
what it does for the district,” said KCSD superintendent Jacquelyn
Martin. The resolution will go to a vote at next week’s school board meeting. “I
think this resolution shows people in Harrisburg that we are behind this … at
the very least we can pass this resolution to send the message to the
legislators down there,” said board member Jeff Johnston. According to
Martin, it is imperative that legislators know the significance of charter
school reform. “I did meet with Rep. Stephanie Borowicz. We wanted her to
make sure that she had a solid understanding of the funding and what I call
‘voodoo math.’ It does not make a lot of sense but when you really nail down
how those figures are calculated, it’s very unfair in many different ways,” Martin
said. Next week’s voting session will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Central
Mountain Auditorium.
The resolution reads as follows:
On call-in show, Wolf defends charter school cuts,
doubles down on opposition to supervised injection sites
WHYY By
Emily Rizzo February 7, 2020 Listen 53:00
Governor Tom Wolf’s newest plan for Pennsylvania charter schools has
ruffled some feathers. WHYY received a flood of social media
messages and phone calls during Friday’s live interview with Wolf, mostly from
concerned parents over the change in charter school funding. Wolf spoke with
reporters as part of Keystone Crossroads’ Ask Governor Wolf program, recorded
live at WHYY days after his 2020-21 budget address. You can stream the full
show with the ‘listen’ button above. Last week in Wolf’s annual budget address,
he proposed reducing the amount of money school districts have to pay when one
of their students decides to attend a charter school. He also plans to change
how charters are funded for special education. Wolf responded to the influx of
criticism, by first emphasizing that when charter schools work well, “they
really add things to the educational enterprise.” The governor said he wants
parents to have school choice — but also sees the need to hold charter schools
more accountable.
“Over 100 years ago, the Pennsylvania Legislature enacted the
Separations Act. This act mandates that public construction projects be
delivered by multiple prime contractors. Every time you drive by a public
construction project just think to yourself: This project has (at least) four
companies in charge. This process often leads to delays, lawsuits, conflicts,
etc., and it averages about 10% more than contracting methods that the rest of
the country utilizes. Because of the inefficiencies of the multiple prime
contracting method, Pennsylvania is the only state left to require such a
cumbersome construction delivery process.”
Students deserve better school building conditions
Post-Gazette Editorial FEB 9, 2020 12:00 AM
Bravo to Gov. Tom Wolf and to Sen. Vincent
Hughes, D-Philadelphia, for raising awareness and wanting to address the
dangerous lead and asbestos contamination in structures and water systems
across Pennsylvania (Jan. 26, “Governor to Seek School
Construction Aid”). Concerning the school buildings, our
students deserve better than current conditions (if you have not seen the
videos on Mr. Hughes’ website, I suggest it). Wanting our children to be
educated in 21st century schools is commendable; however, constructing and
renovating the schools with a procurement law enacted in 1913 is foolish and
wasteful. Over 100 years ago, the Pennsylvania
Legislature enacted the Separations Act. This act mandates that public
construction projects be delivered by multiple prime contractors. Every time
you drive by a public construction project just think to yourself: This project
has (at least) four companies in charge. This process often leads to delays,
lawsuits, conflicts, etc., and it averages about 10% more than contracting
methods that the rest of the country utilizes. Because of the inefficiencies of
the multiple prime contracting method, Pennsylvania is the only state left to
require such a cumbersome construction delivery process. Forty-nine states
join the federal government and the private sector in allowing choice in
project delivery. It’s time for Pennsylvania to do so as well.
Hopkinson Elementary closed indefinitely for asbestos,
lead paint cleanup
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Updated: February
7, 2020- 6:16 PM
The Philadelphia elementary school that was
closed Monday after a significant asbestos problem was detected will be closed
indefinitely, Philadelphia School District officials said Friday. Hopkinson
Elementary, at L and Luzerne Streets in Juniata, has had its students attending
classes in various locations since Wednesday. They will continue to be taught
in their temporary locations, said Monica Lewis, district spokesperson. The
closure will allow the district to remediate asbestos problems throughout the
building, and also allow it to prepare for a lead-paint stabilization project,
Lewis said. “We’re just doing some work to make sure that the building is safe
and up to par for the students and staff to return,” Lewis said. The district
is also investigating whether workers spread asbestos when
replacing ceiling tiles at Hopkinson last summer. A Hopkinson teacher, not the
district, flagged the possible contamination recently; other schools were
likely affected, too. The decision to shut indefinitely is a shift in district
position. Initially, district officials told Hopkinson families that the
building would reopen once air testing showed the school was safe for
re-occupancy.
Philly doesn’t have enough black teachers. This family
produced four. | Helen Ubiñas
Helen Ubiñas | @NotesFromHel | hubinas@inquirer.com
Updated: February 7, 2020 - 12:52 PM
It’s never a good idea to meddle in someone
else’s family, but after spending a delightful evening with four of the
Flemming siblings, I found myself eager to offer some advice to the fifth: Resistance
is (probably) futile. Camille, 30, conceded that she, too, once resisted
joining the family business, and now here she is, weeks into her first year
at Waring Elementary School, where she
teaches second grade. It’s all new, but already she sounds like someone who’s
found her calling. The collective calling that started when the eldest, Stephen
Flemming, who turns 38 in March, used to play teacher as a kid. His mom,
Jackie, affectionately recalled him pleading with her to bring his siblings
inside one summer day so he could try out a lesson plan. Stephen, who has been
an educator for 13 years, teaches English at Martin Luther King High School now, but was
a longtime faculty member at Kelly Elementary. Right behind him is Leslie, 35, who
has been teaching for 12 years and is at Hartranft Elementary. And
rounding up #TeamFlemming is Michael, 37. A teacher for five years now, he
teaches social studies at Kenderton Elementary and
exudes the Flemming family brand: dedication, passion, and an infectious
enthusiasm for teaching, sure, but also for adding to the ranks of much-needed black teachers. In
Philadelphia, according to the district’s data, about 25% of the teachers are
African American. That’s better than other school systems, but still not great
in a district where nearly all students are of color.
Racial tensions in Abington are a reminder we need to
calm down and listen more | Jenice Armstrong
Updated: February 7, 2020 - 5:04 PM
Various concerned Abington residents started
calling the Rev. Marshall Mitchell’s office at Salem Baptist Church last week. Had
he heard what was going on? Mitchell hadn’t. And what was he going to do
about it? The “it” callers were referring to was a racial firestorm that
had been stoked at a recent
meeting of the Abington school board after a
new member made a polarizing remark about school resource officers carrying
guns. “There’s a lot of evidence that
anyone carrying a firearm in a district building puts kids at risk,
particularly students of color,” board member Tamar Klaiman said during the
Jan. 21 meeting. “Black and brown students are more likely to be shot by police
officers, especially school resource officers, than other students.” To be
clear, Abington’s school resource officers have never shot any students.
(They’re cops who have been assigned to schools in the district.) But numerous studies nationwide
have shown that black students are often more harshly disciplined than white
ones for the same offenses. Many white residents in Abington, located in
eastern Montgomery County, took great offense at what she said and rushed to
defend local law enforcement. A national police group weighed
in on Facebook, condemning her statement as “inappropriate and inflammatory.”
What Gov. Wolf’s budget proposal means for your schools.
Education Voters Published by EDVOPA on February 5, 2020
Yesterday, Governor Wolf gave his budget
address and outlined his priorities for 2020-2021. His budget proposal is
welcome and reflects Governor Wolf’s continued support for public education. It
also reflects the cold, hard reality that the Republican-controlled legislature
is unwilling to raise the revenues necessary to provide the funding increases
our public schools need. Governor Wolf has proposed an increase of $100
million in Basic Education Funding and $25 million in special education funding
for K-12 schools. He has also proposed rightsizing tuition for cyber charter
schools and special education payments for all charter schools to save
districts $280 million. If his proposal is enacted, funding available to public
school districts will increase by $405 million through increased state funding
and district savings on charter tuition bills.
PA SCHOOLS WORK: Update on K-12 Education Funding in Gov.
Wolf's Proposed Budget
Want to learn more about what the Governor's
proposed #PABudget means for
public schools? Join us on Tuesday at Noon for a special "Lunch &
Learn" webinar! Register to join us here:
"Between his government gigs with Schweiker and Corbett,
Zogby was senior vice president of education and policy for K12 Inc., the
nation’s largest for-profit operator of online public schools."
Zogby no longer Erie School District’s finance monitor
GoErie By Ed Palattella Posted
Feb 7, 2020 at 1:39 PM
Governor appointed him as the district’s
financial administrator in March 2018. Reasons for departure not disclosed.
Charles Zogby has departed as the Erie School
District’s financial administrator less than two years after Gov. Tom Wolf
appointed him to the $148,000 post. The school district confirmed to the Erie
Times-News on Friday that Zogby is no longer working for the state. Zogby
reported to officials at the Department of Education, including Education
Secretary Pedro Rivera. “Erie’s Public Schools recently was informed that Mr.
Zogby is no longer employed with the Commonwealth. While a new financial
administrator is being selected, we will be working directly with the
Department ... to continue the implementation of our financial plan,” the
district said in a statement. Zogby, 57, a former state secretary of education
and the budget, could not be reached for comment. His permanent residence had
been in the Harrisburg area, though he had moved to Erie when he took the job
as financial administrator in March 2018.
“Zogby became policy director for Ridge in 1995 and then state
Education Secretary in 2001 under his successor, Mark Schweiker. Along the way,
Zogby had a major hand in crafting some of the most impactful pieces of
legislation the state’s educational landscape has seen: Pennsylvania’s charter
and cyber charter laws; the empowerment zone legislation (now expired) that
allowed the state to take over troubled school districts for poor academic
performance, as well as the law that created Philadelphia’s state-held School
Reform Commission.”…. “Between his government gigs with
Schweiker and Corbett, Zogby was senior vice president of education and policy
for K12 Inc., the nation’s largest for-profit operator of online public
schools. In January 2003, as Rendell was about to swear-in, Zogby left
Harrisburg on a Friday and went to work for K12 Inc. the next Monday – a job he
kept until January 2011, when Tom Corbett’s tea-party wave brought him back
through the big green dome’s revolving door.”
Reprise 2015: In the final days of Corbett, budget chief
Zogby reflects on his quest for school reforms
WHYY By Kevin
McCorry January 13, 2015
As the Corbett administration draws near its
final days, perhaps the departure of Pa. Budget Secretary Charles
Zogby marks a radical shift in education philosophy. It’s a cold December
day in Harrisburg, where the streets and the echoing halls of the state Capitol
lie dormant between legislative sessions. In a handsome executive-wing office
of mahogany and leather, a copy of the Wall Street Journal sprawled across his
desk, state Budget Secretary Charles Zogby has already begun boxing up his
belongings. “Don’t make me out to be the villain,” he says, half joking,
referring to his supposed image among traditional public school advocates. As
the Corbett administration draws near its final days, it’s Zogby’s departure
that perhaps best marks the radical shift about to occur in executive-level
education philosophy. To his ideological opposites, Zogby’s a union buster, a
privatizer, a profiteer. But the way Zogby sees it – through three
governors and an eight-year foray in the private sector – it’s always been all
about the children.
“Anything that I’ve done, it’s really been
trying to help those most in need get a better shot at a better education,” he
says. In Pennsylvania, if you had to craft a short list of the players who best
advanced the conservative public school agenda over the past two decades,
Zogby’s name would be on it.
“Adjusting for a host of factors that can impact funding, we
found that districts where fracking occurred between 2007 and 2015 had lower
per pupil incomes, real estate values and property tax revenues. In total,
school districts where unconventional drilling had taken place had $1,550.50
less per pupil in 2015 dollars, relative to otherwise similar districts that
did not have unconventional drilling.”
Fracking has led to a ‘bust’ for Pennsylvania school
district finances | Opinion
Matthew Gardner Kelly and Kai Schafft, For
The Inquirer February 10, 2020
In the last decade unconventional
natural gas development has transformed American energy – as well as
communities across Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale region. Often popularly
referred to as “fracking,” this highly industrialized
process is used to extract energy resources from
underground geologies such as shale or sandstone. In Pennsylvania and
elsewhere, wells are often drilled a mile or more beneath the ground and a mile
or more horizontally along the shale or sandstone. Water, sand and chemicals
are pumped at underground at high volume, fracturing the energy-bearing rock,
releasing the gas, which then flows to the surface and then moved through
pipelines for processing and consumption in regional, national, and global
markets. Since 2007, more than
10,000 unconventional gas wells have been drilled in
Pennsylvania, mostly in the northern and southwestern parts of the state, with
peak drilling occurring between 2010 and 2014.
Blogger note: Senator Dinniman has also served as Democratic
Chair of the Senate Education Committee for many years.
Chesco Sen. Andy Dinniman to retire, won't seek
re-election
Delco Times February 7, 2020
State Sen. Andy Dinniman, a force in Chester
County Democratic circles for nearly three decades and in recent years the
Legislature's most vocal opponent of the Mariner East pipeline project, Friday announced
he will retire at the end of his current term and will not seek re-election. Dinniman,
D-19th, of West Whiteland, indicated his decision was a personal one, that he
intended to take time to help his wife recover from surgery and a series of
health setbacks. “For nearly 30 years, as your Chester County Commissioner and
state Senator, I have had the privilege of building a close relationship with
the people of Chester County. Now, I have a responsibility to explain why I
will not be seeking re-election," Dinniman said in a statement posted on
his website. "This was a very tough decision, especially knowing just how
many of you have faithfully and tirelessly supported my work over the
years," Dinniman said. "However, as I sit at Penn Presbyterian Medical
Center with my wife, Margo, who is now recovering from surgery, we both came to
the sudden realization this was not the time to run again." Dinniman has
served in the state Senate since 2006, when he won a special election to fill
the vacancy created by the death of Sen. Bob Thompson. Before that, Dinniman
served three terms as a Chester County commissioner, beginning in 1991. During
that stint, Dinniman was the sole Democrat on the county's ruling body. Dinniman's
first foray into politics was a successful run for a seat on the Downingtown
School Board. He served on the board from 1975 until 1979.
West Perry worries over special education costs
Penn Live By Jim T.
Ryan | Perry County Times Posted Feb 06, 2020
The West Perry School District is concerned
about the rising cost of special education and state pensions, which is why its
board adopted a preliminary 2020-21 budget early in January, administrators
said. “There are areas we don’t have control over, notably (pensions) and
special education,” Superintendent David Zula said. The proposed $42 million budget
included a tax increase of 9.15 percent, which garnered a lot of attention from
residents reading the newspaper’s previous story. But the
board has not yet hiked taxes and will not vote on a final budget until at
least June.
The Heron's Nest: Add 168th to the hot list; a road trip
to kick off spring training
Delco Times By Phil Heron
editor@delcotimes.com @philheron on Twitter February 7, 2020
Yesterday I pointed out a couple of key local
races to keep an eye on as flashpoints as we careen toward the polls in
November. Add another one to the list. I have to admit the one person I thought
was most at risk in the Delco Harrisburg delegation two years ago was one of
the few members of the GOP to escape the blue wave that rolled across Delco. Rep.
Chris Quinn, R-168, had sparked considerable fury tied to his time on
Middletown Township Council and some of the early work that cleared the way for
the Mariner East 2 pipeline project, which cuts through the heart of the
township. Ironically, Quinn won his race. Now it's time four Round 2. Delaware County Democrats have endorsed Deb
Ciamacca, a former high school social studies teacher, Marine Corp captain and
manufacturing manager in the race. “I am running to represent the working
people of this district,” Ciamacca said. ”I will fight 24 hours a day for
common sense gun safety, fair education funding, and environmental laws that
protect our citizens, their property and that preserve Pennsylvania for future
generations.” The 168th District includes: parts of Marple, Middletown,
Edgmont, Newtown, Upper Providence, and Thornbury townships as well as the
boroughs of Media and Chester Heights in Delaware County.
Defenders of Public Education Speak before the Philly Board
Of Education, January 30, 2020
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools February 6, 2020 appsphilly.net
Testimonies have been listed by topic.
Click on the individual’s name to read a transcript of his or her testimony.
Philadelphia jazz great John Coltrane’s house ‘at risk,’
preservationists say
Inquirer by Oona Goodin-Smith, Updated: 37
minutes ago
For over a decade, the paint-chipped
Strawberry Mansion home where jazz legend John Coltrane once lived and honed
his skills has echoed a silently somber tune, sitting in a state of disrepair
on North 33rd Street. And now, the house is officially at risk, according to a state preservation
organization. The John Coltrane House is listed on
Preservation Pennsylvania’s 2020 roster of “at risk” sites, a designation
intended to “draw statewide attention to the plight of Pennsylvania’s historic
resources; promote and support local action to protect historic properties; and
encourage funding and legislation that supports preservation activities,”
according to the organization. “Preservation Pennsylvania hopes to work with
the owners and supporters in the local preservation and jazz communities to
find a way forward for this property,” said Julia Chain, the organization’s
associate director. The home is the first Philadelphia landmark to make the
nonprofit’s list since 2017, when Jewelers Row was dubbed “at risk.” The
designation doesn’t come with money or the promise of preservation — as
evidenced by the fate of Jewelers Row, part of which is under demolition — but
gives visibility and awareness to the site, said Faye Anderson, activist
and director of All That Philly Jazz, a public
history project.
How will the tumultuous week of Trump's acquittal be
taught to future students?
THE LNP | LANCASTERONLINE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE ISSUE: The U.S. Senate voted 52-48
Wednesday to acquit President Donald Trump of a
charge, pressed by House Democrats, of abuse of power. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah
was the sole Republican to vote to convict the president on that charge. The
president was acquitted of the charge of obstruction of Congress by a 53-47
vote. Trump was impeached in December over a July phone conversation he had
with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in which he sought Ukraine’s
assistance in investigating former Vice President Joe Biden (then the
Democratic presidential front runner) and his son Hunter.
How are future teachers going to teach the
events of last week?
The United States has had tumultuous weeks
before. It survived the Civil War, after all.
But how will they explain how the legislative
body the Founding Fathers trusted to hold a fair impeachment trial rendered its
verdict without seeking further evidence in the form of witnesses and
documents? Will they say the framers’ genius in establishing a government of
three coequal branches — a system of checks and balances — failed in this
instance? Will they say this was a mere blip in history, or a moment of no
return in the course of this republic? Will they teach their students
about the speech delivered by
the lone Republican who voted to convict the president on
the charge of abuse of power?
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
For more information: https://www.psba.org/event/advocacy-day-2020/
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
- Wednesday,
March 18, 2020 — Section 7, PSBA
Headquarters, 400 Bent Creek Blvd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
- Tuesday,
March 24, 2020 — Section 1, General McLane
High School, 11761 Edinboro Rd, Edinboro, PA 16412
- Tuesday,
March 24, 2020 — Section 4, Abington
Heights School District, 200 East Grove Street, Clark Summit, PA 18411
- Wednesday,
March 25, 2020 — Section 3, Columbia-Montour
AVTS, 5050 Sweppenheiser Dr., Bloomsburg, PA 17815
- Wednesday,
March 25, 2020 — Section 6, Bedford County
Technical Center, 195 Pennknoll Road, Everett, PA 15537
- Thursday,
March 26, 2020 — Section 2, State College
Area High School, 650 Westerly Pkwy, State College, PA 16801
- Monday,
March 30, 2020 — Section 5, Forbes Road
Career & Technology Center, 607 Beatty Road, Monroeville, PA 15146
- Monday, March 30, 2020 — Section 8, East Penn School District, 800 Pine St, Emmaus,
PA 18049
- Tuesday, April 7, 2020 — Section 5, Washington School District, 311 Allison
Avenue, Washington, PA 15301
- Tuesday, April 7, 2020 — Section 8, School District of Haverford Twp, 50 East Eagle
Road, Havertown, PA 19083
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.
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.
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:
PSBA Board Presidents Panel April 27, 28 and 29; Multiple
Locations
Offered at 10 locations across the state,
this annual event supports current and aspiring school board leaders through
roundtable conversations with colleagues as well as a facilitated panel of
experienced regional and statewide board presidents and superintendents. Board
Presidents Panel is designed to equip new and veteran board presidents and vice
presidents as well as superintendents and other school directors who may pursue
a leadership position in the future.
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.
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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