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PA Ed Policy Roundup for Feb 11, 2020
“The system is bizarre, in that different districts pay
different amounts based on their own costs, whereas the charter’s cost is the
same for each student”
PSBA to air ‘Budget
Talk’ with Governor Wolf on Tuesday at noon
On Tuesday, February 11 at noon, PSBA will air an
exclusive, members-only, 30-minute budget talk with Gov. Wolf and CEO Nathan
Mains.
Registration is required, but there is no cost. Register now on myPSBA.
“The system is bizarre, in that
different districts pay different amounts based on their own costs, whereas the
charter’s cost is the same for each student, regardless of his home district. According
to Gov. Tom Wolf, who proposed sensible charter school reforms in his recent
budget address, charter schools are over-funded by about $280 million a year.
Reclaiming that money for struggling local school districts through charter
funding reform is sound public policy.”
Citizens Voice Editorial: Charter fixes long overdue
Wilkes-Barre Citizens
Voice THE EDITORIAL BOARD / PUBLISHED: FEBRUARY 11, 2020
Charter schools were authorized in
Pennsylvania more than two decades ago on the premise that they would innovate
outside the regulatory and legacy union contract constraints that conventional
public schools face, improve student performance and create competition that
would force all schools to improve. Today, it’s clear that implementation of
that vision has been uneven. Student performance is not broadly better at
charter schools than at their conventional counterparts, and competition often
is for the hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money that flows through
those conventional districts to charters. Charters are publicly funded public
schools. The Legislature created a funding formula that makes little sense.
Local districts pay charters for each student residing in the district who
attends a charter school, based on the district’s per-student rather than the
charter’s cost. Since conventional district’s costs almost always are higher than
a charter school’s costs — especially online charter schools that do not have
physical plants to maintain — payments usually amount to more than the
charters’ actual costs. The system is bizarre, in that different districts pay
different amounts based on their own costs, whereas the charter’s cost is the
same for each student, regardless of his home district.
According to Gov. Tom Wolf, who proposed
sensible charter school reforms in his recent budget address, charter schools
are over-funded by about $280 million a year. Reclaiming that money for
struggling local school districts through charter funding reform is sound
public policy.
Because every legislative and senatorial
district includes at least one of the state’s 500 school districts, there is
significant bipartisan support for charter funding reform, beyond that proposed
by the governor. Wolf would place a moratorium on new cyber charter schools.
But Republican state Rep. Curt Sonney of Erie has introduced a bill to
eliminate the state’s 14 existing cyber schools, in which 35,000 students are
enrolled. That might go to far as a practical matter, but Sonney has a point.
Internet education was one of the supposed innovations that would separate
charters from conventional public schools, but the internet is universal. There
is no reason that school districts themselves cannot offer cyber education,
which Sonney’s bill would require, at less cost than the per-student tuition
that they pay to the cyber charter schools. Generally, the Legislature should
resolve to fund charter schools according to their actual costs, which would
introduce the not-so-innovative idea of fair funding into the formula.
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.
Berks County educators on Gov. Tom Wolf's budget
proposal: a lot to like, some to not
Pottstown Mercury By David Mekeel
dmekeel@readingeagle.com @dmekeel on Twitter Feb 10, 2020
You could see the smile forming on Gov. Tom Wolf's face as soon as he began the
line. "We've got women and men working for a wage (that was) set back when
I actually had hair," the bespectacled, follicly impaired 71-year-old said
about Pennsylvania's public school teachers. Wolf paused for a moment, waiting
hopefully for a reaction. The legislators gathered to hear his annual state
budget address Tuesday did not comply, offering, much to the governor's
dissatisfaction, only a smattering of stifled chuckles. While Wolf's joke
didn't stir the masses, much of the content of his address did. In particular
when it comes to education. Education featured
heavily in the governor's budget proposal. During his
address he highlighted a handful of big-ticket plans, like increasing funding
to local school districts by $435 million, raising the minimum salary for
teachers to $45,000, providing full-day kindergarten for all students,
increasing funding for prekindergarten programs and overhauling the charter
school system. The reaction to Wolf's proposal from Pennsylvania's education
community was generally positive. But the individual aspects of it are
receiving mixed reviews from Berks County educators.
Wolf’s 2020-21 education budget: How much would your
district receive?
Penn Live By Jan
Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated
12:05 PM; Today 10:07 AM
Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2020-21 budget
proposal earmarks $125 million increase in two
key funding streams for school districts. That would bring the basic education
funding up to more than $6.35 billion, not including the half million to help
cover employees’ Social Security costs, and special education funding up to
$1.12 billion. Basic education is the primary state financial support that school
districts receive to help cover their operating costs while special education
funds are targeted toward delivering services to students with special needs. Based
on information provided by the state Department of Education, the state’s
funding formulas used to distribute basic education dollars would result in 27
school districts receiving a reduction from this year – none of them are in the
Capital Region. Meanwhile, Columbia Borough in Lancaster County, York Suburban
in York County and Steel Valley in Allegheny County would be slated to receive
the biggest basic ed increases with percentages that top 6%. The following is a
searchable database that allows you to find how much money your district would
receive under the governor’s proposed funding scenario for basic education and
how that differs from what it received this year. (If you are unable to see the
database, please click here.)
“Pennsylvania ranks 44th in state share of education funding,
and the funding gaps between wealthy and poor districts are among the widest in
the nation. McInerney said the school districts named in the lawsuit have given
testimony about the consequences. “They lack funding to hire desperately needed
teachers, support staff, repair crumbling facilities, or provide needed
remedial support for their students living in poverty,” she said. McInerney
said the wealthiest districts in the Commonwealth spend 33% more per student
than the poorest school districts. She said the goal is to get the state to
adequately maintain and support a thorough and efficient system of public
education that meets the needs of all students.”
PA School Budget Increases Called Positive but
Insufficient
BCTV by Andrea Sears, Keystone State News
Connection Feb 10, 2020
Pennsylvania ranks 44th in the nation for
state share of education funding.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget
proposal includes more for schools, but education advocates say there’s still a
long way to go. The proposed budget includes a package of initiatives that add
up to $435 million more in classroom spending. But that won’t stop a
pending lawsuit filed
by the Education Law Center and
the Public Interest Law Center, seeking to
bring funding up to levels experts consider adequate. Maura McInerney, legal
director at the Education Law Center, said a one-year spending increase is
welcome but insufficient to meet the needs of Pennsylvania children. “We need a
long-term strategy and deep investment to adequately and equitably fund all
schools for all students across the Commonwealth,” she said. In 2015, the
Commonwealth Court dismissed the suit, saying courts cannot get involved in
school-funding issues, but that was overruled on appeal, sending the case back
to the Commonwealth Court. At a press conference last week, attorneys shared
the latest schedule for
the case; trial is tentatively slated to begin this fall.
Redistricting reform: Time running out to create citizens
commission
THE EDITORIAL BOARD Pittsburgh Post-Gazette FEB
11, 2020 5:00 AM
If Pennsylvania is to place the
responsibility of drawing congressional and legislative districts in the hands
of an independent citizens commission, a lot has to happen within the next
year. Although it would mean surrendering the power to shape their own
districts, state lawmakers should approve the proposals now before the
Legislature and put an end to the gerrymandering that has plagued the
commonwealth for decades. House Bill 23 would establish an 11-person commission
and a system for public input in the redistricting process. If passed by the
end of the current session on Nov. 30, it could be in place by next year in
time for the congressional redistricting that will be needed based on the
results of the 2020 Census. Pennsylvania is one of 10 states expected to lose a
congressional seat because of declining population. The trickier piece of the
citizens commission puzzle is House Bill 22, which would give the commission
the authority to redraw congressional and legislative districts. Because it is
an amendment to the state constitution and requires a 90-day pre-general
election advertising period, it would have to be approved by June 30.
Lawsuit: Scranton school district knew about
environmental contamination
WHYY By Associated Press February 10, 2020
A federal lawsuit filed Monday claims a
Pennsylvania school district knew for years that unsafe levels of lead and
asbestos in its schools posed potential health risks for students and staffers
but never disclosed the information to them or the public. The suit seeks the
establishment of a medical monitoring program for current and former Scranton
school district students and staffers, as well as undisclosed damages. It also
seeks class-action status. It claims the district received test results from
environmental studies, starting in at least 2016, that made officials aware of
the issues, but they never informed students, parents, and staffers until last
month. District officials have announced high lead levels at 38
sinks and water fountains in several schools. The suit names the district, two
current school board members and 13 former board members as defendants. All the
board members named served between 2016-2019. A message seeking comment was
left with the superintendent’s office. The suit claims the defendants knew or
should have known that all but four of the district’s 18 school buildings posed
serious health dangers, and yet failed to take protective measures for reasons
known only to them.
State mum on Zogby’s Erie exit; successor planned
GoErie By Ed
Palattella Posted at 12:05 AM February
11, 2020
Department of Education says “process is
underway” to pick new financial administrator for the as Erie School District.
The reasons for Charles Zogby’s abrupt
departure from the Erie School District remain murky, but the state Department
of Education appears to have a clear idea of what will happen next. The Erie
School District will get a successor to Zogby, who had been the district’s
state-appointed financial administrator from March 2018 until he exited the job
late last week. “The process is underway to select a successor and a new
financial administrator will be announced when that process is complete,”
Department of Education spokesman Rick Levis said in an email to the Erie
Times-News on Monday. Levis did not provide a response to the Erie Times-News’
questions about why Zogby had left the $148,000-a-year state job. “Mr. Zogby is no longer employed by the
Department of Education,” Levis said in the email. No one in Harrisburg or Erie
has offered an explanation for why Zogby left, including whether he resigned or
was removed from a job that he was expected to hold until late 2021. He was to
end his tenure once the Department of Education agreed that the 11,000-student
Erie School District had achieved enough financial stability that state
oversight was no longer necessary.
Which are the best, most improved Philly schools?
District reveals them.
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna and Kristen A. Graham, Updated: 41
minutes ago
City schools continued their slow but steady
climb in improvement over the past year, with more schools entering its top
performing tier and fewer in its bottom tier. But roughly two thirds of the
district’s students at third grade and above still do not meet state standards
in English language arts or math. That information was unveiled Monday during a
presentation at Hunter Elementary in North Philadelphia as the Philadelphia
School District released its annual report cards for schools — 216 traditional
public and 87 charter schools. (Only one charter, West Philadelphia Achievement
Charter, did not participate.) “This is
a story of progress,” Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said of the district’s
trajectory. The SPR average has risen — incrementally, but steadily, since the
measure was created. As a group, district and charter schools in 2018-19 scored
a 44 out of 100 on the School Progress Report, or SPR, a
system-created assessment, weighted heavily on improvement, that takes into
account academics, achievement, climate, and for high schools, college and
career readiness. The prior year, the average was 42. The
district did not provide separate overall scores for district and charter
schools.
Public, Charter Schools In Philly See Major Improvements:
Report
Some stats include 93 percent of students
have zero out-of-school suspensions and 47 percent are attending 95 percent of
days or more.
Patch By Max
Bennett, Patch Staff Feb 10, 2020 10:47 am ET
PHILADELPHIA — It's been four consecutive
years of improvement in School District of Philadelphia schools, as well as
charter schools in the city, according to a new school progress report. Results
released today from the 2018-2019 School Progress Report (SPR) show that the
average Overall SPR score for schools citywide increased 11 points from 33
percent in 2014 to 2015, when the district implemented its Action Plan 3.0, to
44 percent in 2018 to 2019. Since 2014-2015, 74 percent of district-led and
charter schools — 223 schools total — increased their Overall SPR Score, and 44
percent of schools — 134 — increased their tier. Fifty schools were honored at
today's event for significant and multi-year progress on the latest SPR.
Schools were honored for making three and four years of improvement on their
Overall SPR Score, improving two or more tiers, having the highest four-year
improvement Overall and in specific domains, and having the highest
year-over-year improvement Overall and in specific domains. Penn Alexander
School celebrated the highest Overall SPR Score from 2018-2019, along with
three years of improvement.
Kenney: Hite doing a “tremendous job”
The remarks came during a celebration of the
progress most schools are making on the School Progress Reports.
The notebook Bill
Hangley Jr. February 10 — 9:08 pm, 2020
Embattled Philadelphia School District
superintendent William Hite got a vote of confidence from his ultimate boss
Monday, Mayor Jim Kenney. “I think Dr Hite’s done a tremendous job,” said
Kenney, who appoints the school board that oversees Hite. “I wish he would stay
around longer.” Kenney made his comments at Hunter Elementary in Kensington,
where District officials gathered to celebrate the latest improvements in
school performance assessments. The superintendent has faced a steady stream of
criticism from parents, staff and school board members for the poor handling of
a rash of asbestos-related complaints. Monday’s event highlighted what the
District says is an important achievement: four years of continued growth on
its School Performance Reports (SPRs). Individual school performances vary, but
district officials say that overall, the city’s schools are slowly but steadily
improving. “When we do it right, it shows,” said Hite, whose contract expires
in 2022.
With Dinniman out, Chesco Dems now expect 'exciting'
convention
Pottstown Mercury By Michael P. Rellahan
Staff Writer mrellahan@dailylocal.com On Twitter @ChescoCourtNews Feb 9, 2020
WEST CHESTER — The upcoming endorsement
convention of the Chester County Democratic Committee hardly needed any more
turmoil — what with multiple challenges to officeholders and seekers on the
night’s agenda — but it got an additional dose of uncertainty with the news
that the longtime face of the party would be leaving the political scene in the
coming months. “This will make 2020 even more exciting,” Dick Bingham, the
party’s chairman, remarked dryly on Saturday, reacting to the news that state
Sen. Andy Dinniman was abandoning his re-election campaign, just a month after
announcing that he would run for a fourth full four-year term. Dinniman,
D-19th, of West Whiteland was among those incumbents facing challengers at
Thursday’s convention, with state Reps. Danielle Friel-Otten, D-155th, of
Uwchlan and Kristine Howard, D-167th, of Malvern both having opponents who are
seeking the party’s endorsement. In addition, there are candidates vying for
the party’s endorsement to an open state Senate seat and a state House of
Representatives seat held by a Republican.
“Mullany gave a power-point presentation at the school board's
recent meeting in which she pointed out that "every count shapes our
future." "The census zeroes in on education and determines how much
we invest in the future of our children, including free and reduced lunches,
class size reduction, Title 1 Grants to local educational agencies, special
education, Headstart, after school programs, classroom technology and teacher
training,"
Ridley schools do the math on 2020 census
Delco Times By Barbara Ormsby Times
Correspondent February 11, 2020
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP — With hundreds of thousands
of federal dollars at stake, the Ridley School District has begun an intensive,
district-wide campaign to make sure everyone living in the district is counted
in the 2020 census. "All are federal programs are based on our census
figures," said Ridley School District Superintendent Lee Ann Wentzel.
"If that number is understated, it affects the federal funding the
district needs." Kelli Mullany, director of pupil services for the district,
is at the helm of the campaign to get the word out to everyone living in Ridley
Township, Ridley Park and Eddystone, the three communities that comprise the
school district, how important it is to be counted, based on where they are
living on April 1. "I am working with all the PTOs (Parent/Teacher
Organizations) in seven buildings, local churches, pre-schools, presenting at
the two borough council meetings, the township commissioners meeting, and other
schools in the area," Mullany said. "Students in the ninth through
11th grades are learning about the census in social studies, and the high
school is participating in a Delaware County wide poster contest."
OJR School Board still considering delayed start times
Pottstown Mercury By Laura Catalano For
MediaNews Group Feb 8, 2020
SOUTH COVENTRY — The Owen J. Roberts School
Board is not ready quite yet to surrender the idea of delaying school start
times to address adolescent sleep health concerns. While the board decided in
January that no change would be implemented for the 2020-21 school year, a
future change is not out of the question. At a recent meeting, the board’s
pupil services committee Chairwoman Leslie Proffitt proposed that the district
reboot its delayed start considerations, this time using guidelines set forth
in a Pennsylvania’s Joint State Government Commission Report that came out in
October of last year. That report, titled "Sleep Deprivation in
Adolescents: The Case for Delaying Secondary School Start Times,"
recommended that secondary schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. It contains
an appendix that lays out strategies for districts seeking to change to later
start times. Under those guidelines, the district would organize a new steering
committee. That committee would oversee numerous subcommittees, or task forces,
representing various school and community stakeholders, such as sports groups,
office staff, extracurricular clubs, parents and teachers, to name a few. Those
task forces would each study how a revised start time would impact their group,
and seek solutions for logistical challenges. “They recommend a steering
committee with individual task forces with the goal of mitigating challenges so
you can come up with a plan,” district Director of Pupil Services Richard
Marchini told the board.
Council Rock, Quakertown conducting surveys on later start
times
Bucks County Courier Times By Chris
English Posted
Feb 10, 2020 at 1:42 PM
The two districts are among many in the area
looking at later secondary school start times to give students more sleep. The
Council Rock and Quakertown Community school districts are conducting surveys
on later secondary school start times. The two districts are among many in the area and
across the state looking at the possibility of pushing back start times to give
students more sleep. Quakertown’s survey, directed
to community members, can be taken on the district website, qcsd.org. There is
also a committee of parents, other residents and administrators studying later
start times. Council Rock will
soon send out a survey to parents and there are also plans to within the next
few weeks form a committee of students, parents, staff and residents to study
the issue.
“Under the proposal, all schools would start after 8 a.m.
Elementary schools would shift from 8:55 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. to 3:40
p.m. At the intermediate level, times would shift from 8:25 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.
to 8:55 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Middle school would shift from 7:20 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.
to 8:05 a.m. to 2:55 p.m. High school would shift from 7:30 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.
to 8:10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Many leading health organizations call for bumping start
times to 8:30 a.m. or later. Ephrata’s school days would be 40 minutes shorter
at the middle school and 15 minutes shorter at the high school.”
Ephrata is on the verge of approving later school start
times. Here's how schedules could change
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer February
11, 2020
Ephrata Area could become the first Lancaster
County school district to significantly delay school start times if it approves
a proposal later this month. The district’s plan, discussed
at a school board meeting Monday night, would bump start times at the
elementary level by five minutes, intermediate by 30 minutes, middle school by
45 minutes and high school by 40 minutes in the 2020-21 school year. “I feel
good about it,” district Superintendent Brian Troop said of the proposal, which
the board is expected to vote on at its Feb. 24 meeting. The potential shift
reflects mounting research that suggests later school start times could help
adolescents with drowsiness, irritability, depression and other mental and
physical health problems. Ephrata started studying the issue last spring.
School officials sought advice from medical experts at WellSpan Health,
held community forums, opened an online survey for
residents to comment and ask questions, and studied the effects of similar
start time adjustments implemented across the state. “I was impressed by the
level of dialogue and insight that our community members expressed,” Troop
said. Troop said school officials tried to present an option that’s beneficial
for students but also minimizes the impact on schedules families have before
and after school.
Oliver: Resetting the rhetoric of school choice
Philly Trib Commentary by Johnny Oliver Feb
9, 2020
In 1999, as a college graduate and novice
educator, I joined the staff of the newly founded Freire Charter School. I was
taking a big risk on a new, as-yet-untested school program. But the task of
building a school that would welcome students from every Philadelphia
neighborhood excited me. It was invigorating to know that we were creating a
space for all Philly kids to learn, to grow and, most importantly, to be
themselves as part of the Freire family. We were creating a school where
students who reminded me of my younger self could thrive. Although I’m a
teacher now, I wasn’t a typical student. I grew up in Philadelphia’s
Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood, and I’m proud of where I come from, but it was
also a challenging place to grow up. As a kid, I witnessed violence in the
streets and sometimes in my school. By 10th grade, I was failing at Simon Gratz
High School and made up my mind to leave if I didn’t pass the year. If I had
quit, I’m not sure I would have surprised many people. As it happened, I passed
by half a point. My guidance counselor, Andrea Clyman, saw my potential and
asked if I wanted to be part of an experimental academic program called
Crossroads the following year. I chose to enroll.
Pennsylvania sues Juul, demands ban on maker’s vaping
products
Inquirer by Sarah Gantz, Updated: February 10,
2020- 10:00 AM
Pennsylvania has joined a growing list of
states suing leading e-cigarette maker Juul Labs, whose sleek vape pens and
cartridges in fruit, dessert, and candy flavors have been blamed for
contributing to a sharp rise in e-cigarette use among teenagers and adolescents.
The lawsuit, filed Monday by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro,
alleges that Juul misled consumers about the health risks and addictive power
of its nicotine vaping pods and improperly marketed the products to youths. The
lawsuit seeks a statewide ban on all Juul products, including tobacco-flavored
ones. If the court does not grant a full ban, the state wants to ban all of
Juul’s flavored, menthol, and high-nicotine vaping products except those that
are tobacco-flavored. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this month forbade
the sale of flavored vaping pods nationwide. Over the last two years, Juul has
phased out sales of flavored pods, except for
those with menthol and tobacco flavors.
“The firm describes itself as a “public-interest law firm” that
works with the Pennsylvania Family Institute, a nonprofit group whose aim is to
preserve religious liberty, promote marriage and the family and protect human
life. According to its website, “Everything we do at the Independence Law
Center centers around enhancing your ability to live out your faith. We’re advancing
the gospel through protecting Christian ministries, protecting religious
liberty in our education systems and preserving your right to live out your
values in today’s society.”
Big Beaver Falls SD among 55 charged to change religion
policy
By Daveen
Rae Kurutz @DK_NewsData and @DKreports Posted
Feb 10, 2020 at 5:01 PM
The Harrisburg-based Independence Law Center
ordered 55 Pennsylvania school districts, including the Big Beaver Falls Area
School District, to change policies silencing students from speaking about
religion or face a lawsuit. BEAVER FALLS -- Big Beaver Falls Area School
District officials have changed a long-standing policy after threats of a
lawsuit from a Harrisburg-based religious liberty-focused law group. The
Independence Law Center sent letters to 55 school districts across Pennsylvania
ordering officials to change policies they felt violated the Constitution
regarding student religious speech. Jeremy Samek, senior counsel for the law
center, said Big Beaver Falls’ policy restricted various types of unprotected
speech -- pornographic speech, speech that incites violence and speech that
indicates one’s religious beliefs are superior to another. That last piece was
the problem, Samek said. “This was an effort to put school districts on notice
that hadn’t had incidents that they need to remove these policies,” Samek said.
“A lot of the time, what happens is there’s an instance where they’re applying
the policy and don’t realize they’re wrong.”
“The new block grant would absorb $440 million for the federal
Charter School Program grants. This move would eliminate funding specifically
allocated to help charter schools expand. That marks a significant departure
from past Trump budget proposals, which have sought to increase funding for the
program. Congress has approved increases for the charter grant during the Trump
administration. In a statement, Nina Rees, the president and CEO of the
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, called the Trump budget "chilling.”
Trump Seeks to Slash Education Budget, Combine 29
Programs Into Block Grant
Education Week By Andrew Ujifusa on February
10, 2020 3:46 PM
UPDATED - President Donald Trump's
proposed budget would shrink U.S. Department of
Education funding by nearly 8 percent in part by consolidating 29 major
programs—including Title I aid for disadvantaged students and funding for
charter school expansion—into a single, $19.4 billion block grant. Trump's spending
proposal for fiscal 2021, released Monday, would cut the Education Department's
budget by $5.6 billion, reducing it to $66.6 billion, a 7.8 percent decrease.
Its new Elementary and Secondary Education for the Disadvantaged block grant,
meanwhile, would represent a $4.7 billion cut from the combined current funding
levels for the 29 programs that would be merged. If the proposal were to
be adopted, the federal government would no longer guarantee support
specifically for the programs and policy areas being folded into the block
grant. Most programs authorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act would be
consolidated into this new block grant, according to the department. Separately,
the budget proposal would boost special education grants to states to nearly
$13 billion, an increase of $100 million, and would provide a significant
increase for current state grants for career and technical education.
“They have $5 billion for tax credit voucher scholarships and
are eliminating public school choice through things like the charter schools
program and the magnet program,” said Scott Sargrad, a former Obama
administration education official and now a vice president at the Center for
American Progress, a progressive think tank. “It shows what their priority is.
And it’s not public school choice, it’s private school choice.”
The Trump administration wants to cut federal education
spending — including money for charter schools
Chalkbeat By Matt
Barnum, Kalyn
Belsha February 10, 2020
The Trump administration proposed a major
reduction in federal education spending Monday that would eliminate nearly 30
standalone programs, including ones that support homeless students, rural
students, English learners, and magnet schools. Perhaps most surprisingly, the
proposal would effectively axe a long-standing federal program that has
catalyzed charter school growth across the country. The department packaged
this move as part of a bigger effort to give states more decision-making power.
States “should be able to spend their federal taxpayer dollars to support
implementing their programs in their plans, not the pet projects of
Washington’s politicians or bureaucrats,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
said during a presentation Monday afternoon. “To that end, we essentially
propose putting an end to education earmarks.” Still, the administration
re-upped its proposal to create a $5 billion tax credit program to fund
stipends for private school tuition and other education expenses. The budget proposal, which
would cut total federal education spending by about 8 percent, is considered a
long shot by many Capitol Hill observers. But it signals that the Trump
administration is still intent on implementing a more conservative vision for
the education department — and that it is willing to sacrifice money earmarked
for charter schools in the process.
Snow geese topped 100K at Middle Creek on Sunday [photos]
Lancaster Online by MICKAYLA MILLER | Website Producer February
11, 2020
More than 100,000 snow geese flocked to
Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Clay Township over the weekend as this
year’s migration approached its peak, said Lauren Ferreri, manager at Middle
Creek. Because of weather conditions, which AccuWeather expects to be cool and
seasonable throughout the week, the number of birds in the area will likely
remain steady, said Ferreri in an update on
the Pennsylvania Game Commission's website. "Every
year is different; (the peak) so hard to predict," Ferreri said in an
email with LNP | LancasterOnline. But, she added, “I think the ‘best’ is
yet to come.”
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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