Started in November 2010, daily postings from the Keystone State
Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education
policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and
congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of
Education, Wolf education transition team members, superintendents, school solicitors,
principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher
leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations,
education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory
agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via
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These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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If any of your colleagues would
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PA Ed Policy Roundup for Feb 20, 2020
“That a charter school can prepare such a poor application, yet
still have a chance of opening its doors to students, shows the deficiencies of
Pennsylvania’s charter school law, said David Lapp, executive director of the
Philadelphia-based education research organization Research for Action. “It’s pretty baffling that they got a 20-page
rejection letter with very detailed descriptions of their deficiencies, and now
the law allows them to resubmit it,” Lapp said. “The law gives applicants a
number of bites out of the apple before their application can get completely
rejected.”
Failed Philly cyber charter application highlights
weaknesses in state law, observer says
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth Hardison February
19, 2020
The state Department of Education has issued
its first denial in years to a cyber charter school, thwarting a proposal for a
new school that aimed to enroll 2,500 Pennsylvania students starting in 2021. The
Virtual Preparatory Academy of Philadelphia Cyber Charter School fell short on
every standard Pennsylvania uses to evaluate cyber charter schools, including
support among parents and students, long-term financial planning and proof that
its students would meet state educational standards, according to a Jan.
27 memo from
the state Department of Education. The school also flat-out failed to provide
parts of the application, such as a sample curriculum and plans for staffing
and professional development. Reviewers also said its plans for serving
children with special needs, or those learning English, were nonexistent. The
Virtual Preparatory Academy is the first new cyber charter school to apply for
a license in Pennsylvania in five years. Attempts to reach its
Philadelphia-based board president, Richard Flynn, were unsuccessful. The
rejection comes at a time when Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration has clamped down
on the state’s cyber charter schools, which currently enroll 39,000
Pennsylvania children who take courses primarily through computers at home.
Virtual Preparatory Academy of Pennsylvania Cyber Charter
School
Decision by the Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pennsylvania Department of Education January
27, 2020
After reviewing the Virtual Preparatory
Academy of Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School application, it is the decision of
the Pennsylvania Department of Education to deny the application. Please review
the pages that follow for more information.
Blogger note: here’s some background/history on K12, Inc. and Ron
Packard who is noted in the PA Capital Star piece:
Reprise 2013: From Junk Bonds to Junk Schools: Cyber
Schools Fleece Taxpayers for Phantom Students and Failing Grades
PRWatch Submitted by Mary
Bottari on October 2, 2013 - 7:38am
The data is in and K12 Inc.'s brand
of full-time public "cyber school" is garbage. Not surprising for an
educational model kicked off with a $10 million investment from junk-bond king
Michael Milken. Milken was the Wall Street financier who virtually invented
junk-bonds -- high-risk securities that were used to leverage hostile buyouts
in the "go-go" 1980s. Milken came to symbolize Wall Street excess,
serving as inspiration for the Michael Douglas character Gordon Gekko in the
1987 movie Wall Street. Milken spent almost two years in a federal
penitentiary for securities fraud. After he was released from prison, Milken
set his sights on the $600 billion public education "market," forming
new companies including Knowledge Universe and Knowledge Learning, parent
company of the KinderCare child care chain. With his $10 million stake in K12
Inc., Milken aided one of his Vice Presidents and
another junk dealer, Ron Packard, who specialized in mergers and acquisitions
for Goldman Sachs back in the '80s. The duo prepped to exploit the public
education sector, and boy, have they. His various educational ventures have
made Milken one of the richest men in America, and
Packard raked in over $16 million in
compensation from 2008 to 2012 as CEO of K12 Inc. Almost
all of that money came from U.S. taxpayers.
From 2016: “K12 Inc. and the Baltimore-based Connections
Education—the two largest national virtual school management companies—spend
millions of dollars on well-connected lobbyists to convince lawmakers to see
things their way.
Together, the companies educate over half of the over 200,000
students who are enrolled in virtual charter schools. They have hired hundreds
of lobbyists, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics,
and spent more than $14.5 million to retain those lobbyists since 2000 in the
25 states with publicly reported lobbying expenditures examined by Education
Week. That dollar amount is likely an underestimate—in several states, lobbying
expenditures don't have to be reported, or, if they do, the dollar amounts are
reported in broad ranges.
Connections Education confirmed that it has spent $1.3 million
in lobbying in 27 states so far this year.
Pennsylvania and Colorado are among the top states for lobbying
by both companies. Since 2007, the companies together spent $1.8 million to
lobby lawmakers in Pennsylvania, and since 2003, spent $1.3 million in
Colorado.
Despite well-documented weak performance and mismanagement in
some Colorado cyber charter schools, the state has never shut one down.
Together, K12 Inc. and Connections have spent nearly $2 million
on contributions to political campaigns and parties since the mid-2000s,
according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics. That number
does not include spending on political action committees or donations made by
individuals who work with either company.
K12 Inc. accounts for the vast majority of spending on lobbying
and political contributions by the virtual school sector over the last decade
or so—including around $1.8 million in political contributions and more than
$10.5 million on lobbying.
Reprise 2016: Rewarding Failure
An Education Week Investigation of
the Cyber Charter Industry 2016
With growing evidence that the nation's cyber
charter schools are plagued by serious academic and management problems, Education
Week conducted a months-long investigation into what is happening in
this niche sector of K-12 schooling. The result is a deep-dive account of
what's wrong with cyber charters. Education Week uncovered
exclusive data on how rarely students use the learning software at Colorado’s
largest cyber charter, the questionable management practices in online
charters, and how lobbying in scores of states helps keep the sector growing.
Pittsburgh city school board may endorse bills on charter
reform
ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com FEB 19,
2020 10:54 PM
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board next week
could vote to endorse two bills soon to be introduced in Pennsylvania’s
Legislature that aim to reform the way charter schools in the state are funded.
House Bill 2261 and Senate Bill 1024, which have identical language, seek to
make charter school funding more equitable to public school districts in the
state as well as increase transparency of charter school business. “There’s
a lot of school districts now that are showing that they each year are losing
money because of a bad funding law,” Pittsburgh Public Schools board member Pam
Harbin said Wednesday night. “Every year, school districts are forced to raise
taxes basically to fund this unfunded mandate, and it’s not sustainable at this
point.” State Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery County, is sponsoring the House
bill, while the Senate bill is being sponsored by state Sens. Jim Brewster,
D-McKeesport, and Lindsey Williams, D-West View. Two provisions in the bills
would provide most of the cost savings, according to Alex Teplyakov, Mr.
Ciresi’s chief of staff. First, the bills include a requirement that charter
schools would be reimbursed using the special education fair funding
formula for special education students already used by public school districts.
The bills also institute a statewide cyber charter school tuition rate.
PA lawmakers take aim at cyber charter schools
River Reporter By OWEN WALSH Posted Wednesday, February
19, 2020 10:51 am
Harrisburg, PA — Private online schooling in
Pennsylvania is facing some radical changes from both the executive and
legislative side of the government. The House Education Committee recently held
a hearing on a bill that would require cyber charter schools to “cease
operation and dissolve” at the end of the 2020-21 school year. It would also
require each public school district to offer its own online curriculum as an
alternative to traditional schooling. The private online education industry is
big in PA—one of the largest in the nation. It’s also one wracked with reports
of fraud, unaccountability and a poor quality of education. In 2016, the
commonwealth’s auditor general called its charter law the worst in the country.
Starting school later – possible solution to kid’s sleep
deprivation crisis?
Schools encouraged to start at 8:30 or later
WITF Smarttalk by Merideth Bucher FEBRUARY
18, 2020 | Audio Runtime: 49:49
Any parent who has attempted to roust a
sleeping teenager for school will tell you it is
not always an easy task. Teenagers, it seems,
really like to sleep. According to experts, teenagers also need to
sleep and there is science to back it up. The Pennsylvania
General Assembly commissioned a report in 2019 called, “The Case
for Delaying Secondary School Start Times.” The
report raised the alarm by calling sleep deprivation among teenagers
a public health crisis and recommending districts move school
start times to 8:30 or later.
The American Academy of Pediatrics made
the same policy recommendation more
than five years ago, saying that later start times would
better align with children’s changing sleep patterns. Dr. Gail Karafin and Superintendent Joe
McFarland appear on Smart Talk on February 18, 2020. While it appears that many school
districts around the country and in Pennsylvania, have considered the
recommendations, the average high school start time remains
unchanged since 2011. The majority still start
classes before 8 a.m. If student health and achievement is improved with
later start times, why does it seem so difficult for districts to
make the change? Joining Smart Talk on
Tuesday to discuss the science for later start times and how
some districts are making the change are Gail Karafin, Ed.D.,
School Psychologist and PA Statewide leader of Start School Later, Orfeu
Buxton, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania
State University and Derry
Township School District Superintendent
Joe McFarland.
Philly District, Queen Village community group cancel
school planning review Q&A
Public forums to start soon, but “town hall”
format unlikely.
The notebook by Bill
Hangley Jr. February 19 — 7:23 am, 2020
District officials and a South Philadelphia
community group have agreed to cancel a planned appearance by Superintendent
William Hite, at which he was expected to take public questions about the new
Comprehensive School Planning Review for the first time since it launched last
November. “Our goal has always been to ensure that all communities … have an
opportunity to hear the same information at the same time,” said District
spokesperson Monica Lewis in a statement. “We believe it would not be
appropriate to engage individual communities in conversations about CSPR at
this time.” Hite had been scheduled to appear at the monthly community meeting
of the Queen Village Neighbors Association (QVNA) on Wednesday. The meeting
announcement, posted on Facebook this weekend, promised that Hite would
“present and answer questions about the Comprehensive School Planning Review,”
or CSPR, a strategic planning process designed to reorganize neighborhood K-12
networks to make them more efficient and effective. Two Queen Village
elementary schools, Nebinger and Meredith, are part of the process and could
see changes. Hite’s appearance would have offered the public its first
opportunity to directly question District officials about CSPR in an open
forum, and word of the meeting quickly spread on social media.
The appearance was cancelled by “mutual
agreement,” said QVNA President Eleanor Ingersoll.
Philly School Planning Review is treating a human problem
– equitable education – like a numbers game
The District "should end its pattern of
bringing in outside consultants who have no stake in the outcomes and who do
not have the history or love for the city’s children that is needed."
The notebook Commentary by Laurie
Mazer and Zoe Rooney February 19 — 3:47 pm, 2020
The School District of Philadelphia is now
halfway through the first year of its Comprehensive School Planning Review (CSPR)
process, but no closer to a truly comprehensive District-wide plan that
prioritizes equity or the aspirations that parents and students have for their
schools. The CSPR is
described on the District’s website as a
“collaborative process” to help “plan for the future in a way that ensures our
students have access to a great school close to where they live.” In reality,
it has been marked by lackluster attempts at family engagement and negligible
return on the $1.4 million investment into out-of-state contractor FLO
Analytics and its subcontractor, Bloom. Although parents, teachers, and
community members are supposed to be engaged in the process, the CSPR planning
committees are limited to four representatives per school, including and
selected by principals. Attendance has been low, with two or fewer parents in
total at some committee meetings in Study Areas Two and Three, which are
also the areas where schools are more likely to face closure.
Philly school asbestos problem: What’s closed, what’s
open and what’s being done
Reference this list to find out where things
stand.
Billy Penn by Michaela Winberg Today, 7:30 a.m. February 19, 2020
Asbestos has reared its head as a pervasive
problem for the Philadelphia School District this academic year. Several of the
city’s school buildings have been temporarily shut down for remediation after
officials discovered exposed toxic material — so many that it’s hard to keep
track. Teachers say they’ve lost confidence in the district’s ability to manage
the problem, and in January their union sued the School District in
January, alleging that Superintendent William Hite repeatedly mishandled
problems with asbestos, lead and mold. For his part, Mayor Jim Kenney defended the superintendent, saying
he’s done a “terrific job” considering the condition of the aging structures
that house the city’s educational institutions. Last month, Gov. Tom Wolf made $1 billion available to
schools across Pennsylvania to could
mitigate asbestos and lead on their premises. In Philly, the bad news started
in August 2019, when it was discovered that the freshly renovated building set
up to host Benjamin Franklin High School and Science Leadership Academy was
full of the toxin. It took until October for the district to admit it needed
time to clear the contaminated pipes. Students were temporarily relocated away
from Broad and Green while a $13 million cleanup
took place. Since then, officials have discovered damaged asbestos in seven additional
school buildings — bringing the shuttered total for this school year to nine.
Some of them have reopened, while others have not. To help people keep track of
the situation, we’ve created this list as a reference. We’ll keep it updated
throughout the year.
PAFA displays Black art collection of Constance Clayton,
former Philadelphia school superintendent
WHYY By Peter
Crimmins February 20, 2020
After receiving a substantial gift of African
American art last year, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is now
exhibiting 76 paintings and sculptures that came from the personal collection
of the former Philadelphia School District superintendent, Dr. Constance
Clayton. Clayton was the first African American woman to be Philadelphia’s
school superintendent, holding that position from 1982 – 1993. Toward the end
of her tenure, she began collecting art with her mother, Willabell Clayton. The
mother and daughter duo wanted to acquire work specifically by African American
artists, combing galleries and antique stores with an eye for things that would
look good in their shared Mt. Airy home. She also wanted work that told a story
or conveyed a message about African American life. “If I’m going to live with
it, I want to like it,” Clayton said. “I don’t want to buy it because it has
someone’s name on it.” Clayton continued to collect art after her mother died
in 2004, amassing about 300 pieces, including landscapes, domestic scenes,
portraits of Black families and children and abstract works.
Pa. Legislature needs to act quickly on gerrymandering
bills | Letter
Express-Times
Letters to the Editor by Mary C. Erdman Vice president,
League of Women Voters, Lehigh County, Public speaker, Fair Districts PA February
19, 2020
How long have issues such as property tax
reform, equitable school funding, traffic and transportation problems, and
environmental issues been kicked around in Harrisburg? It seems like forever!
Look at education. We are 47th in the nation in equitable school funding. Our
state higher education funding ranks 50th, and we lead the nation in premature
deaths due to air pollution. We each have an issue that is of most importance,
but to begin to solve these problems, we need to choose the abolishment of
gerrymandering as the first thing we need to do. Numerous studies have proven
that special interest money in campaigns and gerrymandering are the major
reasons why little gets done in Harrisburg. Other research tells us
Pennsylvania is one of most gerrymandered
states in the nation! When a state is
gerrymandered, incumbents are re-elected because they are from “safe” districts
that have been drawn to protect them, so they are not as motivated to work hard
to solve problems. Gerrymandering feeds partisanship, as we retreat to our
party “corners” and tend to fight more than compromise. Problems get solved
when legislators come to the middle and work together. Creating a citizens
independent redistricting commission is the first step in creating more fairly
drawn districts. Please ask your state legislator to support HB 22 and HB 23 now,
or we face 10 more years of gridlock and dysfunction! Please go to www.FairDistrictsPA.com to
learn more.
With dozens of Pa. lawmakers heading for the exits, do
Democrats have the edge in 2020?
Inquirer by Cynthia Fernandez, Updated: February
19, 2020- 3:49 PM
Capitol Notebook by Spotlight
PA provides updates on important
news and notes from the halls of power in Harrisburg. Sign
up for our weekly newsletter.
HARRISBURG — A wave of resignations and
pending retirements in the state legislature — including two of the Republican
Party’s most prolific fundraisers — has fueled hope among Democrats that they
can regain control of the GOP-held state House and Senate. Since the current
two-year session began in January 2019, 19 lawmakers have announced plans to
retire and seven have resigned. At least seven of the Republican-held seats
were won by Gov. Tom Wolf in 2018, making them prime targets for Democrats. Among
those retiring this year are two of the most powerful GOP lawmakers, Senate
President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R., Jefferson) and House Speaker Mike
Turzai (R., Allegheny). Both are leaders not only in the Capitol, but on the
campaign trail, raising large sums of money for the party. Democrats are
hopeful the departures are a sign of good things to come in November,
especially since it is a presidential election year.
Here’s who is running for state House and Senate seats
representing central Pa.
Penn Live By Jan
Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com; Posted
Feb 19, 2020
Democratic Rep. Patty Kim is seeking
re-election to the state House. Republican Rep. Dawn Keefer is also seeking
another term in that chamber. Neither incumbent made a formal announcement
about their re-election plans but both were among the 415 candidates who filed
nominating petitions by Tuesday’s deadline to get their names on the April 28
primary ballot for one of the 203 House seats up for grabs this year, according
to the Pennsylvania Department of State website. Meanwhile, 63 candidates filed
to make a bid for their party’s nomination for one of the 25 state Senate seats
up for election. Here is a list of the candidates vying for their party’s
nomination for Senate and House seats representing all or parts of Cumberland,
Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York counties. The incumbent is marked
with an asterisk. For a full list of candidates who filed petitions to get on
the April ballot, visit the state department
website.
Blogger note: support Governor Wolf’s proposed charter reforms:
Reprise: PA Ed Policy Roundup for Feb 10, 2020
1. Adopt resolution for charter funding
reform
2. Ask your legislators to cosponsor HB2261
or SB1024
3. Register for Advocacy Day on March 23rd
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.
Cosponsor: 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.
Register: 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/
Volunteer your time and talents.
Register Today to Help transform education in
Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Education Fund
Learn More at PEF's Information Session
Tuesday, February 25, 2020 4:30 - 5:30 pm
Philadelphia Education Fund, 718 Arch Street,
Suite 700N Philadelphia, PA 19106
Do you have a willingness to engage with the
students we serve through our college access and college persistence
programming? The Philadelphia Education Fund supports nearly 6,000 students and
serves 16 schools. As a result, we produce and host hundreds of sessions for
students on a range of topics that are intended to help our young people
navigate a successful journey through high school and college.
This Information Session will explain how you
can help!
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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