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
emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
If any of your colleagues would
like to be added to the email list please have them send their name, title and
affiliation to KeystoneStateEdCoalition@gmail.com
PA Ed Policy Roundup for March 6, 2020
Leaders of more than 100 school districts across
Pennsylvania have called on the legislature to enact @GovernorTomWolf’s proposed Charter
School Law reforms, allowing school districts to reinvest an additional $280
million into their classrooms.
Blogger note: the Governor’s press release below includes a
listing of the school boards that have passed resolutions calling for charter
funding reform. Is your district on the
list?
“Taxpayers spent $1.8 billion on charter schools last year,
including more than $500 million on cyber charter schools. The rising cost of
charter schools is draining funding from traditional public schools, which has
forced cuts to classroom programs and property tax increases.”
100+ School Districts Call for Gov. Wolf’s Charter
Reforms
Governor Wolf Press Release March 05, 2020
Leaders of more than 100 school districts
across Pennsylvania have called on the legislature to enact Governor Tom Wolf’s
proposed Charter School Law reforms. These changes would allow school districts
to reinvest an additional $280 million into their classrooms while ensuring
charter schools are held accountable for the quality of education they provide.
“Every child in Pennsylvania deserves the opportunity to receive a high-quality
education, but our current law allows some charter schools to perform poorly at
the expense of students enrolled in traditional district schools,” said Gov.
Wolf. “My charter school law proposal will benefit all students while helping
to ensure all schools are held to the same quality and ethics standards.” Gov.
Wolf’s package of policy and budget initiatives include applying the special
education funding formula to all charter schools, establishing a statewide
cyber charter tuition rate, and improving the tuition redirection process. The
changes will better align payments made to charter schools with the actual cost
of educating students. Clarification of the redirection process will increase
fairness, accountability, and transparency.
More than 100 school districts asking Pa. legislature for
charter school law changes
WFMZ 69 News Mar 5, 2020 Updated 16 hrs
ago
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - More than 100 school
districts in Pennsylvania are asking the state legislature to enact changes in
charter school laws. Gov. Tom Wolf proposed a series of policy and budget
initiatives, including applying the special education funding formula to all
charter schools and establishing a statewide cyber charter tuition rate. Bethlehem
Area School District and Quakertown Community School District were some of the
districts in our area who have called for the changes.
Other districts in our area calling for
changes include:
- Bensalem
Township School District
- Hazleton
Area School District
- Northampton
Area School District
- Parkland
School District
- Schuylkill
Valley School District
- Stroudsburg
Area School District
Pa. School Districts Call for Reforming Charter School
Law
Taxpayers spent $1.8 billion on charter
schools last year.
Erie News Now Thursday, March 5th 2020, 6:40
PM EST Updated: Thursday, March 5th 2020, 7:02 PM EST
More than 100 school districts across
Pennsylvania are calling for charter school law reform.
108 schools came out in favor of changes that
would allow districts to reinvest money into classrooms. Taxpayers spent $1.8
billion on charter schools last year. The Pennsylvania School Board Association
said 70 percent of districts identified mandatory charter school tuition costs
as one of the biggest sources of budget pressures. Leaders from the Erie City,
Corry, Fort LeBoeuf, Millcreek Township and Oil City School Districts have
voiced their need for reform in charter school law.
https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/41860293/pa-school-districts-call-for-reforming-charter-school-law
EdVotersPA: THIS is charter school “transparency”
Education Voters PA Published by EDVOPA on March 5, 2020
THIS is what charter school “transparency”
looks like under Pennsylvania’s broken charter school law. Six months ago, we
set out with a simple goal—to find out how a single cyber charter school in
Pennsylvania spends millions of taxpayer dollars on advertising each
year. We filed a Right to Know request with Commonwealth Charter Academy,
one of Pennsylvania’s largest cyber charter schools, requesting this
information.
In the end, we received hundreds of heavily
redacted documents with little meaningful information and learned that in the
absence of substantial reforms to PA’s charter school law, anyone who wants to
learn how charters spend money on advertising will face an army of lawyers
representing the charter industry and the lobbying and PR firms that benefit
from the current system.
Today we sent this memo to
members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly detailing the how we ended up
receiving hundreds of pages of redacted documents instead of meaningful
information.
“We can teach our kids — especially the little ones — how to
wash their hands," said Arlene Kempin, a PFT vice president. "But if
you don’t have hot water and soap, what good is it?”
Philly teachers say schools aren’t prepared to fight
coronavirus
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Updated: March
5, 2020- 5:52 PM
Like organizations around the U.S., the
Philadelphia School District is preparing for a possible outbreak of
coronavirus and issuing guidelines to its
families: wash your hands well with soap and warm water. Sneeze or cough into
an elbow. Disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects. But some teachers are worried about the
practicality of carrying out that
advice, given the realities of a large, cash-strapped district that struggles
to provide supplies for 130,000 students in 200-plus schools. The school system
is monitoring the situation and working directly with the Philadelphia
Department of Health to keep abreast of the latest information on coronavirus,
said Monica Lewis, a district spokesperson, who noted that the district has
ordered additional cases of hand sanitizer and
expects enough to supply school entrances and cafeterias. In addition, it’s
bringing in sanitizing wipes, though they will be primarily used by cleaning
staff. But bathrooms in some schools don’t reliably have hot water, and at this
point in the year, school-provided supplies are in short stock, teachers say.
To keep germ-spreading to a minimum, many teachers are buying extra cleaning
supplies, if they can find things like wipes on store shelves.Schools also are
asking parents for donations.
Central Bucks School District closes 5 schools due to
reported coronavirus exposure
By STEPHANIE SIGAFOOS THE MORNING
CALL | MAR 06, 2020 | 6:20 AM
Five schools in the Central Bucks School
District are closed Friday after an unknown number of people were exposed to a
confirmed case of the coronavirus, the school said on its website. An alert
posted on the district website said school
officials were made aware of the COVID-19 exposure late Thursday. No details
about the exposure were released. “After consulting with local and state health
authorities, and out of an abundance of caution, CBSD has decided to close 5
schools today, March 6, 2020,” the alert says.
The affected schools listed are:
- Butler
Elementary School
- Central
Bucks South High School
- Titus
Elementary School
- Tohickon
Middle School
- Tamanend
Middle School
The schools will be closed for students,
teachers and staff. The alert said additional information will be posted
on CBSD.org.
Pa. House drops ‘legislative privilege,’ will release
lawmaker spending details
Inquirer by Brad Bumsted and Sam Janesch of
The Caucus and Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA, Updated: March
5, 2020- 4:48 PM
Spotlight
PA is an independent, nonpartisan
newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and PennLive/Patriot-News. Sign
up for our free weekly newsletter.
HARRISBURG — After shielding spending details
for months, leaders in the Pennsylvania House are reversing course and will
publicly disclose how and why lawmakers spend hundreds of millions in taxpayer
money. The House announced the reversal on Thursday, more than a week after
stories published by the Caucus and Spotlight PA revealed that House lawyers had blacked out spending
details in thousands of pages of records
released to the news organizations. House officials initially argued that the
state constitution gave them the right to shield certain information about how
lawmakers and their staff spend money. But on Thursday, they backed off that
position and restored dozens of spending details, and promised to turn over
hundreds more in the coming weeks.
Superintendents' forum: Education -- It's personal
Delco Times Opinion By Andrew Potteiger
Brandywine Heights School District March 5, 2020
We are fortunate to have so many
opportunities as citizens of the United States. The ability for each child to
have a free, public education is one of those cherished rights that as
Americans, we value and invest in, to ensure we have an educated society. Our
children and grandchildren have the opportunity to go to school, receive a
quality education taught by well-educated, caring teachers and be exposed to
numerous experiences along their educational journey, ranging from field trips,
fine arts courses, clubs and extracurriculars, participation in athletics and
music groups, and career exposures. So, why do we value education in America?
Why is it important to have an educated society? Much literature is devoted to
the topic. The common message that emerges is to create opportunities; to help
further the prosperity and ingenuity of an individual as well as society as a
whole.
As coronavirus spreads, there’s a big shortage of school
nurses
Washington Post Answer Sheet By Valerie Strauss March
5, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. EST
The Sacramento City Unified School District
recently sent a newsletter to families about the novel coronavirus that is
spreading around the world — it’s already in Sacramento — to explain the
measures the school system is taking to protect students, teachers and others.
The first point of action was this: “School Nurses are advising and providing
classroom lessons on handwashing and proper coughing/sneezing etiquette.” What
it doesn’t say: Not every school in the district has a dedicated nurse. So nurses
travel among numerous schools to take care of children — a situation hardly
unique to the school system in California’s state capital. There is a school
nursing shortage throughout the country at a time when nurses are arguably more
important than at any time in the recent past. According to the National
Association of School Nurses, 25 percent
of schools do not employ a nurse, while 35 percent employ part-time nurses.
That leaves school personnel with little or no medical training to handle
sometimes serious medical situations. But even schools that have full-time
nurses often share them with other campuses because there simply are not enough
for each school building in districts throughout the country.
Column: Charter schools equipped to help young scholars
succeed
Columbus Dispatch Opinion by Tatiana Jackson,
guest columnist March 5, 2020
Tatiana Jackson is a teacher with the United
Schools Network in Columbus.
Growing up, I felt discouraged academically.
I never felt fully challenged, and later in life I understood my school’s
approach wasn’t always best to maximize my potential. Because of my experience
I realized when I became an educator I wanted to work at different type of
public school — a charter school. For seven years I’ve been at United Schools
Network in Columbus. For the past two years I’ve had the pleasure of teaching
28 scholars every day. That’s right, scholars. I use this term because it
suggests they are more than just students. It communicates a level of success
we expect from them in school and when they graduate into life. They refer to
one another as scholars and even parents call their kids scholars. Teachers
choose to work here because our charter school engages the community with
passion. We hold literacy nights inviting parents to attend, organizing
activities around the event. We have dinner with our scholars’ families, and
collaborate and talk through expectations from us and from them, about their
scholars’ education.
Trump’s Education Policy Is an Opportunity for Democrats
Republicans are running away from Betsy
DeVos’s “education freedom” agenda as fast as they can. So why haven’t
Democrats noticed?
The Nation By Jennifer C. Berkshire March 5,
2020
Keller, Texas—On the same
night that President Trump invoked the specter of “failing government schools”
in his State of the Union address, Texas Republican Giovanni Capriglione was
working hard to establish his public school bona fides. Elected to the Texas
House as part of the 2012 Tea Party wave, Capriglione reminded voters here in
Keller, an affluent suburb of Fort Worth, that he was a product of public
schools, his wife is too, and that his children attend them now. Grade by
grade, he named his favorite teachers. While Trump used his pulpit to make
clear his administration’s contempt for
public schools, Capriglione wooed the voters he hopes will send him back to the
state legislature with calls for more generous school funding, less
standardized testing, and more rigorous oversight of charter schools.
Why such disparate messaging?
EdVotersPA: Take action now to support charter school
reform in PA!
Education Voters PA Published by EDVOPA on February 25, 2020
We have helped build a movement to fix
Pennsylvania’s worst charter school law in the nation in every corner of the
commonwealth. Now it is time to take this movement to Harrisburg!
Please click HERE and sign a letter to
your state representative and senator calling on them to support charter school
reform. Ed Voters’ volunteers will hand deliver each constituent letter to
state lawmakers’ offices in mid-March. Make sure yours is included!
We will need to deliver thousands of letters
to send a strong message that Pennsylvanians expect lawmakers to take action
this legislative session.
PSBA Board Presidents Panel April 27 & 28; 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.
Info and registration: https://www.psba.org/2020/01/board-presidents-panel/
Webinar: Rising Mandated Costs for School Districts
PASchoolsWork Lunch & Learn Webinar Tuesday, March 10th
12:00 – 12:30 p.m.
Mandated costs are rising for school
districts across PA. Join us next Tuesday at Noon to learn more about what
exactly these costs are and what their impact is on school districts. Register
for our Lunch & Learn webinar here:
PSBA: Coronavirus Preparedness Guidance
In the last few weeks, the novel coronavirus
(SARS-CoV-2), which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19, has become a topic
of concern nationwide. Although the virus is not widespread in Pennsylvania at
this time, that status could change. Being proactive is key to prevention and
mitigation. Below, you will find a list of resources on all aspects of
preparedness, including guidance on communication planning, policy, emergency
management and disease control. Use these resources to help you make decisions
regarding the safety and health of those in your school district.
Bucks County Intermediate Unit: FLU AND CORONAVIRUS
RESOURCES
Resources for School Leaders; Bucks County
Intermediate Unit Website
This page contains a collection of news
articles, health agency resources, and school system templates related to the
Flu and Coronavirus. This page is by no means exhaustive and in no way
serves as an endorsement for specific resources. Instead, it
serves as a collection point for school leaders seeking resources and
exemplars. Please contact Dr.
Mark Hoffman with any additional documents or links
to post!
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
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.
Event: Transparency
in Pennsylvania Cyber Charter Schools
A Free Educational Event Hosted at Capitol Building
in Harrisburg, March 16, 2020
CONTACT Holly Lubart EMAIL HollyL@PANewsMedia.org PHONE 717-703-3032
A Free Sunshine Week Educational Event Hosted
at Capitol Building in Harrisburg, Pa.
Guest Speaker: Sarah Hofius Hall, Education
Reporter, The Times-Tribune
Guest Speaker: Representative Curt
Sonney, Chairman, House Education Committee
Guest Speaker from the Wolf Administration
To register for this event, please complete
the form below.
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:
NSBA annual conference -- April 4-6, 2020 Chicago
Registration for the 2020 NSBA Annual
Conference is now open. The event will be held April 4-6 in Chicago
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.
Register today for the 2020 PASA/PA Principals
Association PA Educational Leadership Summit, August 2-4, at the Lancaster
Marriott at Penn Square
(hosted by the PA Principals Association and
the PA Association of School Administrators). Participants can earn up to 80
PIL hours (40 hours for the Summit and - for an additional cost of $50 -
40 hours for EdCamp) for
attending the conference and completing program requirements. Register
early to reserve your seat! The deadline to take advantage of the Early Bird
Discount is April 24, 2020.
Click here to
register today!
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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