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PA Ed Policy Roundup for April 10, 2020
Governor Wolf Extends School Closure for Remainder of
Academic Year
Governor Wolf Press Release April 09, 2020
Secretary of Education Implements State-Level
Waivers to Ensure Continuity and Flexibility
Governor shares video message to students, parents and educators
Governor shares video message to students, parents and educators
Continuing his efforts to protect the health
and safety of students and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor
Tom Wolf today announced that all schools will remain closed for the remainder
of the 2019-20 academic year. The governor made the decision in consultation
with Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine and Secretary of Education Pedro A.
Rivera. Students and families can continue to pick up meals at designated
sites. Although schools are closed, teaching and learning may continue: schools
are strongly encouraged to provide continuity of education for all students in
the most appropriate and accessible ways possible. PDE has secured resources intended
to help all schools that want to use them – including those not currently
offering online platforms, those requiring additional technology support, and
those that may rely on traditional methods, such as paper lessons, to continue
educating students. There is no cost to schools or students for these
resources. “We must continue our efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus
during this national crisis,” Governor Wolf said. “This was not an easy
decision but closing schools until the end of the academic year is in the best
interest of our students, school employees and families.” Secretary Rivera said
the administration’s primary consideration has always been to make the best
decision in the context of student and community health and safety.
Schools ordered to remain closed until end of academic
year
Delco Times By MARK SCOLFORO, MICHAEL
RUBINKAM and MARC LEVY Associated Press April 10, 2020
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania schools
will remain shuttered for the rest of the academic year because of the
coronavirus pandemic that has sickened thousands and caused hundreds of deaths
statewide, the governor said Thursday. The extended shutdown order, issued by
Gov. Tom Wolf's education secretary, affects more than 1.7 million students in
public and private K-12 schools. It means children will spend the rest of the
year learning remotely. It also wipes out school plays and concerts, sporting
events, field trips, proms and everything else that typically happens during
the spring. “While this was a critical step for us to take to protect as many
people as possible, it was not an easy decision to make,” Wolf said. "We
all know that Pennsylvania's schools are about more than academics.” In a videotaped statement, Wolf
lauded parents and caregivers who have “turned kitchens into classrooms,”
schools that have continued providing free meals to needy kids, and teachers
who are adjusting on the fly to a virtual classroom environment. Wolf first
closed schools March 13, initially for two weeks, as the virus continued its
march across Pennsylvania. He tacked on another week before closing schools indefinitely,
part of a series of progressively tougher measures meant to contain the virus
outbreak and prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. Schools will remain
closed through the last day of the current academic year, a date that varies
among districts because calendars are set by school boards.
Wolf orders all Pa. schools, public and private,
shuttered until school year’s end
PA Capital Star By Stephen Caruso April 9,
2020
Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all schools, public and
private, to close for the rest of the school year Thursday. The order comes as
Wolf continues containment efforts of COVID- 19. “We must continue our
efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus during this national crisis,” Wolf
said in a statement Thursday. “This was not an easy decision but closing
schools until the end of the academic year is in the best interest of our
students, school employees and families.” In a Twitter post, Wolf said that the
shutdown “doesn’t mean that learning is over,” in the state. Under the
order, all public K-12 schools, brick-and-mortar, cyber-charter schools,
private and parochial schools, career and technical centers, and intermediate
units may not open. Department of Education-run early learning programs, such
as Pre-K counts and Head Start, will also remain closed. The order does not
affect school districts’ distance learning efforts. However, there is no
requirement in state law that districts must offer online classes to students.
With Pa. schools closed for the spring, state officials
focus on helping districts deliver remote instruction
Penn Live By Jan
Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Apr
09, 2020; Posted Apr 09, 2020
A myriad of factors led Gov. Tom Wolf on
Thursday to order all public and private K-12 schools remain shuttered for the
rest of the academic year. The school year is now just two
months away from ending. The number of COVID-19 cases
continues to grow, keeping the need for social
distancing intact. And school officials seem to have their hands full figuring
out how to deliver remote instruction along with other services they are
providing without the added burden of preparing buildings for students’ return.
“There’s no way schools would be able to prepare to accept (students) this
academic year,” Pennsylvania’s Education Secretary Pedro Rivera said in a
conference call. Rivera spoke with reporters about an hour after Wolf’s
announcement that the school year will end without students stepping inside a school
building. What’s more, he said superintendents, in addition to putting in place
a continuity of education plan for students to learn from home, are looking
through a lens of what schools will look like once the pandemic passes.
Hacked and Cut Off From the Public: This Is School Board
Business in the Coronavirus Crisis
Education Week By Daarel Burnette II April 8,
2020
Before the pandemic banished them from
meeting in person, hundreds of people had packed Scranton’s school board
meetings. The Pennsylvania community’s distrust of the board had been mounting
ever since the state auditor discovered years of neglect and fiscal
mismanagement, landing the district in more than $200 million of debt. So when
the Scranton board moved its meeting online March 6 to discuss how to close its
deficit, more than 350 people logged on, overloading the YouTube video
conference tool it was using. It forced the district halfway through the
seven-hour meeting to split guests among Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook. “We’ve
been dealing with a lot of hot-button issues,” said Katie Gilmartin, the
president of Scranton’s school board, referencing potential layoffs, asbestos
and lead poisoning in some school buildings, and next year’s budget. “Every
meeting, a new challenge emerges, but we’re working through them.” Scranton is
one of thousands of school boards struggling to govern districts in a virtual
environment just as the timing for their most consequential decisions has
arrived: budget season. Board members must figure out how to distribute
hundreds of millions of dollars while maintaining social distance and community
trust. Getting meaningful public input and maintaining transparency—as required
by law—is especially challenging.
Graduation, grading and learning online: What happens now
that schools won't reopen this academic year?
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer April 9,
2020
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has shuttered
schools statewide for the remainder of the school year, but the state’s education
secretary said Thursday that school officials are doing all they can to ensure
students advance grade levels by next school year. That’s just one topic
Education Secretary Pedro Rivera touched on in a call with reporters Thursday,
about an hour after Wolf updated his school closure order, which previously had
schools closed indefinitely. From teaching students requiring special education
services to issuing letter grades, here’s what ground Rivera covered.
School might be out, but learning continues, say many
area school districts
Delco Times By Richard Ilgenfritz rilgenfritz@21st-centurymedia.com April 9,
2020
DELAWARE COUNTY – In recent weeks, schools
throughout Delaware County and across the state have had to adjust to remote
schooling. Now that new way of teaching is about to last much longer than
anyone thought. Thursday Gov. Tom Wolf announced that all schools in the state
must remain closed through the end of the school year. “Schools will remain
closed for the rest of the academic year, but that doesn’t mean learning is
stopping in Pennsylvania,” Wolf said in making his Thursday announcement.
“While this was a critical step for us to take to protect as many people as
possible, it was not an easy decision to make.” For Delaware County school
districts, it means they will have to continue their newly developed
distance-learning plans for the end of the year. But beyond the traditional
teaching, school officials also are working to develop plans to deal with
other year-end traditions such as proms, graduations and then summer programs.
School closed for the rest of the year
The Philly District is distributing
Chromebooks and finalizing its "continuity of education" plan. It is
also losing at least $2 million a week in expected revenue.
The notebook Dale
Mezzacappa April 9 — 6:26 pm, 2020
It is now official: Pennsylvania schools will
be closed for the rest of the academic year.
Gov. Wolf made the call Thursday after
consulting with Health Secretary Rachel Levine and Education Secretary Pedro
Rivera, saying the step was “in the best interest of our students, school
employees, and families.” Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite learned the
news in the middle of a media briefing Thursday morning, and it came as no
surprise. “We were planning for an eventual announcement of that sort already,”
Hite said. But the formal announcement “allows us to plan more specifically
around this issue.” Those plans include the continued distribution of 40,000
Chromebooks this week and next so that instruction for students can start again
on April 20. The Board of Education last month allocated $11 million to purchase 50,000 of the
basic laptops. Hite said that the remaining 10,000 would be acquired if needed.
He also said that the District’s budget was being hit hard, losing $2 million a
week from the liquor-by-the-drink tax, all of which goes to support the
schools. And he lamented the loss of graduations, proms, and other rites of
passage for thousands of students, promising that somehow the District will try
to make it up to them.
COVID-19 in Philly: With school out for the year, Philly
schools come up with distance learning plan
Special to the Capital-Star By John N.
Mitchell April 10, 2020
John N. Mitchell is a reporter and columnist
for the Philadelphia Tribune, where this story first appeared.
PHILADELPHIA — The School
District of Philadelphia is moving ahead with its plan to begin remote learning
even though Gov. Tom Wolf announced Thursday that schools will not reopen this
school year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. “That doesn’t change what we
intend to do with respect to our remote learning,” School District of
Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite said on Thursday. “It does answer a
question of whether or not we will be returning to a school building and that
is why the remote learning was so critically important. “We were planning for
an eventual announcement of that sort already and this just allows us to plan
more specifically around this issue.” District administrators already have
distributed 40,000 Chromebooks to more than 140 schools across the district,
for staff at those schools to distribute to students who don’t have computers
at home. Schools began distributing the laptops last week, and eight schools
already have given out all their laptops. District administrators plan to buy
10,000 more Chromebooks. Laptops will be distributed by the schools through the
end of next week. After that, Hite said, school district staff will distribute
laptops from a different yet-to-be-determined location.
Impact of coronavirus on school property tax bills
remains a lingering question
Penn Live By Jan
Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Posted Apr
09, 2020
House Republicans put a property tax freeze
on the table this week, calling it a homeowner protection measure in light of
the financial hardships that many Pennsylvanians are facing as a result of the
COVID-19 crisis. “Property owners facing challenges far beyond their control
deserve to know their tax bill will not be hiding any increase,” a statement
from the caucus read. “School districts across our state show a combined $1.8
billion in unassigned fund balances, so at this difficult time, we are
requiring them to work on property tax figures so Pennsylvanians, facing record
high unemployment, aren’t forced to lose their homes.” While the House
Republicans aren’t fully on board with the proposal, caucus spokesman Mike
Straub said it remains an idea that they are still working on. Three statewide
education organizations voiced strong opposition to such a proposal. On Thursday,
state Education Secretary Pedro Rivera said that is a matter for the General
Assembly and Gov. Tom Wolf to address.
Local schools scramble to respond to closure order
Pottstown Mercury by Evan Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com
@PottstownNews on Twitter April 10, 2020
Gov. Tom Wolf's announcement that all schools
will be closed through the end of the academic year hits many families hard,
but it was not unanticipated by local districts, which are trying to roll with
this latest gut punch. It remains unclear how the closure will affect
graduation ceremonies, proms and other school rites of spring, or if they will
even occur. The announcement comes during a week many districts had previously
scheduled spring break, although for many it didn't look much different from
the previous weeks — no school. "I recognize this will be a large
adjustment for all of us and many will feel uncomfortable and uneasy about the
future. Our strength and ability to overcome this challenging time will be
found in our support for each other," Pottstown Schools Superintendent
Stephen Rodriguez wrote in a letter posted Thursday on the district's Twitter,
Facebook and websites. "Having anticipated this, the Pottstown School
District will be transitioning to a fully remote learning model for all grade
levels, in stages. Pottstown High School will be first to begin new learning,
beginning April 20," he wrote.
Here’s what districts are planning now that schools are
closed for the rest of the year
Bucks County Courier Times By Jo
Ciavaglia @JoCiavaglia By Anthony
DiMattia @dailydimattia By Peg
Quann @pegquann Posted Apr 9, 2020 at 10:56 AM
While school buildings are closed, students
and families can continue to pick up free meals at designated sites.
Pennsylvania’s public schools will remain
closed for the rest of the academic year as the fast-moving coronavirus
continues to put the state in a holding pattern. Gov. Tom Wolf made the
announcement Thursday morning after consulting with Secretary of Health Dr.
Rachel Levine and Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera. The governor originally
ordered the two-week school closure on March 6, as the coronavirus started
spreading in the state. He later extended it to April 30. Students and families
can continue to pick up meals at designated sites. “We must continue our
efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus during this national crisis,” Wolf
said. “This was not an easy decision but closing schools until the end of the
academic year is in the best interest of our students, school employees and
families.” While school buildings are closed, the teaching and learning can
continue online with schools “strongly encouraged to provide continuity of
education for all students in the most appropriate and accessible ways
possible,” according to a press release. The state department of education has
secured resources to help schools that want to use them, including those not
currently offering online platforms, those requiring additional technology
support, and those that may rely on traditional methods, such as paper lessons,
to continue educating students. There is no cost to schools or students for
these resources. Local school district administrators Thursday said they plan
to continue their online learning plans and platforms. For high school seniors,
milestone activities including commencement remain up in the air.
Chesco students, superintendents grapple with Wolf's
order to end school year
West Chester Daily Local By Michael P. Rellahan Staff Writer
mrellahan@dailylocal.com On Twitter @ChescoCourtNews April 9,
2020
There are more than 108,000 public, private,
charter, and technical school students in Chester
County, attending almost 110 schools at the elementary, middle, and
high school levels. For the rest of the 2019-2020 school year, the number of
them who will physically go to those schools is officially zero. On Thursday,
the state ordered that Pennsylvania schools will remain shuttered for the rest
of the academic year because of the coronavirus pandemic that has sickened
thousands and caused hundreds of deaths statewide, under an order signed
Thursday by the state's education secretary. The extended shutdown order
affects more than 1.7 million students in public and private K-12 schools
across the state. It means children will spend the rest of the year learning
remotely, as a multitude of students in the county have been doing since last
month, when the first such closings were ordered. The order applies through the
last day of the current academic year, a date that varies among districts
because calendars are set by school boards. Gov. Tom Wolf made the decision
after consulting with Education Secretary Pedro Rivera and Dr. Rachel Levine,
the state health secretary, Wolf’s spokeswoman said Thursday. The news did not
come as a surprise to James Scanlon, superintendent of the West Chester Area
School District, the county’s second largest.
“Administrations past, to the Erie School District’s enduring
harm, deployed federal stimulus money during the Great Recession to fund
ongoing expenses. Those decisions, exacerbated by the state’s unfair funding
formula, helped contribute to the financial crisis that nearly led to the
closure of the district’s high schools. It was only through principled advocacy
by Polito and his predecessor, Jay Badams, and Sen. Dan Laughlin’s pull in the
GOP-controlled state Legislature, that the district won an additional $14
million annual funding and a path to solvency. Superintendent Brian Polito does
not intend to repeat past mistakes. Polito told Palattella he hopes to invest
CARES Act funds in computers and internet access for the district’s 11,000
students, 77 percent of whom are classified as economically disadvantaged.”
Our view: Erie schools in line for tech relief
GoErie By the Editorial Board Posted
at 12:03 AM
CARES Act won’t fix Erie schools’ budget
woes, but could boost tech.
The COVID-19 pandemic once again threw into
high relief glaring inequities in Pennsylvania’s public education system. After
Gov. Tom Wolf closed schools statewide on March 16 to slow the spread of the
coronavirus, wealthier districts, such as the Fairview School District, where
students have access to school-provided iPads and high-speed internet, pivoted
nimbly to online learning. The Erie School District and others like it faltered
as leaders scrambled to distribute loaner laptops and find ways to get students
online. As a result, Erie won’t begin mandatory online instruction until April
20, more than month into the shutdown. Against that backdrop, details of the
federal relief forthcoming from the federal $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security Act, known as the CARES Act, raise hope. The
money won’t solve every problem the district faces, but it appears that during
the next crisis, students in impoverished districts won’t be so shortchanged. As
reporter Ed Palattella detailed, the
district expects to receive $6.8 million in CARES Act funding, which is meant
for COVID-19-related expenses, including cleaning and the acquisition of
technology to prepare for future long-term shutdowns.
'I’ve had my last day of high school and I didn’t even
know it': Students, parents, educators react to school closures
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer April 9,
2020
Pennsylvania schools are officially closed
for the rest of the 2019-20 school year, and with that comes plenty of mixed
emotions from Lancaster County residents.
Here’s what educators, parents and students
had to say about the news.
Thousands of Lancaster County students lack internet
access. This nonprofit hopes to change that.
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer April 10,
2020
A Lancaster County nonprofit is working to
remove a barrier thousands of Lancaster County families face as students shift
to online instruction amid the statewide schools shutdown: internet access. The
Steinman Foundation is allocating $100,000 to help families, from Lancaster
city to the Southern End, connect to the internet. The effort, foundation
President Shane Zimmerman said, is part of an “overarching strategy to address
immediate needs in Lancaster County as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Census
data, as well as information gathered by Lancaster County school district
technology coordinators, shows 2,000 to 2,500 families with school-aged
children lack internet access. The foundation’s goal is to meet the needs of
1,500 of those families. Those who may be eligible to participate include
families whose children qualify for free or reduced lunch at school, families
who have been stripped of employment because of the coronavirus pandemic and
families, such as those in rural areas, who live beyond the service area of
cable providers. Low-income families who register by April’s end may qualify
for six months of free internet from Comcast’s Internet Essentials program. Information
on how to apply should be available next week; schools will connect with
families and provide more details.
Coronavirus highlights inequities among Western Pa.
school districts
Trib Live by TEGHAN SIMONTON | Friday, April
10, 2020 5:01 a.m.
In the McKeesport Area School District,
Superintendent Mark Holtzman estimated more than a thousand families either
don’t have reliable internet access or the necessary technological devices to
complete online schoolwork. Lessons are being made available via paper
handouts, social media and the district website, he said. Completing material
is strongly encouraged — but not required. “There’s no simple way to make the
work mandatory for all children with access issues,” Holtzman said. “We wish we
had more resources, but at this point, we’re doing the best that we can.” When
it comes to teaching students during Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home order, some
districts throughout the region are more prepared than others. The state’s transition
to distance learning has exposed vast inequities among school districts when it
comes to funding and available resources — inequities that existed long before
the covid-19 pandemic, district leaders say. “Many of the other school
districts in Allegheny County are recognizing the equity issue is a huge one,”
Holtzman said.
How the pandemic is exacerbating the digital divide in
Allegheny County
One local study found that a majority of
households lack broadband internet in some neighborhoods.
Public Source by Juliette
Rihl | 15 hours ago
People are sitting in their cars outside of
Carnegie libraries just to use the internet. A survey conducted by
Pittsburgh Public Schools found that more than 1,500 of their 23,000 students
have no internet. Even more households don't have enough computers or devices
for each child to do schoolwork at home. And a local nonprofit that builds
public Wi-Fi has come out of quarantine to help address the digital divide that
is being magnified by the coronavirus pandemic. “Depending on the neighborhood,
you're looking at up to 70% of homes not having broadband internet access,”
wrote Adam Longwill, executive director of Allentown nonprofit Meta Mesh, in an
email to PublicSource. “So depending on where you are, it's either 2020 or
1995.” The problem has raised concerns about equity and public health. People
with means have largely begun working and learning virtually. Many have also
switched to doing everyday tasks online, like grocery shopping, banking and
seeing the doctor. But those without internet access, a computer or digital
literacy skills aren’t able to shift important tasks online. According
to U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey
data from 2014 to 2018, almost one in
five Allegheny County households do not have an internet subscription.
“More and more people, like Ms. Kenney, are recognizing Park
Elementary School’s impact. Principal Tom Shaughnessy said two years ago Park
Elementary School, in the Steel Valley School District, had 293 students, and
now 339 students are enrolled. With over half of its students reported to be
economically disadvantaged, Park Elementary School has continued to outperform
most schools in Allegheny County despite being located in a historically
low income area.”
Overcoming adversity: how low-income area public schools
achieve high performance
LAUREN LEE Pittsburgh Post-Gazette APR 9,
2020 12:29 PM
After dropping off her grandchildren at Park
Elementary School in Munhall, Tisha Kenney remembers coming home and bursting
into tears. It had been a while since Ms. Kenney, 47, had to parent again.
After her daughter unexpectedly died last October, she was left to grieve the
loss of her child while taking full custody of her grandchildren. One of her
biggest worries after assuming a new parent role was how her granddaughters,
Peyton and Paige, would react to moving to a different home and elementary
school. Her daughter, who lived in Duquesne, had her grandchildren attend Young
Scholars of McKeesport Charter School. She recalls her grandchildren having a
tough time there, and it being a “headache every day,” so she decided to have
them attend the school down her street – Park Elementary School. Ms. Kenney’s
grandchildren immediately loved the school. “I don’t care about whether it’s a
charter school or public school – nothing compares to Park,” Ms. Kenney said,
overcome with relief at finding the perfect school for them. “They don’t know
how easy it is for me to drop them off and go to work and not have to worry
about whether they are having a good time,” Ms. Kenney said.
“Park is the greatest school ever – they know
you by your first name,” Ms. Kenney said. “If you’re having a bad week, and you
drop your kids off at school, you would no longer have a bad morning.”
Pa. Senate defends ‘legislative privilege’ claim, rejects
appeal for redacted expense details
by Sam Janesch of The Caucus, Updated: April
9, 2020- 1:05 PM
Spotlight
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newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and PennLive/Patriot-News. Sign
up for our free weekly newsletter.
The top open records official in the
Pennsylvania Senate has struck down an appeal by The Caucus and Spotlight PA
that sought to uncover details about some of the chamber’s expenses that it
shielded from public view. In siding with the Senate, the official affirmed the
chamber’s decision earlier this year
to claim what they said is a constitutional right to “legislative privilege” in
order to prevent the release of details in official expense reports about who
legislators and their staff met with and why. Both the Senate and House had
cited the privilege to redact parts of thousands of pages of expenses provided
through Right-to-Know requests in recent months. House Republicans later reversed course and
released all the information without redactions made under the obscure “speech
and debate clause” of the Constitution.
PIAA officials cancel spring sports season, winter sports
championships
Trib Live By: Bill
Hartlep Thursday, April 9, 2020 | 3:19 PM
For nearly a month, high school
student-athletes held out hope they could return to normalcy on the fields,
courts and track. On Thursday, those hopes were dashed. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom
Wolf announced all schools in the state
will remain closed for the remainder of the school
year as people all over the world deal with the coronavirus pandemic. In
response, the PIAA board of directors decided to cancel spring sports
competition and the remainder of the winter sports championships that had been
postponed. “Today’s decision by the PIAA board of directors was difficult for
everyone. Their thoughts remain on the thousands of student-athletes, coaches,
officials and family members affected by this decision,” PIAA executive
director Bob Lombardi said in a statement. “However, the board’s position
reflects a steadfast priority of keeping our student-athletes, officials and
member schools’ staffs and their communities safe, while following the
guidelines provided by the governor, the department of health and the
department of education.”
Paul Muschick: Schools are closed, but graduations and
proms shouldn’t be canceled
By PAUL MUSCHICK THE MORNING
CALL | APR 09, 2020 | 7:00 PM
The senior year of high school is a big deal.
Just because Pennsylvania’s schools won’t reopen their doors this
semester doesn’t mean seniors should miss out on what they’ve earned. School
districts should hold graduation ceremonies and proms, when health officials
say it’s safe. Even if they can’t be held until fall. The kids deserve it.
They’ve worked hard. Many of them have lost the chance to pitch their last
game, score their last goal, or take a curtain call after a concert or musical.
They may not be able to complete projects they’ve labored over. Class trips and
breakfasts, and even senior skip day, are history. My son graduated last year.
The spring was a blur with all of the events. He would have been crushed if
the coronavirus took
that away from him, so I can imagine how this year’s class feels. Some colleges
have postponed spring graduations until fall. If high schools had to do that,
it would be a challenge, as the seniors would be scattered across the country
by then, attending college or
working. But I bet most would make the trip home for a belated graduation, if it was
held on a weekend, maybe a long weekend like Labor Day. Holding a prom, even an
abbreviated one, the same weekend would make the trip even more exciting. That
would give the kids a chance to gather one last time, and leave them with some
more memories.
STSD: board looks to renegotiate transportation
contracts, talks education plan amid pandemic
Wellsboro Gazette By Halie Kines hkines@tiogapublishing.com April 9,
2020
The Southern Tioga School District is
considering renegotiating transportation contracts so the bus drivers employed
through the contractor can be paid during the school closure, due to the
coronavirus pandemic, Business Manager Bonnie Thompson said during Monday
night’s virtual school board meeting. A new law signed by Governor Tom Wolf,
known as Act 13, allows school districts to renegotiate its transportation
contracts, focusing on personnel and fixed costs to continue paying the
contractor during the school closure. If the district renegotiates the
contract, the contractor will have to provide weekly proof that it has
maintained its employees as of March 13 and has not furloughed anyone. If the
district does not renegotiate transportation contracts, drivers would only get
paid for the days they drive. Thompson gave an update on some financial impacts
due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She said there will be some earned income tax
reductions, as an impact of the Pennsylvania unemployment rate. The filing date
has been extended to July 15 for current year collection and will impact this
year’s collections, and possibly next year’s, Thompson said. Real estate taxes
will also impact the district’s collection rate and there will be a decline in
interest income, she said. Sam Rotella, superintendent, gave an overview of
where the district is with education and services, with the schools closed
indefinitely.
Commonwealth Charter Academy Continues Giving Back to the
Community During Coronavirus Pandemic
Pennwatch By Editor April 9,
2020
With its second donation since the closure of
many Pennsylvania businesses as a result of the coronavirus pandemic,
Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA) continues to affirm the school’s commitment
to the community by donating more student-grown produce to the Central
Pennsylvania Food Bank. CCA last week donated 66 pounds of aquaponically grown
lettuce, including red butter lettuce, mini Bibb lettuce, mini romaine lettuce
and five-star lettuce, which equates to 528 main salads and 825 side salads. This
donation, combined with the 39 pounds of lettuce donated to the food bank in
March, makes a total of 105 pounds of produce donated to help families in more
than 25 counties have access to fresh food.
Tofu is not Cheese: Reimagine Education without Schools
During Covid19 (1)
Yong Zhao 7 APRIL 2020
What to Teach: Reimagine Curriculum
Introduction: “Tofu is not
cheese” is what I said to a group of educators of ESF Quarry Bay Primary School
(QBS), a school in Hong Kong that is determined to turn the Covid-19 crisis
into an opportunity for reimagining education. Tofu is not cheese so we should
not expect it to smell or taste like cheese nor should we need to pretend it is
or make it taste and smell like cheese. The message I was trying to convey is
that we should accept the fact that schools are closed and we don’t need to
pretend we can make online education the same as face-to-face schools. Instead,
we should make the best out of the new situation. In my last blog post, I
expanded the idea: Online education cannot replace all functions schools play
in our society but it can do a lot more than being a lesser version of
face-to-face schooling.
During the last few weeks, I have engaged in
conversations with educators and education policy makers in many different
countries around the world. I have been deeply touched by the universal
commitment and dedication to giving our children the best education experience
possible during the pandemic. I have been equally inspired and encouraged by
the actions of many individuals and organizations to rethink what education can
be and should be in the future.
Not to return to the same education after we
return to the same school seems to be a widely shared
desire among the innovative. But unfortunately the dominant desire outside the
small group of innovative educators is to return to the same school and the
same education. The majority of governments and education leaders are managing
the crisis instead of taking advantage of the opportunities within the crisis.
I plan to write a series of blog posts to discuss the opportunities and suggest
some possibilities for taking advantage of the opportunities. I start with
rethinking the curriculum, the what of education.
PSBA FAQ Sheet Regarding Closure of School Due to
Coronavirus
PSBA has compiled answers to your most
pressing questions surrounding school closures due to the #coronavirus outbreak.
View this resource here:
Request@PSBA.org: PSBA establishes
channel to answer COVID-19 questions
POSTED ON MARCH 19, 2020 IN PSBA
NEWS
In light of statewide school closings and as
the COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve, PSBA is here to provide support to
members and answer questions regarding how schools will operate, meet
instructional requirements and provide services both now and in the future.
Please send your questions to request@psba.org with
your name, district and contact information. A member of PSBA staff will
respond directly or will funnel your inquires to the Pennsylvania Department of
Education. PSBA will act as your voice and ensure you receive the answers and
information you need to make decisions at this crucial time.
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.
Rescheduled: Join us for Advocacy Day in Harrisburg to support public
education Monday May 11, 2020! (subject to change)
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
PSBA Board Presidents Panel April 27, 28 and 29; Multiple
Locations
Moving to a virtual format; details to come
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.
Cancelled: PARSS Annual Conference April 29 – May 1, 2020
in State College
Due to current conditions caused by the
coronavirus pandemic, we have cancelled the 2020 PARSS Conference, scheduled
for April 29 through May 1, 2020. Please read our cancellation letter for
important information.
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!
Network for Public Education 2020 Conference in Philly Rescheduled
to November 21-22
NPE Website March 10, 2020 7:10 pm
We so wanted to see you in March, but we need
to wait until November!
Our conference will now take place on November
21 and 22 at the same location in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Please
read the important information below.
Registration: We will be rolling over our
registration information, so there is no reason to register again. You will
be automatically registered for the November dates. If you cannot attend in
November, we ask that you consider donating your registration to absorb some of
the costs associated with rescheduling the conference. If you feel you cannot
make such a donation, please contact: dcimarusti@networkforpubliceducation.org.
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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