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PA Ed Policy Roundup for April 13, 2020
“Senate Republicans also declined to respond to questions about
their decision late last month to hire Zogby, 58, who served as the budget
secretary under Gov. Tom Corbett, and as a policy chief and education secretary
under Gov. Tom Ridge. He is known as an advocate for school choice, charter
schools, and privatizing the state liquor and wine stores. In 2018, Wolf
appointed him to be the financial administrator for the distressed Erie School
District. He left that post in late
February. In his new position, Zogby, who began
March 26, will focus on analyzing the impact of the $2.2 trillion federal
stimulus legislation, legislative officials said. Zogby declined comment. Sen.
Pat Browne (R., Lehigh), who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, did
not respond to requests for comment on the decision to hire Zogby.”
Pa. legislature making few cuts, no promises to tap hefty
reserves as state faces massive budget shortfall
Inquirer by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Brad
Bumsted of The Caucus, Updated: April 10, 2020- 1:30 PM
This story was produced as part of a joint
effort among Spotlight
PA, LNP
Media Group, PennLive, PA
Post, and WITF to
cover how Pennsylvania state government is responding to the coronavirus. Sign
up for Spotlight PA’s newsletter.
HARRISBURG — The coronavirus outbreak in
Pennsylvania could cost the state budget upwards of $4 billion, and Gov. Tom
Wolf has taken action to cut spending, laying off more than
2,500 employees, halting paychecks for an additional
14,000 workers, and freezing all but essential hiring and department purchases.
But the Republican-led state legislature — one of the largest and highest paid
in the country, spending $360 million each year in addition to holding $172
million in reserves — has so far taken few steps to cut expenses or offer up
money of its own during the crisis. In fact, Senate Republicans recently hired
Charles Zogby, a onetime top aide to two former GOP governors, at an annual
salary of $110,000 to be a special assistant on budget issues. In February,
Zogby departed as the state-appointed financial administrator for the Erie
School District. “It’s a little tone deaf,” said Christopher Borick, a
political science professor at Muhlenberg College.
Blogger note: Here’s a background piece from January 2015:
“Zogby became policy director for Ridge in 1995 and then state
Education Secretary in 2001 under his successor, Mark Schweiker. Along the way,
Zogby had a major hand in crafting some of the most impactful pieces of
legislation the state’s educational landscape has seen: Pennsylvania’s charter
and cyber charter laws….The K12 years: Between his government gigs with
Schweiker and Corbett, Zogby was senior vice president of education and policy
for K12 Inc., the nation’s largest for-profit operator of online public
schools. In January 2003, as Rendell was about to swear-in, Zogby left
Harrisburg on a Friday and went to work for K12 Inc. the next Monday – a job he
kept until January 2011, when Tom Corbett’s tea-party wave brought him back
through the big green dome’s revolving door. K12 Inc. has garnered widespread
criticism – spurred in part by a lengthy 2011 article in the New York Times that took the company to task for
low academic output, questionable enrollment practices and its ability to
generate large profit margins on the backs of taxpayers. “A portrait emerges of
a company that tries to squeeze profits from public school dollars by raising
enrollment, increasing teacher workload and lowering standards,” the New York
Times wrote. In Pennsylvania, K12 Inc. was a contractor for Agora Cyber Charter
until 2014. Ex-employees there gave testimony supporting
the criticisms in a lawsuit filed against K12 Inc. by its investors in 2012.
School founder Dorothy June Brown faced fraud charges in a case in which a jury
deadlocked on most counts.”
Reprise Jan. 2015: In the final days of Corbett, budget
chief Zogby reflects on his quest for school reforms
WHYY By Kevin
McCorry January 13, 2015 Listen
As the Corbett administration draws near its
final days, perhaps the departure of Pa. Budget Secretary Charles
Zogby marks a radical shift in education philosophy. It’s a cold December
day in Harrisburg, where the streets and the echoing halls of the state Capitol
lie dormant between legislative sessions. In a handsome executive-wing office
of mahogany and leather, a copy of the Wall Street Journal sprawled across his
desk, state Budget Secretary Charles Zogby has already begun boxing up his
belongings. “Don’t make me out to be the villain,” he says, half joking,
referring to his supposed image among traditional public school advocates. As
the Corbett administration draws near its final days, it’s Zogby’s departure
that perhaps best marks the radical shift about to occur in executive-level
education philosophy. To his ideological opposites, Zogby’s a union buster, a
privatizer, a profiteer. But the way Zogby sees it – through three
governors and an eight-year foray in the private sector – it’s always been all
about the children. “Anything that I’ve done, it’s really been trying to help
those most in need get a better shot at a better education,” he says. In
Pennsylvania, if you had to craft a short list of the players who best advanced
the conservative public school agenda over the past two decades, Zogby’s name
would be on it. “Who else will be left that eats, sleeps and breathes school
reform?” he asks.
Pa. general fund revenue fell slightly in March. And what
that means | The Numbers Racket
PA Capital Star By Cassie Miller April 13, 2020
Earlier this month, state officials confirmed
that Pennsylvania’s General Fund took in $4.4 billion in revenue last month,
6.2 percent less than expected. Pennsylvania Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell
said that so far this fiscal year, General Fund collections are 0.2 percent
below estimates. Here’s what happened: COVID-19: While the
closing of non-essential businesses across the state no doubt had an
impact on the General Fund’s collections for March, it’s not the sole reason
for the slight decline, state officials say. “The shortfall in March is
only partially related to the COVID-19 outbreak,” Hassell said. “We expect the
pandemic will have a greater impact on revenues in the coming months,
particularly in a month like April when many of the tax filing due dates are
pushed back.” The department noted in its monthly report: “As
businesses have closed and laid off workers, withholding of income tax and
sales tax have also fallen. These sources are below estimate in March
by $20 million and $24.2 million, respectively.” Hassell said the
department anticipates more shortfalls now that the tax deadline has been
postponed from April until July. According to the report, personal income tax
funds are expected to generate $2.1 billion for the General
Fund.
Gimme structure: Why some Philly parents are eager for
online learning to begin
WHYY By Avi
Wolfman-Arent April 13, 2020
Every night before bed, Andrea Clark and her
husband have a little ritual where they recap all the things on their kids’
agendas for the next day. Usually, it’s a long list. These days, not so much. “Every
night, I look at my husband and I go, ‘Tomorrow we have … nothing,’” said
Clark, who lives in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia. Clark is a per-diem
physical therapist who hasn’t gotten called into work in nearly a month. Her
husband was recently laid off from his job as an engineer. Their four kids —
who attend three different Philadelphia public schools in three different parts
of the city — have received a smattering of unofficial assignments over the
past month. Their commitment to completing those assignments has been uneven,
at best. Her oldest child, age 13, became less motivated when she realized her
teachers weren’t allowed to grade the work she
posted online. Her youngest, age 6, doesn’t care about grades. He also doesn’t
sit still for more than an hour — and that’s on a good day. “I couldn’t imagine
being a kindergarten teacher,” said Clark, with a long pause. “Like, I … I …” That
pause — that “how-does-anyone-possibly-do-this” pause — sums up how a lot of
Philadelphia parents feel right now. But relief could be on the way.
State: Despite closure, schools must provide students
with pathway to move forward
ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com APR 13,
2020 5:44 AM
Pennsylvania’s decision to close all school
buildings for the rest of the year to slow the spread of COVID-19 will lead to
significant changes in the education system. The impact has already been
felt in many aspects of schooling, from the way education is delivered to how
students get their school-provided meals. One thing that the state
Department of Education hopes the shutdown will not affect is the ability for
students to graduate or move on to the next grade level. The department said
that schools must provide pathways that allow all eligible students to move
ahead on time. “We expect that they’re going to work to ensure that every
student receives the opportunity and the resources that they need to graduate
this year,” Pedro A. Rivera, the state education secretary, said last week in a
conference call with reporters. “Graduating seniors should not fear being held
back because of this pandemic.” The Department of Education gave local
education agencies, the groups that oversee school policies, such as a board of
directors, much of the responsibility for establishing the requirements that
will allow students to graduate.
With new state guidelines, Lehigh Valley school districts
consider restarting construction
By MICHELLE MERLIN THE MORNING
CALL | APR 13, 2020 | 6:00 AM
Construction on Lehigh Elementary School
stopped last month, after Gov. Tom Wolf on March 19 ordered an end to all
non-life-sustaining businesses, including construction. The timing wasn’t great
for Northampton Area School District’s $34 million project, which was left without
a finished roof or windows. The building was slated to open in August 2021. “Because
it’s exposed to the elements, certain things could happen to that building
unless it gets covered up in the very near future,” Northampton Area
Superintendent Joe Kovalchik said. He’s also worried additional delays will add
to project costs. That’s why his district, and others in the Lehigh Valley, are
working closely with engineers, lawyers and contractors to consider whether to
move their projects forward. They say movement now could help keep project
timelines from getting pushed back too far, and help eliminate cost overruns. About a week and a half after the order stopping
construction, the state clarified that districts could decide if their projects
are critical to pick construction back up. The Department of Education urged
districts to use their best judgment to decide whether to continue projects and
said they would not need to seek a formal exemption. “All school district
construction decisions should appropriately balance public health and safety
while ensuring the continued safety of critical infrastructure,” according to
the department’s website. “School districts and the contractors must ensure
continuance of and compliance with the social distancing and other mitigation
measures to protect employees and the public.”
Quakertown school board delays vote on no-tax-increase
budget
A budget vote has been postponed until May 14
WFMZ69 News by Jeff
Ward Apr 10, 2020 Updated 5 hrs
ago
QUAKERTOWN, Pa. | The
Quakertown Community School District pulled the 2020-21 preliminary budget from
its agenda Thursday, pending review of the financial impact of the coronavirus
pandemic. "We felt it prudent to delay the vote," school board
President Kaylyn Mitchell said at the meeting, held via Zoom. The vote was
postponed until May 14. The proposed spending plan would not have raised
property taxes. Mitchell said the district will have a better view next month
of how tax revenue will be affected by Pennsylvania's shutdown of many
businesses. Gov. Tom Wolf said just a few hours before the meeting that schools
will not open again this spring as part of the state's fight against COVID-19,
the respiratory illness caused by the virus. That means seniors have spent
their last days at Quakertown Community High School with all instruction now
online as part of social distancing.
Erie School District poised to keep own custodial staff
GoErie By Ed
Palattella @etnpalattella Posted
at 12:01 AM Updated at 5:49 AM
Polito says having in-house staff, with
changes, will save more than outsourcing, which state forced district to
review.
The Erie School District’s foray into
privatizing janitorial services is headed to a conclusion that Erie schools
Superintendent Brian Polito said he wanted all along. The district’s
approximately 85 maintenance employees are almost certain to stay in-house
rather than have their jobs outsourced to a private firm. And as part of the
deal, the Erie School District will save money — about $1 million a year,
according to the
preliminary 2020-21 budget that Polito presented to the
Erie School Board on Wednesday. The
preliminary budget includes no outsourcing of janitorial services, which the
district for the past several months has been exploring as part of a directive
in its state-mandated financial improvement plan. In an interview,
Polito said he could not comment on specifics because negotiations with the two
affected labor unions are ongoing, but he said the district’s plan is to keep
the maintenance personnel as district employees with restructured staffing. He
said the 11,000-student district, which has 16 school buildings, will save the
$1 million year through restructuring, retirements and other changes.
A quarter of Bald Eagle Area students don’t have internet
access. Here’s how remote learning will take place
Centre Daily Times BY
MARLEY PARISH APRIL 09, 2020 08:37 AM, UPDATED
APRIL 09, 2020 12:34 PM
Scheduled to launch next week, the Bald
Eagle Area School District has developed a remote learning
plan accessible to all students — even those without access to internet. District
parents and guardians received a letter from BEA Interim Superintendent Joseph
Clapper on Wednesday, outlining how the district’s education plan will operate
for students in grades 6-12 while Pennsylvania schools are closed due to the
coronavirus. Following guidelines issued by the
state Department of Education, BEA will launch mandatory planned instruction on
Monday. Gov. Tom Wolf announced Thursday that schools in Pennsylvania will remain
closed for the rest of the academic school
year. Through a phone survey, BEA found that at least 20-25% of students are
without reliable internet access. Because not every home has access to
broadband, the district designed the program to accommodate all students. The
plan will cover the fourth and final marking period of the 2019-20 school year. “These past few weeks have not been easy for
anyone,” Clapper wrote. “We are here to support students and you through this
challenging time.”Teachers will provide 20-minute online classes Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with office hours occurring every Wednesday from
8 a.m.-3 p.m. Format of instruction will vary, depending on whether students’
have internet access. All middle and high school teachers will post class
content — assignments, instructions and videos — to their Google Classrooms.
Prior to instruction, students will be given their class code to join.
Assignments will be submitted for teacher feedback and grading.
Chester High students receive Chromebooks in advance of
online learning
Delco Times By Terry Toohey ttoohey@delcotimes.com
@TerryToohey on Twitter April 11, 2020
CHESTER — Unseasonably cool and windy
conditions that included a few snow flurries did not keep several hundred
Chester High School students and their parents from lining up Friday morning to
receive Chromebooks, which were distributed, free of charge, by the Chester
Upland School District. The moves in anticipation of online learning programs
being instituted in the wake of Gov. Tom Wolf's order closing all K-12 schools
in the state. On Thursday, Wolf extended the order through the end of the
academic year. The line began forming well before the distribution began at 10
a.m. behind the high school on Penn Street. The dispersal was supposed to go
until 12:30 p.m. By 11:10, though, there were no more laptop computers
available. In all, 180 Chromebooks were distributed and that was on top of the
300 given out Wednesday. “I made a decision that I wanted every student in the
high school to have a Chromebook,” said Chester Upland Superintendent Dr. Juan
Baughn. “So we gathered up all of the Chromebooks across the district and
that’s what you saw being distributed. STEM high school already was a
one-on-one school. They already had Chromebooks so we took the Chromebooks off
of carts from across the district and that’s what we’ve been distributing to
Chester High School students.”
Pittsburgh Public Schools to officially begin remote
learning on April 22
MICK STINELLI Pittsburgh Post-Gazette APR 10,
2020 8:46 PM
Pittsburgh Public Schools will begin remote
learning on April 22 after conducting a “soft-launch” of the program next
week, school officials said Friday. Beginning April 14, the school district
will distribute materials to students to start remote learning. High school
seniors will begin to receive laptops on Tuesday, and the school will
distribute printed packets of instructional materials to younger students
starting Thursday. All students are expected to have the necessary materials by
April 22, at which point the schools will start holding students accountable
for remote instruction, spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said. “We want to get back to
learning, but we want to make sure we’re doing it in an equitable way,” Ms.
Pugh said.
Drive-in graduations? Virtual ceremonies? High schools
consider alternatives for commencement
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO THE MORNING
CALL | APR 11, 2020 | 10:51 AM
With Pennsylvania schools closed for the rest of the academic year because
of the coronavirus pandemic, it remains unclear what will happen to traditional
graduation ceremonies in June. The state is allowing local districts to make
that decision. Districts across Pennsylvania are looking into alternatives. Hanover
Area School District in Luzerne County will hold its graduation ceremony at a
drive-in movie theater. Bethlehem Area School District
Superintendent Joseph Roy said district officials will meet next week to
discuss what to do about Liberty and Freedom high school’s graduations and
proms. Saucon Valley administrators have been discussing holding a virtual
celebration for graduating seniors, although nothing is definite. “We’d like to
try to do something that symbolizes graduation for our seniors and give them
some sort of recognition if we can do that,” Superintendent Craig Butler said.
“It’s just really up in the air right now." Parkland is also looking at
virtual options, although for now it is keeping June 9 as the scheduled graduation
day, Superintendent Richard Sniscak said. The district has secured June 7 as a
backup date for prom, which was scheduled for Mother’s Day weekend. “My heart
breaks for our senior class,” Sniscak said. “The environment will dictate what
we can pursue and what we can’t. We want to remain as flexible as we can for as
long as we can, and for our seniors, provide them some type of opportunity for
these once-in-a-lifetime experiences — if possible. And it might not be
possible.”
Coronavirus stole my senior year of high school, and my
right to mourn it | Opinion
Laura Bernert, For the Inquirer Updated: April
12, 2020 - 5:00 AM
Laura Bernert is a graduating senior in
Central Bucks High School South’s Class of 2020.
As a member of the Class of 2020, I’ve
experienced this virus as a rude introduction into adulthood and a crash course
in what it means to survive in the real world. With school closed, prom
canceled, and graduation on hold, my new senior-year routine entails face-mask
sewing, leisurely walks in the park, and hours upon hours of bad daytime
television. I’m not kidding when I say I’ve aged decades in the last few weeks.
I may hardly qualify as an adult, but the coronavirus outbreak has forced me
and my peers to grow up much faster than expected. Whether practicing
self-isolation, traversing difficult family dynamics, or navigating distant
modes of education, seniors such as myself are fulfilling our new obligations
to public health while mourning the promise of a spring semester that never
came. In a COVID-19 trial by fire, my peers and I have been schooled on the
deadly consequences of childish behavior in the real world. Although teenagers
are less likely to suffer serious consequences from the coronavirus, our role
as carriers for the virus means we’re all personally
responsible for stopping the spread of COVID-19.
Your View: How Pennsylvania teachers are adapting to
coronavirus crisis
By RICH ASKEY THE MORNING CALL | APR
12, 2020 | 11:00 AM
Rich Askey is a Harrisburg music teacher and
president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.
A global pandemic has closed schools across
Pennsylvania and the nation, creating unprecedented challenges for public
education. That’s the bad news. The good news is that educators, support staff
and parents are rising to meet this challenge and make sure students continue
to learn and have their needs met. The one sentiment I hear again and again
from so many educators during this crisis is: “We miss our kids.” That’s why
teachers and support staff in many communities organized “watch and wave”
parades, where they drive slowly through neighborhoods to greet students at
safe distances and remind them just how much they care. From the start of this crisis, these
professionals never stopped putting their students first. You see that in the news stories about
cafeteria workers who report to school, day after day, to prepare grab-and-go
meals so that students don’t go hungry. Some teachers and support staff, such
as those in the Selinsgrove Area School
District, collected food to give to people in
their community who are struggling.
Greensburg Salem middle school students 3D print face
shields for first responders
Trib Live by MEGAN
TOMASIC | Sunday, April
12, 2020 1:38 p.m.
Kristy DiPasquale’s Greensburg kitchen has
become more of an assembly line than a place for cooking over the past two
weeks. DiPasquale, 40, is helping her 14-year-old son, Adam, build face shields
with the 3D printer he received for Christmas. The shields will be donated to
first responders to help protect them during the coronavirus pandemic. “I don’t
think in the beginning he realized what a good cause this was,” Kristy
DiPasquale said of her son. “When we started seeing how all the hospitals and
first responders were desperate for these items, I think it put them in motion
to really try to get these done for them. It just really makes you feel good
that you can give back.”
Lehigh Valley high school seniors are making the most of
spring after pandemic turns traditions upside down
By Connor
Lagore | For lehighvalleylive.com Updated Apr
12, 2020; Posted Apr 12, 2020
Nick Zingales said he and his Easton Area
High School teammates were just finishing up baseball practice, one of their
first of the season, when someone came running up to the field to relay: “The
government just closed down schools for two weeks!” Two weeks quickly turned
into the rest of the year, as Gov. Tom Wolf last Thursday shut down Pennsylvania
schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year due to
the rapid spread of the coronavirus across the state and country. While it’s
the safest thing to do given the current dangers of COVID-19, Lehigh Valley
area high school seniors saw their classes, athletic careers, prom dreams and
likely their graduation ceremonies abruptly wiped away. The status of graduation is
being left up to state school districts by the Pennsylvania Department of
Education. Department Secretary Pedro Rivera said that if schools can safely
implement social distancing requirements during a ceremony, then it’s possible.
They bought their dream dresses for prom. Now they may
never go.
Lancaster Online by ALEX
GELI | Staff Writer Apr 11, 2020
For Keelan Kirchner, choosing a prom dress
was an all-day affair. The Penn Manor High School senior, accompanied by her
mother and a friend, drove across the county line in late January to find
dresses in York. They stopped at one store. Then another. Then one or two more.
She tried on dozens of dresses. No luck. On the way home, they stopped at a
boutique and tried on one more. “When I put it on, I was like, ‘This is the
dress.’ I knew this was the one,” Kirchner said. “It just made me feel so
beautiful.” But now, nearly four months later, the likelihood of Kirchner
gliding into prom wearing that dress — a mermaid-cut, periwinkle gown with
lace embellishments — is diminishing by the day as the effects of the
coronavirus pandemic pile on for Lancaster County students, especially high
school seniors. Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday ordered all
Pennsylvania schools to remain closed for the rest of the academic year, and a
statewide stay-at-home order remains in effect until at least April 30.
‘You feel so hopeless:’ The impossible choice one Pa.
family made to send to send an Italian exchange student home to an epicenter of
COVID-19
PA Capital Star By Stephen Caruso April 12,
2020
Chad Clancy’s family has six kids, but last
September, they added a seventh. Clancy, an engineer living in Boiling Springs,
Pa., near Carlisle, said he and his wife learned of an opportunity to host an
international student from Italy. The female student, whom Clancy declined to
name, arrived in late September, just in time for her high school’s homecoming.
Since then, she’s learned softball and made the school’s JV team. To show off
central Pennsylvania, also Clancy planned weekend outdoors trips for when the
weather improved — including giving her camping gear for a Christmas present. But
when the COVID-19 pandemic broke this winter, all those plans were cut
short. Clancy and the student’s birth family back in Italy were instead
put in an impossible situation: Either keep the teen in the seeming sanctuary
of Clancy’s home as the virus spreads, or send her back to her real parents in
the pandemic-ravaged nation. “We’ve come to love her like our own daughter,”
Clancy told the Capital-Star, and he “wouldn’t want [his] own child traveling
to Italy.”
Millions of public school students will suffer from
school closures, education leaders have concluded
Washington Post By Laura Meckler, Valerie Strauss and Joe
Heim April 13,
2020 at 6:00 a.m. EDT
Only weeks after the coronavirus pandemic
forced American schools online, education leaders across the country have
concluded that millions of children’s learning will be severely stunted, and
are planning unprecedented steps to help them catch up. In Miami, school will
extend into the summer and start earlier in the fall, at least for some
students. In Cleveland, schools may shrink the curriculum to cover only core
subjects. In Columbia, Mo., this year’s lessons will be woven into next year’s.
Some experts suggest holding back more kids, a controversial idea, while others
propose a half-grade step-up for some students, an unconventional one. A
national teachers union is proposing a massive national summer school program. “We
have to have a recovery plan for education,” said Eric Gordon, chief executive
for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. “I’m really worried that people
think schools and colleges just flipped to digital and everything’s fine and we
can just return to normal. That’s simply not the case.”
Government policies push schools to prioritize creating
better test-takers over better people
UB-led study finds school principals prioritized
academics at the cost of job skills and student self-esteem, self-awareness
University of Buffalo News Center By Marcene Robinson Release
Date: April 8, 2020
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Personal growth and job
skills have taken a backseat to an increased focus on standardized test scores
in schools across the nation, according to new University at Buffalo-led
research. The study, which analyzed the educational goals of principals at
thousands of public, private and charter schools over two decades, found the
shift in priorities is most pronounced in public schools. The change in
educational goals can be traced to the rise in test-based school accountability
policies in the 1990s, which culminated with the No Child Left Behind Act
(NCLB) of 2001 that mandated statewide testing in the United States, according
to the research. “The balanced development of both academic and soft skills is
crucial, not only for well-rounded child development in schools, but also for
career and life success,” says Jaekyung Lee, PhD, lead researcher and professor
of learning and instruction in the UB Graduate School of Education.
Charter Schools Eye Coronavirus Relief Aimed at Small
Businesses
Education Week By Evie Blad on April
7, 2020 5:00 PM
Some charter schools may qualify for programs
in the federal coronavirus relief package that aim to aid small businesses
affected by the pandemic, advocacy groups have said. But as the organizations
that manage charter schools consider applying for the aid, they've faced some
pushback from charter critics who believe those funds should be directed to
businesses—like restaurants and retail stores—that have had to close their
doors and lose revenue as the nation tries to slow the spread of the virus. It's
unclear how many charter schools, if any, have applied for the recently
launched programs, which are not options for traditional public school
districts. The discussion comes as education groups representing all
sectors suggest Congress should do more to help schools meet students' needs
during unprecedented closures due to the pandemic and to help offset
anticipated steep drops in state revenue. Groups like the National Alliance for
Public Charter Schools and state-level associations have urged charter schools, which are
independently operated and publicly funded, to consider applying for the $349
billion Paycheck Protection Program, a
short-term loan program designed to help businesses cover payroll expenses. If
recipients use the money for a qualifying purpose and avoid layoffs, those
loans will later be forgiven, essentially converting them into grants.
Coronavirus Aid Might Not Prevent Cuts to School Funding,
Analysis Shows
Education Week By Andrew Ujifusa April 7,
2020
Even with $13.5 billion in coronavirus relief aid provided
to schools by Congress last month, an across-the-board 8 percent cut to states’
school funding would lead to a decline in per-pupil spending in all 50 states,
a new analysis shows. In addition, the analysis by Michael Griffith, a veteran
school finance consultant, finds that the K-12 relief package signed by
President Donald Trump on March 27 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
Economic Security Act amounts to less than 2 percent of all spending on public
schools. As a souring economy eats into states’ resources this year, the
emergency airlift of federal money could help mitigate the damage to the nation
as a whole and states in particular. Yet already, states are seeing their
economies start to slide and are slashing their spending. For example, Idaho
Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, has already ordered the state education
department and other agencies to shave 1 percent off
their budgets. And last month, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said the
state could have a $15 billion shortfall in tax
revenue. And the education community has put Congress and the White House on
notice that the current round of federal aid won’t be enough to keep school
budgets from a sharp decline.
Public Pensions Have Lost $1 Trillion in Value. That's
Bad News for Teacher Pay
Education Week By Daarel Burnette II on April
10, 2020 2:56 PM
The coronavirus pandemic is pummeling
investment markets and will cause teacher pension costs to spike next
year, fiscal analysts predict. That will put even greater strain on the already
dwindling amount of money school districts will have to spend on other
priorities such as teacher pay. Public pension funds, heavily tethered to the
stock market and woefully underfunded, have lost
close to $1 trillion, or 21 percent this fiscal year, according to a recent
Moody's report. That means states and districts will likely have to contribute
significantly more money next fiscal year to continue paying out
retirement benefits to a rapidly aging teaching force and prevent their pension
plans from collapsing. That could ultimately impact districts' credit ratings,
which affects their ability to take out loans to pay for essential things such
as technology and facilities. "...Without a dramatic bounce back of
investment markets, 2020 pension investment losses will mark a significant turning
point where the downside exposure of some state and local governments' credit
quality to pension risk comes to fruition because of already heightened
liabilities and lower capacity to defer costs," the report said.
The New York Times is available to high schools across
the U.S. — for free.
Enjoy free digital access from April 6
to July 6.
Helping people understand the world has
always been the cornerstone of our mission at The Times. And as the world
continues to rapidly evolve, it’s more important than ever.
That’s why The Times is working with Verizon
to provide high schools with three free months of digital access from April 6
to July 6 — helping students stay connected to the world, even as they learn
remotely.
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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