Thursday, April 30, 2020

PA Ed Policy Roundup for April 30: “It’s not as though our boards can place any restrictions on the unfunded mandates coming out of Harrisburg.”


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.

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PA Ed Policy Roundup for April 30, 2020



School Leaders: If you were previously registered for Advocacy Day at the Capitol, please register and join us for our first ever Virtual Advocacy Day on Monday, May 11, 2020, via Zoom. Register now at no cost on myPSBA.  


Did you sign up to vote by mail-in ballot for the June 2nd primary election? Track the progress of your mail ballot here:
Tweet from .@SenatorMensch

“Morrisville’s plight sums up why we do not support an effort by House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, to freeze school property taxes for 2020-21 to help those who have taken a financial hit due to coronavirus-related stay-at-home and business closure orders. We’re not saying that residents, particularly small-business owners and those in the retail, entertainment, transportation and hospitality sectors, haven’t taken it on the chin this spring. But we believe any real estate tax controls beyond those provided by Act 1 of 2006 infringe on school boards’ ability to lead their districts. It’s not as though our boards can place any restrictions on the unfunded mandates coming out of Harrisburg.”
Editorial: Pa. needs to buck up for Morrisville, other needy districts
Doylestown Intelligencer Posted Apr 29, 2020 at 3:37 PM
To the Morrisville School District, implementing a Continuity of Education Plan is feeling more and more like another unfunded mandate. The Morrisville School District needs help. That help needs to come from the state, and it needs to come fast. Last week, the school board voted to back out of a $217,000 order of about 650 Chromebooks and a $5,000 contract for internet hot spots. Both were needed to keep all of Morrisville’s 1,059 students learning for the remainder of the school year. But both were canceled after the district failed to land a state grant to help cover the cost. The state is requiring every one of its public school districts to draft, publish and follow a Continuity of Education Plan outlining how they would offer relevant, engaging and measurable home-based instruction to students for the rest of an academic year truncated by COVID-19-prompted school closures. Putting those plans into practice first means making sure all students have internet access and the devices they need to connect with their teachers, complete their assignments, and submit their work for evaluation. The Pennsylvania Department of Education launched a Continuity of Education and Equity Grant program to help districts pay for technology, instructional materials, supplies and training. The state indicated money would be awarded to districts where a relatively high percentage of students are unable to learn remotely. We believe the grant program is underfunded if it’s not able to help a small working-class school district in suburban Philadelphia with a median household income of less than $69,000. We’re sure Morrisville isn’t the only district the grant program left out in the cold.

“If there is a quick turnaround in the economy, the PASBO data suggests the reduction in total local revenue will be more than $850 million for 2020-21. If the economic recovery lags, however, PASBO projects a loss in total local revenue of $1.07 billion. Currently, school districts collect about $18 billion in total local revenue so the PASBO projected decline represents a loss of 4-5% in total local revenue. This projected loss in local revenue for school districts comes as the state faces its own financial challenges, creating unprecedented uncertainty for school districts on all revenue fronts for 2020-21. Adding to the financial challenges and uncertainty, there is no relief for school district mandated cost increases next year.”
Report: Pa. Schools Could See $1 Billion Revenue Loss
Explore Venango by Aly Delp | April 29, 2020
HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO) is reporting Pennsylvania school districts are facing a major projected loss from local taxes as coronavirus pandemic shutdowns take a heavy toll on the economy. PASBO released it’s projection of the drop in local revenues for school districts next year the day after the House State Government Committee approved a bill to freeze school district property taxes next year. PASBO’s estimate of the loss of local revenue is based on a study of the effect of school taxes during the Great Recession and a projection that the COVID-19 economy will create deeper and much more immediate cuts. “Every school district tax source and other non-tax revenue will suffer a precipitous decline for the upcoming school year,” said Dr. Timothy J. Shrom, PASBO director of research, who developed the PASBO projection with Dr. Andrew Armagost, PASBO research and advocacy manager. “In an economic downturn we know that unemployment goes up, thereby reducing our local income tax revenue, and we know that the real estate market will be affected resulting in a reduction of our real estate transfer tax We also know that our taxpayers will need more time to pay, thus reducing property tax revenues, and with the significant cuts in the rates, interest earnings will take a hit as well.”

“Local taxpayers have also been made to provide excess funding to the state’s charter schools for special education costs that are far out of line for the services provided. In Pennsylvania, the current charter school law requires public schools to send a “per pupil allocation” to the charter schools that their students attend. That rate is calculated through a complex state formula. When a charter school identifies a student as requiring special education services, public schools are required to send that flat special education rate to that charter school, regardless of the services needed.”
Guest Opinion: Support Wolf’s plan to reform special education funding for charters
Doylestown Intelligencer By Frank T. Gallagher Posted at 5:31 AM April 30, 2020
Frank T. Gallagher, Ed.D. is the superintendent of the Souderton Area School District.
The Souderton Area School District joins with hundreds of public school districts statewide to support PA Governor Wolf’s proposal to modify the way special education funding is allocated to the state’s charter schools.
As schools across our nation are grappling with mandatory closures and quarantines, concerns about school funding remain in the forefront of our discussions. For some, these issues are even more important as we experience a financial crisis resulting from this pandemic. The Souderton Area School District joins with hundreds of public school districts statewide to support PA Governor Wolf’s proposal to modify the way special education funding is allocated to the state’s charter schools. A recent (April 20) opinion piece in The Intelligencer, written by the director of a charter school located in Souderton, criticized the proposal. Taxpayers should be aware, however, that the proposal is one that would bring some equity for public schools. In Pennsylvania, each school district is provided a modest federal and state reimbursement to be used for special education. Federal education law states that the federal government should give school districts 40 percent of the funding needed to provide the mandated adequate services for special education students. Unfortunately, the federal funding has fallen far short of this, with reimbursement rates at just 15% or less. This shortfall leaves the local taxpayers to pick up the slack.

Lancaster County schools could lose $46 million in local revenue next year: report
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer April 30, 2020
Lancaster County school districts could lose more than $46 million in local revenue next year due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statewide public schools group. In a report published Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials projected about $850 million to $1 billion in local revenue losses for Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts in 2020-21 as unemployment spikes and interest rates plummet. The losses – 4% to 5% of the $18 billion in local revenue districts across the state collect now – are expected to come from sources such as school property, local income and real estate transfer tax revenues, as well as a dip in interest earnings. With millions in potential losses, school officials here are scrambling to find ways to balance budgets despite not knowing what, if any, funding increase they’ll get from the state. “School districts probably have more uncertainty in their budget developments than in any time in my 40-year career,” said Tim Shrom, PASBO’s director of research and a former longtime business manager for Solanco School District. Shrom developed the projections with Andrew Armagost, PASBO’s research and advocacy manager.

COVID-19 will take toll on school revenues
GoErie By Valerie Myers @etnmyers Posted Apr 28, 2020 at 9:54 AM
Statewide association projects Erie School District tax revenue losses as high as $4.6 million for 2020-21.
Public school districts will lose millions of dollars in local revenues in the COVID-19 economy, according to projections by the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials. The association projects statewide revenue declines between $850 million and $1.07 billion and Erie School District losses of $3.6 million to $4.6 million in 2020-21, depending on whether economic recovery is quick or slow. Other local school districts also will see dramatic losses, according to the projections released Tuesday. The numbers are based on the district financial information, the Great Recession’s effect on school taxes and the supposition that the COVID-19 economy will cause deeper and more immediate losses. “Every school district tax source and other non-tax revenue will suffer a precipitous decline for the upcoming school year,” said Timothy Shrom, PASBO director of research.
According to the projections:
‒ Staggering unemployment will significantly reduce local income tax revenue.
‒ A decline in home buying will reduce real estate transfer taxes.
2020-21 revenue loss projections
‒ Erie School District: $3.6 million to $4.6 million
‒ Millcreek Township School District: $3.3 million to $3.9 million
‒ Fort LeBoeuf School District: $1 million to $1.2 million
‒ Harbor Creek School District: $962,655 to $1.1 million
‒ Fairview School District: $920,048 to $1.1 million
‒ General McLane School District: $914,410 to $1 million
‒ North East School District: $631,007 to $759,959
‒ Corry Area School District: $607,283 to $777,035
‒ Wattsburg Area School District: $595,306 to $709,700
‒ Girard School District: $574,276 to $688,216
‒ Northwestern School District: $528,557 to $608,222
‒ Iroquois School District: $368,686 to $437,351
‒ Union City Area School District: $332,185 to $404,088
‒ Taxpayers will need more time to pay, thus reducing property tax revenues.
‒ Interest earnings on school investments also will take a hit.
School districts collect about $18 billion in total local revenue annually. The PASBO projections for 2020-21 represent a 4- to 5 percent loss in local revenue.
The numbers projected for the Erie School District are close to what the district has built into its worst-case projections, Erie schools Superintendent Brian Polito said.

U.S. economy shrank at 4.8% rate last quarter as coronavirus struck
Inquirer by Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press, Updated: April 29, 2020- 10:51 AM
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8% annual rate last quarter as the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the country and began triggering a recession that will end the longest expansion on record. Yet the drop in the January-March quarter will be only a precursor of a far grimmer report to come on the current April-June period, with business shutdowns and layoffs striking with devastating force. With much of the economy paralyzed, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that economic activity will plunge this quarter at a 40% annual rate. That would be, by a breathtaking margin, the bleakest quarter since such records were first compiled in 1947. It would be four times the size of the worst quarterly contraction on record set in 1958. The Commerce Department estimated Wednesday that the gross domestic product, the total output of goods and services, posted a quarterly drop for the first time in six years. And it was the sharpest fall since the economy shrank at an 8.4% annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2008 in the depths of the Great Recession. “The longest U.S. economic expansion has ended,” said Gregory Daco, chief economist at Oxford Economics.

Philly City Council to have hearing and vote on Board of Ed nominees Friday
Mayor Kenney will also present his revised budget proposal. Members of the public can register to speak at the virtual hearing.
Dale Mezzacappa April 29 — 8:26 am, 2020
Philadelphia’s City Council will hold a virtual hearing Friday morning on Mayor Kenney’s nominations to the Board of Education before voting on them at Council’s scheduled 11 a.m. meeting. The mayor renominated eight of the current nine members and chose Ameen Akbar to replace Board Vice President Wayne Walker, who is stepping down for personal reasons. Under the City Charter, a new board must be seated on May 1. This year marks the first time that City Council will have a chance to weigh in on the mayor’s choices. That change was made when the local board was reconstituted in 2018 after the District spent nearly two decades being governed by the state-dominated School Reform Commission. After the mayor selected Akbar, board member Christopher McGinley announced that he also would step down on April 30. Kenney has not yet chosen a replacement for McGinley and has asked the Education Nominating Panel to reconvene and submit a new list of names. The panel is charged with vetting candidates and giving the mayor three names for each vacancy, which it did in February when it submitted the names of the eight current members who wanted at that point to return, including McGinley, plus 19 others. Sarah Peterson, communications director for the city’s Office of Education, said the mayor was seeking new names because the panel “did not know about Chris McGinley’s resignation when they considered candidates and made their recommendations … and the mayor wants to make sure they can select nominees with that knowledge by reconvening when practical.” McGinley has said he will not stay on past April 30, so the board will most likely operate for a time with a vacancy.

Charges of racism flare in proposal to relocate Philly’s Lab Charter to East Falls
The controversy has erupted on the eve of the Board of Education’s planned vote whether to approve the move.
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa April 29 — 7:57 pm, 2020
The already contentious effort by Laboratory Charter to move its middle school to East Falls has been roiled by a Facebook post charging that some of the opposition to the move is due to racism. The post said that school officials were told at a meeting with several community leaders that “your school is a threat to our white community.” The controversy has erupted on the eve of the Board of Education’s planned vote on Thursday whether to approve the relocation. The Facebook post, which has since been taken down, was written by Chris Quintanilla, whose LinkedIn profile describes him as a locally based consultant who has held several government posts, appointed by both Democratic and Republican officeholders. Quintanilla, who has a consulting contract with Lab Charter, was not at the meeting himself, but said he had statements from two participants. “I wouldn’t say that quote without some sort of corroboration,” said Quintanilla, in a lengthy interview. He would not give further details, saying that he is looking into the possibility of filing a complaint.

Vote on remote grading guidelines prompts friction on PPS board
ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com APR 29, 2020 6:45 PM
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board Wednesday adopted the grading guidelines the district administration put forward for the fourth quarter of the academic year as students participate in remote learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidelines would not allow any student to fail a fourth-quarter class, but the district said it expects all students to engage in remote learning. The school board meeting in which the guidelines were approved — held via video conference Wednesday afternoon — grew contentious when one board member accused others of a dereliction of duty. This happened when a resolution was put forward acknowledging the board only had the responsibility to enforce grading guidelines, and it was up to the superintendent to create them.

Your View: Why we should do away with standardized tests after coronavirus crisis
By JOHN MAYHER and MERLYN CLARKE THE MORNING CALL | APR 29, 2020 | 8:00 AM
John Mayher is a Cresco, Monroe County resident and a professor emeritus of education, New York University. Merlyn Clarke is a Stroudsburg Area School District Board of Education member.
In addition to the heroic efforts of medical and service personnel who are risking their lives caring for those afflicted with COVID-19, and those serving and selling food, we must also applaud our public school administrators and teachers. They are exerting extraordinary efforts to salvage the school year for thousands of students. Many teachers have become quick studies in providing online instruction and resources for students — under the circumstances, a necessary response. Observers of the education world can only marvel, however, at how quickly and easily many of the seeming imperatives of conventional education have been declared nonessential: 180 days of instruction, precise numerical grading, strict requirements for advancing to the next grade and even the loosening of graduation requirements. And, perhaps most significant of all: standardized testing.

CONSTITUTIONALLY OBLIGATED: STATES CANNOT PASS THE BUCK TO DISTRICTS AFTER CLOSING SCHOOLS
Education Law Center BY DAVID SCIARRA April 29, 2020
Governors in every state have ordered school closures to stop the spread of COVID-19, many for the remainder of the school year. States have also ordered students, like all citizens, to shelter at home. It is unclear when and under what conditions schools across the country will re-open.  In the wake of states shuttering schools, local districts are making efforts to continue educating students by remote and digital means. Initial reports show many districts are unprepared and under-resourced for the herculean task of transitioning their entire enrollment from classrooms to home instruction through internet-connected, computer-based learning platforms. These reports also show stark disparities between high poverty and wealthier districts in the availability and effectiveness of remote instruction and serving students with disabilities, English language learners, and other students requiring additional supports. These disparities are attributed to the “digital divide,” that is, the lack of internet connectivity and devices in homes, often exacerbated by housing instability, food insecurity and other barriers.   Of course, states possess legal authority to order physical school closures in response to a public health emergency, as has occurred with COVID-19. But, after closing buildings, do states remain legally obligated to continue providing education through alternate means? Or is it permissible for states to let local districts decide whether, how and to what extent students are educated during the lengthy period of COVID-19 school closures?

For-profit online education company K12 Inc. to investors: There’s “upside” in the pandemic
In the Public Interest 4/28/2020
Welcome to Cashing in on Kids, a newsletter for people who think public education should be truly public—produced by In the Public Interest. Not a subscriber? Sign up. Make sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
K12 Inc. sees “upside” in coronavirus crisis. In an earnings call to investors on Monday, Nathaniel Davis, CEO of the publicly traded online education corporation K12 Inc., spoke about “the upside of the pandemic on our business. As I’ve already said, it’s horribly unfortunate for so many people all around the world. But we’re in the business that helps schools and students in situations exactly like this.” Davis pocketed $9,785,697 last year in executive compensation.
K12 Inc. has close ties to Wall Street and conservative organizations, including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Kevin P. Chavous, its president of academics, policy and schools, has taken up a position on the Heritage Foundation’s “National Coronavirus Recovery Commission,” which has close ties with the Trump administration. Seeking Alpha
Betsy DeVos under fire. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) is demanding answers from the U.S. Education Department, alleging three whistleblowers have complained to his office about political interference in the awarding of a multimillion-dollar federal grant to the controversial IDEA charter school network. The Washington Post
“This is someone who once said public education was a ‘dead end.’” Education Secretary DeVos has launched a new program with more than $300 million in discretionary federal grant funding for online/virtual education that will in all likelihood accelerate the privatization of public education. In the Public Interest

“But, since that vote, a local bookstore owner told the news agency that copies of those books from flying off her shelves. “People who had read the books years ago are buying them to read again and to give away,” Mary Ann Cockle, who owns Fireside Books in Palmer, told the outlet.  “Our biggest outpouring of support are people buying the books and donating them or leaving them to us to distribute for free,” she added.”
Alaska school board removes 'The Great Gatsby,' 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' from curriculum over 'controversial' content
The Hill BY ARIS FOLLEY - 04/28/20 08:41 PM EDT 549
A school board in Matanuska-Susitna, Alaska, has voted to remove famous written works like Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” from the curriculum for elective high school english courses, citing their “controversial” content. According to CNN, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board voted last week to axe those books and three others –Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man,” Joseph Heller’s "Catch-22" and Tim O'Brien’s “The Things They Carried” – from the reading list for the local district’s High School English Elective Curriculum.  The board reportedly approved the removal of those books in 5-2 vote last week.

 Mercury and Venus pair up at dusk, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars brighten in the pre-dawn sky.
Night Words: Enjoy watching the night sky in May
Delco Times By Harry J. Augensen Professor of Physics & Astronomy, Widener University April 30, 2020
Sunrise and Sunset Times from the U.S. Naval Observatory (Eastern Daylight Time)
Sun rises at 6:02 am and sets at 7:55 pm on the 1st         
Sun rises at 5:36 am and sets at 8:23 pm on the 31st
Moon’s Phases in May
Full “Flower” Moon on the 7th,  New Moon on the 22nd 
Stars and Constellations
May is unquestionably one of the most appealing months to observe the night sky.  Not only are the evening temperatures pleasantly cool, with just a light jacket required, but also the air is perfumed with the scent of newly sprung blossoms of lilac and viburnum.  On the other hand, one needs to wait until around 8:30 pm to see the first stars come out at the beginning of the month, and until about 9 pm by month’s end.  Soon to vanish are  Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster, Rigel and Betelgeuse, Pollux and Castor, and Sirius and Procyon.  These bright stars of winter are all fading into the twilight during early evening, not to reappear in the night sky until next autumn.  Yellow Capella is setting in the northwest, but will still be visible through most of June.  


PSBA Board Presidents Panels (Zoom) April 27, 28, 29 and 30 (depending upon the size of your district)
This annual event supports current and aspiring school board leaders through facilitated discussion with colleagues in leadership. 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.
Due to current social distancing requirements, this annual program will shift from a series of in-person regional events to a digital platform using Zoom Meetings. Participants of each of the four sessions will meet in small groups using virtual breakout rooms. Experienced facilitators will guide discussions on attendees’ unique challenges, solutions and experiences related to board leadership during the COVID-19 school closures.
This year’s program will be organized to group together leaders from schools of similar enrollment sizes for relevant conversation. Members may register for one or two nights to participate in all of the topics offered. If your district's average enrollment is above 3,500, you are invited to join the sessions on Tuesday, April 28 and/or Thursday, April 30. If your district's average enrollment is below 3,500, opt to join the sessions on Monday, April 27 and/or Wednesday, April 29.

If you previously registered for this live event at the Capitol please register for the virtual event.
PSBA Virtual Advocacy Day 2020  MAY 11, 2020 • 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Now more than ever before – Make your voice heard!
Join us virtually to support public education!
All public school leaders are invited to join us for our first ever Virtual Advocacy Day on Monday, May 11, 2020 via Zoom. We need all of you to help strengthen our advocacy impact. The day will center around reaching out to your legislators to discuss the steps you have taken to deal with the pandemic crisis and the steps legislators can take to provide schools the flexibility and creativity needed to weather the storm.  Mandate relief, budgeting flexibility, charter funding reform and other legislative changes need to be considered to give school district flexibility.

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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