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
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principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher
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These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
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PA Ed Policy Roundup for May 13, 2020
Adopt the 2020 resolution for charter
school funding reform
In this legislative session, PSBA has been leading the
charge with the Senate, House of Representatives and the Governor’s
Administration to push for positive charter reform. We’re now asking you to
join the campaign: Adopt the resolution: We’re asking all school
boards to adopt the 2020 resolution for charter school funding reform at your
next board meeting and submit it to your legislators and to PSBA.
PCCY'S MONTGOMERY COUNTY VIRTUAL TEEN TOWN HALL with
Congresswoman Madeline Dean - May 15th at 11 AM
Congresswoman Madeleine Dean will join State
Lawmakers from Montgomery County to hear from students experiencing
firsthand the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on their education.
Please don’t miss this virtual TEEN TOWN HALL, allowing
students a platform to discuss challenges facing their public schools during
COVID-19 shutdown. Decisions on stimulus legislation and budgets are being made
now and all voices matters!
After registering, you will receive a
confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Political Cartoon: Home schooling wears thin
Inquirer by Signe Wilkinson May 13, 2020
A great sigh of relief rose across the state
Monday when Pennsylvania announced that public
schools will likely open in the fall. The fact
that so many Pennsylvanians are eager to get their kids out of the house and
back to the classroom may work in the schools’ favor. Perennially underfunded,
the state legislature may well look to cut public schools’ already stretched budgets. Parents
who have been home “schooling” their children may finally realize that good
teachers in good schools are worth their tax dollars. Let’s hope that the
precautions taken now will reduce the coronavirus to a point that it’s safe for
kids to return.
School District Mandates: Their Impact on Public
Education
PSBA Special Report UPDATED MAY 2020
In December 2019, the Pennsylvania School
Boards Association (PSBA) convened a task force of its members to discuss and
formulate recommendations regarding the multitude of mandates placed on public
schools and how those mandates impact school operations and instruction. After
a series of meetings and discussions, the task force developed a series of
recommendations which would provide school districts with relief from mandates
and promote greater awareness among the General Assembly and other policymakers
of the impact mandates have on public
schools. The following task force
recommendations were approved by the PSBA Governing Board on April 20, 2020:
Masks, social distancing and blended schedules: What
might school look like in the fall?
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer May 13,
2020
While schools are expected to reopen in the
fall, according to Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Education, there remains myriad
unknowns regarding how education might change due to the lingering effects of
the coronavirus pandemic. From mask-wearing and social distancing to
remediation and blended schedules, Lancaster County school officials say
they’re preparing plans flexible enough to follow guidance from health
officials come August, but it’s difficult to project what exactly school might
look like. Perhaps one thing, however, is for sure. “It’s going to be an
interesting summer,” Solanco Superintendent Brian Bliss said. During a state
Senate Education Committee hearing Monday, Education Secretary Pedro Rivera
said his intention is for students to return for
in-person classes in time for the 2021-22 school year. School buildings have
been closed since mid-March because of the health crisis. Rivera said Monday
that the state is working on a comprehensive set of guidelines for schools
transitioning from remote to in-person instruction in the fall. Meanwhile, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director said during a U.S. Senate
hearing Tuesday that the agency expects to release “soon” expansive guidelines
for states to reopen schools and other institutions, The New York Times reported.
“Local tax revenue to districts across the state could be down
by more than $1 billion, estimates the Pennsylvania Association of School
Business Officials. That is due to the combination of
anticipated declines in earned income tax revenue as a result of the high
unemployment, a slowdown of real estate activity and an expected onslaught of
real estate assessment appeals. That is coupled with few expectations that
state government, facing up to a $4.5 billion financial hole of its own, will
have the financial wherewithal to offer much more, if any, additional support.
On top of all that, school districts face some mandated cost increases –
special education, pension contributions, and charter school payments – that
perennially make keeping a lid on taxes a challenge, district officials say.”
School property tax freeze is more than a nice thought.
Some Pa. districts are doing it
Penn Live By Jan
Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com and Steve
Marroni | smarroni@pennlive.com Today 5:23
AM
chool boards are being pressured by some
state lawmakers to freeze 2020-21 property tax rates due to the COVID-19-related
economic woes many families are facing. Some southcentral Pennsylvania school
boards intend to do just that.
State lawmakers are urging school districts
to provide some relief to taxpayers this year by freezing school property tax
rates at current levels. This request comes in recognition of the state’s
staggering unemployment rate and other damage the coronavirus crisis has
wreaked on the economy. Several proposals have been offered in the state House
of Representatives to force districts to put any plans for a tax increase on
ice. To date, they have met with enough resistance from Republican and
Democratic lawmakers, who argue it’s an infringement on local control, to keep
them from advancing. And school district officials say freezing property tax
rates is not an easy thing to do, especially given the financial picture they
are facing this year.
Guest commentary: If Legislature wants to freeze property
taxes, it must fund mandates
Delco Times By Lisa Longo May 12, 2020 Updated 14
hrs ago
Some members of the Pennsylvania legislature
are suggesting that now is the time to freeze property taxes. This is
absolutely possible, but first lawmakers must fund their mandates. Public
schools have been defunded by a slow, steady move by state legislators to take
away funds by forcing districts to spend the money on programs other than
education. First, transportation. Public school districts are forced to pay to
transport private school and charter school students 10 miles beyond the
district borders. Why? We do not allow our public school students to be bused
out of their districts. Why are taxpayers funding this trip for private school
students? This is an easy fix. Unless a student is protected by the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, the district should not be forced to
pay to transport outside its borders. In fact, the cost of busing outside
districts is putting student health and safety at risk. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention recommends, and a Pennsylvania legislative report
agrees, that high school should not start before 8:30 am. But many school
officials say they will not change start times because of the increased cost
that would be forced on them due to requirement to transport students to
out-of-district private schools. Second, standardized testing. These tests cost
money. And they have not been proven to improve education outcomes. Our
teachers and students are stressed. These tests take away time from instruction
and force teachers to teach to the test.
“Act 13 enacted by the state ensures that schools continue to
pay some of their largest expenditures, including salaries, benefits and
charter school tuition. While there have been some savings on overtime pay and
costs for after-school programming, those expenditures have not decreased
significantly. Meanwhile, the district has spent more than $2.6 million
for laptops, Wi-Fi hot spots, instructional packets and other items and
services needed for remote learning since schools closed in March.
“I’m not quite sure that the public truly understands the position that the
school system is in,” board member Cynthia Falls said following the
presentation. “That’s what a lot of people are thinking, that now because
we’re not in school, we don’t have these bills, we’re not paying — some people
think not even staff. And it’s like, ‘No, wait a minute.’”
Pandemic may cause serious financial blow to Pittsburgh
Public Schools
ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com MAY 12,
2020 9:48 PM
Budget projections presented to the
Pittsburgh Public Schools board Tuesday evening showed the district — already
in a tough financial position — may face severe revenue losses because of
the COVID-19 pandemic. The district entered the year with a $25
million deficit and will likely see an increased shortfall because of the
pandemic’s impact on local tax revenues, state and federal funding, and the
increased costs associated with remote instruction. Ronald Joseph, the
district’s chief financial officer, told the board that the district could see
a loss of up to $82 million in local revenue. He also said that although there
are some areas where money has been saved, the district’s most significant
expenditures continue to be paid. “There’s a lot of discussion
that when school districts are closed there is a substantial cost savings,” Mr.
Joseph said. “But our major cost items, we’re still required to pay those.”
With economic crisis looming, Bethlehem school board
considers small tax increase
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO THE MORNING
CALL | MAY 12, 2020 | 4:25 PM
The Bethlehem Area School Board is
considering increasing taxes by 1%.(
Anticipating that the coronavirus pandemic
could hurt school revenue for years to come, the Bethlehem Area School Board is
considering a small tax hike for next year that would help the district’s fund
balance. Monday night, the board passed a $301.7 million preliminary budget for
2020-21 that has a $6.6 million deficit, which the district expects to fill by
borrowing from its fund balance. For the second year in a row, the
administration is recommending holding the line on taxes. But some school
directors worry that the coronavirus pandemic will significantly hurt the
economy and leave less revenue for the district. As a result, the board is
considering raising taxes by 1%, which would bring in about $1.1 million.
Northampton County taxpayers with a home assessed at $61,400 would pay an extra
$35 annually in property taxes, while those in Lehigh County with a home
assessed at $140,700 would pay $27 more. “There’s so much uncertainty that I
really feel strongly we need to consider some kind of minimal increase,” board
President Michael Faccinetto said. “To not even consider it, I think is
irresponsible.” If the board proceeds with the increase, it will go against
Superintendent Joseph Roy’s recommendation. He said he understood why the board
wanted to build revenue but is concerned with how the public would perceive a
tax increase under the economic conditions.
Online learning is no replacement for school
The lesson from this crisis should be to fix
the glaring inequities, not rely more on technology.
The notebook Commentary by Diane
Payne May 12 — 2:21 pm, 2020
Diane Payne is a retired School District of
Philadelphia teacher, parent of four Philadelphia public school graduates, and
legislative liaison for the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools (APPS), a
grassroots advocacy group supporting and defending public education. This
commentary has been adapted from a letter sent to Gov. Wolf and Education
Secretary Pedro Rivera.
Pennsylvania Secretary of Education
Pedro Rivera was quoted in a recent news story in
the Inquirer as saying, in relation to online learning:
“Families and schools and communities have to see this as a new opportunity to
transform education.” The families, students, and teachers across the state,
however, know that remote learning is anything but transforming. It is
tedious, inequitable, and soul-crushing. Technology may be necessary as a
temporary response to an emergency, but should not be promoted by any educator
or governmental official as a long-term solution. Online learning may be the
mask we need during this crisis, but it is not the cure. It is beneficial to
neither students nor teachers. The state should not prime the public for a
shock-doctrine move of accepting this as permanent or beneficial. Other unnamed
state officials reassured the Inquirer that “… the
pandemic did cancel state assessments for this academic year, but don’t expect
to see them vanish permanently.” How disappointing to see the Wolf
administration doubling down on the expensive failure of mandatory yearly
testing. Standardized tests were born of racist assumptions and continue to have
racist outcomes. Independent research has shown that what those tests
consistently measure is the socio-economic status of the students taking them.
The tests steal valuable classroom time and thwart creative teaching and
learning. They have been used as a tool for labeling students and schools as
“failing,” thus opening the door for privatization of public schools by way of
charters.
In praise of Pennsylvania Educators | Opinion
Penn Live Opinion By David E. Christopher Updated
May 12, 2020; Posted May 12, 2020
David E. Christopher is Superintendent of the
Cumberland Valley School District.
Last week we celebrated National Teacher
Appreciation Week. Since 1984, school communities across the country have used
this week to thank the nation’s teachers for their service to students. Now,
more than ever, that thanks is warranted. Fred Rogers once famously said, “When
I was a boy and saw scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look
to the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” In this time of
challenge, our state’s students have looked for those helpers and they have found
our teachers eagerly reaching out to support them. Across Pennsylvania, we have
seen teachers make rapid transitions to online and remote learning plans in an
effort to continue the education of the children in the commonwealth. Never, in
my 24 years as a Pennsylvania public educator, have I been more proud of our
state’s teachers.
Thank a Teacher
StateCollege.com by Patty Kleban on May
11, 2020 5:00 AM
One of my former students was having one of those days. She posted a picture of her son last week on social media, his T-shirt pulled up over his face, his little body crumbled to the floor. “That’s it” she said. “We can’t do this homeschooling thing today. I am not a teacher.” The frustration of trying to keep up with school work, manage the emotions of so much change and trying to do so with kids of different ages and needs – all while trying to manage a family and a business — had finally hit the breaking point. That led me to my “people who are doing good” focus for this week. Social media is full of parents and kids posting jokes and memes and “We aren’t cut out for this home-schooling thing.” But what about the teachers? Professionals thrown into an unprecedented environment in which to teach young people. Teachers across the country shifting their instructional methods to remote learning and being expected to meet the needs of our nations’ children — and to do that with their own individual family situations. I reached out to some teachers to find out. What is it really like for elementary or middle school or high school teachers? I could not have found a better example of the goodness in the hearts of people. (Note: these interviews were conducted using technology.)
One of my former students was having one of those days. She posted a picture of her son last week on social media, his T-shirt pulled up over his face, his little body crumbled to the floor. “That’s it” she said. “We can’t do this homeschooling thing today. I am not a teacher.” The frustration of trying to keep up with school work, manage the emotions of so much change and trying to do so with kids of different ages and needs – all while trying to manage a family and a business — had finally hit the breaking point. That led me to my “people who are doing good” focus for this week. Social media is full of parents and kids posting jokes and memes and “We aren’t cut out for this home-schooling thing.” But what about the teachers? Professionals thrown into an unprecedented environment in which to teach young people. Teachers across the country shifting their instructional methods to remote learning and being expected to meet the needs of our nations’ children — and to do that with their own individual family situations. I reached out to some teachers to find out. What is it really like for elementary or middle school or high school teachers? I could not have found a better example of the goodness in the hearts of people. (Note: these interviews were conducted using technology.)
Are teachers actually teaching during the pandemic? Yes!
Here's what York Suburban is doing
York Daily Record Opinion byTimothy P.
Williams Published 12:27 p.m. ET May 12, 2020
Timothy P. Williams is superintendent of
the York Suburban School District.
Our educators are freeloading, if you believe
the sentiments of public school detractors, even of some legislators. Speaker
of the House, Michael Turzai (R-Allegheny), in a letter to Pennsylvania’s
Secretary of Education, Pedro Rivera, questioned what teachers are doing during
the pandemic and reminded Mr. Rivera that, “Teachers, administrators and staff
are all being paid. All medical benefits are covered.” Speaker Turzai is right,
of course, about one thing; educators continue to be paid as is required by Act
13 of 2020, which passed in both chambers without a single dissenting vote.
What he may not know is that teachers continue to work. We all expect to be
paid for the fruits of our labors, and when that option is removed from us we
all would expect to receive unemployment compensation. So, let us dispense with
the divisiveness that some would like to foster between those who are working
and those who have the misfortune of not working. Instead, let us focus on the
issue before us — public education. Public school educators have been, and will
continue to be, the cornerstone of American prosperity, as illustrated in The
Nation at Risk report from 1983. Effective learning is instrumental for the
continuation of the American Way, and public education has been the foundation
on which the United States has become the greatest nation on Earth. From my
microcosm of the York Suburban School District, our educators continue to do
their part.
Pottsgrove surprises top students with home visits
Pottstown Mercury by Evan Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com
@PottstownNews on Twitter May 13, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic, and the
restrictions it has engendered, have touched so many lives in so many ways,
perhaps none more than the graduating class of 2020. With in-person graduations
from both colleges and high schools canceled, educators and parents are
grasping for ways to try to make up for the loss the students are feeling. Some,
like Owen J. Roberts and Pottstown, are highlighting their graduates on social
media. In Pottsgrove, a more personal approach was rolled out Monday, at least
for the Class of 2020's two top students. The high school''s valedictorian,
Hannah Waldt, and salutatorian, Abigail Dzordzorme, both received a surprise
knock on their front doors. When they opened the door, they found High School
Principal Bill Ziegler, and more than 20 teachers, conducting a drive-by
parade, along with the presentation of a lawn sign, letting them know their
grades had put them in the top posts.
Though ‘not the ideal graduation,’ one Centre County
school district plans in-person ceremony
Centre Daily Times BY MARLEY PARISH MAY 12, 2020 03:45 PM
Members of the Penns Valley class of 2020
will be honored in person, as the school district announced plans Tuesday for a
socially-distant commencement. The Penns Valley Area School District will host
a combined in-person and virtual graduation on June 5 at 9 a.m. in front of the
high school to honor graduating seniors and their families. “We understand that
this is not the ideal graduation ceremony, but we are thankful that we will
have the opportunity to congratulate the class of 2020 in person,” Dustin
Dalton, director of data and instruction, said in a Facebook post announcing
the plans. Students will be given a time to walk across the stage in
three-minute intervals and are welcome to invite two vehicles to attend the
ceremony. Both cars need to arrive together with the student seated in the
passenger seat of the lead vehicle. Vehicles are to enter the horseshoe that
leads to the front of the school. When graduates are waiting to be recognized,
they will be instructed to stand on markings placed 15 feet away from each
other. Students’ names will be read as they walk across the stage, and they
will be instructed to proceed to the auditorium entrance to receive their
diploma before exiting the procession.
Coronavirus: Tracking The Spread
SpotlightPA Updated Daily
Since the first case of the coronavirus was
identified in Pennsylvania on March 6, we’ve been tracking its spread. These
numbers tell only part of the story. Tests are still not widely available, and
you can have the virus — and transmit it — without feeling sick. The numbers
shown here represent known cases. Because of limited testing, undiagnosed cases
are probably widespread. Every day, we are compiling data from multiple
sources, including state and county health departments, to provide a more
comprehensive picture of the coronavirus in the region.
Democrats now outnumber Republicans in all suburban
Philly counties as GOP loses the edge in Chester County
Inquirer by Andrew Seidman, Updated: May 12, 2020-
4:19 PM
The writing was on the wall. In the 2018
midterm elections, a Democrat was elected to represent Chester County in
Congress for the first time since the 1850s. Then, last year, Democrats took control of
the county’s Board of Commissioners for
the first time ever. And now, the party is celebrating another milestone: Data
released this week show registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in Chester
County, apparently for the first time — by 228 voters. As of Monday, there were
148,194 registered Democrats in the county compared with 147,966 Republicans,
according to data compiled by the Pennsylvania Department of State. An additional
61,895 voters were either registered with another party or unaffiliated. “Anyone
who has lived in Chester County since George W. Bush won the White House knows
the enormity of this moment,” Dick Bingham, chairman of the Chester County
Democratic Committee, said in a statement Tuesday. The development comes
as Republicans have continued
to struggle in suburban areas outside
Philadelphia and across the country. Democrats already outnumbered Republicans
in Bucks, Montgomery, and Delaware Counties. Since 2000, Philadelphia’s four
collar counties have steadily become more racially
diverse, better educated, and home to more young adults. These
demographic changes have coincided with, and helped fuel, increasing Democratic
registrations.
“While other states have voiced their opposition, Indiana
appears to be among the first to formally reject the idea. The U.S. Department
of Education did not immediately respond to questions from Chalkbeat on
Tuesday.”
Indiana rejects guidance from DeVos to reroute more
coronavirus relief to private schools
Chalkbeat By Emma Kate Fittes May
12, 2020, 5:09pm EDT
Indiana is instructing public school
districts to ignore controversial guidance from U.S. Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos that would have rerouted millions in federal coronavirus relief
money to private schools. In a memo to school districts dated
Tuesday, Republican State Superintendent Jennifer McCormick said ignoring the
advice means Indiana is following the “intent” of the federal CARES Act — to
prioritize schools with high poverty. DeVos’ guidance conflicts with the
federal law, said Indiana Department of Education spokesperson Adam Baker. “The
guidance issued by the [U.S.] Department of Education is just that, guidance,”
said the Indiana Attorney General’s Office, according to the memo. Last week,
DeVos instructed districts to distribute resources to private schools based on
their total enrollments — an idea that faced swift pushback from
public school advocates. The guidance appeared to conflict with a
straightforward reading of the law, which instructed money to be distributed in
the “same manner” as under the federal Title I program that supports low-income
students. Indiana, like many states, had already directed districts
to distribute funding based on the number of low-income students. That
difference would have tripled the amount of Indiana’s $215 million federal
relief that flows to private schools — from a combined $4.9 million statewide
to $15.4 million.
COVID-19 Testing Key to Reopening Schools, Health
Officials Tell Senators
Education Week By Evie Blad on May
12, 2020 4:19 PM
Without a vaccine to halt the spread of the
coronavirus, widespread testing and tracing of the illness will be essential to
ensure public confidence that children can safely return to school in the fall,
federal health officials told a Senate committee Tuesday. Such testing will be
necessary to determine if states are ready to ease restrictions that have
shuttered schools and businesses and to trace inevitable reemergence of the
coronavirus in some areas after schools welcome students back, Dr. Anthony
Fauci, the nation's chief epidemiologist, told the Senate Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions committee. "I hope that if we do have the threat of a second
wave, we will be able to deal with it very effectively to prevent it from
becoming an outbreak," with adequate preparation over the summer
months, Fauci said. It's a "bridge too far" to suggest that a
vaccine, which will take at least 18 months to develop, will be a factor in
school reopening plans, Fauci said, so states should focus on developing
testing procedures and the ability to trace contacts of those who contract the
virus to quickly quarantine those affected. The hearing came as governors and
school superintendents around the country begin to set plans for reopening
schools. And, while many of those discussions have focused on social distancing
and remote learning strategies, school leaders will also play a role in helping
to track the illness and guide local response efforts. Recently, a task force
of former education officials called for schools to track factors like student
fevers and family illness when they reopen.
Schools Would Get Nearly $60 Billion in Democrats' New
COVID-19 Relief Proposal
Education Week By Andrew Ujifusa on May
12, 2020 3:20 PM
UPDATED - New
legislation from House Democrats would provide nearly $60 billion to K-12
school districts to help them address the coronavirus pandemic, although
Republicans who control the Senate are likely to ignore the legislation, which
falls short of public demands from education advocacy groups. The Health
and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act would
create a $90 billlion "state fiscal stabilization fund" for the U.S.
Department of Education to distribute to K-12 as well as higher education.
After deducting a small share of money for administrative and other expenses,
65 percent of that fund—or roughly $58 billion—would go through states to local
school districts, with 30 percent set aside for public colleges and
universities. This money could support a large variety of services under the
Every Student Succeeds Act, the Invididuals with Disabilities Education Act,
the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and other federal mandates. Any
school district that receives this aid "shall to the greatest extent
practicable, continue to pay its employees and contractors during the period of
any disruptions or closures related to coronavirus," the bill states. That
language mirrors the last coronavirus aid bill that became law in late March
and provided just over $13 billion in
direct aid for districts. This HEROES Act money would be
available until Sept. 30, 2022.
Over 220 PA school boards adopt charter reform
resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 220 school boards across the state have adopted a resolution
calling for legislators to enact significant reforms to the Charter School Law
to provide funding relief and ensure all schools are held to the same quality and
ethics standards. Now more than ever, there is a growing momentum from school
officials across the state to call for charter school funding reform.
Legislators are hearing loud and clear that school districts need relief from
the unfair funding system that results in school districts overpaying millions
of dollars to charter schools.
The school boards from the following
districts have adopted resolutions calling for charter funding reform.
Know Your Facts on Funding and Charter Performance. Then
Call for Charter Change!
PSBA Charter Change Website:
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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