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,
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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 20, 2020:
Delaware County Teen Town Hall Virtual
Meeting Friday May 22nd at 11 am
Join Congresswoman Mary Gay
Scanlon along with State Lawmakers and Students from Delaware County. CLICK HERE TO
REGISTER VIA ZOOM
Reopening Schools in the Context of COVID-19: Health and
Safety Guidelines From Other Countries
Learning Policy Institute Authors Hanna Melnick, Linda Darling-Hammond, Melanie Leung, Cathy Yun, Abby Schachner, Sara Plasencia , Naomi Ondrasek MAY 15 2020
Abstract: As the
United States considers reopening schools after the first wave of the COVID-19
pandemic, policymakers and administrators need to consider how to reopen in a
way that keeps students and staff safe. This brief provides insight into health
and safety guidelines and social distancing strategies used in other countries
that have successfully reopened their schools in the context of COVID-19.
Examples are intended to support school policymakers and administrators in the
United States as they plan for reopening.
School district leaders: Maintain education funding for
Philly students | Opinion
Commentary by William R. Hite and Joyce
Wilkerson, For The Inquirer Updated: May 19, 2020 - 9:27 AM
William R. Hite, Jr. is superintendent of the
School District of Philadelphia. Joyce Wilkerson is president of the School
District of Philadelphia Board of Education
Recently, we have been spending a lot of time
looking back at the devastating decisions the School District of Philadelphia
had to make seven years ago when the state drastically cut funding for
education. We are looking back because the economic collapse we are all
witnessing due to the COVID-19 pandemic has created a budget shortfall that
could be equally as devastating for our School District — one that threatens to
eradicate the fiscal and academic progress we’ve made together over the last
seven years. Since 2017, we’ve regained local control of our School District
and our bond rating has been upgraded to investment grade for the first time
since 1977. With new investments from the City and the State, we invested in
our students and schools by refilling over 2,500 teaching and support staff
positions, adding academic programs, strengthening behavioral supports for our
most at-risk students and reestablishing extracurricular activities. We also
invested in our buildings by modernizing classrooms, upgrading technology for
students and staff, making much-needed repairs and remediating environmental
hazards. There is still much work to do. And, we desperately do not want to
have to scale back. We want to continue to provide the supports and services
our students need and deserve as they prepare for college and career success.
Unfortunately, the looming economic shortfall will make that very difficult.
Kids with autism being denied an education during the
pandemic, Pa. lawsuit says
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Updated: May
19, 2020- 1:11 PM
Students with autism are illegally being
denied an education during the government-ordered coronavirus school shutdown,
a lawsuit filed this week alleges. The outcome of the lawsuit, seeking
class-action status and filed in federal court in Philadelphia on behalf of two
Bucks County children, could potentially affect thousands of disabled students.
At its heart is a claim that Gov. Tom Wolf failed to name as “life-sustaining”
services those that provide in-person education to nonverbal and partially
verbal children with autism — kids for whom online instruction and services are
ineffective. Also named are Education Secretary Pedro Rivera and the
Pennsylvania Department of Education, which collectively have broken state and
federal law and deprived severely disabled children of their right to a free
and appropriate public education, according to the suit. The lawsuit comes as
challenges mount against districts’ handling of special-education services
during the pandemic. A class-action suit was filed in Hawaii last month. In New
Jersey, some districts initially asked parents to waive legal rights before
special-education students could receive remote special-education services, but
a state Education Department order reversed that, saying the request was
illegal.
Lawsuit says Pa. is failing special needs kids during
coronavirus school closures
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent May 19, 2020
A pair of Bucks County families have sued
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, Education Secretary Pedro Rivera and the Pa.
Department of Education in federal court, alleging that online education for
children with autism during the coronavirus school shutdown has been
insufficient. In a class-action suit filed this week, the families — whose full
names are not revealed in the complaint — claim that “online learning is wholly
inadequate to meet the needs of nonverbal and partially verbal children with
autism who rely upon…in-person instruction.” The case raises key legal,
financial, and ethical questions. Namely, are kids with special needs getting
the education they deserve during the coronavirus pandemic? And if they aren’t,
will districts have to pay? The education of special-needs children has
loomed large since Pennsylvania schools closed in
mid-March, in part because of federal law that protects the rights of students
with disabilities. That law requires districts to provide individualized
services to students with special needs, a task complicated by the sudden
switch to virtual schooling.
Reading City Council signs off on I-LEAD Charter School
settlement
WFMZ 69 News by Irene Snyder May 19,
2020
READING, Pa. - Reading City Council signed
off Monday on its part of the I-LEAD global settlement agreement, which could
lead to the closing of the charter school. “This is something that we have been
working on and anticipating for several months now,” Council Vice President
Lucine Sihelnik said. The agreement calls for allocating funds from the I-LEAD
Charter School to settle its debts to the city, Berks County, the Reading
School District and the Reading Downtown Improvement District (DID). Under
these terms, the school district will be receiving $103,000; the city, $82,000;
and the DID, $75,000. The county redirected its allocated funds to the DID. “The
agreement itself was very involved ... but really it was about mediation
between the four areas,” Sihelnik explained. The agreement also calls for
I-LEAD to drop its appeal for the Reading School District to renew its charter.
So far, the city, county and the Downtown Improvement District have all
approved the agreement. The next step is for the Reading School District to
vote. This has been an ongoing battle for the past several years. The school
has been supported by students and parents, but has sparred with the district
over its students’ test scores.
A Bill Gates coronavirus thing to worry about | Will
Bunch Newsletter
Inquirer Attytood by Will
Bunch | @will_bunch | wbunch@inquirer.com Updated: May
19, 2020 - 12:45 PM
You probably know the old saying that just
because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean there’s not somebody out to get you.
Here’s a 2020 corollary: Just because Bill Gates isn’t the diabolical
mastermind of a globalist scheme to create the coronavirus in order to implant a microchip inside
your kid … doesn’t mean his actual ideas are good for America’s children. Make
no mistake: The multi-billionaire Microsoft-founder-turned-philanthropist is
having a moment with the arrival of COVID-19, and not just in the fever dreams of
right-wing conspiracy theorists. In the reality-based world, Gates— who had
warned for years about pandemic preparedness — and his family foundation
have pledged $250 million toward
developing a vaccine. That’s admirable, but surprisingly little attention has
been paid to another coronavirus-related Gates project that could have lasting
– and, arguably, detrimental – consequences for your children long after the
virus is crushed. In New York State, where the software icon and his Gates
Foundation have long been active in so-called education reform, Gov. Andrew
Cuomo tasked the philanthropy with a scheme to “re-imagine education” after
COVID-19 that presumably would involve more laptops and fewer classrooms.
Faced with $15 million local revenue loss, area school
districts eye hiking taxes, eliminating positions
Scranton Times Tribune BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL,
STAFF WRITER / PUBLISHED: MAY 18, 2020
Faced with a projected $15 million loss in
local revenue for next year, Lackawanna County school districts may increase
taxes, deplete funding reserves, restructure bonds and eliminate positions to
balance budgets. For districts without a fund balance, the financial impact of
the coronavirus pandemic will be greater. “It could be catastrophic,” said
David Cerra, the business manager at Carbondale Area, which ended last year
with a $2 million deficit and could lose at least $572,000 in local revenue
next year. “Everything is in flux. There’s no visibility going forward.” All
area districts except Scranton must pass a balanced 2020-21 budget by the end
of June; Scranton operates on a calendar year. This month, school boards have
discussed preliminary spending plans, with district leaders seeking guidance in
an unprecedented time. Officials say they want to avoid tax increases as much
as possible, knowing the struggles that many residents now face. The
Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, or PASBO, estimates
districts statewide will lose $1 billion in local revenue for the 2020-21
school year. With record unemployment levels, districts will collect less
earned income tax this year. Some people may also have trouble paying their
property taxes on time. Real estate transfer taxes will also diminish,
according to PASBO.
York County school districts brace for $1 million or more
budget hits
Lindsay C VanAsdalan, York
Dispatch Published 8:00 a.m. ET May 19, 2020 | Updated 4:44 p.m. ET May
19, 2020
York County school districts are grappling
with estimated losses of between $1 million and $3 million in local
revenue for the 2020-21 school year. Hannah Barrick, assistant executive
director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, said in
the best-case scenario, districts across the state will collectively see an
$875 million loss in revenue. But that total could reach more than $1
billion — out of the $18 billion in local revenue that districts
receive annually in Pennsylvania, she said during a media call in May. In York
City, the school board is considering increasing taxes to its state-assigned
cap of 4.2% — the first tax increase since 2012 — and making a number of
tough cuts. Those include eliminating 44 positions, freezing salaries for most
employees and eliminating some programs. The York City School District's
preliminary budget is up for approval Wednesday night. Most districts are
expecting the biggest losses in earned income taxes, with additional losses in
interim, transfer and real estate taxes and interest earnings. "The
biggest challenge we are facing this year is the uncertainty of the economic
impact on revenues," West Shore Superintendent Todd Stoltz
said in an email. "When people are unemployed, they are not
contributing earned income tax and may be delinquent on real estate
taxes."
Balancing York City School District budget could mean
losing 44 positions
Shelly Stallsmith, York Daily
Record Published 9:04 a.m. ET May 19, 2020 | Updated 10:42 a.m. ET May 19,
2020
Coming up with a 2020-21 budget has caused
many sleepless nights for Dr. Andrea Berry. Superintendent of the York City
School District for less than a year, Berry is trying to navigate her first
budget amid the coronavirus pandemic that brings its own complications. She
needed to propose a budget with unknown federal and state money because of
COVID-19, and she wanted to do it without once again dipping into the
district’s rainy day fund. Her proposal, introduced last week during the school
board’s committee meeting, calls for the elimination of 44 positions throughout
the district.
The cuts would come in:
- Physical
education, five positions
- Art,
six positions
- Music,
seven positions
- Cornerstone,
10 positions
- Spanish,
four positions
- Aides,
11 positions
- Assistant
principal, one position
“The pill we are putting before you is
certainly a tough one to swallow,” Berry said to the school board during her
proposal. “I’m asking that you accept my recommendations and trust the process.
323 Manheim Township employees are taking a salary freeze
next year. Why are none of them teachers?
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer May 20,
2020
Manheim Township School District expects to
save about $457,000 next year as hundreds of employees give up pay raises to
help recoup losses from the coronavirus pandemic. But, had teachers joined in,
it could’ve saved substantially more. In total, 323 district employees will
take a salary freeze next year. That includes contracted employees – the
superintendent, assistant superintendent and chief operating officer – building
principals and other supervisors, and support staff. Combined with other
cost-saving measures, the district has shed nearly $2.8 million off of a
projected $7.6 million budget deficit. “We’re just kind of looking to close
that gap a little bit more,” district Chief Operating Officer Donna Robbins
said. The district asked its teachers union if its members would also take a
salary freeze, a move that would save the district an additional $1.7 million,
Robbins said. But they didn’t. They rejected the district’s request for a
number of reasons, high school history teacher and Manheim Township Education
Association President Dan Reynolds said. The pandemic’s financial impact, he
said, is still unknown. To impose a salary freeze without knowing how serious
it is would be “premature,” he said. Plus, he said, Manheim Township teachers
took a two-year salary freeze in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years as
districts across Pennsylvania dealt with significant education cuts during
former Governor Tom Corbett’s administration.
Pennsylvania families need a freeze on property taxes
during the coronavirus crisis | Opinion
Penn Live By State Rep.Barb Gleim Posted May
13, 2020
As this pandemic has dragged out, the
governor has called for a shared sacrifice in every manner of our daily lives.
Those impacts are becoming more and more apparent as our economy falters under
the weight of this crisis. Just as we are freezing the very liberty of moving
freely where we live, we should be freezing the economic and financial costs to
our constituents that will eventually allow people to recover. That’s why I
introduced House Bill 2431, which freezes school property tax rates at their
current levels to ensure that homeowners do not experience a tax increase as
our state recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. This legislation imposes one
taxpayer-friendly mandate in an effort to alleviate others. I have heard from
many local board members and administrators regarding how this legislation
would negatively impact their current budgets, and how school districts are
already underfunded. As a former school board member of eight years, I am very
sensitive to the budget impact this legislation may have on our valued schools.
In response to these concerns, I included important cost saving provisions in
my legislation to assist school districts facing difficult decisions. These
provisions included freezing the charter funding formula, allowing school
districts to open their prior year’s budget during the pandemic, and confirming
a school district’s ability to renegotiate contracts such as transportation,
food service, and teachers’ contracts.
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 Posted May 13, 2020
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. 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.
Harrisburg school district to launch new cyber option for
students
The Burg MAY 19, 2020 | by Maddie Conley
Come fall, Harrisburg school district
students will have another way to learn, as district officials have announced a
new, full-time cyber school. On Monday night, district officials unveiled the
Harrisburg Virtual Learning Academy, which is meant to broaden educational
options and offer an alternative to cyber charter schools. “Early on, we asked
our teachers to make calls to get feedback from our families. This was way back
in March,” said Susan Sneath, chief academic officer for the district. “They
were already telling us there was no way they were going to send their children
back to [brick and mortar] school.” Sneath knew the district needed to have
another option for students. Thus, the Harrisburg Virtual Learning Academy (HVLA)
was established. According to the district, the HVLA will be full-time and free
to Harrisburg students. The program offers K-12th grade enrollment, in which
each student is provided a Chromebook. This differs from the district’s
existing Cougar Academy, which is a “blended” cyber program that requires that
students also spend time inside the classroom. In contrast, HVLA is fully
remote. Students will receive recorded instruction from teachers with
additional meetings as needed. While the school is primarily online, there are
face-to-face tutoring options, including English language arts and math.
Special education teachers, English as a second language teachers and reading
specialists will be available to provide support.
Hempfield school district approves preliminary budget
with no tax hike
Reading Eagle by Megan Tomasic - The
Tribune-Review, Greensburg (TNS) May 19, 2020
Hempfield Area School District property
owners will not see a tax hike this year after board officials unanimously
passed a $97.67 million preliminary budget this week. This is the second budget
in a row that has not raised taxes, following five years of gradual increases,
setting taxes at 83.46 mills. In all, the district has $97.67 million in
expenditures and $97.6 million in revenues, with 62% coming from local sources,
37% from the state and 1% from federal sources. About 78% of expenditures come
from salaries, health care benefits, charter school tuition and debt service. More
than $69,550 will be pulled from the fund balance to make up for the deficit. The
district will save more than $700,000 through attrition, a support position
vacancy, a request for leave and by replacing five retiring employees with
others at “more entry level rates,” said district Business Manager Wayne Wismar. Last year, six
positions were reduced to balance the budget. But the coronavirus pandemic has
made it difficult to predict things such as earned income and real estate
property taxes, Wismar said. Board President Tony Bompiani noted that
uncertainty over the number of students who move to charter cyber schools in
the coming years also will impact expenditures and revenue.
Public charter schools will continue do their part amid
virus pandemic
Citizens Voice LETTER TO THE EDITOR by Ana
Meyers PUBLISHED: MAY 20, 2020
ANA MEYERS is Executive Director of the
Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools.
The coronavirus pandemic has shown the need
for all of us to adapt to changes in many aspects of our lives. Education is
one the sectors that has experienced drastic changes. For most schools, the
COVID-19 crisis has required a shift from classroom teaching to online
instruction. Now is the time for parents, educators and state officials to work
together to ensure that our children have the opportunities to learn during
this difficult period. I applaud Pennsylvania Education Secretary Pedro Rivera
and his staff for their efforts to continue education services. It is clear
they are acting in the best interest of Pennsylvania’s children by asking all
schools to assist students with learning opportunities during the mandatory
closure. Pennsylvania public charter schools, both cyber and brick-and-mortar
schools, are doing their part to ensure children receive the instruction they
need. Public cyber charter schools sent a letter to the Department of
Education, offering guidance and assistance to any brick-and-mortar school,
public or private, as it adapted its traditional curriculum to virtual learning
for its students. Public cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania have been
instructing students online for the last 20 years. They have the experience and
tools to teach a large number of students from all backgrounds and economic
statuses. Their knowledge is invaluable for a school struggling with online
instruction.
Big Spring plans to launch drone operator course at its
high school next year
The Sentinel by Joe Cress May 4, 2020
Big Spring School District plans to launch a
drone operator course at its high school next January. School board members
recently approved the purchase of SkyOp curriculum and training resources in
support of the course where students could earn a certificate from the Federal
Aviation Administration to pilot a drone. The course will be offered during the
second semester of the 2020-21 year to one section of 12 to 15 students in
grades 10-12, said Robyn Euker, district director of curriculum and instruction.
Big Spring offers a personalized diploma approach that gives students greater
flexibility to customize what courses they take in high school to prepare for a
career after graduation. As part of that approach, Big Spring encourages
students to obtain industry certifications while they are in high school, Euker
said. She added the new course is also being offered in response to trends that
show future job growth in career fields where drones perform a variety of
functions.
Incomplete review by Pa. teachers’ pension fund finds
$160k in travel spending
PA Capital Star By Stephen Caruso May 18,
2020
Pennsylvania’s teachers retirement fund is
rethinking how it reports travel expenses after an internal review found that
fund business trips had cost pensioners more than $160,000. The review
was initiated by
Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System’s board last March
following the Capital-Star’s reporting on
hidden pension employee travel costs to a five-star hotel in Beverly Hills. The
report, disclosed during a board committee meeting Friday, is still likely
missing thousands of dollars, as it did not include travel costs booked by
PSERS’ investment partners, such as a private equity firm and a hedge fund. “We
really don’t have a sense of what some of our funds or managers or others have
actually spent” on PSERS staff travel, Nathan Mains, executive director of the
Pennsylvania School Board Association and pension board member, asked during
Friday’s meeting. “That is correct,” Jim Grossman, the fund’s chief investment
officer, responded. The costs of that travel are sometimes baked into the
contracts that PSERS signs with investment groups.
Philly school security tries to lessen COVID-19 anxiety
at student scans
KYW by MIKE DENARDO MAY 18,
2020 - 8:38 AM
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) —
Should Philadelphia school students return to their buildings in September,
they may find a more welcoming attitude at the security scan. The School
District of Philadelphia is in the process of revising its policy on use of
metal detectors. All high schools would still have them to prevent weapons from
getting in, but the officers staffing them would be trained to respect the
dignity of students. New signage would clearly outline what items are
prohibited. District safety chief Kevin Bethel told a school board
committee last week that, if students have to undergo possible temperature
checks or wear masks in school, he doesn't want the metal detectors to make
them even more uneasy. "We are changing how we're going to do those scans.
We recognize when those people come into our setting, that we need to treat
them with respect. So saying, 'Hi,' and how they feel when they come in that
first encounter with our officers really can make the day,” he said. Bethel
says one way to show students respect is simply to move the magnetometers
farther away from doors, so students waiting in line won't have to stand
outside in the cold or rain. He says the changes were developed with the input
of student focus groups.
How To Watch Mercury, Venus, And The Moon All Unite In
This Week's Skies
Forbes by Ethan Siegel Senior Contributor May 18, 2020,02:00am EDT
Every once in a while, the night sky provides
a spectacular feast for our eyes. The planets and moons, all moving at
relatively different speeds, constantly change their positions. From May 21
through May 25, Mercury, Venus, and our Moon will all dance together in Earth's
post-sunset skies.
Adopt the 2020 PSBA 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.
Over 230 PA school boards adopt charter reform
resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 230 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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