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.
These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
If any of your colleagues would
like to be added to the email list please have them send their name, title and
affiliation to KeystoneStateEdCoalition@gmail.com
The “Dark Money” Behind PA Reopen Rallies &
Philadelphia School Partnership
PCCY Teen Town Hall:
Race – Let’s Talk About It
Friday, June 12th at 11 am, we invite the
region’s teens to join in a virtual conversation focusing on the most important
issue of our time - RACE. We are inviting adults to join the conversation to
hear what our young people have to say.
Register: http://pccy.org/letstalkaboutit
Pa. House Speaker Mike Turzai expected to resign before
the end of his term, sources say
It's not clear exactly when Turzai will
depart, though he’s expected to outline a timetable Wednesday.
Jan Murphy/PennLive Cynthia
Fernandez/Spotlight PA JUNE 9, 2020 | 8:35 PM
Spotlight
PA is an independent, nonpartisan
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HARRISBURG — The most powerful Republican in
the Pennsylvania House, Mike Turzai, is expected to announce Wednesday he will
resign from his post before the end of his final term, according to multiple
legislative sources with knowledge of his plans. Turzai (R., Allegheny), the
House speaker, announced in January he
would not seek reelection this fall and would instead pursue a job in the
private sector. Sources, who requested anonymity because they were not allowed
to discuss the speaker’s plans, said it’s not clear exactly when Turzai will
depart, though he’s expected to outline a timetable Wednesday. Lawmakers on
Tuesday said Turzai told members his family is coming to the Capitol this week
for an announcement. In a brief interview, Turzai said he wants to have his
family present when he shares some remarks with the House, though he declined
to provide more details.
Blogger note: school districts’ local revenue is estimated to
decline by approximately $1 billion for 2020-21. At the same time, mandated
expenses will continue to increase…..
PASBO MEDIA CALL: PROJECTED 20-21 LOCAL TAX REVENUE
DECLINE MAY 1, 2020
Charter school tuition is estimated by
increase by more than $200 million for 2020-21
Special education costs are estimated to
increase by about $300 million for 2020-21
Blogger note: Students First PAC has spent millions on
candidates who support privatizing public schools.
THE DARK MONEY BEHIND PENNSYLVANIA’S REOPEN RALLIES
Pennsylvania Spotlight JUN 8, 2020
Dark money groups connected to Betsy DeVos
and former Commonwealth Foundation CEO Matt Brouillette are funding legislators
who have thrown themselves at the forefront of the bigoted, far-right,
astroturfed movements that sprang up during the coronavirus pandemic.
Brouillette’s two political action committees – the Commonwealth Leaders Fund
and the Commonwealth Children’s Choice Fund – have donated $313,535 to three
proponents who have made bigoted remarks. No one should be surprised. Just two
months ago, Brouillette went to great lengths mocking workers who couldn’t
access PPEs by posting a selfie of himself wearing a
women’s menstrual pad to his face. A month
after video, he was caught using the Commonwealth Foundation offices as a safe
space for Reopen Pennsylvania organizers and
speakers. He accused Governor Tom Wolf of “juicing” the
state’s coronavirus death toll to make
the fringe protesters look bad. Brouillette launched the Commonwealth Leaders
Fund in late 2017 and had no trouble attracting big money from right-wing
donors. Students First, a Betsy DeVos linked political action
committee, donated $2.75 million within a year.
Then in 2019, Brouillette launched the Commonwealth Children’s Choice Fund, and
received two separate checks from Students First in August and December
totaling $5 million. Campaign finance reporting shows that Brouillette has
frequently moved large sums of money from the Commonwealth Children’s Choice
Fund into the Commonwealth Leaders Fund. Now it’s time to shine a spotlight
where that DeVos funding is going. During this session, the Commonwealth
Children’s Choice Fund and the Commonwealth Leaders Fund donated $25,000 to
Senator Doug Mastriano, $30,000 to Representative Andrew Lewis, and $258,585 to
Representative Cris Dush.
Here’s a vintage Will Bunch Attytood piece on the folks behind
Students First.
Reprise March 2015: It's the libertarianism, stupid
Inquirer Attytood by Will Bunch Posted: March
24, 2015 - 6:43 PM
My long-awaited (not really) newspaper opus
-- on the three multi-millionaires (probably billionaires...after a certain
point, who can count?) from Montgomery Country who plan to invest some of their
fortune in an independent effort to boost state Sen. Anthony Williams in the
mayoral race -- dropped today. In a
matter of days, you'll be seeing a blitz of pro-Williams TV ads funded by these
principals of Bala Cynwyd's Susquehanna International Group, whose political
interests are tied to one issue, and one issue alone: "School
choice," led by the rise of charters as an alternative to traditional
neighborhood schools.
Blogger note: Jeff Yass is also the principal behind the
Students First PAC
The Growing Influence of the Philadelphia
School Partnership
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools by
Diane Payne, Karel Kilmnik, Deborah Grill and Lisa Haver June 2020
In 2015, APPS published research
reports on the Philadelphia School Partnership in which we looked at
board members, donors and political supporters. In the past five years, PSP’s
influence has grown along with the organization’s programs. The School District
of Philadelphia has accepted millions more in grants, along with the mandates
and ideological directions that come with those funds.
White Suburbanites Make Funding Decisions
about City’s Schools
When examining PSP’s outsized influence over
District policies and practices, including targeted funding of certain schools,
we begin with the handful of people making those decisions as PSP board
members. PSP has insinuated itself into the District’s operations in a number
of ways, including family communication and engagement, teacher recruitment, and training of
educators and school administrators. PSP’s Board makes decisions
about public schools in meetings that are closed to the public. Thus, the
voices of public school families and the larger community are diminished.
Until recently, PSP had eight board members, all of whom are white,
six of whom live outside the city: Chair Michael G. O’Neill, Bill Marx, William
McNabb III, Evie W. McNiff, Megan Maguire Nicoletti, Benjamin Persofsky, Kevin
Shafer, and Janine Yass. In April 2020, PSP added two members: Colin
Kelton, who is white and resides outside of the city, has worked in
finance for 30 years at Vanguard. Sean Vereen, an African-American man who
resides in the city, has some education background through Stepping Stone,
Inc. Neither Vereen nor Kelton have any experience in classroom teaching.
PSP’s Board now consists of ten members, nine white and one
African-American; seven of whom reside outside of the city. In 2018,
Mayor Kenney appointed Vereen to the Nominating Panel convened for the purpose
of selecting Board of Education members.
Blogger note: Here is the Commonwealth Foundation’s take on
cyber charters….
Kevin Mooney: Cyber charter schools well equipped to
continue educational services during COVID-19
Broad & Liberty Blog by Kevin Mooney JUNE
8, 2020
While most of American students have been
adjusting to virtual classes, for Pennsylvania Cyber Charter Schools, not much
has changed
Unlike most public schools, the Pennsylvania
Cyber Charter School has experienced a mostly seamless transition during the
COVID-19 crisis. That’s because the cyber school, which is headquartered
in Midland, can offer many of the same online education services it offered
before Gov. Tom Wolf ordered public schools to close their buildings beginning
in Mid-March. If anything, Pa Cyber has upped its game in response to the
health threats associated with the coronavirus proving that technology can find
a way, Brian Hayden, the school’s CEO, explained in an interview. The
benefits and advantages of cyber learning have become more evident when Gov. Tom
Wolf announced on
April 9 that schools would remain closed for the duration of the 2019-2020
school year in response to COVID-19. In his public remarks, Wolf also said that
despite the closures “teaching and learning may continue” and that “schools are
strongly encouraged to provide continuity of education for all students in the
most appropriate and accessible ways possible.”
I don’t have quite the same level of confidence in the cyber charter
sector. Here’s a link to a prior collection of related articles….
Reprise - PA Ed Policy Roundup Special Edition Dec 3,
2016:
Cyber Charters: The Crack Cocaine of #SchoolChoice? What
would persuade state lawmakers to bring greater accountability to the nation’s
troubled cyber charter sector?
“The world of charter supporters has long been an alliance
between those who see charters as a tool for equity and social justice, and
those who want to unleash free market forces in place of "government
schools." Meyers' tea party past offers a hint about which group she comes
from.”
Curmuducation Blog by Peter Greene Tuesday,
June 9, 2020
Ana Luiza Lannes Meyers is known to folks who
follow the charter school debates in Pennsylvania as a vocal charter advocate
as the executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public [sic] Charter
Schools. But as of yesterday, she is out of a job, one more casualty of
emotional blowback from the current Black Lives Matter demonstrations. Meyers
has previously worked as "Director of Legislative Affairs" for LeadingAge
PA (an advocacy group for aging
services providers) as well as PA Field Director for Libertarian advocacy group, FreedomWorks. Before
that she co-chaired the Kitchen Table Patriots, a Tea
Party group in southeastern PA, and before that sales and marketing for the
likes of Nickelodeon and American Airlines. Her degrees are in business. In
short, she has virtually no background or expertise in education, but does have
a long-standing experience in arguing that government services should be
privatized. This is not new for PCPCS-- their previous chief's experience was as PR
head for Westinghouse. Meyers held the job since March of 2017.
In their virtual classrooms, students and teachers
grapple with recent events
“We’ve never held these conversations in
class before,” said a Masterman student.
The notebook by Neena Hagen June 9 — 8:33 pm,
2020
Dozens of cities in the United States erupted
last week as protesters reacted to the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed
black man who died in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck for
nearly nine minutes. Those initial protests, which included some looting and
destruction of property, evolved into largely peaceful and diverse protests
against systemic and institutional racism that spread not only to cities and
small towns in every state, but also around the world. Teachers across
Philadelphia have now brought the conversation to their virtual classrooms.
Many have allowed students to express their feelings and debate about the
protests and rioting. Others have tried to turn the occasion into a learning
opportunity, contextualizing recent events within other historical movements. The Notebook spoke
to several teachers and students about the discussions they’re having in the
wake of the George Floyd killing and subsequent protests. Here’s what they had
to say:
‘Our lack of closure is our closure’: High school
valedictorians share mixed emotions
WHYY by Peter
Crimmins June 10, 2020
Tony Xu is the valedictorian picked from
1,028 graduating seniors at North Penn High School in Lansdale, Montgomery
County. “I’m a bit nervous,” he said behind the bleachers at the school
stadium, dressed in his cap and gown, waiting to pre-record his graduation
speech. Only a handful of people were present — the principal, his parents, a
few administrators — but Xu knew his speech will be part of a virtual ceremony
on Thursday. “As the social media generation, you know how it is to put
something out there for all to see,” he said. Xu will attend Cornell University
in the fall with the intention to study chemical engineering. As valedictorian,
his job is to speak to his peers in a way that, he hopes, will represent them. The
class of 2020 has endured an unprecedented disruption to
the end of their high school careers. An online
graduation ceremony may leave many feeling unsatisfied, but Xu leaned into the
ambiguity of it all. “For us, in a way, our lack of closure is our closure.
Loss illuminates our feelings and makes us realize what was most important,” he
recited in his soft voice from the podium, facing a video camera. “As we look
out, the world may seem chaotic as even our uncertainty is politicized, but we
have the tools to be the citizens of our unknown future.”
Caps in the air: Philly graduates 13,000 high school
students in virtual ceremony
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham and Maddie Hanna, Updated: June
9, 2020- 5:33 PM
They squeaked by, and they graduated with
highest honors. They are heading to Ivy League institutions, they are entering
the work world, and they are the first members of their families to earn high
school diplomas. Roughly 13,000 strong, they are Philadelphia’s high school
graduating Class of 2020, students from traditional public schools, charters,
and alternative programs. The public school system feted them with a virtual
ceremony Tuesday unlike any had imagined — watched from the privacy of their
homes, without classmates or the ability to cross a stage to collect a diploma,
featuring prerecorded speeches, student performances, and cameos from the likes
of Jill Scott and Black Thought.
Area school district superintendents discuss guidelines
for reopening schools
NorthCentralPA by Carrie Pauling June 9,
2020
Williamsport -- Although school summer
vacations technically just began, school administrators and school boards will
be hard at work throughout the summer months to determine how in-class learning
might resume this fall. The Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce and
UPMC partnered to host a virtual public forum today, at which Matt Stem, Deputy
Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education for the PA Department of
Education, had the opportunity to address area school superintendents'
questions about the guidelines surrounding opening schools for summer and fall
instruction. Stem explained some of the difficulties of establishing a set of
guidelines that could apply to school systems across the state. There are 1.7
million students in 500 different school districts across Pa., Stem said.
Additionally, 135,000 charter school students and more than 67,000 students in
career and technical schools add to the diverse mix of learning environments. "It's
critically important to recognize the diversity and to account for the
demographic differences," said Stem, when outlining guidelines for the
development of Health and Safety Plans.
Washington Township can secede from Dover Area School
District, Pa. appeals court rules
Dylan Segelbaum, York Daily
Record Published 4:21 p.m. ET June 9, 2020 | Updated 4:53 p.m. ET June 9,
2020
The change affects about 250 students and is
set to go into effect in the 2021-22 school year.
Washington Township can secede from the Dover
Area School District and join the Northern York County School District, a
Pennsylvania appeals court has ruled, marking what could be the end of a
years-long legal battle. In a 38-page opinion dated on June 4, Commonwealth
Court Judge P. Kevin Brobson wrote for the panel of
three judges that the Pennsylvania State Board of Education incorrectly
interpreted standards and should have approved the transfer. The change
affects about 250 students and is set to go into effect in the 2021-22 school
year. “The good people of Washington Township have prevailed in a grassroots
educational movement for our long-term future needs,” said Ralph McGregor,
president of the Washington Township Education Coalition, in a statement.
“Finally, hardworking people can invest in a school district that reinvests
back to the Washington Township community.” McGregor said in an interview that
it was refreshing how the court ruled on the appeal. He noted that 1,406 of
1,929 taxpayers — or about 73% — signed a petition for the transfer. The
switch, he said, was about current and future students.
New Estimate to Reopen Schools After Coronavirus: $116.5
Billion
A projection by the American Federation of
Teachers estimated that America’s K-12 schools will need an average of $1.2
million each to reopen from coronavirus-related closures.
By Lauren Camera, Senior
Education Writer June 9, 2020, at 10:52 p.m.
A SOBERING NEW ESTIMATE for how much it
will cost schools to reopen in the fall – both safely and with the proper
academic and emotional supports in place for the 55 million children whose
schools were shuttered as the coronavirus spread across the U.S. – puts the
total financial burden at $116.5 billion. "This is a five-alarm
fire," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of
Teachers, the 1.7-million member teachers union that calculated the estimate. "Since
late April we have been exploring ways to safely reopen school buildings in the
fall," she said. "Our children need it, and our families deserve it.
Our educators want it, and the economy won't recover without it. But if schools
can't get the money they need to safely reopen, then they won't reopen,
period." According to AFT's analysis, the average school will need an
additional $1.2 million, or $2,300 per student, to open its doors. The cost
estimate is the second to surface this week, coming just hours before the
Senate Health, Education, Pensions and Labor Committee is scheduled to hold a
hearing Wednesday morning about what it will take to safely reopen the
country's K-12 schools. Earlier this week, AASA, the School Superintendents
Association, and the Association of School Business Officials International,
said that in order to adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention's safety recommendations for reopening, school districts will be
forced to spend nearly $2 million per district that
they hadn't budgeted for – a cost so prohibitive that some are now scrapping
plans for in-person classes entirely this fall.
26,000 containers of wipes, to start: What schools needs
to fight coronavirus this fall
Washington Post By Perry Stein June
9, 2020 at 1:05 p.m. EDT
School leaders across the nation are
preparing to reopen campuses in the fall. And they’re quickly learning that,
when it comes to necessary supplies, it isn’t going to be easy — or cheap.
Schools will need gallons of soap, thousands
of containers of disinfectant wipes, hundreds of thermometers and masks for
students and staffers. On top of that, there are the costly crews that will
need to routinely come into school buildings for intensive cleans. KIPP DC, the
District’s largest charter network, serving 7,000 students across seven
campuses, provided The Washington Post with a list of its first bulk order of
cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment, including 26,352
containers of disinfectant wipes and 188 gallons of soap. The supplies are
expected to last the charter network only three months, according to Dane
Anderson, KIPP DC’s chief operating officer. Here is KIPP DC’s order of three
months’ worth of cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment for about
7,000 students and their teachers:
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 245 PA school boards adopt charter reform
resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 245 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.
Know Your Facts on Funding and Charter Performance. Then
Call for Charter Change!
PSBA Charter Change Website:
The Network for Public Education Action Conference has
been rescheduled to April 24-25, 2021 at the Philadelphia Doubletree Hotel
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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