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
House Bills Concerning Rural Broadband Expansion Pass
State House
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
House Bills Concerning Rural Broadband Expansion Pass
State House
Indiana, PA WCCS AM1160 & 101.1FM June
11, 2020 08:58 am
One of the issues that became a touch point
in the Coronavirus crisis is the lack of broadband internet access to many
rural areas as students were not able to utilize online education from some
school districts. The PA House on Wednesday passed two bills aimed at
expanding broadband internet to rural areas of the state. House Bill 2384 would create the Unserved
High-Speed Broadband Funding Program. The program would be funded with
the repeal of the Mobile Telecommunications Broadband Investment Tax
Credit. The credit is limited to $5 million a year, and is available to
mobile telecommunication providers to invest in broadband equipment in
Pennsylvania. Additional state and federal money can be used for grant
awards as well. The money would go into a competitive grant program to
promote investment in areas that have a great need for broadband internet
service. The other bill is House Bill 2438, which would allow electric
cooperatives to use their existing infrastructure to deploy fiber lines for
broadband while protecting property owners. It would also allow other
providers to develop broadband infrastructure. Both bills passed the house
unanimously, including a yes vote for Jim Struzzi, who was a co-sponsor for
both of these bills. He said that the expansion of rural broadband would
benefit more than families.
Wolf Administration Outlines Impacts of Ending Disaster
Declaration
Governor Wolf’s Website June 10, 2020 PRESS RELEASE,
Legislature Cannot End Disaster Declaration
Unilaterally
Disaster Declaration is Separate from Secretary of Health Business Guideline Orders
Disaster Declaration is Separate from Secretary of Health Business Guideline Orders
Today, the Wolf Administration outlined the
potential impact of ending the March 6 disaster declaration while clarifying
that the legislature cannot end it unilaterally. The disaster declaration aids
in speeding up the state’s response to the pandemic and provides protections
for businesses, workers and residents. Importantly, ending the disaster
declaration would not end any orders issued by the Secretary of Health that set
guidelines for business operations. Last night, the General Assembly voted to
end the disaster declaration with many members claiming their actions ended the
business guideline orders. That is not true. Not only does any concurrent
resolution need to come to the Governor for approval or disapproval, but the
disaster declaration is separate from the orders signed by Secretary of Health
Dr. Rachel Levine under the Disease Prevention Act that include provisions for
business reopening and for worker and building safety. Those orders remain in
place. The legislature did nothing to end those. Rather, the legislature chose
to attempt to end the disaster declaration – a measure that would ostensibly
end protections passed for businesses, workers, and residents.
If the declaration were to end, these
protections would go away:
- Burdensome
eligibility requirements for more than a million Unemployment Compensation
claimants would immediately go back into effect, and employers across the
commonwealth would no longer receive relief from charges.
- Certification
requirements under the public-school code and child protective services
law would end.
- A
school meal eligibility waiver, which has allowed more than 300 meal sites
to open for distribution of food to school-age children in need, would
end.
- Telehealth
and other health care services provided by out-of-state providers for
Pennsylvanians would end.
- Utility
assistance for thousands of families and individuals would end, leaving
people without water or electricity.
- Hospitals
and alternative care sites would no longer be able to add capacity or
repurpose facilities (i.e., beds) without having to abide by the 60-day
notice requirement.
- License
renewal and training requirement suspensions for health care
professionals, child care workers, direct care workers, direct support
professionals, among other professional groups who provide life sustaining
services to our children, seniors, and vulnerable residents would end,
meaning all of these workers would need to choose between not returning to
work until those credentials could be renewed or trainings completed and
the option of returning to work with the understanding that they are
practicing out of compliance with Pennsylvania law and regulation, very
well opening themselves up to personal liability.
- PennDOT
waivers for commercial motor vehicle weight limitations and permitting
requirements for the transport and delivery of agricultural feed, food,
and dairy products, fuel, pharmaceuticals, and medical supplies to assist
in supply chain challenges would end and motor carriers would be
restricted in their ability to directly assist in supporting emergency
relief efforts necessary to respond to the pandemic.
- Mortgage
foreclosure and eviction moratoriums that offer protection to vulnerable
Pennsylvanians at risk of losing their homes during the pandemic would
end.
Guest Column: To reopen our schools safely, Pa. needs
Congress’ help
Delco Times By Rich Askey Times Guest
Columnist June 10, 2020
Rich Askey is a Harrisburg music teacher and
president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.
In the months since COVID-19 closed our
schools, educators, parents, and students did a tremendous job transitioning
from classrooms to kitchens and living rooms across Pennsylvania. Teachers
continued teaching, and students continued learning — at a distance. This is
far from the perfect way to educate our students. It’s not easy to teach in this
environment, and the challenges so many parents have had juggling work, home,
and kids during this crisis were truly without precedent. We need to get our
kids back in school. Educators and administrators are already planning for what
that will look like. We still have a lot of work to do, but one thing is clear:
Our schools will need federal help to reopen safely. That is why the
Pennsylvania State Education Association is joining educators, parents, and
community leaders to urge Congress to invest $175 billion in our
nation’s schools, colleges, and universities. This investment will provide
Pennsylvania with enough funding to close the revenue shortfalls K-12 schools
and higher education are facing and reopen safely. Lawmakers in Harrisburg came
together early on in this pandemic to take decisive steps to clarify
state-level education policies. Their bipartisan efforts were commendable, but
our state and local officials can only do so much.
Pension travel policy reforms meet pushback from teachers
PA Capital Star By Stephen Caruso June 11,
2020
Teachers sitting on the Pennsylvania’s
educator pension board voiced their concerns Thursday with a reform proposed by
the state’s Democratic treasurer and a Republican lawmaker. The brief, polite
disagreement over how to reform the transparency and approval travel costs at
the Public School Employees Retirement System comes in response to undisclosed
trip expenses at the fund, first revealed by the
Capital-Star in December. Some board members, such as Democratic state
Treasurer Joe Torsella, a Democrat, have been vocal opponents of the board’s
status quo and have said the costs show a need for reform. During a board
meeting Thursday, Torsella offered a policy change that would, among other
things, require the pension fund to pay for all travel expenses incurred by
board members and staffers. “People who do business with the system and have a
vested interest in our money shouldn’t be paying for travel,” Torsella said
during the meeting. And at the very least, Torsella added, the board and public
should be aware of any such expenses.
Movement for police-free schools reaches Philadelphia
Advocates say there should be less security
and more support personnel in schools, as Kevin Bethel works to revamp and retrain
officers.
The notebook by Dale
Mezzacappa June 11 — 6:35 pm, 2020
In the wake of George Floyd’s killing and
subsequent law enforcement clashes with protesters, the move for “police-free
schools” is gaining support around the country. And now the Philadelphia
Student Union (PSU) is circulating a petition on Change.org asking for the
School District to remove all police and school resource officers from
schools and replace them with community members trained in de-escalation and
other skills that support restorative justice. PSU is also calling for an end
to the District’s legal agreement with the Philadelphia Police Department that
details under what circumstances city police can be called into schools. The
petition went up late last week, and by Thursday afternoon, more than 9,300 people had signed it.
It states, in part: “We believe that black lives matter. We believe it’s time
this country addressed the role of police in maintaining white supremacy and
control in communities.” The petition is clearly having an effect. Board of
Education member Angela McIver, one of two board members who voted last year
against making metal detectors mandatory at all District high schools, praised
PSU at a Thursday joint committee meeting.
'A working parent’s nightmare’: Reaction to an East Penn
fall reopening proposal
THE MORNING CALL | JUN 11,
2020 | 7:00 PM
Many readers were dismayed by one plan
proposed by the East Penn School District that would have students going to
school on different days of the week in the fall. “This is completely
ridiculous. People have to work. What are they supposed to do with their kids
the four days a week they’re not in school?” one reader said. Others worried
about the impact on students’ education. “Besides being insane, how are kids
going to get the education they deserve with one day a week learning?” one
asked. The goal would be to limit the number of students in the building at any
time. Students not in the building would be remote learning. Read the full
story here. Some of
the best reader comments:
Quakertown Community School Board adopts budget without
tax hike
WFMZ by Jeff Ward Jun 11, 2020 Updated 1 hr
ago
QUAKERTOWN, Pa. - The Quakertown Community
School District will not face a tax increase for the 2020-21 year. The school
board voted unanimously to adopt a $119 million budget. Little changed from a
preliminary vote in May. The millage rate will remain at 168.83 for the
district. The district faces a deficit of $5.2 million, Chief Operating Officer
Zach Schoch said, but the administration will try to reduce that over the year.
He also said that the district is monitoring how the coronavirus pandemic will
affect revenue. School buildings closed in March and education went online in a
bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Superintendent
William Harner went over planning for the school year starting Aug. 31,
presenting options including a return to physical classes; a hybrid approach
that could mix virtual school with traditional classes; and continued online
schooling. No final plans were set.
Allentown School Board discusses charter schools and
redistricting
WFMZ by Stephen Althouse Jun 11,
2020 Updated 1 hr ago
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Allentown School
District Board of Directors discussed the futures of two charter schools during
their committee meetings Thursday night. In the first case, directors approved
renewing Roberto Clemente Charter School for a period of five years ending on
June 30, 2025. As part of the agreement, ASD agreed to engage "in serious
negotiations concerning enrollment caps related to future academic school years
based on the district's financial status." Roberto Clemente's 2020
graduating class featured 37 students, according to Jose Molina, chief
executive officer of Roberto Clemente. The second issue involved a request from
the Executive Education Academy Charter School, which sought a 50-student
increase for its 2020-21 school year. EEA instructs 1,330 students from 14
school districts. A total 910 of those are from ASD. This month, 80 students
are graduating. Although ASD officials said that they appreciated "the
collaborative conversation and process developed with EEACS," the
administration of Superintendent Thomas Parker will not support increasing the
cap for next school year.
North Hills School District to form diversity task force
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE by SANDY TROZZO JUN
11, 2020 11:14 AM
The North Hills School District will form a
diversity task force and review all its policies, including on the use of
force, in light of recent social justice protests. School board President
Allison Mathis read a statement on behalf of the board and Superintendent
Patrick Mannarino at the beginning of the board’s June 4 virtual meeting. “Over
the past week, our nation and community have been grappling with the tragic
death of George Floyd and other similar incidents of racism. There is a lot of
pain, anxiety, hurt and fear. The path forward requires open and honest
conversations,” he said. The district also will publish a list of anti-racism
references and resources for families; identify achievement gaps and work on
closing them; partner with community groups, families and leaders that
represent the racial, ethnic and cultural diversity of the district; and work
on attracting minority teachers and administrators, according to the statement.
City expands summer meal distributions for Pittsburgh
schoolchildren, seniors
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE Got a news
tip? 412-263-1601 localnews@post-gazette.com JUN 11,
2020 12:03 PM
With Pittsburgh’s public schools shutting
down for summer break on Friday, the city said it’s expanding its meal services
starting Monday. “Grab and Go” breakfast and lunch will be distributed to
children through Aug. 31 at the Ammon, Arlington, Jefferson, Magee, Paulson and
Warrington recreation centers as well as at Moore Park and in Schenley Park at
Anderson playground. All distributions are from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday at pick-up windows at each location. Senior citizens will also
be able to get summer meals at three additional senior centers: in Beechview
(1555 Broadway Ave.), Greenfield (745 Greenfield Ave.) and the West End (80
Wabash St.). They bring the total to six available locations, city officials
said. Pickups are available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays.
Students in this W.Pa. school district are leading the
call for reform after years of unchecked racist incidents
By Brian Conway Special to the Capital-Star June 11,
2020
Brian Conway is a reporter for the Pittsburgh
Current, where this story first appeared.
PITTSBURGH — On
June 3, independent of their school district, members of the Thomas Jefferson
High School multicultural student union, and the mother of the group’s
president, led a peaceful demonstration in the parking lot of the Southland
shopping center. It was both a vigil for George Floyd, the Black man who died
in police custody in Minneapolis, and a stand against a history of racism in
their community, more specifically in their school district. Last month, a
12-second Snapchat video surfaced, showing two area middle school students
mocking Floyd’s death. One white boy pins another down, his knee on his neck. “Please
sir, stop it, I cannot breathe, please sir, I am going to die.” Others laugh in
the background. The June 3 protest Intended for a crowd of 30 swelled to 300.
They displayed signs with messages like, “Black Lives Matter” “Pop the TJ
Bubble,” and “End Police Brutality,” in solidarity with the student leaders
urging peace, unity, and reform. Most wore masks to protect against the
COVID-19 pandemic. “In a small community like this, you wouldn’t expect as many
people to show up, ‘cause when we go through situations at school, people don’t
stick up for us. And it’s nice to see that we have a lot of support here
today,” said Adia Smith, an incoming senior at Thomas Jefferson High School and
member of the school’s multicultural student union.
Downingtown passes $230 million budget with no increase
in taxes
West Chester Daily Local by MediaNews Group
June 11, 2020
DOWNINGTOWN—This week, the Downingtown Area
School District Board of School Directors approved the 2020-21 school district
budget, and for the eighth year running, the budget has been approved with no
school property tax increases. The unanimous vote approving the $230.8 million
budget shows a 1.99 percent increase in expenses over last year’s budget.
Understanding that the full financial effects of COVID-19 are not yet known,
the district was conservative, committing to an operating budget of $226.6M
with $4.2M set aside in a contingency fund. The Board of School Directors has
the option to approve use of contingency funds based upon need and the strength
of the economy. “As a district, we are committed to being fiscally responsible
to our taxpayers," said Superintendent Emilie Lonardi. "Thanks
to the careful planning of our Board of School Directors and team of
administrators, we are fortunate to be able to avoid a tax increase for the
eighth year in a row.” The Downingtown Area School District is the largest
School District in Chester County and seventh largest in Pennsylvania. DASD is
the only district in Pennsylvania to earn the highest rating of AAA from both
Moody’s and S&P rating agencies for the district’s superior financial
health, and the district has earned the Meritorious Budget Award from the
Association of School Business Officials fifteen years in a row for excellence
in budget presentation.
PA Cyber graduates nearly 1,300 students during virtual
ceremonies
Wellsboro Gazette By Pennsylvania Cyber
Charter School Jun 11, 2020
MIDLAND, Pa., June 11,
2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School
CEO Brian Hayden today announced that 1,237 graduates in the Class of
2020 were honored during two virtual commencement exercises. More than 250
students participated in the ceremony held for Western
Pennsylvania graduates on Saturday, June 6, 2020 and almost 250
students from Central and Eastern Pennsylvania participated
in the Wednesday, June 10, 2020 event. Typically, the school hosts
on-site graduation ceremonies, but the COVID-19 pandemic precluded that
opportunity. "Across America, the Class of 2020 will share a unique
distinction of attending their last year of high school in a historic
time," Brian Hayden, PA Cyber CEO, said when he informed students of the
virtual ceremonies. "Not having a graduation ceremony in no way diminishes
your achievement. It demonstrates the grace, maturity, and optimism that make
you a PA Cyber graduate."
OJR school board president resigns over Facebook post
Pottstown Mercury By Evan Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com
@PottstownNews on Twitter June 11, 2020
Karel Minor, the president of the Owen J.
Roberts School Board, has announced his immediate resignation on Facebook in
the wake of reaction to a racially charged joke he made there. His announcement
was posted late Wednesday. In it,
Minor posted "a screenshot image of a Facebook comment from my personal
page was shared widely. Although the comment was stripped of its context as
part of a discussion with a friend about white privilege, my disgust for police
brutality, and was intended to mean exactly the opposite of the words used, out
of context the statement is horrific. Although my initial response was to offer
an unqualified apology, I understand that this is wholly inadequate," he
wrote. "I stand firmly behind the goals of Black Lives Matter and out of
respect for that movement and a sincere desire to see the objectives of racial
equity and justice be furthered in our nation and our local community I submit
my resignation as Owen J. Roberts School Director effective immediately,"
the post read. There are no other posts on his Facebook page dedicated to his
position on the school board, where his resignation was posted. A previous post
had offered an apology and a proposed set of steps Minor would take to try to
repair the damage.
How 133 Epidemiologists Are Deciding When to Send Their
Children to School
“This is the dreaded question,” say experts
struggling to weigh virus risks and uncertainty against family well-being.
New York Times By Claire Cain Miller and Margot Sanger-Katz June 12, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET
For many parents, the most pressing question
as the nation emerges from pandemic lockdown is when they can send their
children to school, camp or child care. We asked more than 500 epidemiologists and infectious
disease specialists when they expect to restart 20 activities of daily life,
assuming that the coronavirus pandemic and the public health response to it
unfold as they expect. On sending children to school, camp or child care, 70
percent said they would do so either right now, later this summer
or in the fall — much sooner than most said they would resume other activities
that involved big groups of people gathering indoors. Others, though, said they
would wait for a vaccine, which could take a year or more. Some expanded on
their thoughts. They said they were assessing regional data, like the rate of
infection transmission in their area, and the safety measures schools are
taking. They’re also considering their own situations, like their family’s
health risks, their work demands and their children’s academic, social and
emotional lives. Several said school was so important — both for their own
careers and for their children’s development — that they were willing to take a
risk that they would not for something less valuable.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/upshot/epidemiologists-decisions-children-school-coronavirus.html
Millions Of Taxpayer Dollars Are Going To Schools That
Push Conversion Therapy
A HuffPost investigation has found schools in
voucher programs that list “counseling” as discipline for LGBTQ students. The counseling,
a form of conversion therapy, can be seriously harmful.
HuffPost By Rebecca Klein June 10, 2020
NEW YORK ― Megan Mishkin was drawing a
still-life in art class when she heard her name called over the loudspeaker.
She packed up her belongings and headed to the main office, where the school
secretary was waiting for her. “Everything is going to be OK, sweetie,” the
secretary told the 16-year-old high school sophomore when she walked in. Mishkin,
a student at Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the
time, tried to remain calm and brace for bad news. The secretary directed her
to a room where school leaders waited. The group made about five excruciating
minutes of small talk before staff members got down to business. They
suggested Mishkin was broken and in need of fixing. They hoped anti-gay
counseling could be the solution. Calvary Christian Academy is one
of at least nine private schools that participate in voucher or tax credit
programs and appear to push LGBTQ students to attend a form of conversion
therapy, HuffPost has discovered. A 2017 HuffPost investigation found that
at least 14% of religious schools in voucher programs advertised anti-gay
policies or barred LGBTQ students and staff from admission and employment. Now
HuffPost has found that some of these schools go so far as to push a medically
discredited and often harmful treatment on their students in an attempt to
change their sexual orientation.
There Trump goes again bashing 'bad government schools’
Washington Post By Valerie Strauss June
12, 2020 at 3:08 a.m. EDT
President Trump was in Texas on Thursday,
where he was part of a discussion about race and policing, and used the
opportunity to take new shots at public schools. At Gateway Church in Dallas,
Trump met with law enforcement officials, pastors and business owners and
talked about his four-point plan to “build safety and opportunity and dignity”
for communities of color. He did not discuss why the police chief, sheriff and
district attorney of Dallas — all of whom are African Americans, were not
invited to the event focused on injustice and policing. Trump bashed public
schools, calling them “bad government schools” in which African Americans get
“trapped” — although Surgeon General Jerome Adams said at the same event that
it was important for schools to reopen safely as soon as possible. Trump
himself has said repeatedly schools should open after being closed for months
during the covid-19 pandemic.
Here are the four points that Trump spoke
about on Thursday:
- pursue
“economic development in minority communities"
- confront
“healthcare disparities, including addressing chronic conditions and
investing substantial sums in minority-serving medical institutions"
- “encourage
police departments nationwide to meet the most current professional
standards for the use of force, including tactics for de-escalation”
And the fourth, not surprisingly, was urging
Congress to “enact school choice,” which in Trump’s lexicon means his proposal
to spend up to $5 billion on tax credits for individuals and groups who donate
to help children attend private and religious schools.
Testing Resistance & Reform News: June 3 - 9, 2020
FairTest Submitted by fairtest on June 9,
2020 - 12:04pm
More tests are being suspended, and there's
growing pressure to extend the policies into the 2021-2022 school
year. It's time to start pressuring your local and state officials
to make sure standardized exams are not added to the burdens students, teachers
and educational administrators must face if and when classrooms reopen.
Diane Ravitch in Conversation with Julian Vasquez Heilig
Wednesday, June 17, 2020 • 7:30
PM – 9:00 PM• Eastern Daylight Time
The Network for Public Education invites you
to join us for a video conference with NPE President Diane Ravitch. Diane's
guest this week will be NPE Board Member and University of Kentucky College of
Education Dean, Julian Vasquez Heilig. Join Diane and Julian as they discuss a
new vision for a community based reform agenda.
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 250 PA school boards adopt charter reform
resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 250 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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