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, 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
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In New Guidance for Schools, CDC Warns Against Universal
Symptom Screenings
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Benton Area SD
|
$198,873.30
|
|
Berwick Area SD
|
$744,807.11
|
|
Bloomsburg Area SD
|
$547,562.02
|
|
Central Columbia SD
|
$592,379.86
|
|
Danville Area SD
|
$347,918.45
|
|
Hazleton Area SD
|
$2,841,667.30
|
|
Line Mountain SD
|
$763,720.83
|
|
Midd-West SD
|
$1,215,756.67
|
|
Millville Area SD
|
$48,458.00
|
|
Milton Area SD
|
$443,097.37
|
|
Mount Carmel Area SD
|
$950,014.12
|
|
North Schuylkill SD
|
$755,140.34
|
|
Northwest Area SD
|
$799,610.00
|
|
Selinsgrove Area SD
|
$908,902.10
|
|
Shamokin Area SD
|
$1,952,524.15
|
|
Shikellamy SD
|
$1,349,253.77
|
|
Southern Columbia Area SD
|
$243,391.24
|
|
Warrior Run SD
|
$392,730.17
|
|
|
$15,095,806.80
|
Data Source: PDE via PSBA
Why are cyber charter tuition rates the same as brick and mortar
tuition?
Why are PA taxpayers paying twice what it costs to provide a
cyber education?
In New Guidance for Schools, CDC Warns Against Universal
Symptom Screenings
Education Week By Evie Blad on July
23, 2020 8:33 PM
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention does not recommend K-12 schools screen all students for symptoms of the
coronavirus, the agency said in a stack of new
guidance on a range of precautions it posted on its website Thursday evening. That
guidance comes well after many states and districts had already developed
policies to ask students about symptoms like cough and fatigue before they
board a school bus or enter a school building. And it seems to contradict previous guidance from
the agency that recommended schools conduct daily health checks if feasible,
checking for fevers or symptoms of the virus. "The number of reported children
with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection who experience
symptoms, the types of symptoms they experience, and the severity of those
symptoms differs from adults," the CDC says in its new recommendations.
"Additionally, the consequences of excluding students from essential
educational and developmental experiences differ from excluding individuals
from other settings." Citing new understanding of the virus, the guidance
cautions that screenings won't catch asymptomatic cases of COVID-19, and that
they may flag other illnesses, like the common cold. The guidance also includes
recommendations about isolation and quarantine for students who are symptomatic
or may have been exposed. It calls on schools to follow existing policies on
illness students to return 24 hours after they are fever-free without the aid
of medication if they are merely showing symptoms of the virus without a
confirmed case. That may contradict some state guidelines that call for
isolating students for up to 14 days to limit the risk of spread.
Pennsylvania school openings hinge on case counts, Levine
warns
Trib Live ASSOCIATED PRESS | Thursday,
July 23, 2020 1:10 p.m.
HARRISBURG — Every region of Pennsylvania has
seen an increase in the rate of positive coronavirus cases and failing to stop
that could jeopardize the reopening of schools for the fall semester, the
state’s top health official said Thursday. In addition, Health Secretary Rachel
Levine said the majority of counties have seen increases in the number of new
cases. “It’s critical to drive down the case counts now in terms of the rise of
new cases in order to prepare for schools to reopen,” Levine said during a news
conference Thursday. “If we don’t do that now, that would put that in jeopardy.”
In response to the rise in new cases, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration last week
imposed a new round of restrictions targeting bars, restaurants, nightclubs and
indoor gatherings to slow the virus’ spread. In July, Pennsylvania’s 14-day
rate of new cases per 100,000 residents has risen by more than 50%, from below
60 to 90. The seven-day positivity rate — based on the Health Department’s
daily public disclosures of the number of people who are newly confirmed to be
positive and the number of people who tested negative — has gradually increased
in July, from about 4.5% to 5.8%. Deaths have declined in July, although
hospitalizations are on the rise across the state, according to state data.
'I don't know' if schools should reopen in the fall, Pa.
education secretary tells Lancaster NAACP panelists
Lancaster Onlline by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer July 24,
2020
If you would have asked Pennsylvania
Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera a month ago whether schools would reopen in
the fall, he would have given you a confident thumbs up. Now, with COVID-19
deaths exceeding 7,000 in the state, the answer is a little more complicated. "Today
the answer is, based on the numbers, I don't know," Rivera said Thursday
during a webinar hosted by the Lancaster NAACP. During an hourlong discussion
with educators from Lancaster and Philadelphia, Rivera said that the state is
“planning for the best” but “preparing for the worst” as schools discuss
reopening plans amid a pandemic that has recently picked up steam in parts of
the country. The panelists discussed the coronavirus pandemic, its effects on
Black and Hispanic students and how schools can reopen safely as part of the
Lancaster NAACP's "Walking While Black" webinar series. “The real
issue is that we have to understand, first and foremost, is that … the novel
coronavirus is a pandemic. There is no vaccine. There is no cure,” Rivera said.
“There is no strategy to mitigate the transmission of this disease that doesn’t
include face masks and does not include social distancing, and the only way to
protect ourselves is to employ those strategies.” Doing so, he said, can be
difficult, especially in crowded city schools with a disproportionate amount of
minority students who are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19, he said.
Philly Board of Education punts on reopening plan after
backlash during marathon meeting
Hite asks for delay after listening to more
than 100 speakers, most of whom blasted the District's "hybrid"
proposal, under which most students would attend two days a week.
The notebook by Avi
Wolfman-Arent July 24 — 1:13 am, 2020
Barraged by six hours of non-stop criticism
from parents, principals, and teachers, Philadelphia’s school board delayed
voting on a plan that called for students to attend some in-person classes this
fall after Superintendent William Hite asked for more time to reconsider his
recommendations. The board’s Thursday decision — or lack thereof — throws the
School District of Philadelphia’s reopening plan into chaos, just over a month
before school is slated to begin. The board voted 6-2 after midnight to recess
this meeting and reconvene in one week to vote on a new reopening approach. Thursday
was the first open vetting of the school district’s “hybrid” education plan, which
calls for most students to attend classes in-person two days a week and learn
online the remaining three days. In a marathon school board meeting that
started at 4 p.m. and stretched into early Friday morning, public speakers
overwhelmingly rejected the district’s plan. Almost everyone who testified —
many of them district employees or parents — called for district schools to
begin the year fully online. It was, in short, an historic meeting on the path
to an historic school year — one whose eventual shape grew only murkier after
hours of public comment.
Philly District leaders face united opposition
In an unprecedented evening, staff and
parents savage Hite plan
The notebook by Bill
Hangley Jr. July 24 — 1:12 am, 2020
Thursday’s Board of Education meeting
featured an unprecedented outpouring of public opposition to the School
District of Philadelphia’s reopening plan. “If we were playing a drinking game
where we drank every time someone endorsed the SDP plan, we would all be
sober,” tweeted the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools about halfway
through the evening. The evening featured a total of 153 registered speakers –
the largest group by far in recent memory. Testimony began at about 6 p.m. and
lasted until just before midnight. The diverse group of staff, parents and
advocates was almost entirely unified in its opposition to Superintendent
William Hite’s plan. Testimony included a remarkable showing from dozens of
school administrators, mostly principals. This is a group that as a rule keeps
a low profile, but Thursday left no doubt as to its staunch opposition to
Hite’s plan. “Even Trump has finally admitted that the situation will get worse
before it gets better,” said Kiana Thompson, principal of the Academy at
Palumbo High School. “In Philadelphia we cannot dine in restaurants, but
we’re expecting students to dine in cafeterias with windows that don’t open?”
After an outcry, Philly’s schools reopening plan is put
on hold
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Updated: July
24, 2020- 12:55 AM
If the Philadelphia School District reopens
classrooms to most children two days a week in September, it will do so over
the objections of many of its principals, teachers, parents, and students. In
no uncertain terms Thursday night, more than 100 members of the public blasted
the plan developed by Superintendent William R. Hite Jr., saying it would
neither keep children and staff safe nor offer a robust educational experience.
“We should not have to teach students to death,” Robin Cooper, president of the
district’s principals union, told the school board in a dramatic virtual
meeting held on Zoom. Cooper led dozens of school leaders in an unprecedented move,
publicly coming out against a central-administration position. “Our members are
terrified. And so am I,” said Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia
Federation of Teachers, who said buildings have “perilous issues” around
ventilation and who took the district to task for “absurd” provisions for masks
and shields for staff. The eight-plus hour meeting, which began at 4 p.m. and
stretched into early Friday morning, was supposed to have resulted in the board
voting Hite’s plan up or down. But after hours of hearing from more than 100
people who spoke again Hite’s plan, the superintendent asked for another week
to retool. Once those changes are announced, the board will reconvene July 30
to consider a revised health and safety plan to be filed with the Pennsylvania
Department of Education.
2,000 Philly students have already opted for online-only
learning and some schools could lose resources
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Posted: July
23, 2020- 12:36 PM
Even as the Philadelphia School District
makes plans to re-open
classrooms to most children two days a week, it is
anticipating that thousands will choose a fully virtual option to
minimize coronavirus risk. In
just one day Wednesday, the families of 2,000 students indicated they want to
continue remote instruction when school begins Sept. 2. Eventually, officials
said Thursday, they expect 20% of students will opt into the “Digital Academy.”
Schools with high concentrations of children in online instruction will see
losses in resources, with teaching and support staff needed for the cohort of
fully virtual learners, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said. That comes as
more than 100 people are expected to speak out at a
Thursday evening school board meeting, many of whom are planning to voice concerns about
the district’s ability to bring students and staff back to school safely. Among
those expected to speak is a bloc of district principals. Hite said Thursday
morning that the district of 125,000 students was moving forward with plans to
re-open buildings to most students, an endeavor officials estimate will cost up
to $80 million. Other districts have said they will start the year virtually.
Allentown, most recently, made that call.
York City school board punts Lincoln Charter deal
Lindsay C VanAsdalan York
Dispatch July 23, 2020
The York City School District board did not
take up a highly anticipated vote Wednesday night because
negotiations were still ongoing between the public district and Lincoln Charter
School, an official with the city's district said. The city's school
board had been scheduled to vote on Lincoln's proposed five-year
renewal, which has caused controversy because it includes the charter's plan to
expand its offerings into middle school grade levels. "At this time, there is no final
agreement regarding Lincoln Charter Schools renewal to vote on," said
district spokesperson ShaiQuana Mitchell in an email, when reached Thursday. Mitchell
said the district would continue to work with Lincoln toward an
agreement and said a date for another vote has not been set at this
time. Lincoln's most recent charter expired June 30. The charter school is
permitted to continue operations up until the district either approves or
denies the renewal, officials have said.
Music programs take another hit in York City schools
Lindsay C VanAsdalan York
Dispatch July 24, 2020
York City School District officials on Monday
informed its music department that it would be eliminating its K-8 band,
orchestra and chorus, along with the middle school marching band in an effort
to minimize the spread of COVID-19. The suspensions would be
temporary, said district spoksesperson ShaiQuana Mitchell,
and would be in addition to full-scale cuts made earlier to the music
department in an effort to slash spending. "Out of an abundance of caution
for the safety and welfare of the students and staff, the music stipend
positions have been temporarily placed on hold," she said in an email
Thursday. The decision came in response to recent COVID-19 state and health
guidance, she said. A statewide school reopening task force report, with
input from a number of school associations, recommends limiting classes
that involve singing or woodwind instruments, for example. The act of
singing or blowing through an instrument could spread the virus, researchers
have said. Still, the cuts raised the ire of the program's supporters,
with many residents and staff speaking at Wednesday's school board meeting
on how students would be affected.
Pottsgrove rolls out two-pronged reopening plan
Pottstown Mercury by Evan Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com
@PottstownNews on Twitter July 24, 2020
LOWER POTTSGROVE — More than 700 parents
got a run-through of Pottsgrove School District's two-pronged reopening plan in
a well-paced online presentation Wednesday that lasted for more than two hours.
The 55-page plan gives parents two choices for the coming school year. Either
their children can stay home and be taught on what district officials said is a
vastly improved virtual online program, or they can send them to school two
days a week as part of the district's "hybrid program." Under the
55-page plan rolled out by district officials, and available online, students
would come to school either Monday and Tuesday, or Thursday and Friday, with
Wednesday being an online day for all students. By dividing the students into
two rotating groups, the population in the buildings will be much smaller and
make it easier for the district to follow social distancing guidelines, said
Superintendent William Shirk. "As looked at our physical plant, we
realized we could not follow the social distancing guidelines with everyone in
school. So we returned to the hybrid program," said Shirk.
Warren County School District readies its Virtual Academy
Times Observer by BRIAN FERRY Staff Reporter bferry@timesobserver.com
JUL 24, 2020
When the school year starts and families have
to make decisions about what to do, there are options. Brick-and-mortar in-person schools and online
cyber schools are the two basic arrangements. Inside the cyber school option
are many more choices. Naturally, Warren County School District would like
students in its attendance area to attend the district’s schools — whether they
be brick-and-mortar buildings or the Virtual Academy. Warren County School
District has passed a plan calling for a full reopening to staff and students.
District officials know that not all families will want to send their children
to schools in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The district has also beefed up the Virtual
Academy — its in-house cyber school — to be ready to meet much higher demand.
Virtual Academy classes are backed by Warren County School District teachers. “Our
Virtual Academy has evolved over the years,” Superintendent Amy
Stewart said. “We’re going to be adding more live lessons. We’re using
our teachers. I have great confidence that we can do every bit and more because
we have connections with the families and the kids to keep them on track.” There
are other choices. Students could attend a different cyber school — a cyber
charter school. There are many available. Warren County School District clearly
does not want to see its students take that route. The district loses funding
for each district student that attends a charter or cyber charter school other
than the Virtual Academy.
“On July 16, the Department of Education issued updated guidance
— calling for distancing student desks/seating and other social distancing
practices that allows at least six feet of separation among students and staff
throughout the day to the maximum extent feasible. PSEA members have led students
through fire drills, practiced weather emergency drills, and have navigated the
terrible necessity of active shooter drills. This pandemic is not a drill — we
are in the middle of the storm. Over 15,000 citizens in Bucks and Montgomery
counties have been diagnosed with the virus. The Bucks County Department of
Health and Bucks County Schools must maintain the same social distancing
safeguards for our students and staff as every other county in Pennsylvania. With
our understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on children is evolving, weakening
widely accepted precautions and guidelines will only cause greater confusion.
We know it will be a challenge asking our youngest learners to wear a mask in
school. A distance of six feet would be a helpful precaution to ensure the
safety of all our students.”
Guest Opinion: David Damsker’s remarks about 3-foot
social distancing in schools are harmful
Bucks County Courier Times By Bill Senavaitis
Posted at 5:30 AM
Bill Senavaitis is PSEA Mideastern Region President.
It’s counterproductive to our region’s
efforts to slow the spread of this virus to have social distancing in our Bucks
County schools set at three feet and those in neighboring Montgomery County set
at six feet.
More than 15,000 members of the Pennsylvania
State Education Association in Bucks and Montgomery counties are collectively
working to ensure that our 203,000 public school students receive a top-notch
education. We take issue with the current recommendation of the Bucks County
Department of Health stating that a safe reopening of our schools can occur
with a distance of only three feet between individuals in school buildings. Since
the beginning of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
the American Red Cross, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health have urged
all citizens to maintain social distancing of at least six feet between
individuals who are not members of the same household. These habits have now
become a part of our daily routine and for good reason: they help stem the
spread of a disease that has killed more than 7,000 Pennsylvanians. It was
surprising, then, to see Dr. David Damsker, Director of the Bucks County
Department of Health, issue guidance to school administrators that defies
national and state officials and public health experts across the spectrum. He
has said that a distance of only three feet is sufficient between
individuals in school buildings. The county has continued to issue guidance
that further erodes precautions for adults in our school buildings as well,
including parents, faculty, and staff.
Abington Heights discusses plans for return to school
Abington Heights School District moving
toward virtual start
Scranton Times Tribune BY ROBERT TOMKAVAGE STAFF WRITER Jul 23, 2020
The Abington Heights School Board is leaning
toward all students returning to school virtually in the fall, but a final
decision has not been made. During a meeting Thursday that included more than
four hours of discussion, a majority of board members supported having students
starting their schooling from home. Administrators laid out a virtual learning
option for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, where they would be
part of a virtual homeroom and be assigned an Abington Heights teacher. They would
use Accelerate Education’s virtual learning platform and also receive a
physical workbook and materials to support instruction and independent
practice. Students in grades six through 12 would virtually maintain a full
course load and have regular contact with their teachers. The instruction would
follow the regular school district curriculum by using Google Classroom. Despite
the growing possibility of beginning the year with online learning, Abington
Heights Superintendent Michael Mahon, Ph.D., recognized the importance of
classroom instruction and getting students back in the buildings. “Opening
schools has to be a priority of ours,” he said.
Allentown School District to reopen schools virtually
with hope of in-person classes later in fall
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO THE MORNING
CALL | JUL 24, 2020 AT 12:33 AM
The Allentown School District’s 17,000
students will start the school year virtually because of the coronavirus
pandemic, a move that comforts parents worried about the virus but concerns
those with children who need extra academic help. Thursday night, the school
board unanimously approved the district’s plan for virtual learning. Allentown,
the region’s largest district, is the only Lehigh Valley district so far to say
it will reopen schools virtually. The first day of school will be Sept. 8. The
district hopes it can have in-person classes by November. Superintendent Thomas
Parker said it wasn’t an easy decision to recommend virtual learning, but he
felt as if there were too many unknowns to allow students and teachers back in
the classroom. “The reality behind Covid is that it is taking lives,” he said.
“We make these decisions with a heavy heart.” When the district surveyed
parents this month, 60% said they were not comfortable sending their children
back to school. Before the board voted Thursday, a number of parents spoke
about the plan during two hours of public comment, with some supporting virtual
learning and others worrying their children will fall behind academically.
Pittsburgh schools could start the year entirely online
Special to the Capital-Star By Mary
Niederberger July 23, 2020
PITTSBURGH — Online
learning may be the way all Pittsburgh students attend school for at least the
first nine weeks of the new school year. The Pittsburgh school board will vote
on Aug. 4 on a resolution presented
Wednesday by school director Kevin Carter that calls for the district to delay
its plan to offer a hybrid in-class option for instruction for families that
wanted their children to return to school buildings. Carter’s resolution came
during a meeting during which the board heard the details of the
administration’s safety plan for bringing students back to school. The plan
included many of the same measures already publicly discussed — masking, social
distancing, plexiglass shields and one student per bus seat. Students would
attend in two separate groups on alternate days to keep classes small. District
officials — along with a group of more than 300 community volunteers and
experts — have been working on two options for the fall, allowing parents to
choose whether they wanted the hybrid option or enrolling in an online program
taught by district teachers. District spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said Wednesday
that more than 4,000 families so far had indicated they wanted online learning
for their children.
Pittsburgh Public Schools considering 9-week delay for
classroom learning
Trib Live by TEGHAN SIMONTON | Thursday,
July 23, 2020 7:02 p.m.
The Pittsburgh Public School Board is
considering whether to delay in-person instruction for the first nine weeks of
the school year. Board member Kevin Carter, of District 8, introduced a
resolution at the board’s legislative meeting Wednesday to postpone all
in-class instruction for the first nine weeks of school and directing all
students to begin the year remotely. The resolution will be voted on Aug. 4
following a public hearing next week regarding the board’s health and safety
plan for reopening school buildings. Carter’s proposed resolution suggests
modifications to the district’s existing hybrid plan, which was also shared
during Wednesday’s meeting. The resolution suggests a contingency plan for
special education students, students of parents who are essential workers and
others not able to support their child’s remote learning; as well as ensuring
every student has access to a district-provided device for remote learning.
Pittsburgh Public releases its health and safety plan, a
board member pushes to start the school year with everyone remote
Public Source by TyLisa
C. Johnson | July 23, 2020
At last, details of the health and safety plan for Pittsburgh Public
Schools were released Wednesday at the start of the school board’s
July legislative meeting. It was also proposed by a board member that staff and
students begin the first nine weeks of the school year in full-time e-learning.
The release of the 59-page health and safety plan comes two days after a public
hearing, where multiple speakers voiced worries to the
board about the return to school in the fall. Pam Capretta, district
chief operations officer, presented key aspects from the plan regarding
cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, monitoring, social distancing and other
health and safety protocols. More than 770 viewers were tuned into the
livestream. The school board’s vote on the plan was postponed until Aug. 4, in
order to first hold a special hearing for the board to hear public comment. The
public hearing will be livestreamed 5 p.m. July 29. Testimony for the hearing
must be submitted to the board by July 28.
Report: PA Charters Game The Special Education System.
Forbes by Peter Greene Senior Contributor Jul 2, 2020,03:42pm EDT
Turns out school choice isn't for everybody.
In a new report, Education
Voters of Pennsylvania looks at “how an outdated law wastes
public money, encourages gaming the system, and limits school choice.” Fixing the Flaws looks at how
Pennsylvania’s two separate funding systems have made students with special
needs a tool for charter gaming of the system, even as some of them are shut
out of the system entirely. The two-headed system looks like this. Public
schools receive special education funding based on the actual costs of
services, while charter schools are funded with a one-size-fits-all system that
pays the same amount for all students with special needs, no matter what those
special needs might be. Pennsylvania’s Special Education Funding Formula
recognizes three levels of cost. Tier 1 is minimal interventions (eg a student
who needs one speech therapy session per week). Tier 2 students need larger
interventions, such as a separate classroom or physical therapy. Tier 3 students
may require interventions such as a full-time nurse or even out-placement at a
special school (for which the sending district is still financially liable).
CDC: Screening K-12 Students for Symptoms of COVID-19:
Limitations and Considerations
CDC Guidelines Updated July 23, 2020
This document provides guidance to K-12
schools on COVID-19 symptom screening as part of a school reopening process.
The guidance detailed here is intended only for students in K-12 school
settings. The number of reported children with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that
causes COVID-19) infection who experience symptoms, the types of symptoms they
experience, and the severity of those symptoms differs from adults.
Additionally, the consequences of excluding students from essential educational
and developmental experiences differ from excluding individuals from other
settings. Therefore, the considerations described here are different than those
for other settings and populations. For guidance related to screening of
teachers and staff, please refer to CDC’s Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers
Responding to Coronavirus Disease 2019 and
the “Prevent Transmission Among Employees” section of CDC’s Resuming Business
Toolkitpdf icon. We learn more about COVID-19 every day, and
as more information becomes available, CDC will continue to update and share
information. As our knowledge and understanding of COVID-19 evolves, this
guidance may change. However, based on the best available evidence at
this time:
- CDC
does not currently recommend universal symptom screenings (screening all
students grades K-12) be conducted by schools.
- Parents
or caregivers should be strongly encouraged to monitor their children for
signs of infectious illness every day.
- Students
who are sick should not attend school in-person.
COVID-19 is a newly identified disease caused
by the virus, SARS-CoV-2. Scientists are still learning about how it spreads,
how it impacts children, and what role children may play in its spread. Limited
data about COVID-19 in children suggest
that children are less likely to get COVID-19 than adults, and if they do
contract COVID-19, they generally have less serious illness than adults. While
uncommon, deaths and rare illness such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in
children (MIS-C) may still occur.
Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf signs bill allowing school districts to
extend property tax deadline for taxpayers
By Jordan Wolman | For PennLive.com Updated
Jul 23, 2020; Posted Jul 23, 2020
Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday signed into law
legislation that gives school districts the option to extend property tax
filing deadlines in the coming school year. The legislation, which
passed the state House and Senate by unanimous votes,
gives school boards the ability to extend the 2 percent discount period and
waive a 10 percent late penalty for taxpayers. The discount and removal of the
late penalty would be extended through June 30, 2021. The law, however, doesn’t
mandate that school districts ultimately vote to extend the property tax
deadline. Sen. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster County, who sponsored the bill, said
it gives school districts the authority to help struggling taxpayers due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Baseline heart screening education for parents, student
athletes now the law in Pa.
By Jordan Wolman | For PennLive.com Updated
Jul 23, 2020; Posted Jul 23, 2020
Seven years after 19-year-old and
Mechanicsburg area native Peyton Walker tragically lost her life due to a
sudden cardiac arrest, a new law enacted on Thursday gives Pennsylvania
student-athletes and their families more information about the number one
killer of student athletes in this country. The bill, which
passed unanimously by the House and Senate, has been fiercely advocated
for by Peyton’s mother Julie. She founded
the Peyton Walker Foundation after her daughter’s death. Peyton Walker was a
sophomore at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre pursuing a career as a physician’s
assistant at the time. “Over the past few years, I’ve met too many moms and
dads who lost their children without warning to sudden cardiac
arrest. Most of their children died from detectable heart conditions that
were never diagnosed. Sadly, a simple [electrocardiogram] could have
found many of these heart conditions,” said Julie Walker.
White House, Senate GOP Weigh Draft K-12 Aid Deal as
Democrats Defend Strategy
Education Week By Andrew Ujifusa on July
23, 2020 11:26 AM
Congress is still far from reaching agreement
on a new coronavirus aid package. But key elements of a draft deal being
discussed between GOP lawmakers and the White House have emerged. And Democrats
are pushing back on the sentiment that Republicans have outflanked them and are
seeking to provide more relief for K-12 in proposals lawmakers have floated so
far. According to a summary of the draft circulating on Capitol Hill, the
package being considered would provide $105 billion to education, with $70
billion going to K-12 schools. Of that amount, $30 billion would be distributed
to states for K-12 in general. Another $30 billion would be reserved only for
schools that hold in-person classes, and would be contingent on districts
having a reopening plan. Another key detail, according to the
summary, is that of the $30 billion generally available for K-12 for
states, the federal government must distribute the money to states within 15
days of enactment, and states must send it to districts within a subsequent 15
days.
This relatively speedy timeline for getting
federal money out to schools is set against the backdrop of the start of the
new school year, with many districts set to reopen in some form in early or
mid-August. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos
have publicly pressured schools to hold face-to-face classes in the upcoming
school year, but many educators have decried this demand, which has become a
crucial piece of negotiations over a new aid package. The remaining $10
billion for K-12 would go to private schools in some form, according to the
summary. Remember that some private schools received
previous emergency federal aid intended
to help small businesses stay afload during the pandemic. And there would
be $15 billion for child care.
Trump trains his eyes on education as he hunts path to
victory
Washington Post By Laura Meckler, Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey July 23,
2020 at 6:00 a.m. EDT
President Trump sees two school issues as key
to reelection, and after paying almost no attention to education for most of
his presidency, he’s pushing both in negotiations over the next pandemic relief
bill. The president’s first priority is getting schools to reopen this fall,
which he sees as central to economic recovery and getting parents back to work.
Trump regularly tells advisers that he believes it is “totally safe” for
children to return to school, a senior White House official said. He is also
newly focused on school choice policies, which let families use tax dollars for
private school tuition. Aides see both as political winners with suburban women
and, in the case of school choice, black voters, too. On reopening, the White
House pressure and pleas are being ignored by school districts across the
country. Even
in Trump-supporting counties, officials have continued to announce
plans for remote education into the fall. Education decisions like this have
long been under local control. Now the White House is pushing Congress to tie
tens of billions of dollars in new federal aid to whether schools restart
in-person education, even as cases of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel
coronavirus, climb. Trump
also wants 10 percent of new K-12 spending set aside for
private schools, including tax credits that would support private tuition
scholarships, a form of vouchers. Senate Republicans are proposing $70 billion
for K-12 schools as part of the larger pandemic relief package, and Sen. Roy
Blunt (R-Mo.) said half of that would be reserved for schools that are “going
back to a traditional school setting” as opposed to only distance learning. He
said that’s because operating in person creates new expenses.
As Trump calls for schools to fully reopen, his son's
school says it will not
Post Gazette By PETER BAKER The New York
Times JUL 23, 2020 9:31 PM
WASHINGTON — The school attended by President
Donald Trump’s youngest son will not fully reopen in September out of concern
over the coronavirus pandemic, despite the president’s insistence that students
across the country be brought back to classrooms in the fall. St. Andrew’s
Episcopal School, a private school in Washington’s Maryland suburbs, said in a
letter to parents that it was still deciding whether to adopt a hybrid model
for the fall that would allow limited in-person education or to resume holding
all classes completely online, as was done in the spring. The school will
decide early next month which option to follow. “We are hopeful that public
health conditions will support our implementation of the hybrid model in the
fall,” said the letter from head of school Robert Kosasky and assistant head
David Brow. “As we prepare to make a decision the week of Aug. 10 about how to
best begin the school year,” they added, “we will continue to follow guidance
of appropriate health officials and refine both our hybrid and distance
learning plans.”
How to See Comet NEOWISE
NASA Website July 14, 2020
Observers in the Northern Hemisphere are
hoping to catch a glimpse of Comet NEOWISE as it zips through the inner solar
system before it speeds away into the depths of space. Discovered on March 27,
2020 by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE)
mission, Comet NEOWISE is putting on a dazzling display for skywatchers before
it disappears, not to be seen again for another 6,800 years. or those
hoping to catch a glimpse of Comet NEOWISE before it’s gone, there are several
observing opportunities over the coming days when it will become increasingly
visible shortly after sunset in the northwest sky. If you’re looking at the sky
without the help of observation tools, Comet NEOWISE will likely look like a
fuzzy star with a bit of a tail, so using binoculars or a small telescope is
recommended to get the best views of this object. For those hoping to see
Comet Neowise for themselves, here’s what to do:
- Find
a spot away from city lights with an unobstructed view of the sky
- Just
after sunset, look below the Big Dipper in the northwest sky
- If
you have them, bring binoculars or a small telescope to get the best views
of this dazzling display
Each night, the comet will continue rising
increasingly higher above the northwestern horizon as illustrated in the below
graphic:
Blogger commentary:
Parents considering cyber charters due to COVID might not be
aware of their consistent track record of academic underperformance. As those
parents face an expected blitz of advertising by cybers, in order for them to
make a more informed decision, you might consider providing them with some of
the info listed below:
A June 2 paper from the highly respected
Brookings Institution stated, “We find the impact of attending a virtual
charter on student achievement is uniformly and profoundly negative,” and then
went on to say that “there is no evidence that virtual charter students improve
in subsequent years.”
In 2016, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers,
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, and the national charter lobbying
group 50CAN released a report on cyber charters that found that overall, cyber
students make no significant gains in math and less than half the gains in
reading compared with their peers in traditional public schools.
A Stanford University CREDO
Study in 2015 found that cyber students on average lost 72 days a year
in reading and 180 days a year in math compared with students in traditional
public schools.
From 2005 through 2012 under the federal No Child Left
Behind Act, most Pennsylvania cybers never made “adequate yearly progress.”
Following NCLB, for all five years (2013-2017) that Pennsylvania’s School
Performance Profile system was in place, not one cyber charter ever achieved a
passing score of 70.
Under Pennsylvania’s current accountability system, the Future Ready PA Index, all 15 cyber charters that operated
2018-2019 have been identified for some level of support and improvement.
Cybers charters are paid at the same tuition rates as brick
& mortar charter schools, even though they have none of the expenses
associated with operating school buildings. It has been estimated that cyber
charters are paid approximately twice what it costs them to provide an online
education. Those excess funds are then not available to serve all of the
students who remain in the sending school districts.
PSBA: Adopt the resolution against racial inequity.
School boards are asked to adopt this
resolution supporting the development of an anti-racist climate. Once adopted,
share your resolution with your local community and submit a copy to PSBA.
Learn more:
The 2021 PA Superintendent of the Year nominations are
now open.
Those
seeking to nominate must first register on the American Association of School
Administrators (AASA) Superintendent of the Year website. For more information,
visit: https://t.co/2omWRnyHSv
Interested in becoming an Advocacy Ambassador? PSBA is seeking
ambassadors to fill anticipated vacancies for Sections 1, 2 and 6.
PSBA Advocacy Ambassador program brings legislators to
you
POSTED ON JULY 1, 2020 IN PSBA
NEWS
PSBA’s Advocacy Ambassador program is a
key resource helping public school leaders connect with their state legislators
on important education issues. Our six ambassadors build strong
relationships with the school leaders and legislators in their areas to support
advocacy efforts at the local level. They also encourage legislators to visit
school districts and create opportunities for you to have positive
conversations and tell your stories about your schools and students. PSBA
thanks those school districts that have worked with their advocacy ambassador
and invites those who have not to reach out to their ambassador to talk about
the ways they can support your advocacy efforts. Interested in becoming an
Advocacy Ambassador? PSBA is seeking ambassadors to fill anticipated vacancies
for Sections 1, 2 and 6. For more information contact jamie.zuvich@psba.org.
PSBA Fall Virtual Advocacy Day: OCT 8, 2020 • 8:00
AM - 5:00 PM
Sign up now for PSBA’s Virtual Advocacy Day
this fall!
All public school leaders are invited to join
us for our fall Virtual Advocacy Day on Thursday, October 8, 2020, via Zoom. We
need all of you to help strengthen our advocacy impact. The day will center
around contacting legislators to discuss critical issues affecting public
education. Registrants will receive the meeting invitation with a link to our
fall Virtual Advocacy Day website that contains talking points, a link to
locate contact information for your legislator and additional information to
help you have a successful day.
Cost: As a membership benefit, there is no
cost to register.
Registration: School directors can register
online now by logging in to myPSBA. If you
have questions about Virtual Advocacy Day, or need additional information,
contact Jamie.Zuvich@psba.org.
Apply Now for EPLC's 2020-2021 PA Education Policy
Fellowship Program!
Applications are available now for the 2020-2021 Education
Policy Fellowship Program.
The Education Policy Fellowship Program is
sponsored in Pennsylvania by The Education Policy and Leadership Center
(EPLC). The 2020-2021 Program will be conducted in briefer, more
frequent, and mostly online sessions, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The content
will be substantially the same as the traditional Fellowship Program, with some
changes necessitated by the new format and a desire to reduce costs to sponsors
in these uncertain fiscal times.
The commitment of EPLC remains the same. The
Fellowship Program will continue to be Pennsylvania's premier education policy
leadership program for education, community, policy and advocacy leaders! The
Fellowship Program begins with two 3-hour virtual sessions on September 17-18,
and the Program ends with a graduation event in June 2021.
The application may be
copied from the EPLC web site, but it must be submitted by mail or scanned and
e-mailed, with the necessary signatures of applicant and sponsor.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of
the Fellowship Program and its requirements, please contact EPLC Executive
Director Ron Cowell at 412-298-4796 or COWELL@EPLC.ORG
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.
280 PA school boards have adopted charter reform
resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as 280 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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