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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Superintendents and school board members are being asked
to make public health decisions for which they have no training or expertise
Taxpayers in Senate Majority
Appropriations Chair Pat Brown’s school districts paid over $12.5 million in
2018-2019 cyber charter tuition. Statewide, PA
taxpayers paid over $600 million for cyber charter tuition in 2018-2019.
|
Allentown City SD
|
$6,062,793.00
|
|
East Penn SD
|
$1,565,172.19
|
|
Northern Lehigh SD
|
$893,459.01
|
|
Northwestern Lehigh SD
|
$672,439.48
|
|
Parkland SD
|
$1,685,588.35
|
|
Salisbury Township SD
|
$404,100.49
|
|
Southern Lehigh SD
|
$1,250,091.73
|
|
|
$12,533,644.25
|
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?
PPP Funding: PA charter schools cash in up to $85
million. Find the list here:
The Small Business Administration provided
the list of PPP funding; dollar amounts listed are the reported range. Recipients
received an amount between the Low and HI amounts listed.
Charter cheerleaders take up to $14.8 million in funds
for small businesses.
Charter Support Organizations That Received
PPP Loans
Network for Public Education July 24, 2020
The Small Business Administration provided
the list of PPP funding; dollar amounts listed are the reported range.
Recipients received an amount between the Low and HI amounts listed.
Millions of paycheck protection dollars went to
Pennsylvania lobbyists
WITF by Katie Meyer/WHYY JULY 28, 2020
| 4:56 AM
Major Pennsylvania lobbying and political
firms have swept up millions of dollars in federal paycheck protection loans
during the coronavirus pandemic — despite the fact that those loans explicitly
bar money from going to organizations primarily engaged in lobbying. The
recipients who do lobbying say it’s all above board, since they mostly earn
their money from other types of business. Data newly released this month by the
U.S. Treasury and Small Business Administration shows that in Pennsylvania,
more than 26,000 small businesses and organizations have received $150,000 or
more since April. Recipients range from restaurants to medical offices to the
Pittsburgh Symphony. They also include 19 entities registered to lobby
Pennsylvania politicians and shape state policy. IS THIS LEGAL? Pennsylvania was far from the only place that
saw lobbying groups rake in PPP money. These businesses and organizations were
likely permitted to receive federal aid because, although many of them are
known mainly for their lobbying activities, they reported that it accounts for
less than half of their revenue. An SBA rule prevents
any business that gets “over 50% of its gross annual revenue from political or
lobbying activities” from getting federal dollars through the administration. The
federal government doesn’t make PPP loans directly — it guarantees them after
the borrower applies for the loan through their bank. A spokeswoman for the SBA
noted that means the loans are approved based on the borrower making a “good
faith certification” to their lender that they’re eligible and in need.
What happened to a half million worth of taxpayer
dollars? Easton charter school auditor suspects fraud
By Rudy
Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com Updated
7:44 AM; July 27, 2020
A fraud auditor has flagged a tax document
indicating Easton Arts Academy paid $570,000 for internet services it never
received. The audit submitted July 2 by Fraud Forensic Investigations of
Allentown blames a “non-working” school board for allowing administrators to
spend without their permission, urges the school to hire qualified financial
staff, urges the school to put procedures in place to prevent fraud and urges
school officials to initiate a criminal investigation, particularly over the
$570,000 expense. “The board of trustees cannot ignore this serious matter and
must act on this issue. This certified fraud examiner strongly encourages the
school to contact its solicitor as well as federal law enforcement,” auditor
Francis “Skip” Bedics says in his final report. You can read the full
audit online or
scroll to the end of this story. The school CEO, solicitor and board president
didn’t return email messages or a voicemail seeking comment for this story. According
to the audit, a 1099-MISC form from 2018 indicates the school paid independent
contractor PenTeleData $570,472.19
for internet and communication services. PenTeleData, however, said it received
only $19,376.19 in payment that year, according to the audit.
Pennsylvania school leaders to state: We need more help
AP News By MICHAEL RUBINKAM and MARK SCOLFORO
yesterday
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s
existing reopening guidance for
schools is too vague, and superintendents and school boards need more specifics
from the state Department of Health about how to do it safely, a superintendents
group said Monday following a call with Wolf administration officials. The
superintendents asked for more concrete recommendations from the administration
of Gov. Tom Wolf as they make decisions on how, and whether, to welcome
students back to the classroom this fall, including what to do if a teacher or
student tests positive for the coronavirus. “No tools have been given to school
districts. Guidelines are best practices and suggestions and ideas. They are
not specific recommendations,” said Mark DiRocco, executive director of the
Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. Many school boards across
the state plan to vote on their reopening plans in the next week or two, and
public meetings held to discuss the details have shown the public to be deeply
divided on how to proceed. DiRocco said superintendents and school board
members are being asked to make public health decisions for which they have no
training or expertise.
PA Schools Setting In-Person Teaching Rules As Pandemic
Spreads
By MARK SCOLFORO | ASSOCIATED PRESS • JUL
24, 2020
The many Pennsylvania school districts that
have not settled on how and when they will restart instruction this fall will
be making decisions in the coming weeks, and the pandemic plans that have been
produced so far are all over the map. That's by design, the state education
secretary said Friday, as he encouraged districts to customize state-issued
guidelines for their particular conditions. “We know that schools and school
districts are interpreting that in different ways, because this is guidance,”
Secretary Pedro Rivera said in a phone interview. “But I want to be really
clear, when we look at best practice, when we look at this through the public
health perspective, face coverings, 6 feet or greater social distancing is what
we know to be the best practice in mitigating the transmission of this
disease.” School districts must have a board-approved plan posted online before
they can resume in-person instruction for the
first time since Rivera and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf shuttered schools for the
year in March. “They are holding these meetings as we speak,” Annette Stevenson
with the Pennsylvania School Boards Association said Friday. “ Some have voted,
some have already publicly announced it. And there's many meetings going on in
the next two weeks.”
What we know about kids and COVID-19 as Philly region
grapples with back-to-school plans
WHYY By Zoë
Read July 28,
2020
As the Philadelphia region grapples with how
and whether to send children back to school in the fall, health and education
officials are implementing safety measures in an effort to prevent the spread
of COVID-19. While there are fewer confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and
fewer hospitalizations among kids than adults, there’s still some risk for
school age children. A study from
South Korea found that kids between ages 10 and 19 can spread COVID-19 just as
much as adults. Children under 10 transmit the virus less frequently, but
there’s still a slight risk. Some doctors are concerned the study
indicates the potential for an increase in COVID-19 cases among children. “It
is a limited study, but I’m not surprised by the data out there because of the
transmission of the disease we’re seeing now. It’s just reassuring we need to
address the risk to the entire population — not just a certain age group,” said
Delaware Division of Public Health Chief Physician Dr. Rick Hong, adding that
health officials are still more concerned about the effects of the virus on the
older population. During a press conference Thursday, Philadelphia Health
Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said the South Korea study is “worrisome, but
any study has limits.” Meanwhile, some pediatricians in the Philadelphia
region predict teens may even be more likely to spread the virus than adults,
because the way they socialize is often more physical.
Schools Face Shortage Of Nurses As Districts Consider
Reopening
Heard on All Things Considered July 25,
20205:16 PM ET
LISTEN·5:045-Minute
ListenAdd toPLAYLIST
NPR's Michel Martin talks with National
Association of School Nurses Executive Director Donna Mazyck about the challenges
facing school nurses amid the coronavirus pandemic.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: We've spent the last few
weeks thinking about the tough decisions that have to be made before the start
of another school year. And now we want to focus on school nurses. Throughout
the country, there is a shortage of them. In some states, school nurses are
technically responsible for overseeing the health of thousands of students, and
many schools don't even have one nurse on site. So what role will they be
expected to play if schools reopen this fall? We called Donna Mazyck to talk
about this. She's a former school nurse and the executive director of the
National Association of School Nurses. And she's with us now.
Is it possible to make Philly school ventilation safe enough
to open by September?
Poor ventilation elevates risk of spreading
COVID-19. District officials say they are working hard on the problem.
The notebook by Neena Hagen July 27
— 9:14 pm, 2020
One of the biggest challenges facing the
Philadelphia School District as it struggles with how to start the 2020 school
year is concern over whether the city’s aging buildings are properly
ventilated. Opinions differ on how much ventilation improvement may be needed
to protect students and staff from COVID-19. But a look at District data shows
that the scale of the challenge will be significant. According to a Notebook analysis
of more than 200 Facilities Condition
Assessments from 2017, at least 80% of
Philadelphia public schools had ventilation systems that weren’t up to current
codes. The reports, one for every District school, catalog a parade of concerns
citywide, including problems with fans, ducts and schoolwide systems, with
replacement costs estimated at more than $600 million. And while city health
officials say that ventilation concerns can be allayed if students and staff
consistently follow proper protocols — including wearing masks and social
distancing — experts worldwide agree that poorly ventilated indoor air is one
of the major risk factors for COVID-19 transmission.
“The recommendation he will make to the school board Thursday is
that the district go fully online for at least the first semester.”
Digital Notebook by Evan Brandt Tuesday, July
28, 2020
Following the release of the results of a
parent survey, Pottstown Schools Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez announced
last night that he will recommend that the district open schools virtually
only, with no in-person classes, for at least the first semester. The decision
is not final and will only be so after a vote of the school board at a special
meeting scheduled for Thursday night. Rodriguez says more than 1,000 parents
took the online survey that
was only announced Wednesday. "I
think that's the biggest response since we asked about
the dress code," he said.
He ran through the results, which varied
depending on who was answering the question: parents of elementary, middle or
high school -- or all or some of the above.
Cheltenham Superintendent Recommends Full Virtual Model
for Fall Semester
Cheltenham School District Website July 27,
2020
Dear Cheltenham Families and Staff,
As we approach the end of July and set our
sights toward August, I hope this email finds you in a place of safety, love
and gratitude. Amid this prolonged pandemic, we are navigating the chaos of
ever-changing orders, mandates, guidance and guidelines from more than a dozen agencies.
Regardless, our mission is clear: We are preparing for our students and staff
to get “back to school” while balancing their health and safety needs. The
Cheltenham School District is not alone. Like us, most districts across the
commonwealth and country are grappling with the best and safest way to open
schools. That said, every community faces its own unique challenges which add
to the magnitude of this conundrum. After careful consideration, at the August
3 (cheltenham.org/zoom) special board meeting, I will recommend to our board of
school directors a full virtual model for the fall semester for all students.
Downingtown Area SD Reopening Plan: Online Until at Least
November 5th
In order to protect the health and safety of
our 13,000 students and 1,600 staff, Downingtown Area School District will
begin the 2020-21 school year online and will remain online until at least
November 5 (the end of the first marking period), when the situation will be
re-evaluated.
This will not be the
same remote learning that we experienced last spring. The
program will be rigorous, there will be required live lessons, and students
will follow a schedule similar to their brick-and-mortar schedule. Students
will be in classes with the same teacher and classmates that they would see in
the physical classroom. The Online Learning Plan, which will be distributed to
families on July 29, will include complete details. We understand
the childcare challenges this decision may cause, and are working
with A Child's Place (ACP) to offer full-day childcare options to our staff and
families. ACP would be permitted to space out in our school buildings, allowing
for small class sizes, and a safe, supervised, socially-distant learning
environment where students can complete their daily online education. ACP will
provide additional details in the coming days.
Our Pupil Services department is creating a
plan to support students with specialized needs that will allow some students
the opportunity to meet in person in order to provide their individualized
services. More specific information will be provided to families in the coming
days.
“The Pittsburgh school board, meanwhile, announced this week
that they may start the school year online, with hopes of transitioning to
in-person instruction. That’s the same strategy the Allentown School
District will follow, according to a reopening plan its board adopted Thursday
night.”
Remote learning gains steam in Pennsylvania’s largest
school districts
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth Hardison July 26,
2020
The White House increased pressure this month
on schools to hold in-person classes in the fall, threatening to cut off
federal funding to districts that failed to open their doors five days a week. But in Pennsylvania, where officials warn
that a modest summertime surge in COVID-19 cases could turn into a serious
outbreak, the leaders of some of the state’s largest school districts started
to issue a simple message: “no can do.” In Philadelphia, administrators tapped
the brakes late Thursday on a plan to open school for two days a week this
fall, after more than 100 members of the
public said it would put teachers and students in danger and fail to provide a
strong education. They urged administrators to draft plans to educate all
Philadelphia students virtually at the start of the year.
York County focus shifts to virtual learning as shutdowns
loom
Lindsay C VanAsdalan York
Dispatch July 27, 2020
With uncertainty in state guidance and rising
cases of COVID-19, most York County districts previously considering a full
reopening are switching their focus to online options. Some applaud remote
learning as a safe option, while others denote its inflexibility for some
parents and fear it would push children into further regression from the
spring. "We need our kids to get an education, we can't interrupt
it," state Health Secretary Rachel Levine said in a Friday news conference,
but when forced to choose between in-person and online, the governor
added, "it's two bad choices." West Shore became the first
district on July 16 to consider starting fully online and transitioning to
in-person. But most other districts are also forming plans with one or two
online options to assuage parent fears and ensure they have contingencies in
place should York County move back to the red phase, which would shutter
schools as it did back in March. District officials expect state guidance to
turn on a dime, as evidenced best by York Suburban Superintendent Timothy
Williams' address to his school board Monday. "As you’ll see from this
report, it actually changes by the minute," he said.
Ad Prima Charter School Opts for All Virtual Learning
After Parents Speak Up
6 ABC By Ashley Johnson Monday, July 27,
2020 5:50PM
Ad Prima Charter School in Mount Airy is
gearing up for an entire year of virtual at both city campuses with a few
exceptions for the younger students.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Ad Prima Charter
School here Mt Airy gearing up for an entire year of virtual at both city
campuses with a few exceptions for the younger students. While some parents had
hoped their children would come back to a classroom, 70 percent of parents fought
to keep it all virtual. "Every grade at the start of the year is going to
be virtual, everybody. After the first two weeks we are going to be working on
bringing in certain groups of kids who struggle a bit more," Principal
David Brown said. Kindergarten and first grade will be the only ones coming back
to actual classrooms after the first two weeks following CDC guidelines. "We'll
have less students in each classroom the second thing is all students will be
required to wear masks," Mt. Airy Campus Site Director Jamal Elliott said.
But the big push for virtual learning at Ad Prima speaks to a recent ABC News
Poll which found 55 percent of Americans are against public schools reopening
with in-school instruction.
Mt. Lebanon School District, school directors provide
cyber education options
Post Gazette by DEANA CARPENTER JUL 27, 2020 1:42
PM
In anticipation of the need for cyber
learning in the Mt. Lebanon School District, school directors at a July 15
virtual meeting unanimously approved a $296,940 contract to provide cyber
education options for its students this fall. Mt. Lebanon will partner with the
Allegheny Intermediate Unit for its Waterfront Learning Services, which uses
the learning management system Edgenuity to create online courses that can then
be customized by Mt. Lebanon teachers. The Mt. Lebanon School District plans to
offer a cyber academy for students and parents who do not feel comfortable
coming back to school in August because of COVID-19. Some parents commented
during the meeting that the teachers and parents did not have enough
information on the cyber program and requested that the board delay its vote. “I’m
not sure how a vote can be held without [the information] being viewed by the
community,” said resident Michael Babbich. Superintendent Tim Steinhauer said
“time is of the essence” as far as getting a learning management system in
place for the start of school in approximately five weeks. “This is a framework
to allow for a stronger online program,” said board President Sarah Olbrich. Ms.
Olbrich stressed that Mt. Lebanon’s curriculum will be taught in the cyber
academy by Mt. Lebanon teachers.
Guest column: We must make sure schools are ready to open
this fall
Delco Times Opinion by Kerry
Benninghoff Guest columnist July 27, 2020
Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry
Benninghoff represents portions of Centre and Mifflin counties in the
Pennsylvania General Assembly. He was first elected to the General Assembly in
1996 and was elected House Majority Leader in June 2020.
With a new school year just weeks away,
parents across Pennsylvania are left worrying and wondering. Yes, as of today,
schools are planning to open. But will they remain open? Or will one day they
be faced with another drop-of-the-hat closure like we experienced in March? Children
and parents need assurance and predictability. They need schools to open safely
and stay open. They cannot once again be faced with the choice of either
earning a living or being full-time, in-home teachers. Most students can learn
better inside a school building. We owe it to them to open safely and not play
politics with their education or their future. The American Academy of
Pediatrics recently noted that “Returning to school is important for the
healthy development and well-being of children, but we must pursue re-opening
in a way that is safe for all students, teachers and staff.” As a father of
five, I believe children thrive best when they have certainty and consistency. In
March, we did not know how deadly this new virus might be or if our hospitals
would have the capacity to treat the sick. Now we know how the virus spreads,
who is most vulnerable, that hospitals are not overrun and that most people
fully recover. Unfortunately, despite this knowledge, the Wolf administration
has continued to make this pandemic political, making end-runs around the
people’s representatives and issuing haphazard, confusing, unfair and damaging
orders. Pennsylvania’s students, parents, and teachers need to have confidence
that all schools will open this fall and will do so safely.
Parents United Response to the SDP Reopening Plan
Parents United for Public Education Website July
27, 2020
We, like so many, are spending a lot of our
time thinking about reopening schools safely. We are still trying to
process last week’s Board of Education meeting in
which over a hundred parents, students, and staff spoke about the need for a
consciously safe return to education, only to be met with what appareled to be
a coordinated plan to dismiss their concerns and delay Board action. There are
clearly significant questions about the district’s ability to provide an
adequate education and minimize COVID-19 exposure risk. Parents and students
have reason to be leery of the district’s reopening plan; the
district’s trust problem with its stakeholders is not new. The School District
of Philadelphia has a history of decision-making that ignores the input of
families and educators while putting students and educators at risk. It is not
hyperbole to say that people have died and will die due to the conditions in
our schools. In 2011, due to draconian cuts in state funding, our district
shuttered libraries and after school programs and eliminated thousands of
essential positions including school nurses. We were told then to make do with
less. We were told that high quality education would continue even as we spoke
out, testified, and rallied to make our concerns clear. It didn’t happen.
Cherry Hill schools are considering a mandatory African
American history course
Inquirer by
Melanie Burney, Posted: July 27, 2020- 4:56
PM
The Cherry Hill School District could become
the first in New Jersey to mandate that students take an African American
history course in order to graduate. The school system is considering a
proposal to add the requirement, partly in response to students who organized
Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the
police killing of George Floyd in
Minneapolis by a white officer. “All kids should learn it,” said Joy Thomas,
16, a rising senior at Cherry Hill High School East. “It would be a good
example to other districts.” Cherry Hill would be the first district with the
requirement, said Michael Yaple, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department
of Education. Many schools teach Black history, but not as a prerequisite for
graduation. New Jersey and Pennsylvania require history to be taught, but
districts decide the content of their courses. In Philadelphia, a course in
African American history, including the civil rights movement, is a graduation
requirement.
Virus vaccine put to final test in thousands of volunteers
AP By LAURAN NEERGAARD July 27, 2020
The world’s biggest COVID-19 vaccine study
got underway Monday with the first of 30,000 planned volunteers helping to test
shots created by the U.S. government -- one of several candidates in the final
stretch of the global vaccine race. There’s still no guarantee that the experimental vaccine, developed
by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., will really protect. The
needed proof: Volunteers won’t know if they’re getting the real shot or a dummy
version. After two doses, scientists will closely track which group experiences
more infections as they go about their daily routines, especially in areas
where the virus still is spreading unchecked. “Unfortunately for the United
States of America, we have plenty of infections right now” to get that answer,
NIH’s Dr. Anthony Fauci recently told The Associated Press. Moderna said the
vaccination was done in Savannah, Georgia, the first site to get underway among
more than seven dozen trial sites scattered around the country. Several other
vaccines made by China and by Britain’s Oxford University earlier this month
began smaller final-stage tests in Brazil and other hard-hit countries. But the
U.S. requires its own tests of any vaccine that might be used in the country
and has set a high bar: Every month through fall, the government-funded
COVID-19 Prevention Network will roll out a new study of a leading candidate --
each one with 30,000 newly recruited volunteers. The massive studies aren’t
just to test if the shots work — they’re needed to check each potential
vaccine’s safety. And following the same study rules will let scientists
eventually compare all the shots.
You Can Stop Cleaning Your Mail Now
People are power scrubbing their way to a
false sense of security.
Derek Thompson Staff
writer at The Atlantic JULY 27, 2020
As a covid-19 summer surge sweeps the
country, deep cleans are all the rage.
National restaurants such as Applebee’s are
deputizing sanitation czars to oversee the constant scrubbing of window ledges,
menus, and high chairs. The gym chain Planet
Fitness is boasting in ads that “there’s
no surface we won’t sanitize, no machine we won’t scrub.” New York City is
shutting down its subway system every night, for the first time in its 116-year
history, to blast the seats, walls, and poles with a variety of antiseptic
weaponry, including electrostatic disinfectant sprays. And in Wauchula,
Florida, the local government gave one resident permission to spray the town
with hydrogen peroxide as he saw fit. “I think every city in the damn United
States needs to be doing it," he said. To some
American companies and Florida men, COVID-19 is apparently a war that will be
won through antimicrobial blasting, to ensure that pathogens are banished from
every square inch of America’s surface area. But what if this is all just a
huge waste of time? In May, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention updated its guidelines to
clarify that while COVID-19 spreads easily among speakers and sneezers in close
encounters, touching a surface “isn’t thought to be the main way the virus
spreads.” Other scientists have reached a more forceful conclusion. “Surface
transmission of COVID-19 is not justified at all by the science,” Emanuel
Goldman, a microbiology professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, told
me. He also emphasized the primacy of airborne person-to-person transmission.
What Will Schools Do When a Teacher Gets Covid-19?
Cases are inevitable. Schools need to plan
now.
New York Times Opinion By Emily
Oster July 28, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET
Dr. Oster is the author of “Cribsheet: A
Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, From Birth to Preschool.”
The logistics of reopening schools are daunting.
Plans are full of details about which days kids will be eligible for, and pages
and pages on preventing students and staffs from getting sick. What kind of
limits will be placed on class sizes? What kind of cleaning? Will there be
symptom checks or temperature screens? Masks for everyone or just adults? These
plans are important and necessary. But there is an issue that we aren’t talking
enough about: What happens when there is a Covid-19 case in a school? The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its first guidelines on
this topic last week, a long-overdue step toward getting schools to take this
question seriously. The instinct, I think, is to say we are working to make
sure that doesn’t happen, and of course that is the goal. But that goal is
unrealistic. Even if schools are successful at ensuring there is no
Covid-19 spread in schools at all, there will still be cases
arising from the community. When we look at data from places with open schools
— Sweden, for example — they
are encouraging in showing that teaching is not a high-risk job. But that means
that teachers are infected at the same rate as the rest of the community. Put
bluntly: If 5 percent of adults in a community have Covid-19, we expect 5
percent of school employees to have it even if they are at no greater risk.
This problem is largest in places that currently have high community spread,
but it is a concern virtually anywhere. Bottom line: When schools open, there
will be cases. It is necessary to have a concrete plan for what will happen
when this occurs.
Pence says schools reopenings 'best thing for our kids'
Education Week July 27, 2020
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence
kept up the Trump administration’s push for reopening schools and universities,
insisting Friday that it can be done safely even amid public worries about the
health risks posed by the coronavirus. Pence told a small audience at Marian
University in Indianapolis that having children back in classrooms was a
necessary step to seeing more parents returning to jobs. The remarks came even
as President Donald Trump on Thursday acknowledged that some schools in virus
hot spots may need to delay their reopening this fall. “Opening up our schools again is the best
thing for our kids,” Pence said. “It’s also the best thing for working
families.” The former Indiana governor heard administrators at the private
Catholic university describe their safety steps toward starting the fall
semester next month. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Dr. Deborah Birx, the
White House coronavirus coordinator, joined Pence at the event. Pence discussed
the importance of in-person learning for at-risk students, citing resources for
counseling and special needs and children who rely upon school lunches. “The risk of the coronavirus to healthy
children is very low,” Pence said. “It’s also important to remember that there
are real costs, far beyond academics, to our kids if they’re not in school.”
Top DeVos Deputy: Our 'Instinct' Is to Not Give States
Testing Waivers Next Year
Education Week By Andrew Ujifusa on July
24, 2020 1:42 PM
An assistant secretary at the U.S. Department
of Education said Friday that his agency's inclination is not to grant
states waivers from federally mandated tests for the upcoming school year like
it did in the spring. Speaking on a video call with
reporters at the Education Writers
Association's National Seminar, Jim Blew, the assistant secretary
for planning, evaluation, and policy analysis, stressed the
importance of testing beyond accountability. And he expressed support for a recent
statement from the Council of Chief State
School Officers about the importance of assessments for learning; that July 20
statement said that "even during a pandemic" assessments "serve
as an important tool in our education system." In March, as schools shut down in-person
classes around the country due to the coronavirus pandemic,
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos quickly granted
waivers to all 50 states, the District
of Columbia, and Puerto Rico from having to administer certain annual exams as
required by federal law. But concerns about the pandemic's impact on the
2020-21 school year have grown, as have sentiments in some quarters that states
should get those waivers again, in order to focus on other educational needs.
Charter schools and their management companies won at
least $925 million in federal coronavirus funding, data shows
Washington Post By Valerie Strauss Reporter July
27, 2020 at 6:00 a.m. EDT
The Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, is a
$660 billion business loan program established as part of the $2 trillion coronavirus economic
stimulus legislation that Congress passed in the spring. PPP was aimed at
helping certain small businesses, nonprofit organizations, sole proprietors and
others stay in business during the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus
pandemic. The U.S. Small Business Administration administered the program, and
recently the SBA and the Treasury Department released some data on what
organizations won loans from the program and how much they received. (Some
loans can be forgiven if the PPP money is spent on keeping employees on the
payroll.) The release of funding details sparked some controversy about whether
some of the organizations that received funds should have gotten them,
including public charter schools — which are publicly funded but privately
operated — and some elite private schools. (A Washington Post database shows
the data.) Charter schools received emergency stimulus money from Congress from
the same fund that traditional public schools did — but some charter schools
decided to apply for PPP loans as well, saying that they are underfunded
through regular funding formulas and had a right to seek more aid. Other
charter schools chose not to apply for loans, saying it would be double-dipping
in federal aid funds.
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.
283 PA school boards have adopted charter reform
resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 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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