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“the company managing PA Cyber Charter...listed a
staggering fund balance of $82 million in 2017-18”
Learn more about the history of
cyber charters, their academic performance and the impact of cybers on your
local district school.
Cyber Charter Schools
Webinar August 26, 1:00 pm
Free and
Open to the Public · Hosted by Councilmember Helen Gym
As families across the state plan for
the start of the school year, join Councilmember Helen Gym, PA Auditor General
Eugene DePasquale, Donna Cooper, Executive Director of Public Citizens for
Children and Paige Joki, Staff Attorney at Education Law Center for a
discussion on Cyber Charters. This event is free and open to the public. RSVP
and submit questions for the experts at: tinyurl.com/cybercharters
If #BlackLivesMatter, why does Pennsylvania have the most
racist school funding in the nation? | Opinion
Penn Live Opinion By Crystal Echeverria Posted
Aug 22, 9:12 AM
Crystal Echeverria is a student in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
I am a student in Dauphin County,
Pennsylvania. I am not blind to what has been happening for decades in my
state. School districts with large minority populations are under-funded by
millions of dollars every year in basic and Special Education funding. Some of
the most underfunded school districts include Harrisburg School District (the
capital city) which was underfunded by $37 million, Reading by $101 million,
Scranton by $29 million, City of Philadelphia by $440 million and York by $59
Million, every year! Even though they signed school funding formula laws, the
Governor and General Assembly continue to refuse to fix these massive funding
shortfalls. As a Harrisburg resident, I have seen the consequences of this
underfunding first hand. Bathrooms have no doors, textbooks fall apart in your
hands and teachers let kids run the school. One would think the state
government would put a little more care into its capital city! Seeing beautiful
schools in the suburbs and crumbling schools in cities, even as a young
student, I questioned what was going on. What’s also interesting is that no one
knows or wants to tell the truth about this massive discrimination. When I
asked my teachers and principals, and spoke in class about it, they had no idea
the discrimination was so bad.
Editorial: Stop pointing fingers on school decisions
Pottstown Mercury Editorial August 23, 2020
Arguments over the best way to restart school
continue to echo even as the 2020-21 academic year is about to open. While
state officials have offered plenty of advice and guidelines to school
districts, it’s ultimately up to local school directors and administrators to
determine how to provide the best education possible without jeopardizing the
health and safety of students, employees and the overall community during a
pandemic. We’ve been dismayed at the tenor of much of this debate. Too many
people are acting as though their opinion on this subject is the obvious right
answer while questioning the motivations of those who disagree with them. The
fact is that there is no obvious right answer. Each of the popular arguments on
school reopening has some merits and some drawbacks. The bottom line is that
leaders have to choose from a menu of unappetizing selections to decide a way
forward. They must also understand that they may have to revisit the
decision based on circumstances, and that someone is going to be angry no
matter what they do.
“the company managing PA Cyber Charter School...listed a
staggering fund balance of $82 million in 2017-18. The report also found that
the school had spent $622,000 on lobbying, and from 2014-18, it had awarded a
50% pay raise to its CEO and a 148% pay raise to its [COO]”
Former Commonwealth Charter Academy Student Kenneth
Gatten: We must amend Pa.’s charter school law now
TRIBUNE-REVIEW | Saturday, August
22, 2020 8:32 p.m.
In a recent report,
Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale called Pennsylvania’s charter
school law “the worst in the nation” because it prevents the state from
“performing full reviews of charter management companies.” Indeed, a 2016 report by the
Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA)
finds the PSBA had to take charters to court to force them to divulge how they
were spending taxpayer money. The PSBA also found that in the 2014-15 school
year, charter schools were paid $294.8 million for special education
supplemental money but only spent $193.1 million on special education services
— pocketing the rest. Under Pennsylvania’s charter law, cybers are paid the
same as brick-and-mortar charters, even though their costs per students are significantly
less. As a result, DePasquale found in his report that Lincoln Learning
Solutions — the company managing PA Cyber Charter School, which enrolls over
10,000 students — listed a staggering fund balance of $82 million in 2017-18.
The report also found that the school had spent $622,000 on lobbying, and from
2014-18, it had awarded a 50% pay raise to its CEO and a 148% pay raise to its
chief operating officer. But Pennsylvania’s charter law prevents any closer
inspection of charters’ finances. Only after the federal government got
involved in 2013 was PA Cyber Charter Schools’ founder, Nick Trombetta,
indicted for siphoning $8 million in taxpayer funds to private companies and
sentenced to 20 months in federal prison.
Were funds really needed for cyber charters?
Lehighton Times News By Rita Spinelli Published
August 21. 2020 11:50AM
Rita Spinelli is vice president of the
Lehighton Area school board.
It’s time we shine a light on a critically
important issue and start asking some questions. As Pennsylvania’s school
districts face revenue shortfalls of $1 billion or more due to the COVID-19
pandemic, Pennsylvania’s charter schools stand to see a windfall of pandemic
relief funding while experiencing no loss of revenue. First, under the recently
enacted state budget, charter schools will receive $15 million in state health
and safety grants to address COVID-19-related health and safety needs. This is
much-needed funding for school districts and brick-and-mortar charter schools
that plan to offer some sort of adjusted schedule for in-person learning in the
fall. But for cyber charter schools that offer all of their instruction
virtually, this is simply free money. Next, under the federal Elementary and
Secondary School Emergency Relief fund, charter schools are entitled to $71
million in emergency one-time funds to help schools respond to COVID-19
impacts. Brick-and-mortar charter schools reasonably incurred additional costs
transitioning to an alternative learning system after school buildings were
closed in March. In contrast, cyber charter schools should not have incurred
the same costs, since their usual instructional method is virtual. Finally, at
least 26 charter schools were awarded Paycheck Protection Program loans
totaling between $24 million and $56 million which may be used for limited
purposes such as payroll costs, continuation of health care benefits, interest
on mortgage obligations, and rent and utility payments. Given that charter
schools are publicly funded schools, the need for these loans should be questioned,
especially in light of the fact that charter schools experienced no loss of
revenue due to the pandemic.
Blogger note: Beaver County districts have been added to this
list
School Districts Reportedly Opening Virtual Only as of
August 24, 2020
Keystone State Education Coalition
Blogger note: this is work in process. Please
let me know if you have additions or corrections to this list
“PA Schools Work, a group that advocates for traditional
brick-and-mortar public schools, recently created a Check
Before You Choose online
resource where families can compare public cyber-charter schools to traditional
public schools. “The impetus for creating that was sort of recognizing the
certain challenges, with respect to the pandemic, and the really difficult
choices that a lot of parents have as school districts were formulating their
reopening plans,” said Hannah Barrick, assistant executive director of the
Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, who worked on the
project. “They’re certainly some pretty significant financial implications for
every student that leaves a school district and enrolls in a cyber charter
school.” For every regular education student that leaves a school district for
a cyber or charter school, it costs the district $12,000 to $13,000 on average;
the average for special education students is closer to $20,000, she said. The
tool also aims to inform parents that many of the traditional brick and mortar
public schools created robust online programs that are very different from what
students experienced in the spring, Barrick said.”
Enrollments
rise in cyber, charter and private schools
Citizens Voice By KATHLEEN BOLUS STAFF WRITER
August 23, 2020
Enrollment in cyber, charter and private
schools is rising in Northeast Pennsylvania as school districts finalize their
reopening plans amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Commonwealth Charter Academy, which
has a location in Dickson City, expects as many as 17,000 students to enroll in
its cyber school program statewide — a more than 65% jump. The Diocese of
Scranton has received about 8% more inquiries about its parochial schools for
the upcoming school year. At the private Summit Christian Academy in South
Abington Twp., 25% of the 75 students will be new this year. “It comes down to
three main wants,” said Commonwealth Charter Academy spokesman Timothy Eller.
Parents do not want their children to catch the coronavirus while at school,
they don’t necessarily want their children to wear masks all day in school, and
they want to be comfortable and confident in the programs school districts are
offering, he said. As of Aug. 20, enrollment at the academy,
which changes hourly, included 707 students from Lackawanna County; 401 from
Luzerne County; 105 from Wayne County; 57 from Susquehanna County; and 46 from
Wyoming County. Local superintendents are confident in their district’s online
learning programs. Valley View School District’s full virtual program is “far
superior” to any offered at an already established cyber-charter school,
Superintendent Michael Boccella, Ed.D., said during a July school board
meeting.
We can only open schools safely if we follow the rules |
Opinion
By Rick Askey Capital-Star Op-Ed Contributor August
24, 2020
As the summer draws to a close, we find
ourselves on the doorstep of a school year like no other. And, across the state, so many students,
educators, support professionals, parents, and school leaders are asking the
same questions. What are the rules? What can we do to reopen? What will school
look like this year? Is it safe? The 180,000 dedicated education professionals
I represent as president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA)
are eager to return to their schools and classrooms. They want to be back with
their students and colleagues. But they want to do it in the safest possible
way. They want to protect their students and their students’ families as well
as their colleagues and their colleagues’ families. And, like everything else
Pennsylvanians have been asked to do to slow the spread of the coronavirus, we
can only open schools safely if we follow the rules.
Teacher shortage forces Boyertown to start school online
Pottstown Mercury by Evan Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com
@PottstownNews on Twitter August 23, 2020
So many teachers have said they will not
teach in Boyertown's school buildings that the district has abandoned its plan
for partial in-person instruction and will start the school year online only. The change was announced in a letter sent
home to parents Friday and signed by Marybeth Torchia who, for the second time
in as many years, has been tapped to run the district while a new
superintendent is sought. The district has set a "target date" of
Oct. 5 for a potential return to partial-in-person instruction. "Our
professional and support staffing shortages have significantly exceeded this
administration’s expectations," Torchia wrote. "Our staffing
shortages have grown and continue to grow on a daily basis — sometimes by
five or more employees per day," Torchia wrote. "Even with bringing
back our furloughed Temporary Professional Employees and tapping into our
available substitute resources, the bottom line is that there simply are not
enough human resources available to cover the face-to-face learning needs of
our students safely and with health as a priority." "We understand
that many will be disappointed, even angered, by this current development. We
know that it directly impacts the lives of families across our district in
countless ways. Please know that this decision was not made lightly,"
"Torcia wrote.
“The overall share of tips related to suicide and self-harm,
however, more than doubled once schools closed statewide in March.”
Schools stare down teen mental health crisis as they
prepare for largely virtual year
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth Hardison August 23,
2020
Pennsylvania schools have retrofitted
buildings and overhauled class schedules to protect public health this fall –
but they’ve said less about how they’ll support their students’ mental health,
even though state and federal data show that young people are increasingly
contemplating suicide and self harm. Reports of suicidal threats and
self-harm tendencies among Pennsylvania school children shot up after Gov. Tom
Wolf ordered schools to close in March, new data from the state Attorney
General show. The state’s Safe2Say hotline, which was created in the wake
of the 2018 Parkland, Fla. school shooting to field threats of student
violence, saw the number of tips related to suicide and suicidal ideation rise
by 18 percent during the 2019-2020 school year compared to the year prior,
according to a report published
this month by Attorney General Josh Shapiro, whose office oversees the program.
Consistent with last year, concerns about bullying and cyberbullying were the
dominant source of tips to the Safe2Say hotline. Calls related to suicide
constituted the second-largest share of tips, followed by reports of cutting
and self-harm.
‘He’s not being educated': For students with autism and
severe disabilities, the pandemic is a disaster. What comes next?
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham,August 24,
2020
The behaviors started a few days after
COVID-19 closed schools indefinitely in March: Eleven-year-old Ronan Strouse
would bite one arm, issue frequent short, high-pitched yells, bang his leg
hard. Ronan, who is intellectually disabled, has autism and other complicated
conditions, can’t carry on a conversation, but he had words enough to ask his
mother: “School sick?” “Yes,” Celine Nace would tell her son. “School is sick.” Ronan Strouse peeks out from under a sweater
while on a walk with his mother, Celine Nace, and his sister Barron. As a fifth
grader in the Upper Perkiomen School District, Ronan was supposed to have
virtual lessons with his teacher, and a host of services such as occupational
and speech therapy on the computer, too. But that didn’t work for more than
perhaps 10 minutes a week; Ronan would refuse to sit, walk away, unable to
grasp or tolerate what he was supposed to do. The problems continued this
summer, when he had online-only services as mandated by his special-education
plan. “He got nothing out of it,” Nace said. “He’s not being educated.” Come
next week, school starts again, and Ronan will have three hours of in-person
instruction at Upper Perkiomen Middle School four days a week. He’s supposed to
spend every afternoon online. That’s untenable, his mother said — and she’s
worried he’ll never catch up.
How will kids stay masked and distanced on school buses?
That has Lehigh Valley parents and school officials worried.
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO THE MORNING
CALL | AUG 23, 2020 AT 6:00 AM
When it came to deciding whether her
14-year-old son should do virtual learning this fall or a hybrid schedule that
lets him go back to school two days a week, Lisa Luciano was comfortable in
sending her son to Parkland High School given the district’s social distancing
guidelines. But Luciano was less confident about how social distancing would
occur if her son Logan rode the bus home every day like he did last year when
she worked at a local bank. This year, she has decided to drop her son off
every morning on her way into work and take a late lunch break every afternoon
to pick him up. It’ll be tricky to coordinate her work schedule, but Luciano
said that’s better than the bus option. “I’m not comfortable with the kids
being that close to each other,” she said. It’s a sentiment that many parents
have, even as they come to terms with sending their children back to school. As
districts decide on reopening plans that space out desks and enforce
mask-wearing, they also need to figure out how to get children to school in a
way that protects them and the bus drivers.
Bucks districts weigh busing private school students
while closed during pandemic
Chris English Bucks County
Courier Times August 23, 2020
Private school students and their parents
living in the Pennsbury School District are breathing a sigh of relief. The
school board changed course at its virtual meeting Thursday night and decided
to start transporting students to and from the private schools they attend
starting Sept. 8. Pennsbury's previous position had been that it wasn't
obligated to provide such transportation since it won't be busing its own
students for several more months. Because of the coronavirus pandemic,
Pennsbury is offering only virtual instruction through January. "In the
past few weeks, the board has focused on the appropriate education plan for
Pennsbury students," board President T.R. Kannan said. "To minimize
the impact of this decision on others, we decided to provide transportation for
non-public schools. Although we are not legally required to do this, we want to
support these students and their families." In making the move, the
district joins several others in Bucks County going all virtual the first
several weeks or months of the school year but still providing transportation
to private schools. Included in that category are Bensalem, Bristol Township,
Centennial, Council Rock and Neshaminy.
Commentary: This week I started teaching again. Why I’ll
be sleeping in a backyard tent
By EMILY KILBOURN TRIBUNE
NEWS SERVICE | AUG 21,
2020 AT 8:00 AM
I am a high school English teacher and have
been for 14 years. I am also a doctoral candidate, mother of a rising
kindergartner and am married to a fellow high school teacher. When I return to
school this week for the professional development that will precede our
students’ start, I plan on kissing my 5-year-old and my husband goodbye. I’m
going to school in my scrubs, wearing my personal protective equipment, keeping
the windows in my classroom open and beginning to troubleshoot teaching and learning
under the hybrid model. When I return home, however, I will no longer set foot
inside our home. My husband's medical conditions put him at greater risk for
grave health repercussions or death from COVID-19, so I'm sleeping in a tent in
our backyard and isolating myself from my husband and young son. We live in a
modest home, not configured for quarantine.
Lancaster County School reopening plans: Here's (nearly)
everything you need to know
Lancaster Online by ALEX
GELI | Staff Writer Aug 23, 2020
In-person. Hybrid. Virtual.
You’ve heard those words over and over the
past couple months, as school administrators, board members and teachers debate
how, and when, to reopen this fall. Now, they’re finally being put into action.
On Tuesday, the first batch of Lancaster County school districts begin their
2020-21 school year, each with its own, unique instructional plan. There are a
few consistencies, however, such as universal mask-wearing, which is required
by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Guidance from the state says schools
in Lancaster County, which has "moderate" COVID-19 transmission
rates, should reopen fully virtual or using a hybrid model that decreases the
number of students in a school and enables social distancing. It does not recommend
reopening fully in-person. Here’s how each county public school district plans
to reopen.
Central League officially delays start of fall high
school sports
Delco Times By Terry Toohey ttoohey@delcotimes.com
@TerryToohey on Twitter August 24, 2020
The PIAA’s decision last Friday to allow
individual school districts and leagues to move forward with fall sports
starting Monday created confusion for some athletes in the Central League. A
number of athletes called their respective schools and coaches looking for
answers, according to Springfield's Glenn Mallon, chairperson of the Central
League athletic directors. Generally, the kids wanted to know if they should
begin the process of getting ready for the season or would they have to wait to
get clearance from their respective schools? As an answer, the league’s
athletic directors decided to release a statement Sunday to clarify the
situation. “On Friday, August 21st, the PIAA Board of Directors voted to allow
member schools to begin fall sports on Monday, August 24th," the statement
read. “Based on the guidance from the Chester and Montgomery County Health
Departments, Central League schools have agreed to delay the start of the 2020
fall season. “CAL schools may continue voluntary workouts while awaiting
further instruction from our local school boards and superintendents.” The
timing of the PIAA "decision" was to allow for a week of "heat
acclimatization" for football. There are 12 teams in the Central League
spread out across Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties.
“Along with Allison, Pittsburgh Public Schools athletic director
Karen Arnold also voted no. Joining them in opposition were three members who
individually represent school boards, principals and superintendents.
Department of Education representative Brian Campbell was one of two board
members absent Friday.”
WPIAL treasurer Michael Allison voted ‘no’ to starting
fall sports. Here’s why.
Trib Live By: Chris
Harlan Saturday, August 22, 2020 | 12:27 AM
Hopewell principal Michael Allison is a
former high school athlete and coach, the treasurer of the WPIAL and president
of the Pennsylvania Principals Association. He’s also one of five PIAA board
members Friday who voted against starting fall sports next week. Allison
understands his vote won’t be popular with many, but it’s a decision he didn’t
take lightly. “The last thing on earth that I ever want to do is cancel high
school sports,” Allison said. “I’ve given years to the WPIAL in service to
kids. I think a lot of people think I just wanted to cancel sports. That’s not
the point.” The vote passed 25-5, allowing fall sports to
start Monday. Gov. Tom Wolf wanted youth sports delayed until January to
prevent potential coronavirus spread, a “strong recommendation” that key
departments in his administration also supported. The state departments of
health and education both backed the youth sports delay. That’s advice Allison
couldn’t ignore. “I strongly believe that as school administrators, we have a
responsibility to follow the recommendation of the Department of Health, the
governor and the Department of Education,” he said. “That recommendation was
made. All of us have health and safety plans about following the
recommendations.”
“The five voting against proceeding were Nathan Mains of the
school boards association; Leeann Wentzel, the school administrators rep;
Jonathan Bauer, the principals association rep; Mike Allinson of District 7;
and Karen Arnold of District 8.”
Fall high school sports decision: PIAA says let them play
By KEITH GROLLER THE MORNING
CALL | AUG 21, 2020 AT 3:31 PM
By a 25-5 vote, the Pennsylvania
Interscholastic Athletic Association decided Friday to proceed with a fall
sports schedule. The board also unanimously passed a proposal to allow each
school district an opportunity to make its own choices regarding participation
and could even allow schools to move their fall seasons to the spring. After a
two-week pause following Gov. Tom Wolf’s “strong recommendation” to suspend all
sports until Jan. 1 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the PIAA decided that
sports could continue with strict adherence to prescribed COVID-19 guidelines. The
five voting against proceeding were Nathan Mains of the school boards
association; Leeann Wentzel, the school administrators rep; Jonathan Bauer, the
principals association rep; Mike Allinson of District 7; and Karen Arnold of
District 8. The board’s decision will be popular with thousands of
student-athletes who didn’t want to miss out on another sports season after the
winter sports season ended abruptly on March 12 and the spring season was
eliminated entirely by the coronavirus outbreak. “However many thousands of
kids there are in the Lehigh Valley who play sports, I am sure for many of
them, they haven’t been as happy as they are right now — since March,” said Bob
Hartman, Whitehall athletic director and District 11 chairman.
PIAA directors had varied reasons for voting no to fall
sports
By Tribune
News Service Updated
Aug 22, 3:50 PM; Posted Aug 22, 3:50 PM
The PIAA's vote to move forward with the high
school fall sports seasons passed by a wide margin Friday, but the decision was
not unanimous. Five of 30 PIAA board members present voted against the measure
for varying reasons as the COVID-19 pandemic lingers. District 8 chairwoman
Karen Arnold was one of those who cast a vote against fall sports in part
because students in her district will spend a good portion of the fall taking
virtual classes. District 8 encompasses the Pittsburgh City League, and Arnold
serves as the athletic director. "With all Pittsburgh Public Schools
students beginning the first nine weeks fully online, the District has
recommended the postponement of fall sports out of concern for the health and
safety of students and staff," she said.
“On Aug. 10 the school district suspended voluntary workouts for
student-athletes after it was learned an individual within the athletic
department had tested positive for COVID-19.”
Hanover Area suspends start of fall sports practices
Citizens Voice By STEVE BENNETT STAFF WRITER Aug 23,
2020
The start of the fall sports season is on
hold for one school in the Wyoming Valley Conference after Hanover Area
announced Sunday that practices will be temporarily suspended. Today was
scheduled to be the first date high school athletic teams could begin holding
mandatory practices in preparation for the 2020 fall sports season. Instead,
Hanover Area will wait until its school board meets this week to determine if
the school will participate in a fall sports season. The date of the board
meeting has not been announced, but is expected to be sometime Monday. “We are
suspending fall sports until the board decides this week,” Hanover Area
athletic director Mike McCree said. The decision covers all athletic teams at
Hanover Area and there will be no practices, voluntary or mandatory, until the
school boards makes the ultimate call whether to move forward or not.
Sports on hold at Susquehanna Community School District
The decision was made by the superintendent.
WNEP Web Staff Published: 9:00 PM EDT
August 23, 2020
SUSQUEHANNA, Pa. — The Susquehanna Community
School District announced that all sports have been canceled. According to the
Saber's football coach, no one on the coaching staff or any student-athletes
have tested positive for COVID-19. The decision was made by the superintendent.
Officials say because the county cases reached a certain number, along with the
district following a hybrid learning model, they believe it was in the best
interest of the community to not hold sports right now. Sports practices have
been canceled for the next two weeks and then the district will reassess the
situation.
Safety or socialization?: School leaders ‘agonize’ over
COVID-era back-to-school plans
WHYY By Avi
Wolfman-Arent August 21, 2020 Listen 11:14
This story is from The
Pulse, a weekly health and science podcast.
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or
wherever you get your podcasts.
The hallways at Camden Prep look like they’re
frozen in time.
Student work from early spring still
decorates the walls of this New Jersey charter school. Empty desks cluster in
empty classrooms. Posters detail daily assignments handed out months ago. The only thing missing is the kids. “Welcome
to a school building with no children,” said administrator Natalie Cooper. In
mid-March, American education came to a sudden, unprecedented halt. Schools
across the country shifted as fast as they could to online learning. It was one
of the hardest things many educators have ever done in their careers — until
now. “The biggest hurdle to overcome has been the
uncertainty,” said Cooper. “We’re not coming back. We’re coming back. We’re not
coming back…” We’re coming back. We’re not coming back. That doubt hangs over every school leader in
America — from those that run gigantic, sprawling school districts to those
that run small private schools. And this fall, each is making a decision: Do I
open my doors? The people in charge are trained as educators, not scientists.
And they’re trying to solve a problem that keeps changing. Normally, it takes
years for scientific thought to migrate into real-life practice. Today, the
public is asking lay people to make real-time sense of a disease scientists are
learning about on the fly. How that decision-making process works at different
schools reveals much about America’s education system — which isn’t so much a
system as it is a federation of local entities with their own rules, customs,
and mascots.
Schools aim to feed students — including remote learners
— this fall
BOB BATZ JR., JOSHUA AXELROD AND DAN GIGLER, Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette AUG 23, 2020
In the spring, when COVID-19 restrictions
shut down schools all over, school districts and nonprofits moved to help keep
children fed no matter where they were, helped by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture quickly relaxing its rules on who could get meals and who could
distribute them. Now that educators are gearing up again for classes to resume
in the fall, officials across the Pittsburgh region are committed to keeping
the kids fed, but — as with everything during the pandemic — complications are
abundant and constantly changing. The USDA has not yet extended its rule
waivers to the 2020-21 school year, which worries school districts starting
classes this week and next. “We know these meals have been a lifeline for some
of these kids,” Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s Karen Dreyer
said.
Critics blast recommendation on virtual schooling
Delco Times By Kathleen E. Carey
kcarey@21st-centurymedia.com @dtbusiness on Twitter August 23,
2020
Public comment was plenty at Wednesday's
Delaware County Council meeting as residents had their say on Chester County
Health Department's recommendation for virtual schooling through Oct. 9 and
transitioning to a more in-person model after that. On Friday, Aug. 14, the
Chester County Health Department, which is overseeing all COVID-19 services for
Delaware County, made a recommendation that public and private schools use
virtual instruction through Oct. 9 as part of a mitigation plan. This virtual
learning model does not apply to special education or vocational career
training students. Most school districts in Delaware County had already opted
for this. However, after this announcement, the Radnor, Wallingford Swarthmore
and Ridley school districts decided to change their plans from in-person hybrid
models to abide by the guidance. As a result, a number of residents from Radnor
Township and Wallingford Swarthmore school districts voiced their discontent at
the county meeting, as council members themselves had varied opinions.
Digital Notebook Blog by Evan Brandt Friday,
August 21, 2020
As coronavirus impacts continue to ripple
through the rhythm of "regular life," the Pottstown School Board is
taking steps to adapt. Thursday night the board voted unanimously to allow the
administration to furlough workers whose work has vanished with the absence of
students and teachers in the borough's school buildings. As much as possible,
said Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez, hours will be reduced or work
re-purposed to keep as many people on the payroll as possible. Even for those
who are furloughed, or have their hours reduced, the district will continue to
pay its share of their medical insurance, explained Deena Cellini, the
district's personnel director. The district has also come up with a way to
continue to distribute breakfasts and lunches to its students, brilliant in its
simplicity. Every Monday, anyone with one or more students in school can come
to Pottstown High School between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and pick up five breakfasts
and five lunches at the cafeteria door adjacent to the auditorium at the front
of the school. Unlike in the spring, Rodriguez said there will be more variety
in the meals. "All students are eligible," he said urging parents to
take advantage of the benefit and using the money saved for other needs. Those
without vehicles, or who are otherwise unable to come and pick up the meals,
can register to have them delivered, said Rodriguez.
“Students in the Valley started returning to classes on
Wednesday with Selinsgrove Area followed by Milton Area and Warrior Run on
Thursday. Five schools — Line Mountain, Midd-West, Mount Carmel Area, Our Lady
of Lourdes and Shamokin Area — return tomorrow. Southern Columbia Area returns
Tuesday, Shikellamy, Northumberland Christian School and Meadowbrook Christian
Academy return the day after that, Sunbury Christian Academy on Aug. 31,
Danville Area on Sept. 3, Mifflinburg Area on Sept. 8 and Lewisburg Area on
Sept. 9 and 10.”
A different world: Central Susquehanna Valley students
returning for a school year unlike any that have come before
The Daily Item By Justin Strawser
jstrawser@dailyitem.com August 23, 2020
William James walked into Oaklyn Elementary
School with his 9-year-old son on Thursday, having fought COVID-19 twice in the
last five months. James, of Sunbury, is the parent of one of approximately 900
students who have chosen some form of online learning at Shikellamy School
District for the 2020-21 school year. He said he wanted to keep his son home
this academic school year to avoid infection. “I don’t want to see him get
sick,” said James about his fourth-grade son Mardai
James, during Shikellamy’s Chromebook handouts. “I’ve had it twice
already and I beat it both times. I don’t want him to go through what I went
through. It’s no joke.” Students and teachers in the Valley are returning to a
different world as classes resume for the first time since the state shut down
in-person education in March due to COVID-19. The state requires all
students and staff to wear masks during the school day during the 2020-21
academic year. District leaders are setting up sanitizing stations, spacing
students out in the classrooms and offering online learning for parents who
wants to keep their child out of the classroom.
Pa. lawmakers concerned ‘guidance’ for schools could open
the door to covid-19 lawsuits
Trib Live by CYNTHIA FERNANDEZ | SPOTLIGHT
PA | Friday, August 21, 2020 1:25 p.m.
HARRISBURG — As students prepare to begin a
highly unusual school year, Pennsylvania lawmakers on Wednesday told Wolf
administration officials they’re concerned the state’s covid-19 guidance could
open districts to lawsuits. Potential liability should students or staff become
infected with covid-19 at school is a top concern among education
leaders. Even now, some districts are making changes to plans to operate in person,
virtually or through a hybrid model as the state updates its
recommendations. While the Wolf administration ordered the
closure of schools statewide in April, it has left decisions about fall
operations to local districts. The departments of health and education in July
released guidelines recommending, among other policies, that schools keep
students at least six feet apart and serve meals in classrooms. But during a
joint House and Senate hearing Wednesday, the minority chair of the Senate
Education Committee told top state officials that district leaders don’t see
the guidance as optional.
Editorial: Does state’s ‘guidance’ open schools to
liability?
TRIBUNE-REVIEW Editorial | Saturday,
August 22, 2020 3:27 p.m.
There are lots of things to worry about as
the 2020-21 school year gets education back into gear. Do we send the kids back
into the classroom in spite of covid-19? Does the coronavirus caution us to
keep them at home? Do we do both? Do we strike a balance in the middle? What
about kindergartners who are just embarking on their educational journey? What
about the high school seniors who need to be prepared for college next year? There
are so many valid issues regardless of which path is taken for kids with
special educational needs, health challenges and developmental delays. There
are just as many for teachers and other employees. But there is another issue
for state and school board officials to grapple with. Liability. According to
reporting from Spotlight PA, the issue
of what happens if students or staff members contract the disease that shut
down Pennsylvania schools in March is now a top concern.
Republicans are trying to survive an anti-Trump wave in
the Philly suburbs: ‘A lot of Democrats vote for me’
Inquirer by
Andrew Seidman, Posted: August 23, 2020-
5:00 AM
As a light summer shower passed through
Delaware County earlier this month, State Sen. Tom Killion knocked on doors in
Aston Township, asking people how they held up during a recent storm and
handing out campaign flyers. Walking around a solidly Republican area where
Donald Trump campaigned in 2016 and easily won that year, Killion came across
Kevin Uff, 64, a Steelworkers union member who worked 44 years at the old South
Philadelphia refinery and retired shortly before it exploded in 2019. Uff,
standing in his driveway, identified himself as a Democrat. “It’s OK, a lot of
Democrats vote for me,” said Killion, wearing a face mask as he kept his
distance in the cul-de-sac. “I’m a moderate Republican.” Uff soon asked Killion
for his thoughts on Trump. “I don’t like the rhetoric at all,” Killion said. He
went on to explain that he gets along with members of both parties in
Harrisburg. They work to get things done, Killion said, and— “I understand all
that,” Uff cut in, “but I would think that with the antics that he’s pulled
over the last 3½ years that you would definitely say, ‘I could never vote for
this guy.’ ”
Philly school board rejects tax break for Hilco’s
redevelopment of the former refinery site
Inquirer by
Andrew Maykuth and Kristen A. Graham, August 21,
2020
In a surprise move, the Philadelphia school
board has rejected a proposal backed by Mayor Jim Kenney to extend an important
tax break to the largest development project in the city, a former South
Philadelphia refinery site that is set to be
rebuilt into a massive logistics hub. The
school board on Thursday night failed to muster the five votes needed to
approve the Keystone Opportunity Zone designation, which three progressives on
the school board opposed. Businesses in Keystone Opportunity Zones pay little
to no state and local business taxes through an assortment of tax credits, tax
waivers, and tax abatements. Hilco Redevelopment Partners, a Chicago firm that
bought the 1,300-acre Philadelphia Energy Solutions site out of bankruptcy in
June for $225.5 million, had pressed the city to approve an extension of the
property’s Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) status, which was granted in 2014
and was set to expire in 2023. Hilco has said the tax breaks are important to
its project, which will require hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up
environmentally before the property can be rebuilt. Mayor Kenney, who appoints
school board members, and Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, whose district includes
the property, had asked the school board to approve the KOZ status. The school
board’s approval is required since the KOZ designation potentially impacts its
revenue stream. Hilco has promised to pay a $1.25 million annual payment to the
Philadelphia School District in lieu of school taxes.
Blogger note: PA Students First PAC’s Jeff Yass of the
Susquehanna International Group is featured at $11 million in contributions;
the DeVos Family is listed at $3.5 million
Conservative Plutocrats Pour Enormous Sums of Money into
GOP Super PACs
Center for Media and Democracy By Alex
Kotch August 17th, 2020
Dozens of enormously wealthy individuals,
couples, families, or corporations have donated $1 million or more to
conservative super PACs in the 2020 cycle, according to a CMD analysis of
federal campaign finance data. These donors combined to give nearly $233
million to conservative super PACs, amounting to nearly 60 percent of the total
money raised by the PACs.
The donations have fueled nearly $488 million
in election spending by independent groups—including super PACs and “dark money”
nonprofit organizations—so far in the current election cycle, according to
the Center for Responsive Politics. This
total, as of August 17, is less than the more than $563 million spent by
outside groups at this point in the 2016 election cycle, but it’s easily the
second-highest amount since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling in 2010,
which allowed unlimited corporate money in U.S. elections. Of the $337 million
worth of independent expenditures made so far by super PACs, liberal-leaning
PACs have spent more ($194 million) than conservative PACs ($136 million). If
this trend holds, it will be the first time that liberal super PACs outspend
their conservative counterparts since 2014. The current discrepancy is due in
part to a competitive Democratic presidential primary that saw super PACs spend
tens of millions now-presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg,
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). With the
coronavirus ravaging the South and West and threatening the Midwest, President
Donald Trump’s disastrous handling of the resulting health and economic crises,
and GOP lawmakers scared to contradict the president, Republicans are looking
at what could be a very bad November for them. Biden is consistently ahead of
Trump in many battleground state polls, and a number of Republican senators’
seats are in danger. Given this
dynamic, it’s likely right-wing megadonors will pour even more money into
outside spending groups over the next 11 weeks before Election Day. Forty-four
individuals, couples, families, or corporations have donated $1 million or more
to conservative super PACs in the 2020 cycle so far, according to a CMD
analysis of federal campaign finance records.
Iowa governor’s push to reopen schools descends into
chaos
AP By RYAN J. FOLEY August 19, 2020
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An aggressive push by
Iowa’s pro-Trump governor to reopen schools amid a worsening coronavirus
outbreak has descended into chaos, with some districts and teachers rebelling
and experts calling the scientific benchmarks used by the state arbitrary and
unsafe. The clash in the Midwest has illustrated in condensed form the tension
between science and politics — and between economic concerns and health fears —
that has characterized the nation’s response to the outbreak from the White
House on down. The virus has devastated the U.S. economy and killed over
170,000 Americans. “We’re about to see a tragedy occur in the state. And
there’s not a lot we can do about it. That’s frightening,” said Sara Anne Willette
of Ames, a parent and former math tutor who runs a website tracking state
infection data. At issue is Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ mandate in July that
districts offer at least 50% classroom instruction.
Judge Issues Blistering Injunction Against Betsy DeVos'
Coronavirus Aid Rule
Education Week By Andrew Ujifusa on August
22, 2020 10:59 AM
A federal judge has ruled against U.S.
Department of Education in a lawsuit over how much coronavirus aid public
schools must set aside for private school students. Public school groups
and officials argued that the interim final rule from the department unfairly
deprives their schools and disadvantaged students of crucial funding during the
pandemic. In a preliminary
injunction halting enforcement and implementation
of the rule while she considers the case pitting Washington state against
the Education Department, U.S. District Court Judge Barbara J. Rothstein
harshly and repeatedly rejected the department's arguments. She said that
the agency subverted the intent of Congress and hurt students most
affected by the pandemic, and that Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos
did not have the authority to issue the rule in the first place. The
Education Department's interim final rule, publicized
in June and formally issued in July, pushes school districts to reserve money
under the CARES Act, the federal coronavirus stimulus plan, for services
to all local private school students, irrespective of their backgrounds. That
represents a major departure from how education law typically governs that
arrangement, in which federal money for what's known as "equitable
services" goes to disadvantaged, at-risk private school
students. But Rothstein attacked DeVos' rule as "blind to the
realities of this extraordinary pandemic and the very purpose of the CARES Act:
to provide emergency relief where it is most needed."
In recordings, Trump’s sister says he ‘has no principles’
Penn Live By The
Associated Press August 23, 2020 8:27 AM
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s older
sister, a former federal judge, is heard sharply criticizing her brother in a
series of recordings released Saturday, at one point saying of the president,
“He has no principles.” Maryanne Trump Barry was secretly recorded by her
niece, Mary Trump, who recently released a book denouncing the president,
"Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most
Dangerous Man." Mary Trump said Saturday she made the recordings in 2018
and 2019. In one recording, Barry, 83, says she had heard a 2018 interview with
her brother on Fox News in which he suggested that he would put her on the
border to oversee cases of immigrant children separated from their parents. "His
base, I mean my God, if you were a religious person, you want to help people.
Not do this," Barry says. At another point she says: "His goddamned
tweet and lying, oh my God." She adds: "I'm talking too freely, but
you know. The change of stories. The lack of preparation. The lying. Holy shit."
Barry can also be heard saying that she guesses that her brother has never read
her opinions on immigration cases. "What has he read?" Mary Trump
asks her aunt. Barry responds: "No. He doesn't read."
The recordings were first reported by The
Washington Post. The Associated Press then obtained the recordings.
https://www.pennlive.com/politics/2020/08/in-recordings-trumps-sister-says-he-has-no-principles.html
Blogger note: the 2 bulleted items for education are:
·
Provide
School Choice to Every Child in America
·
Teach
American Exceptionalism
Trump List Of 50 ‘Core Priorities’ For Second Term
Includes ‘Return To Normal In 2021’
Andrew
Solender Forbes Staff Updated Aug 23, 2020,
11:28pm EDT
On the eve of the Republican National
Convention, the Trump campaign released a list of President Trump’s “core
priorities” for a second term after the Republican National Committee opted not
to adopt a new platform for 2020. The RNC passed a resolution to
“enthusiastically support” Trump’s “America-first” agenda and “reject the policy
positions of the Obama-Biden administration,” calling on reporters to “engage
in accurate and unbiased reporting” on the decision. The Trump campaign instead
released a bulleted list of 50
goals – though without fleshed-out plans to buttress them – such as
“create 10 million new jobs in 10 months” and “lower prescription drug prices.”
Blogger commentary:
Parents considering cyber charters due to COVID might not be
aware of their 20 year 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.
PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference October 14-15
Virtual
Registration is now open for the first ever
virtual School Leadership Conference! Join us for all-new educational sessions,
dynamic speakers, exhibitors, and more! Visit the website for registration
information: https://t.co/QfinpBL69u #PASLC20 https://t.co/JYeRhJLUmZ
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.
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: http://ow.ly/yJWA50B2R72
Save The Date: The PSBA 2020 Equity Summit is happening
virtually on October 13th.
Discover how to build a foundation for equity
in practice and policy.
Learn more: https://t.co/KQviB4TTOj
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.
292 PA school boards have adopted charter reform
resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 290 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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