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 associations and education advocacy organizations via
emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
These daily
emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
If any of your colleagues would like to be added to the
email list please have them send their name, title and affiliation to KeystoneStateEdCoalition@gmail.com
Taxpayers in Senate Ed Committee Majority Chairman .@SenLangerholc’s
school districts paid over $11.6 million in 2018-2019 cyber charter tuition
Why are cyber
charter tuition rates the same as brick and mortar tuition?
Taxpayers in Senate Education Committee Majority Chairman Wayne
Langerholc’s school districts paid over $11.6 million in 2018-2019 cyber charter
tuition. Statewide, PA taxpayers paid
over $600 million for cyber charter tuition in 2018-2019.
|
Bedford Area SD
|
$525,500.90
|
|
Blacklick Valley SD
|
$178,172.00
|
|
Cambria Heights SD
|
$345,532.42
|
|
Central Cambria SD
|
$270,145.16
|
|
Chestnut Ridge SD
|
$458,063.51
|
|
Claysburg-Kimmel SD
|
$85,189.10
|
|
Clearfield Area SD
|
$1,110,178.60
|
|
Conemaugh Valley SD
|
$296,960.66
|
|
Curwensville Area SD
|
$132,123.18
|
|
Dubois Area SD
|
$683,129.91
|
|
Everett Area SD
|
$409,729.24
|
|
Ferndale Area SD
|
$394,828.69
|
|
Forest Hills SD
|
$331,760.01
|
|
Glendale SD
|
$223,658.37
|
|
Greater Johnstown SD
|
$2,297,904.40
|
|
Harmony Area SD
|
$82,846.91
|
|
Moshannon Valley SD
|
$371,149.37
|
|
Northern Bedford County SD
|
$162,967.33
|
|
Northern Cambria SD
|
$287,207.80
|
|
Penn Cambria SD
|
$517,577.90
|
|
Philipsburg-Osceola Area SD
|
$628,768.59
|
|
Portage Area SD
|
$283,265.52
|
|
Purchase Line SD
|
$427,540.54
|
|
Richland SD
|
$181,690.24
|
|
Tussey Mountain SD
|
$278,031.29
|
|
West Branch Area SD
|
$226,912.21
|
|
Westmont Hilltop SD
|
$160,498.97
|
|
Windber Area SD
|
$310,870.37
|
|
|
$11,662,203.19
|
Data Source: PDE
via PSBA
“Pennsylvania is the poster child for how hold-harmless
provisions can subvert the state’s own school funding equity principles. The
state’s 2016 formula was designed to remedy prior
funding inequities, but since the Commonwealth still guarantees each district
at least the same level of funding it got in 2015, only a portion of the
state’s funds flow through the new formula. That means over 100
districts receive more than double the state formula
allotment, and conversely, the 100 poorest
districts are shorted $533 million (while serving a
disproportionate share of the state’s Black and Latinx
students).”
When it Comes to School Funds, Hold-Harmless Provisions
Aren’t “Harmless”
Funding crunch is a chance to revise, remove
arcane, inequitable grandfather clauses
EducationNext by Marguerite Roza and Hannah
Jarmolowski Last updated September 3, 2020
As state lawmakers reconvene this fall to
reckon with gaping pandemic-induced budget holes, many will have to cut K-12
school funding. That leaves state leaders with the critical decision of how to
cut, with many experts warning against
any option that burdens high-need districts with an undue share of the pain.
One way that states can heed that warning is by finally ridding themselves of
legacy “hold-harmless” provisions that undermine states’ own school funding
equity goals. Many state legislatures have overhauled their funding formulas in
recent decades with the goal of distributing state and local dollars more
equitably across districts, and funneling more to districts with higher student
needs. But to lessen the blow to districts that stood to lose money—and to
garner the needed votes to pass a new formula—lawmakers effectively added
escape clauses, holding some districts harmless from the fiscal impacts of the
new formula.
What’s so wrong with this? While
hold-harmless (or “grandfather”) provisions can take several forms, the net
result is often the same. Scarce dollars get sent to some districts at the
expense of others. In many cases those benefitting are wealthier, whiter
districts and not the districts with the highest needs. Today, when state
revenues are collapsing, an extra state dollar sent to a district via a
hold-harmless clause means a deeper cut to another district—likely in the very
districts that arguably need the most state aid.
https://www.educationnext.org/when-it-comes-to-school-funds-hold-harmless-provisions-arent-harmless/
Bill that would let school districts decide sports
attendance limits moves closer to Wolf’s desk
Trib Live By: Chris
Harlan Thursday, September 3, 2020 | 5:55 PM
State lawmakers advocating for spectators at
interscholastic sports could have a bill on Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk before WPIAL
football teams kick off next week. “I absolutely think that’s a real
possibility,” said state Rep. Mike Reese, R-Westmoreland, the primary sponsor
of House Bill 2787. “I think that’s going to be a goal, for sure.” The
legislation would let individual school district make decisions involving
interscholastic sports, including how many spectators can enter a stadium or
gymnasium. Districts could avoid the 250-person outdoor and 25-person indoor
restrictions established by Wolf’s administration, Reese said, but still should
follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. The state House
passed the bill 155-47 on Wednesday, sending it to the Senate for approval. The
Senate Education Committee voted 10-1 on Thursday to advance the bill to the
Senate floor for a vote.
“Roy pointed out that when it comes to educational matters, such
as testing and graduation requirements, local districts have little say. But
the state defers to districts on pandemic-related issues for which no decision
would be popular. “There is great irony in the fact that on issues of public
health and high school sports, the state is all about local control,” Roy said.
“But when we come to educational topics — which is our area of expertise — we
see lots of mandates and requirements.”
Fans at high school football games? Probably not, say
Lehigh Valley superintendents tasked with executing new rules
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO THE MORNING
CALL | SEP 03, 2020 AT 5:19 PM
Liberty High School’s band, one of the
largest in the Lehigh Valley, is made up of 250 students who typically play at
Friday night football games. But if the Grenadiers were to take to the field
this season, no one else could be admitted to the stadium — not even players. When
Gov. Tom Wolf said on Wednesday that fans may be allowed at outdoor K-12
sporting events as long as the number of people associated with the game
doesn’t exceed 250, superintendents knew that was unrealistic. Football rosters
alone can have about 50 players on each team. “Decisions are going to have to
be made about who attends for sure,” Bethlehem Superintendent Joseph Roy said.
Other Lehigh Valley superintendents
anticipate football games being played in stadiums empty of fans. “I don’t know
how we allow fans at this point,” Allentown Superintendent Thomas Parker said.
“When you do the math, it’s a no go.” For superintendents who spent the summer
coming up with reopening plans based on state guidelines, the latest
change in the rules was just another responsibility hurled their way.
Some District 10 schools will allow fans; some won’t
GoErie By Mike
Copper @etncopper Posted
at 5:15 AM Updated at 5:23 AM
Athletic directors say it will be a challenge
dealing with governor’s 250/25 limits
District 10 athletic directors are taking
different approaches to the new possibility of fans attending fall sports. Gov.
Tom Wolf changed state guidance Wednesday to allow spectators at sporting
events. However, the limits of 25 people indoors and 250 outdoors will still
include athletes, coaches, game officials, cheerleaders and fans. That will
severely limit the number of fans allowed at games. Football and girls
volleyball seem to pose the biggest problems. Cathedral Prep/Villa Maria
athletic director Bill Flanagan said fans will be permitted to watch Prep and
Villa events in person based on available spots. “It is certainly a challenge,”
Flanagan said. “We have an extreme limit as soon as you take full football
and/or soccer teams into account and include all necessary personnel, as well
as cheerleaders. But as difficult as it is, we’re thankful to at least have a
season no matter how different it may look.” Flanagan is planning to live
stream as many Prep and Villa home events at the Hagerty Family Events Center
as possible. All regular-season football games also will be locally broadcast
on the radio.
Awful, terrible, necessary, inevitable
Times Tribune BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD Sep 4,
2020 Updated 6 hrs ago
The Scranton School District was circling the
financial drain even before the COVID-19 public health crisis added an extra
layer of uncertainty to its future. Now, teachers union President Rosemary
Boland is correct when she calls a proposal to temporarily furlough more than
150 district personnel “awful” and “terrible.” They are the broadly applicable
adjectives of this uniquely difficult time. With remote instruction in place at
least through the end of November, other adjectives that the school board must
apply to the furloughs are “necessary” and “inevitable.” Operating under
state-mandated supervision, the district has enacted a series of significant
tax increases and clearly will have to implement more to achieve a financial
recovery. Its prospects for major state aid are uncertain even more so now than
they were last year, when the district made a convincing case that the state
government had shortchanged it by millions of dollars. And the prospect of
federal pandemic recovery aid is even more uncertain than that.
According to district estimates, it could
save nearly $250,000 a month by enacting furloughs. The school board, which
tabled the proposal Monday amid protests by district employees, will have an
extremely hard time explaining to taxpayers why it would reject those savings
when instruction has moved online. Does it plan to continue paying bus drivers
or will it save a projected $1.2 million from suspending the service?
8 Lancaster County schools lack air conditioning; on hot
summer days, mask mandate could complicate in-person classes
One of the few universally accepted truths
about the COVID-19 pandemic is this: Heat and face masks generally aren’t a
great combination. So, with hot and sticky conditions forecasted for Thursday,
Manheim Central School District Superintendent Peter J. Aiken made the call
Wednesday morning to shift all high school students online for the following
day. Manheim Central schools are closed today. Manheim Central High School is
one of eight Lancaster County schools without air conditioning. Other
non-air-conditioned schools belong to Elizabethtown Area School District — Mill
Road and Rheems elementary schools — and School District of Lancaster —
Buchanan, Burrowes, Hamilton and Wickersham elementary schools, and Wheatland
Middle School. With universal face coverings in the form of masks or shields
required in Pennsylvania schools essentially all day, except when students are
eating or drinking or during brief "mask breaks," officials at those
school districts have had to brainstorm backup plans in case the heat got too
unbearable inside their classrooms this fall. “It’s already pretty hot in that
building,” Aiken said. “… You’re wearing a mask on top of that. We decided it
would be prudent to shift and have a virtual day.”
Four in five Philly students logged on for first day
Chalkbeat Philly By Dale Mezzacappa Sep
3, 2020, 6:10pm EDT
On the first day of virtual school in
Philadelphia, about 82% of the school district’s students logged on — a
significant improvement over the spring when the daily average hovered around
60% after schools were suddenly forced to go online. Superintendent William
Hite said Thursday that engagement varied by school “from 100% to numbers that
are much lower.” He said more details would be available later. Wednesday’s opening
was marred by problems with bandwidth and internet speeds, but those issues
have been largely resolved, he said. In a weekly call with reporters, Hite said
the “sheer volume” of students logging on affected the speed of the servers.
The district’s technology team adjusted the servers to control capacity, he
said. On Thursday, speeds had improved. “We added capacity overnight, and so
far this morning, it appears the servers are meeting the need,” he said. District
officials have estimated that 18,000 students still lack internet access, a
figure Hite said is based on responses from 22,000 families who have been
contacted by school officials. Of that number, 1,700 didn’t have a means to get
online. “Based on the individuals who responded, we’re extrapolating through
the whole population,” Hite said. The district enrolls close to 125,000
students.
Ignore the Rankings: Why the Best School for Your Kid Is
Probably the One in Your Neighborhood
After years of obsessing about stats and
lists, many city parents are discovering their kids will get a great
education right around the corner.
PhillyMag by SANDY SMITH· 8/29/2020,
9:00 p.m.
After years of obsessing about public school
rankings, many city parents are discovering their kids will get a great
education right around the corner. It can be very hard to be in the minority in
a social or professional setting. Those in the majority may look askance at
you, or even question your right to be where you are. Your competence may be
called into question, and other well-meaning souls may act patronizingly toward
you out of good intentions. All of this will do a number on your
self-confidence. Given all that, it should be no wonder that people seek
environments where these things won’t happen — psychic safe spaces and
emotional comfort zones where one can keep one’s self-esteem intact. What’s all
this got to do with choosing a school for your child? This: We (or should I say
“you” — an affluent white couple, potentially) say when we (or you) go
school-shopping that we want a school where our children will excel. One where
they’ll have dedicated teachers, plenty of resources, and lots of support and
opportunities for enrichment.
PA Schools Work: Our Next Lunch & Learn
Webinar (Tuesday, September 15): Public School Advocacy in the New Normal
of a COVID-19 World
For the foreseeable future, COVID-19 is a part of our everyday lives. More parents and community members than ever before have engaged at the school district level as schools wrestled with their options for reopening this fall. Our next Lunch & Learn webinar (Tuesday, September 15th, at Noon) will be about continuing our advocacy for public schools, and how the challenges districts are facing in the COVID-19 era are magnified by long-term inequities in our funding system and years of lackluster financial support for public education from state government. What can we do about it? Come find out. Register here!
For the foreseeable future, COVID-19 is a part of our everyday lives. More parents and community members than ever before have engaged at the school district level as schools wrestled with their options for reopening this fall. Our next Lunch & Learn webinar (Tuesday, September 15th, at Noon) will be about continuing our advocacy for public schools, and how the challenges districts are facing in the COVID-19 era are magnified by long-term inequities in our funding system and years of lackluster financial support for public education from state government. What can we do about it? Come find out. Register here!
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.
PA SCHOOLS WORK WEBINAR : Public School Advocacy in the
New Normal of a COVID-19 World; Tue, Sep 15, 2020 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM EDT
For the foreseeable future, COVID-19 is a part
of our everyday lives. More parents and community members than ever before have
engaged at the school district level as schools wrestled with their options for
reopening this fall. This conversation will be about continuing our advocacy
for public schools, and how the challenges districts are facing in the COVID-19
era are magnified by long-term inequities in our funding system and years of
lackluster financial support for public education from state government. So,
what can we do about it? Come find out
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.
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
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
What to expect at this year’s School Leadership
Conference
POSTED ON AUGUST 31, 2020 IN PSBA
NEWS
At the 2020 PASA-PSBA School Leadership
Conference on October 14-15, you'll encounter the same high-quality experience
you've come to expect, via new virtual platform. Hear world-class speakers and
relevant educational sessions, and network with exhibitors and attendees — from
the comfort of your home or office on any internet-enabled device.
The virtual conference platform is accessible
via a unique link provided to each registrant about a week before conference.
No additional app downloads are required. The intuitive 3D interface is easy to
use and immersive — you'll feel like you're on location. Registrants will be
able to explore the space a day before conference starts. Highlights
include:
- Virtual
exhibit hall
- Interactive
lobby area and information desk
- Virtual
auditorium
- Digital
swag bag
- Scavenger
hunt
This year, conference is completely free
to attend! Be among the first 125 to register, and receive a special
pre-conference swag bag, sent to your home. Click here for
more information about how to register.
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
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.