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
North Penn: Costs growing for charter, cyber school
expenses.
COVID Cases @ Lackawana Trail, Bald Eagle, Conestoga
Valley, Donegal, Bethlehem
Why are cyber
charter tuition rates the same as brick and mortar tuition?
Taxpayers in Senate Ed Committee Minority Chair Andy Dinniman’s school
districts paid over $15.3 million in 2018-2019 cyber charter tuition. Statewide, PA taxpayers paid over $600 million for cyber charter
tuition in 2018-2019.
Avon Grove SD
|
$1,009,625.05
|
Coatesville Area SD
|
$4,097,450.82
|
Downingtown Area SD
|
$2,181,279.21
|
Great Valley SD
|
$1,162,230.98
|
Kennett Consolidated SD
|
$1,038,532.60
|
Octorara Area SD
|
$1,019,188.28
|
Oxford Area SD
|
$1,149,265.29
|
Phoenixville Area SD
|
NA
|
Tredyffrin-Easttown SD
|
$354,458.00
|
Unionville-Chadds Ford SD
|
$734,074.82
|
West Chester Area SD
|
$2,641,779.90
|
$15,387,884.95
|
Data Source: PDE
via PSBA
North Penn: Costs growing for charter, cyber school
expenses
North Penn Reporter By Dan Sokil dsokil@21st-centurymedia.com
@dansokil on Twitter September 11, 2020
LANSDALE — It's been hinted at for years, and
the North Penn School Board took a deep dive into the specifics last week. How
much do charter and cyber schools impact the school district's bottom line, and
what results do they produce for students? "Each individual North Penn
school, in virtually every case — with a few exceptions — not only
outperform the cyber schools, but dramatically outperform the cyber
schools," said Director of Business Administration Steve Skrocki. "We're
not here to judge that data. We're just going to present that data, and certainly
you can draw your own conclusions," he said. As the school board and
staff discussed and
ultimately adopted their 2020-21 budget, and
in several years prior, board
members and staff have pointed to rising costs of cyber and charter schools as
growing expenses that have produced little tangible benefit to the
district. In January, district
Superintendent Curt Dietrich joined dozens of other superintendents from across
Pennsylvania to call on the state legislature to revise the formula by which
local districts are required to support charter and cyber schools, and the
board voted in March to
back the same call.
“Lincoln Learning Solutions has come under scrutiny from state
auditors in Pennsylvania. In July, Pennsylvania's auditor general called for the
state to change its charter school law after finding that Lincoln Learning had
financial reserves of nearly $82 million as of June 30, 2018. Lincoln Learning
works with Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School and Lincoln Park Performing Arts
Charter School, "which receive millions of school tax dollars every
year," according to a news release from the auditor's office. State audits
of the nonprofit found that "Lincoln Learning Solutions was operating
without boundaries or accountability to the officials from either charter
schools or to the taxpayers who were footing the bill," the news release
said. "As a result, we have no idea what was provided by the management
company in return for the public education money it received." Lincoln
Learning spent more than $600,000 over a four-year period to lobby legislators
in Pennsylvania and other states, according to Pennsylvania's Department of the
Auditor General. In comparison, similar nonprofit charter management companies
in Pennsylvania reported spending no money on lobbying in tax filings, the
department said.”
Virtual learning nothing by the book
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette by LARA FARRAR
SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE | September 13, 22020
TUCKERMAN -- Jackson County School District
administrators and teachers gathered Aug. 20 in the auditorium of the rural
school for a training session on online learning, their second of the month. The
district is one of more than 170 of Arkansas' 263 public school districts and
public charter schools that are using a learning management system from
Philadelphia-based Lincoln Learning Solutions Inc. to provide virtual learning
this fall, according to the Arkansas Public School Resource Center. Several
dozen mask-wearing parents and students entered the building that sits alongside
a couple of cornfields and stopped for temperature checks before socially
distancing in seats in the auditorium. On a screen in front, administrators
explained how to access the digital curriculum, how to submit assignments
online and how to use Zoom, a videoconferencing service to communicate with
classmates and teachers. "This is uncharted territory for all of us,"
said Pharis Smith, the elementary school principal. "It is a whole new
day. It is not just here at Jackson County. It is the same everywhere." Only
10% of the 950 students in the district are learning from home this fall, a
smaller percentage than in many other Arkansas districts.
Lawmakers take record before voters under new election
rules
AP By MARK SCOLFORO September 12, 2020
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania voters
will soon issue their verdict on the legislature’s response to the COVID-19
pandemic by either extending the gains Democrats made two years ago or further
tightening Republicans’ longstanding grip on both chambers. The GOP-majority
General Assembly has been in hybrid mode this year, after senators and
representatives gave themselves the choice of attending floor sessions in
person or casting votes remotely. In a string of bipartisan votes early in the
crisis this spring, they gave schools flexibility on the 180-day instruction
requirement, provided front-line workers with protective equipment and delayed
the April primary election to June. But Republicans soured on elements of
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s pandemic response, unsuccessfully attempting to
overturn his business closure orders and prompting seven vetoes of COVID-19
legislation. More recently, the parties have struggled to find common ground on
a bill to fine-tune mail-in voting, including changes sought by the counties
that must implement it.
Voting season starts today in Pennsylvania. Here are 3
things to think about | Monday Morning Coffee
PA Capital Star Commentary By John L. Micek September
14, 2020
Good Monday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Today is Monday, Sept. 14. And starting
today, the Pennsylvania Department of State starts
sending out mail-in ballots to tens of thousands of voters statewide. And as
those ballots go out the door, so, too, will the last vestiges what
passed for the traditional campaign season. In the time of the
pandemic, we’ve already seen candidates largely scrap door-to-door campaigning
in favor of text and
online outreach. Large rallies, with one, very notable exception, have been
replaced by more intimate Zoom and YouTube sessions. Old school political
conventions are as extinct as the dodo. It also means that the October surprise
— that shocking revelation that could turn the course of the election — is now
the September/October surprise. And we’ve already seen the first salvo with the
revelations contained in the new book by the veteran journalist Bob
Woodward.
So with that in mind, here are three things to think about as voting
season gets underway in Pennsylvania.
“An analysis of campaign finance records shows that firms run by
the Zaborneys and Long and Nyquist have together been paid at least $26.3
million since 2011 by legislative candidates, the state Republican party, GOP
legislative campaign committees, congressional candidates, and various
political action committees. By contrast, the DT Firm has been paid just under
$300,000 for campaign work, including for Republican leaders in both the House
and Senate. Campaign committees for all three firms' lobbying arms, meanwhile,
have given more than $900,000 to GOP legislative leaders and others during that
same time frame, the records show. Because of Pennsylvania’s weak lobbying
disclosure laws, it is impossible to know which lawmakers the firms have
lobbied, or on what issues. Unlike other states, Pennsylvania requires that
private interests, and their lobbyists, report only the total amount of money
they spent on lobbying activities, without having to provide any detail.”
Top Pa. GOP lawmaker taps politically connected lobbyist
to be chief of staff
Inquirer by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Brad
Bumsted of The Caucus, Posted: 53 minutes ago
Spotlight
PA is an independent, non-partisan
newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The
Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign
up for our free weekly newsletter.
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Senate Majority
Leader Jake Corman has tapped a top lobbyist with a politically connected
Harrisburg firm to serve as his new chief of staff, the latest high-profile
example of the cozy relationship between elected officials in the Capitol and
special interests trying to influence them. Corman, a Centre County Republican
who is widely considered next in line to ascend to the chamber’s top leadership
post, told senators last week in an email that he had hired Krystjan Callahan,
a partner at Maverick Strategies, a well-known lobbying firm run by Ray
Zaborney, who also runs Corman’s campaigns. Callahan, 40, was once the top
staffer to a Republican leader in the state House of Representatives. For the
last five years, however, Callahan has worked for Zaborney, who together with
his wife runs a trio of companies known as the Mavericks. The companies help
elect lawmakers and then lobby them once they are in office, a practice that
good-government advocates say blurs the line between politics and policy.
“All Republican members in both chambers voted for it as did 46
Democrats in the House and 10 in the Senate. To override a veto of this bill,
at least 26 Democrats in the House and at least five in the Senate would have
to join with their Republican colleagues to allow this measure to become law.”
Pa. Democratic lawmakers face difficult vote on high
school sports bill that Gov. Wolf plans to veto
Penn Live By Jan
Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Sep
11, 6:55 PM; Posted Sep 11, 6:18 PM
Pennsylvania Democratic lawmakers could find
themselves in a position of having to decide whether to sustain or override
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's planned veto of a bill regarding high school sports
that 56 of those lawmakers earlier this month voted to support.
A difficult vote may lie ahead for 56
Democratic slate lawmakers who joined their Republican colleagues in supporting
a bill that would give local schools the authority to make decisions about
holding sports and other activities, including how many spectators can attend. That
bill was presented to Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday. He has said he will veto it and
can take up to 10 days to do that. Wolf has recommended schools hold off on
sports this fall due to the coronavirus pandemic and his administration wants
strict limits on the number of spectators. If Wolf follows through with his
veto threat, House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre County, said the
chamber will attempt an override vote of a veto on this bill at first
opportunity. If that effort succeeds, Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman,
R-Centre County, said the Senate will subsequently follow suit. House Bill 2787 passed
the House and Senate with strong bipartisan support.
Study: Kids infected at day care spread coronavirus at
home
WHYY By Associated
Press Mike Stobbe September 11, 2020
Children who caught the coronavirus at day
cares and a day camp spread it to their relatives, according to a new report
that underscores that kids can bring the germ home and infect others. Scientists
already know children can spread the virus. But the study published Friday by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “definitively indicates — in a way
that previous studies have struggled to do — the potential for transmission to
family members,” said William Hanage, a Harvard University infectious diseases
researcher. The findings don’t mean that schools and child-care programs need
to close, but it does confirm that the virus can spread within those places and
then be brought home by kids. So, masks, disinfection and social distancing are
needed. And people who work in such facilities have to be careful and get
tested if they think they may be infected, experts said.
Few COVID-19 cases from public schools so far, but young
adults are being infected at increasing rates in Pa. and N.J.
Inquirer by Justine McDaniel, Allison
Steele and Erin
McCarthy, Posted: September 11, 2020
Few coronavirus cases have been seen since
the school year began at K-12 schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, health
officials said Friday, but the infection rate is rising among college-age
adults in both states. New cases are flat or declining for most age groups in
New Jersey but are rising in people 19 to 24. Young adults make up a third of
Southeastern Pennsylvania’s new September cases, and they now account for
nearly 70% of all new cases in north-central Pennsylvania, where Pennsylvania
State University is located, officials said. While there have been some cases
at elementary, middle, and high schools that have reopened or are offering a
combination of in-person and remote instruction, Pennsylvania Health Secretary
Rachel Levine said the most “significant increases” statewide are among people
ages 19 to 24.
Rise in Pa. school employee retirements fuels concerns
about who will fill those jobs
More Pennsylvania school employees decided to
retire over the summer in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic than decided to
call it a career last summer, raising concerns about what this could mean for
the state's teacher shortage.
Penn LLive By Jan
Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com September
14, 2020
Pennsylvania saw a significant uptick in the
number of school employees who decided to end their careers over the summer
months. From June 1 through Sept. 8, the state’s Public School Employees'
Retirement System received 3,370 applications from school employees for pension
benefits. That number is 31% higher than the same timeframe a year ago,
according to PSERS.
The agency was unable to provide the reason
behind this surge since its policies don’t require public school employees to
disclose that information. However, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State
Education Association said concerns about COVID-19 were often the reason cited
by its members who called the union with questions about retirement and other
pandemic-related concerns during July and August. “It makes perfect sense. We’re
in the midst of a pandemic. Members, teachers and support professionals who are
50 or 60 and closer to retirement, they can have health conditions that make
them particularly susceptible,” said PSEA spokesman Chris Lilienthal.
Lackawanna Trail teacher, class quarantined after
positive COVID test
Times Tribune BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL STAFF WRITER Sep 13, 2020 Updated 27
min ago
A Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center teacher
tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday.
Fifteen Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center
students must quarantine after their teacher tested positive for the
coronavirus on Sunday. The district, which had its first day Thursday, was one
of the only in the region to reopen fully. The teacher, whom Superintendent
Matthew Rakauskas did not identify, had a rapid COVID19 test done on Sunday and
within hours, the district began notifying the students in the classroom.
Rakauskas was unsure of the teacher’s symptoms or when they developed. The 15
students must self-isolate for two weeks, and the teacher will be able to
instruct the students virtually from home, Rakauskas said. Maintenance staff
recleaned the Factoryville school on Sunday afternoon, including the affected
classroom and any common areas the teacher could have visited. School will
remain open Monday but would close for three to five days, or longer, if more
people within the building test positive. “We’ll watch carefully,” Rakauskas
said. “We’re prepared for this.” Under state guidelines, all students and
employees must wear masks in school, even when greater than 6 feet apart. When
school started Thursday, students sat as far apart as the classroom space
allowed, and wore masks except when eating or drinking.
Bald Eagle Area confirms first COVID-19 case in the
district
Centre Daily Times BY
MARLEY PARISH SEPTEMBER 13, 2020 05:46
PM , UPDATED SEPTEMBER 13, 2020 06:04 PM
The Bald
Eagle Area School District has confirmed its first
documented COVID-19 case, Superintendent Scott Graham announced Sunday. In a
message posted on social media, Graham said an adult at Wingate Elementary contracted
the coronavirus and that all staff and students who had close contact with the
individual have been notified and are required to quarantine. “We will continue
to monitor this situation,” Graham wrote. “Should others begin experiencing
symptoms, we will notify those parents and adults that would be affected.” Symptoms
of COVID-19 usually occur two to 14 days after exposure to the virus and can include fever
or chills, a cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches and a new loss
of smell or taste, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bald Eagle Area students and teachers returned to school for in-person learning
on Aug. 25. Last week, a student at Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania
Charter School was confirmed to have had
COVID-19.
Conestoga Valley High School to close next week due to
spread of COVID-19
Lancaster Online by ALEX
GELI | Staff Writer September 11, 2020
Conestoga Valley High School will be closed
to students Saturday through Monday, Sept. 21, due to a spread of COVID-19
among individuals at the school. Conestoga Valley School District Dave
Zuilkoski broke the news to
families in a letter Friday posted on the district's website. The announcement
comes a day after two additional cases of COVID-19 were confirmed at the high
school. In total, the district has four cases — three at the high school and
one at Brownstown Elementary School. There is an additional probable case at
the high school. "We were very fortunate that the spread was not worse. We
are fortunate because we have dedicated individuals in the High School conducting
effective contact tracing," Zuilkoski stated in his letter regarding the
high school closure. "Due to the ability of the High School staff to
gather pertinent information in real time, the familiarity with the individuals
involved, and the occurrence of the Labor Day holiday, we were able to
effectively identify and quarantine individuals who ran the risk of contracting
the virus." The cases originated from a gathering outside the high school,
Zuilkoski said. "Again, this closure is not a result of a schedule, of
someone not wearing a face covering, or of someone not maintaining social
distance; this closure is the result of individual actions in the community
brought into the school," he said. "Please note: During the closure,
academic delivery will change to an online model; the building will go through
a thorough cleaning; and all extra-curricular activities will be suspended and
rescheduled as appropriate."
Donegal Intermediate School closes through Sept. 20 due
to 2 COVID-19 cases
Lancaster Online by ALEX
GELI | Staff Writer Sep 12, 2020
Another Lancaster County school has closed
temporarily because of COVID-19. Donegal Intermediate School is closed through
Sept. 20 as two individuals in the school have tested positive for the virus,
which has infected more than 7,100 people in Lancaster County.
This marks the second school closure due to
COVID-19 in recent days. Conestoga Valley High School, which had three cases,
plus one probable case, among students or staff, is closed through Sept. 21. Donegal
School District learned of the two cases at the intermediate school, which
serves about 950 students in grades three through six, Friday evening,
according to a letter from Superintendent Michael Lausch that was posted on the
district website. Of the two individuals who tested positive, one was present
"in multiple locations throughout the building," Lausch wrote. The
district decided to close the school building after consulting with the
Pennsylvania Department of Health and Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.
2 Bethlehem schools report COVID-19 cases
By Sara
K. Satullo | For lehighvalleylive.com Updated Sep
13, 2020; Posted Sep 13, 2020
Two Bethlehem Area School District schools
reported COVID-19 cases this weekend, although the schools will remain open,
according to an alert sent home to parents. On Sunday, the district was
notified of a case at Liberty High School and a case at Governor Wolf
Elementary School. The district reported its
first case at Donegan Elementary School on
Sept. 2. After consulting with local public health officials, school officials
determined there is no need to close either school at this time. The classroom
and spaces used by the individual will be closed off, cleaned and disinfected
according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
The state Board of Ed advanced new science standards for
the first time in two decades. That could transform how schools teach climate
change
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth Hardison September
13, 2020
Pennsylvania is on track to adopt new
regulations that could reshape science education for the state’s 1.7 million
school children, which call on students to learn about global warming and
human-caused climate change starting in early elementary school. Proposed guidelines approved
by the state Board of Education last week represent the first comprehensive
update to Pennsylvania’s science education standards in nearly two decades. They’re
now subject to public comment as part of the state’s regulatory process. They
have to get approval from state lawmakers before they can take effect for the
2024-2025 school year – a timeline that the board says will give schools and
the Department of Education time to retrain teachers, write curriculum, and
update the state’s standardized tests to align with the new standards. Not to
be confused with a curriculum or lesson plan, the statewide educational
standards offer a roadmap of what students ought to learn at each grade level.
They set expectations that guide instruction and state assessments, while still
giving Pennsylvania’s 500 public school districts control over their curricula.
The new proposed standards call on students starting in third grade to receive
instruction on how human activity affects natural resources and climate.
Scranton School Board to vote on furloughs Monday night
Times Tribune BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL STAFF WRITER Sep 14,
2020 Updated 2 hrs ago
In the last week, paraprofessionals in the
Scranton School District worked to ensure students had the materials necessary
to learn. Maintenance staff continued to clean buildings. Those employees are
among the 223 the Scranton School Board will consider furloughing today.
School directors tabled the furloughs two
weeks ago, citing the need for more information from administration. The board
has received greater details on the cuts, which officials say will save the
financially struggling district more than $282,000 per month. “We are really
between a rock and a hard place. The virtual model has eliminated the roles and
functions many of the people fill. We have to make the fiscally responsible
choice,” board President Katie Gilmartin said Sunday. While school directors do
not want to see anyone furloughed, the board has a “responsibility and
obligation to spend public dollars wisely and within the confines of the school
code,” Gilmartin said. Last month, administration proposed the following
furloughs: all 140 paraprofessionals, six intervention specialists, two level 2
intervention specialists, four part-time maintenance, one licensed practical
nurse (Prescott/Willard), one clerk at South Scranton Intermediate, one clerk
at West Scranton Intermediate, two hall monitors (Northeast Intermediate and
South Scranton Intermediate), two general custodians (West Scranton High and
McNichols Plaza) and 64 crossing guards.
Philly school officials: Keep Renaissance charter campuses,
but eliminate oversight rules
Chalkbeat Philly By Bill Hangley Jr. Sep
11, 2020, 5:34pm EDT
Philadelphia School District officials have
recommended policy changes that would eliminate the possibility of special
assessments or interventions for a uniquely empowered group of charter schools known
as Renaissance Schools. Officials say the changes are a formality, made
necessary by revisions to federal law. None of the district’s 21 Renaissance
charters will close as a result. They shared their proposal at Thursday’s meeting of the
board of education’s policy committee. Committee chair Maria McColgan stressed
the proposed revisions are “in no way” a criticism of charters or the
Renaissance program and won’t affect their day-to-day operations. “This
recommendation is not a proposal to eliminate the schools,” said McColgan, “Nor
is this a commentary on performance.” When the program was created in 2010, the
district agreed to turn over struggling public schools to charter operators in
an effort to improve them. In some cases, that hasn’t happened — and critics
said the district should consider taking back some of the schools. “The
initiative has failed,” former board member Chris McGinley said. “Some have
sound practices, but many do not.” Charter supporters, however, praised the Renaissance
initiative, which requires charters to enroll any student in their neighborhood
rather than those chosen by lottery. Charter schools are independently run but
paid for with public dollars. “These schools have improved significantly,” said
Mark Gleason of the Philadelphia School Partnership, or PSP, which advocates
for high-quality schools, including charters. But Gleason acknowledged that
Renaissance charter schools have not consistently proven to be high-quality
replacements for district-run schools.
Philly Board Protects Charter Status Quo
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools Commentary
by Diane Payne Policy Committee Meeting, September 10, 2020
The Board’s Policy Committee scheduled a
special meeting just one week after its regular quarterly meeting. The Board
did not explain on September 3 why it was having a separate meeting on
September 10 or why the three policies on this agenda could not have been discussed
the week before. Members of the public who signed up to speak could only
guess about the Board’s intentions about revising or deleting Policy 141, the
Renaissance Charter Initiative. By the meeting’s end, however, it became
clear that the purpose of the meeting was to assure charter operators that
their interests would be protected.
The only mention of the enormous costs and
few rewards came from public speakers. None of the Board members responded to
the information, both statistical and anecdotal, that community members offered
as evidence of the program’s shortcomings. The expensive and failed Renaissance
experiment, enacted in 2010 as part of Superintendent Arlene Ackerman’s
controversial “Imagine 2014” privatization plan, targeted neighborhood
public schools for takeover by charter companies, most managed by business
people with no experience in education. Committee Chair Maria McColgan,
ignoring the facts brought by community members, took every opportunity to repeat
her assurance that the program would continue in the interest of providing a
“quality” school in every neighborhood. It appears that neither McColgan
nor any member of the Board has done even a cursory examination of the
Renaissance charter evaluations. (Julia Danzy had to ask Charter Chief
Christina Grant what NCLB stands for.) If so, they would see schools that fail
to meet basic standards in all areas–academic, financial and
organizational.
Schools allowed to extend free meals to students for rest
of the year
Trib Live by MEGAN
TOMASIC | Sunday,
September 13, 2020 8:00 p.m.
Students across the country will continue to
receive free meals throughout the remainder of the year in an attempt to help
families struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. Several local school
districts are taking advantage of programs offered by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, allowing students from age 2 to 18 to receive a free breakfast and
lunch regardless of their family’s income or whether they are attending
in-person or online classes or are in day care. Free food will be offered
through Dec. 31. “Some families are slightly above the threshold for
qualification of a free or reduced meal,” said Hempfield Superintendent Tammy
Wolicki. “This opportunity allows all children to have access to healthy meals
every weekday and for families to use those much-needed funds in other ways.” The
Department of Agriculture extended two summer programs — the seamless summer
option, which allows schools to offer meals as they would during the regular
school year, and the summer food service program, which offers free food to
kids in low-income areas — throughout the fall.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education accepted waivers for the
programs from the USDA and provided information to schools across the state.
Officials with the department will “support and assist schools as they review
the information and select meal service options that work best for their
communities,” according to the department’s website.
Your View: My granddaughter will continue school at home
until we control the coronavirus
Opinion By SAM LAPOSTA THE MORNING CALL |
SEP 13, 2020 AT 8:00 AM
Sam Laposata is a former dean and visiting
professor of economics at Muhlenberg College. Before that, he was the chief
economist for Virginia Power. He is now retired and lives in Lower Macungie
Township.
With this op-ed is a picture of my 6-year-old
granddaughter on her first day of first grade. Look again, and let it sink in. While
this deeply saddens me, the school made the right choice to cancel in-person
classes. The virus is still not controlled in much of America, and I am glad
that the school decided to protect my granddaughter. However, it is so sad that
a 6-year-old is not enjoying the wonders of meeting new friends, new teachers
and all else that comes with starting school. I don’t want her to get the
virus. We still don’t know the long-term effects of the virus. If she gets the
virus, she may or may not be sick, she may infect her parents, grandparents and
others, and we don’t know if her health will be impacted in the short or long
term. How did we get here? One of the wealthiest nations in the world should
not have close to 200,000 deaths and 6 million people infected by the virus
with severe or unknown effects on their health. The population of the United
States is 4% of the world’s population, but our coronavirus deaths are 22% of
all deaths in the world. Imagine. We should lead the world. Instead, we are
among the worst nations in handling this virus. This did not have to happen.
Philly principals’ union declares 'no confidence’ in Hite
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Posted: September
13, 2020- 9:13 AM
Citing a “failure of leadership,”
Philadelphia’s principals' union has lost faith in Superintendent William R.
Hite Jr. and is asking members of the community to sign a no-confidence
petition.
“Superintendents are tasked with three
duties: keeping students safe, educating them, and fiscal stewardship. Dr. Hite
has failed at all three,” the leadership of the Commonwealth Association of
School Administrators wrote in a petition that had
garnered over 1,000 signatures by Sunday
morning. It is a dramatic, unprecedented step for the union, whose members have
not traditionally been vocal in criticizing district leadership. But Robin
Cooper, president of CASA, which represents 650 principals and other
administrators, said the time has come. Hite and his leadership team practice
the kind of top-down micromanagement that makes it difficult for principals to
do their jobs, Cooper said, and things have worsened during the pandemic.
School schedules are all over the place. More families
are opting for homeschooling.
Inquirer by
Maddie Hanna and Kristen A. Graham, Posted: September
14, 2020- 5:00 AM
Katy Rene knew she didn’t want to send her
6-year-old into a classroom this year, given that she and her husband rely on
their parents — who are more vulnerable to the coronavirus — to
help care for their children while they work. But Rene wasn’t excited by the
prospect of her daughter spending hours in front of a screen for virtual
learning, having watched her disengage during Zoom kindergarten classes this
spring. So she decided to homeschool. “It really is very flexible,” said Rene,
who un-enrolled her child from the Pennridge School District in Bucks County. The
pandemic has driven an increasing number of parents around the region and the
country to give new consideration to homeschooling, sp urred by uncertainty about school schedules
and aversion to virtual learning
programs.
Schools that are mostly Black, Latino favor starting
online
WHYY By Associated
Press Kalyn Belsha, Michael Rubinkam,
Gabrielle LaMarr LeMee and Larry Fenn, Chalkbeat September 11, 2020
Missi Magness wanted her children back in
school. The parent of a first-grader and a sixth-grader who attend schools on
Indianapolis’ southeast side struggled trying to oversee her children’s schooling
while working from home this spring. “They need the structure, they need the
socialization, they just need to go,” said Magness. Many other local parents
agreed. Now, their school district, Franklin Township — where two-thirds of the
10,000 students are white, as is Magness — has allowed younger children to
return to school buildings full time. But two districts over, it’s a different
story. In Indianapolis Public Schools, where nearly three-quarters of about
26,000 students in traditional public schools are Black and Hispanic, the
school year started virtually — despite relying on the same local health
guidance as Franklin Township.That dynamic is playing out across the country:
Districts where the vast majority of students are white are more than three
times as likely as school districts that enroll mostly students of color to be
open for some in-person learning, according to an analysis conducted by The
Associated Press and Chalkbeat.
Amid pandemic, school districts in southwestern Pa. are
learning as they go
PETER SMITH AND DIANA NELSON JONES Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette SEP 13, 2020 7:00 AM
Like the proverbial project of building a
plane while flying it, area school districts have been adapting to a school
year like no other. They’ve launched with a range of formats — from online
learning to in-person but socially distant classrooms to some hybrid of the
two. Staff and families are experiencing various combinations of enthusiasm,
stress and exhaustion as they navigate education amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Teachers have worked extremely hard and our administrators and board have
worked extremely hard,” said Superintendent Todd Keruskin of the Elizabeth
Forward School District. There, most students have begun with a hybrid of
in-person and online classes, with others fully online. They’re working “to
bring back some normalcy,” to the school experience, he said. “It’s going to
take a while. We’re changing a model in public education” to one “that’s never
occurred before.”
Governor Wolf dedicates $15 million to remote learning
POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 14,
2020 IN PSBA
NEWS
Last week, Governor Tom Wolf announced the
availability of $15 million in federal funding for schools to secure broadband,
mobile hot spots and other platforms that increase equitable access to remote
learning. Governor Wolf is dedicating federal Governor's Emergency Education
Relief (GEER) Funds for an initiative that
will employ a multi-pronged approach that includes the use of state library
networks and other partnerships to give students access to internet
connectivity, computers and other technology, and access to remote-learning
platforms.
Harrisburg School District responds to athletes' push for
fall season, says cancellation is ‘still in effect,' but will be evaluated
‘week-to-week’
Penn Live By Brian
Linder | blinder@pennlive.com Updated Sep
13, 2020; Posted Sep 13, 2020
Acting Harrisburg Supt. Chris Celmer offered
little hope Sunday for the Harrisburg High School football players who are
making a push to have their school’s fall sports season reinstated. Celmer said in a statement
posted to the district’s website that the decision to
“cancel Fall athletics is still in effect,” but added that he would “continue
to evaluate the situation on a week-to-week basis and provide a final update on
Fall sports no later than September 30.” Celmer’s statement came on the eve of
Monday’s scheduled 3-5:30 p.m. “Let Us Play” rally in front of the district
office on State Street. Celmer announced on Aug. 20 that Harrisburg would
opt-out of the fall campaign, and encouraged the PIAA to consider moving it to
the spring. But when the Mid-Penn’s football teams begin the regular season on
Sept. 25, the Cougars will be one of just two programs in the conference, along
with Milton Hershey, not playing. Four schools — Susquehanna Township,
Steel-High, CD East and Bishop McDevitt — within five miles of Harrisburg High
plan to play. Nine schools within 10 miles.
“School director Jean Biehls said she was told the state doesn't
have any enforcement language for those who don't comply with the 250 limitation,
but solicitor Jennifer Dambeck warned the board disobeying the order could open
the district up to liability and any board members who support the disobedience
could be named individually in lawsuits. However, district officials said there
is hope things could change soon. The state Legislature approved a bill
Wednesday that would give control on the number of spectators to
districts, which Gov. Tom Wolf has said he will veto. But lawmakers say they
believe they have enough votes to overrule his veto.”
Ellwood school board still hoping to see spectators at
future home football games
Beaver County Times by Patrick O'Shea Ellwood
City Ledger September 13, 2020
ELLWOOD CITY — No spectators were in the
stands at Friday's home football game for Lincoln High School, but
district officials hope that can change for its two other remaining home games.
Under state guidelines, no more than 250
people are allowed at any outdoor event as part of COVID-19 precautions.
Interim Superintendent Wes Shipley told the school board Thursday night that
between both teams, cheerleaders, marching band members, staff and police they
already are looking at about 213 people Friday night. Some board members pushed
for ways to get parents to the game, but they could not determine an effective
way to make that happen.
Board member Erica Gray urged one ticket be
given to each senior player, cheerleader and band member, which she estimated
at 25. However, board President Renee Pitrelli said she was told additional
staff also would have to be brought in to serve those 25 who the district would
have to pay. She also expressed the fairness in choosing who gets available
tickets, the number of which can change from game to game. Shipley said the one
thing the district could do is have the marching band only appear at halftime and
then they would have to leave the facility. He said that would free up about 40
more tickets. However, while the band was inside the stadium, the football
players would have to leave, which board members decided would not be feasible.
Trump, DeVos raise school choice in appeal to vexed
parents
Post Gazette by COLLIN BINKLEY Associated
Press SEP 14, 2020 4:27 AM
As millions of American children start the
school year online, the Trump administration is hoping to convert their
parents’ frustration and anger into newfound support for school choice policies
that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has long championed but struggled to
advance nationally. Ms. DeVos and President Donald Trump have repeatedly
invoked school choice as the solution to parents’ woes. If public schools fail
to open, they say, parents should get a cut of the district’s federal funding
to send their children to private schools or for home schooling, learning pods
or other options that have arisen during the coronavirus pandemic. For Mr. Trump,
it’s seen as a potential lifeline to Black and Hispanic voters, who are more
likely to support vouchers and other school choice options, polls have found.
Speaking at the White House in July, Mr. Trump declared that “there is nothing
that the African American community wants more than school choice.” He has also
used the issue as a political weapon against Democratic opponent Joe Biden, who
supports stricter accountability measures for charter schools. For Ms. DeVos,
however, the pandemic offers a new chance to win support for policies she has
spent her career promoting. Before taking office, she spent decades as an
advocate for charter schools and voucher programs in Michigan and elsewhere. As
secretary, she has been credited with helping states expand programs but has
struggled to make headway on federal legislation.
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.
293 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.