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
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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for October 8, 2020
Two largest
campaign contributors to Corman’s PAC were charter operators Gureghian &
Karp
During 2020, the two largest
contributors to the Build PA PAC associated with Senate Majority Leader Jake
Corman were charter operators - Vahan Gureghian and Michael Karp (via
University City Housing). Each contributed $50,000.
https://www.campaignfinanceonline.pa.gov/Pages/CampaignFinanceHome.aspx
Why are cyber
charter tuition rates the same as brick and mortar tuition?
Taxpayers in House Ed Committee Member Jerry Knowles’ school districts
paid over $9.9 million in 2018-2019 cyber charter tuition. Statewide, PA taxpayers paid over $600 million for cyber charter
tuition in 2018-2019.
|
Blue Mountain SD |
$971,270.94 |
|
Hamburg Area SD |
$1,114,402.87 |
|
Hazleton Area SD |
$2,841,667.30 |
|
Kutztown Area SD |
$616,343.17 |
|
Mahanoy Area SD |
$611,232.61 |
|
North Schuylkill SD |
$755,140.34 |
|
Panther Valley SD |
$1,850,483.64 |
|
Schuylkill Haven Area SD |
$473,973.93 |
|
Tamaqua Area SD |
$715,693.30 |
|
|
$9,950,208.10 |
Source: PDE via
PSBA
SB1216: Bill challenges standardized testing
Altoona Mirror by DOMENIC CUZZOLINA dcuzzolina@altoonamirror.com
OCT 6, 2020
A bill, passed unanimously in the state House
of Representatives, challenges federal priorities for standardized testing for
the school year. Senate Bill 1216, introduced by State Sen. Wayne Langerholc
Jr., R-35th District, and passed in the state house by a 202-0 vote on Sept.
29., includes provisions to:
— Permit parents/guardians to opt their
children out of state education assessments in 2020-21.
— Postpone implementation of the Keystone
Exam graduation requirements and alternate graduation pathways until 2022-23.
— Require Pennsylvania to seek a federal
waiver to annual state assessments, should a waiver opportunity be made
available this year.
State Sen. Judy Ward, R-Blair, co-sponsor of
the bill, said because each school district has had to adapt to unique
challenges caused by COVID-19, it would be unfair to expect students to take
state standardized tests this year.
PA’s largest teachers’ union wants to cancel standardized
tests, some advocates want accountability
Proposed legislation would delay using the
Keystone Exam as a state or local graduation requirement until the 2022-23
school year.
WITF by Sarah Schneider/WESA OCTOBER 6,
2020 | 5:22 AM
(Pittsburgh) — The state’s largest teachers’
union says teachers should be meeting the needs of students, not preparing for
standardized tests. “We feel that it’s important for teachers to be focused on
building that community, making those connections with students, making sure
that their specific educational needs are being addressed rather than prepping
them for a standardized test that they’ll take in April,” said Chris Lilienthal
with the Pennsylvania State Education Association or PSEA. The tests
administered to Pennsylvania third through eighth-graders and high school
juniors were canceled last year when all school buildings were closed and
districts shifted to remote learning. Senate Bill 1216 would
cancel those tests again. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Wayne Langerholc,
R-Cambria, who chairs the Senate’s Education Committee. It originally sought to
provide flexibility for educators navigating the certification process during
the pandemic. Representative John Lawrence, R-Chester, amended the bill to
include the standardized testing changes.
PPS sees high student login percentage during first month
of virtual learning
ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com OCT 7, 2020
5:26 PM
The vast majority of Pittsburgh Public
Schools students logged into the district’s web-based learning platform during
the first month of remote instruction, administrators said. David May-Stein,
the district’s chief of school performance, said during a board education
committee meeting Tuesday that as of Oct. 5 about 98% of students had logged
into the Schoology platform. “We are keeping a close eye on student attendance
as it relates to students actually logging into the system,” Mr. May-Stein
said. The district will be completely
virtual through at least Nov. 9 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Even if
students can return to class in person in November, it would only be a couple
of days per week in a blended model, which would also include some remote
instruction.
“The program would have allocated $32 million in federal funds
to private school tuition in the form of grants paid to families to help offset
tuition for private and parochial schools. In the unanimous ruling, the court stated that McMaster’s
allocation of millions of dollars to support the SAFE grant program constitutes
the use of public funds for the direct benefit of private education
institutions which is prohibited by the South Carolina Constitution.”
Vouchers: South Carolina Supreme Court strikes down
governor's private school SAFE grant program as unconstitutional
Gov. McMaster proposed $32 million of
coronavirus relief bill money to private schools
OLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC contributed to this
report) —
South Carolina's Supreme Court on Wednesday
declared as unconstitutional Gov. Henry's McMaster's proposed use of millions
of dollars in CARES Act coronavirus relief money for private schools. The program would have allocated $32 million in federal
funds to private school tuition in the form of grants paid to families to help
offset tuition for private and parochial schools. In
the unanimous ruling, the
court stated that McMaster’s allocation of millions of dollars to support the
SAFE grant program constitutes the use of public funds for the direct benefit
of private education institutions which is prohibited by the South Carolina
Constitution. The opinion by Chief Justice Donald Beatty
said, "...we are assured Gov. McMaster, as a duly elected constitutional
officer of this state, will adhere to this court's decision. As the governor's
lawyer stated during oral argument, the governor is a 'strong proponent of the
rule of law.'" McMaster announced the Safe Access to Flexible
Education Grants program this past July and
said it would provide scholarships or one-time grants to help families
subsidize tuition for the state’s participating private, parochial or
independent schools in the state. About 5,000 grants would have been funded
through the plan, according to state officials. The grants, of up to $6,500,
were called be needs-based, McMaster said this past summer. To have been
eligible for SAFE grants, a student must be from a household with an adjusted
gross income of 300% or less of the federal poverty level.
“Pennsylvania’s 14 public cyber charter schools have enrolled
more than 14,000 new students”
PA Public Cyber Charter Schools Enroll Thousands of New
Students during Pandemic
PennWatch By Editor October 7,
2020
Thousands of Pennsylvania families have
enrolled their children in public cyber charter schools since Gov. Tom Wolf
shut down schools on March 13. Since then, Pennsylvania’s
14 public cyber charter schools have enrolled more than 14,000 new students.
“Parents have sought out public cyber charter schools in order to have
predictability, consistency and purpose-filled learning opportunities for their
children,” said Patricia Rossetti, CEO of PA Distance Learning Charter School.
If charter schools help kids of color, why aren’t the
Democrats more supportive? | Opinion
Ray Domanico, For The Inquirer Posted: October
7, 2020 - 9:45 AM
Education policy may not have received any
attention in last week’s presidential debate, but results from a series of
polls in critical swing states suggest voters in general, and Black voters, in
particular, have strong feelings about the need for greater educational choice
and charter schools. In August, at the request of the Manhattan Institute,
Rasmussen Reports embedded a series of questions on school choice and charter
schools into its state-wide polling in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin,
and North Carolina. A new Manhattan Institute report released
this week discusses the findings. Among these states, 46% to 52% of likely
voters reported that they believe that giving parents the right to choose their
children’s school raises the overall quality of K-12 education for students;
only 18% to 20% believe that it lowers educational quality. Black respondents
were more likely to believe that school choice raises educational quality. Between
66% and 70% of all respondents supported the concept of publicly funded K-12
school choice; among Black respondents, 66% to 77% supported this. More than
half of all respondents supported state funding of charter schools as an
alternative to traditional local district-managed public schools; support for
charter schools among Black respondents ranged from 58% to 67%.
“Chester Upland has been in a financial recovery status since
2012. It is one of six school districts across Pennsylvania in this status.
Local tax revenue accounts for 20 percent of Chester Upland School District’s
budget, with real estate taxes being the primary source.”
Chester Upland collects almost $4.5M in delinquent taxes
Delco Times by Kathleen E. Carey Oct 7, 2020
eCollect Plus, a tax auditing and collection
firm for Pennsylvania municipalities and school districts, announced it has
collected almost $4.5 million in delinquent real estate taxes for the Chester
Upland School District over the last year. The total amount collected is $1.7
million more than what the Chester-Upland School District projected in
delinquent real estate taxes for the year. Chester Upland retained the services
of eCollect in a three-year contract for collecting delinquent real estate
taxes. It receives a 5 percent collection fee and started its work last August.
Recent coronavirus cases spur Norwin School District to
close 5 buildings
NICK TROMBOLA Pittsburgh Post-Gazette OCT 7,
2020 6:52 PM
Norwin School District will close five
buildings after seven cases of coronavirus were reported across the district
within the past two weeks. In a letter sent to families Tuesday, Superintendent
Jeff Taylor said that while the district was going to announce plans to return
to fully in-person learning Wednesday, it is instead announcing the temporary
closure of Norwin High School, Norwin Middle School, Hillcrest Intermediate
School, Hahntown Elementary School and Sunset Valley Elementary School due to
the new cases. The school buildings will be “deep cleaned” Friday and over the
weekend and are expected to reopen Oct. 13. Students who attend those schools
will learn remotely until they reopen. The closures come after the Pennsylvania
Department of Health told the district about five new cases among Norwin
students, in addition to two cases that were announced Oct. 1, Mr. Taylor said.
The new cases mean that the district has exceeded the Pennsylvania Department
of Education’s recommended number of cases allowed within a 14-day period.
Level Green Elementary School temporarily closed after 6
staff members test positive for COVID-19
Penn-Trafford School District says Level
Green will reopen Thursday, Oct. 15
WTAE Updated: 12:33 PM EDT Oct 7, 2020
TRAFFORD, Pa. — A sixth staff member at Level
Green Elementary School has tested positive for COVID-19, the Penn-Trafford
School District said Wednesday. Level Green is continuing its 14-day closure,
with all students moved to remote instruction during that time. The school is
set to reopen Thursday, Oct. 15. In a letter to parents and staff, the district
confirmed that all the positive COVID-19 cases are confined to staff. The
district said the only people who need to quarantine are those who have been
personally contacted by the Department of Health or the school nurse.
2 Council Rock North Students Test Positive For COVID-19
Both students who tested positive are part of
the hybrid program and were in school last week, a school district official
said.
Newtown Patch By Peter
Blanchard, Patch Staff Oct 7, 2020 11:30 am ET
NEWTOWN, PA — Two Council Rock North students
have tested positive for COVID-19, the school district said. In a letter to
parents of Council Rock North students, Principal Susan McCarthy said the two
students reported testing positive for the virus on Monday. The health
department will notify family members of students who were considered to have
close contact with the students. "The district is working closely with the
Bucks County Department of Health to identify close contacts of these individuals,"
McCarthy wrote to parents. Both students who tested positive are part of the
hybrid program and were in school last week, a school district official
confirmed Wednesday.
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/newtown-pa/2-council-rock-north-students-test-positive-covid-19
Coronavirus positive at Penn Manor’s Marticville Middle
School
ABC27 by: WHTM Staff Posted: Oct 7, 2020
/ 07:23 PM EDT / Updated: Oct 7, 2020
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. (WHTM) — Penn Manor School
District has announced that a person tested positive for coronavirus at
Marticville Middle School on Wednesday. The district says the person will not
return to school until they have recovered and all people who have had close
contact are notified. The school will not be closing. As a result of the
positive case, Penn Manor says it has taken the following actions:
- Contacted
the PA Department of Health for further guidance
- Cleaned
and disinfected locations visited by the individual who tested positive
- Identified
individuals who had close contact with the infected individual and
communicated directly with them on their next steps, which could include a
14-day quarantine.
https://www.abc27.com/community/coronavirus-positive-at-marticville-middle-school/
Two positive COVID-19 cases close Stroudsburg elementary
school
WBRE/WYOU Posted: Oct 7, 2020 / 02:16 PM
EDT / Updated: Oct 7, 2020 / 02:16 PM EDT
STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU-TV) — Two
positive COVID-19 cases in the Stroudsburg School District leaves an elementary
school closed through October 11. B.F. Morey Elementary School learned of the
positive COVID-19 tests on October 6, according the school’s Facebook page. The
post says the school is working with local health officials to follow the
recommendations by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
https://www.pahomepage.com/news/two-positive-covid-19-cases-close-stroudsburg-elementary-school/
Forest Hills schools closed Thursday with four cases of
COVID-19, shifting to online learning
Johnstown Tribune Democrat By Joshua Byers jbyers@tribdem.com October 7,
2020
SIDMAN – Forest Hills School District will be
closed Thursday due to four confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one suspected case,
the district announced Wednesday evening. Classes will resume Friday under the
virtual learning model and will continue with that format until further notice,
according to a letter from Superintendent David Lehman. "The Forest Hills
School District values the health and safety of all Rangers and will do
everything possible to protect students and staff," Lehman said. The
letter says that the Pennsylvania Department of Health informed administrators
about the novel coronavirus cases Wednesday and the decision to close for one
day was based on guidance from those state officials. Contact tracing is
underway, as is disinfecting of all impacted buildings and areas.
Connellsville, Frazier school districts report positive
COVID-19 case
Herald Standard By Alyssa Choiniere achoiniere@heraldstandard.com Oct 7, 2020
Frazier and Connellsville school districts
sent letters out to parents and staff after they were notified of a positive
case of the coronavirus at school. One person at the Frazier Elementary School
tested positive for COVID-19, which was reported to the school on Tuesday.
Anyone who had close contact with the patient was contacted by the Pennsylvania
Department of Health Tuesday and asked to quarantine for 14 days since the last
exposure, the letter to parents said.
Erie School District enlists help from ACLU as it moves
to revamp district police force
GoErie by Ed Palattella Erie
Times-News October 7, 2020
The Erie School District's police force has
been less visible lately due to furloughs and online-only instruction for most
of the district's 11,000 students during the pandemic. But the police
remain a focus of Erie schools Superintendent Brian Polito, who said he is
moving ahead with his plan to revamp how the 17-member district police
force operates. He said his administration is gathering district
police data, including charging statistics, to send to the American Civil
Liberties Union to "plan the next steps." Those steps
include having a district committee review the police operations and,
with the ACLU's assistance, make recommendations to the district administration
and the Erie School Board by December, Polito said. He said the district
turned to the ACLU because it has helped refashion police forces elsewhere.
PIAA: Winter sports are on schedule, so far
By KEITH GROLLER THE MORNING
CALL | OCT 07, 2020 AT 7:17 PM
Winter sports are a go. At least for now. Robert
Lombardi, the PIAA’s executive director, said late Wednesday afternoon after
the PIAA’s regularly scheduled board of control meeting that winter sports are
expected to start with practice Nov. 20 and competition Dec. 11. That means
boys and girls basketball teams, as well as wrestling and swimming squads,
should prepare for a season in the typical time frame. That’s good news,
especially for those swimmers and basketball players who had their PIAA
championships cut short by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March. Of
course, everything was on schedule to begin fall sports on time and then Gov.
Tom Wolf’s “strong recommendation” that all sports be halted until Jan. 1
caused a delay of two weeks “As we stand today, on Oct. 7, we anticipate
starting the winter sports season on time,” Lombardi said. “But we have a long
way to go to get there.”
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.
https://www.psba.org/2020/08/what-to-expect-at-this-years-school-leadership-conference/
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.
Resolution for charter
funding reform (pdf)
Link to submit your adopted resolution to
PSBA
296 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.
https://www.psba.org/2020/03/adopted-charter-reform-resolutions/
Know Your Facts on Funding and Charter Performance. Then
Call for Charter Change!
PSBA Charter Change Website:
https://www.pacharterchange.org/
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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