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.
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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for October 29, 2020
Follow the
Money: How much of the $3.8 million in Students First PAC money have candidates
received leading into this election?
Blogger note: in an October 27th Spotlight PA article Matt Brouillette, treasurer for the
Commonwealth Leaders Fund – funded primarily by donations from the Students
First PAC (Yass, Dantchik, Greenburg) said that the group decides to get involved
in races where there’s the greatest opportunity to elect someone who will
support expanded charter schools and more tax credits that fund tuition at
private schools. Here’ s list of candidates that have received significant contributions
from the group and/or its other related PAC, the Commonwealth Children’s Choice
Fund:
Heidelbaugh for Attorney General $1,182,646
John DiSanto $440,027
Chris Dush $378,596
Scott MartÃn $271,560
Andrew Lewis $269,927
Carrie Lewis Delrosso $259,129
Devlin Robinson $212,067
Rob Mercuri $203,964
Milou Mackenzie $155,000
Jason Silvis $132,180
Larry Yost $94,661
Valerie Gaydos $66,224
Nicole Ziccarelli $50,000
Craig Williams $47,000
Andrew Holter $26,682
Howard Terndrup $23,897
Doug Mastriano $10,000
Source: https://www.campaignfinanceonline.pa.gov/Pages/CampaignFinanceHome.aspx
New Franklin & Marshall poll says Biden leads Trump
by 6 points in Pa.
Post Gazette by RON SOUTHWICK pennlive.com
(TNS) OCT 29, 2020 5:04 AM
Former Vice President Joe Biden leads
President Donald Trump by 6 percentage points in Pennsylvania, according to a
new Franklin & Marshall College poll released Thursday morning. The F&M
poll finds Biden leading Mr. Trump, 50% to 44%, among likely voters in
Pennsylvania. The survey has a margin of error of 5 percentage points, raising
the possibility that the race could be much closer. Still, the F&M poll
comes after a host of other polls have found Mr. Biden leading in Pennsylvania.
G. Terry Madonna, the political analyst at F&M, notes Mr. Biden has held a
consistent lead in the Keystone State. “Do I think you can rule out completely
Trump can win the state? The answer is no. But the odds are not in his favor,”
Mr. Madonna said.
Read the Latest F&M Poll Results
October 19 - 25, 2020 Franklin & Marshall
College Poll
F&M College Poll Survey Indicator
Dashboard
The October 2020 Franklin & Marshall
College Poll finds that only two in five (43%) of the state’s voters believe
the state is “headed in the right direction,” which is consistent with recent
surveys that have shown less optimism about the state’s direction compared to
last year. Voters list coronavirus (COVID-19) (27%) as the most important
problem facing the state, with concerns about the economy being the second most
common concern (21%). About two in five (42%) voters in Pennsylvania believe
President Trump is doing an “excellent” or “good” job as president, which is
consistent with his ratings in recent polls. The President’s approval rating
for his management of the coronavirus outbreak is lower (33%) than his overall
job approval rating.
https://www.fandm.edu/fandmpoll
Connect the kids with the free meals
THE EDITORIAL BOARD Pittsburgh Post-Gazette OCT
29, 2020 5:45 AM
Some schools are educating students remotely.
Others have adopted a hybrid model. Still others are fully face to face — until
they’re not, because of a COVID-19 case popping up in a classroom or on a
school bus. The particulars of teaching in America today are varying from place
to place and from day to day. One constant, though, is the need to fill the
belly if there’s to be any hope of filling the mind. That’s why it was a wise
move by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to again extend by six months looser
guidelines for the federally funded free-meal program for kids. The first
extension came in the spring when school was canceled during the pandemic and
the adjustments in the program flowed into the annual Summer Meal Program.
Then, that extension was extended until year’s end. Now, it’s been extended
through June 30, 2021.
NEIU fears early intervention cuts due to lack of state
funding
Times Tribune BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL STAFF WRITER Oct 27,
2020 Updated 43 min ago
Children worked on language skills, received
physical therapy and improved social skills this week at the Northeastern
Educational Intermediate Unit’s early intervention center. Leaders from the
NEIU worry that a lack of state funding could mean drastic changes to the
program for children ages 3 to 5 with multiple disabilities and other
developmental delays. “It would be devastating,” said Colleen Penzone, director
of early intervention at the NEIU. “We’re just holding our breath.” The NEIU
provides services to about 1,000 children in Lackawanna and Susquehanna
counties, at no cost to families. Students aided by early intervention often
require less special education support when they start kindergarten. Sometimes,
the student requires no additional support. Most of the local program’s $5
million budget comes from the state. While the five-month interim budget passed
by the Legislature in May provided a full year of funding for school districts,
the NEIU could run out of money by the end of 2020, said Bob McTiernan,
executive director. Early intervention funding is within the state’s Department
of Human Services budget, not the education budget.
Analysis: Just one third of elementary classrooms in
Philadelphia meet minimum ventilation standards
Parents express concern as district’s
youngest students are set to return to their schools in a month
Chalkbeat Philly By Dale Mezzacappa, Neena Hagen, and Emily Rizzo WHYY Oct 29, 2020, 5:56am EDT
15 elementary schools do not have a single
classroom that is safe for at least 15 students
As thousands of Philadelphia parents weigh
whether to send their children back to school buildings, a Chalkbeat analysis
of school air quality evaluations has
found that two-thirds of elementary classrooms with completed reports lack even
the minimum industry-recommended ventilation standards to safely hold 15 or
more people. And one-fifth of elementary schools have no classrooms that can
accommodate that many people while meeting the air circulation standards. Under
the district’s hybrid plan, about
32,000 students in kindergarten through second grade would have the option of
returning to school two days a week, with half the group attending on Mondays
and Tuesdays and the other half on Thursdays and Fridays, starting on Nov. 30.
Staff members are expected to start preparing their classrooms on Nov. 9, less
than two weeks away. Parents must decide by Friday whether to send their
children back.
Teaching Black Lives Matter virtually? Some Philadelphia
teachers say it can be done.
Concerns follow police shooting death of
Walter Wallace Jr. and unrest across city
Chalkbeat Philly By Johann Calhoun Oct 28, 2020, 7:52am EDT
After weeks of juggling between stalled
contract talks and the district’s reopening plans, Philadelphia Federation of
Teachers (PFT) President Jerry Jordan made an unexpected and emotional
declaration to the public late Monday night: “Black Lives Matter. Yesterday,
today, and always.”As most students in Philadelphia’s public schools could see
their virtual classes extended to the spring, some educators and community
activists argue Black Lives Matter, or BLM, curriculum should be a part of
remote learning for the mostly Black and Latino school district. Their call was
reinforced after two days of protests in West Philadelphia, which followed the
fatal police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. in Cobbs Creek.
Pittsburgh Public Schools students to stay mostly virtual
until at least January
ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com OCT 28,
2020 7:55 PM
Most Pittsburgh Public Schools students will
continue online instruction into 2021. The school board Wednesday approved
a plan that keeps a majority of students in a remote instruction model until at
least Jan. 4. The district has held all classes virtually so far this academic
year and has not had any in-person instruction since March when COVID-19 cases
first started appearing in the region. “I don’t think that with the cases today
higher than they were seven months ago when we started this journey that it
would make any logical sense to anybody listening as to why we would reopen
schools,” board member Kevin Carter said. COVID-19 case numbers have sharply
increased in Pennsylvania in recent weeks. However, the percent positivity rate
the state told schools to use to determine reopening plans remains low enough
for the Pittsburgh Public Schools to implement hybrid instruction. While the
plan approved by the board stops the district’s hybrid model for now, it allows
special-needs students, those who are medically fragile, English language learners
and some others as determined by district administration to attend in-person
instruction in November.
11 Chester County public schools get millions in relief
funding
West Chester Daily Local by MediaNews Group October
29, 2020
WEST CHESTER — Eleven school districts in
Chester County will receive more than $2.1 million in Elementary and Secondary
School Emergency Relief. The funds, part of a $49.8 million statewide program,
will help school districts with costs related to the COVID pandemic. They were
approved this week by the Pennsylvania School Safety and Security Committee. “These
funds will help better equip local schools in addressing the ongoing challenges
of the pandemic and protecting students, teachers, and staff,” said Sen. Andrew
Dinniman, who serves as Minority Chair of the Senate Education Committee, said.
“I will also continue to advocate for funding and resources for our nonpublic
and the brick-and-mortar charter schools as they continue to respond to the same
issues and challenges as a result of the virus.”
The school districts in Chester County
receiving funds are as follows:
- Avon
Grove: $169,077
- Coatesville:
$267,717
- Downingtown:
$406,587
- Great
Valley: $139,105
- Kennett
Consolidated: $120,996
- Octorara
Area: $66,851
- Oxford
Area: $112,488
- Phoenixville:
$133,548
- Tredyffrin-Easttown:
$223,652
- Unionville
Chadds-Ford: $115,554
- West
Chester: $377,181
In May 2020, the General Assembly approved
$200 million in funding for school entities. $150 million, which came from the
CARES distribution, has already been distributed to schools. The remaining
$49.8 million from ESSER was on hold, awaiting approval from the U.S.
Department of Education.
With 120 Elanco students quarantining in recent weeks,
school closure may be imminent
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer October 28,
2020
About 120 students across three schools in
the Eastern Lancaster County School District had to quarantine recently, and
the closure of one or more school buildings may be imminent, according to
letters sent from the district superintendent to parents. While the district
has only two confirmed COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the school year,
Superintendent Bob Hollister said the
growing number of probable cases could lead to a temporary shift to online
learning “in the coming days or weeks.” Because of a positive case reported
Friday, approximately 85 Garden Spot High School students are in quarantine.
Initially, it was about 25 students, but an additional 60 were quarantined
after some of the quarantined students started showing symptoms. Another 20
students at Blue Ball Elementary School are quarantined as two individuals at
the school are considered probable cases.
COVID cases send New Horizon students to virtual learning
Daveen Rae Kurutz Beaver
County Times October 29, 2020
BRIGHTON TWP. — A Beaver County school
has closed for two weeks after two students tested positive for COVID-19.
New Horizon School students will receive virtual instruction until Nov. 13,
according to a letter sent to parents by Melissa Niedbala, director of special
education and pandemic coordinator. On Tuesday, parents were informed that two
students had tested positive for COVID-19, and the school was closed Wednesday
for deep cleaning. The Pennsylvania Department of Health advised school
officials that the building should be closed for five to seven days. However,
students will receive virtual instruction for two weeks and not return to
classes in the building until Nov. 16.
Highlands High School to close immediately due to
covid-19 case with ‘significant’ quarantines
Trib Live by PATRICK VARINE | Wednesday,
October 28, 2020 8:39 p.m.
Due to a covid-19 case at Highlands High
School that school officials said resulted in a “significant” number of
required quarantines, all high school students will participate in full remote
learning beginning Thursday, Oct. 29, through Nov. 6. “The high school building
will be closed and all after-school activities that are scheduled at the high
school will also be cancelled during this time,” school officials said in a
message posted to the Highlands website. All other buildings will operate as
normal.
https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/highlands-high-school-to-close-immediately-due-to-covid-19-case-with-significant-quarantines/
Coronavirus surge forces Westmoreland schools to decide
on in-person, fully remote learning
TRIBUNE-REVIEW | Thursday, October
29, 2020 12:01 a.m.
Under guidelines from the state departments
of education and health, school districts in counties with a “substantial” rate
of community coronavirus spread are advised to revert to fully remote classes.
The decision, however, rests with school districts. The county on Friday marked
a second week of “substantial” coronavirus transmission levels — with at least
100 cases per 100,000 residents — triggering a state recommendation for all
schools in the county to switch to full remote learning. The county’s
positivity rate among those who have been tested for infection with the virus
has increased to about 7.5%, up from 5% at the beginning of October. Here is
what Westmoreland County school districts are doing:
Two COVID-19 cases prompt closure of Lehigh Valley
elementary school
By MICHELLE MERLIN THE MORNING
CALL | OCT 28, 2020 AT 5:05 PM
Wilson Borough Elementary School is closed
for the rest of the week after two cases of the coronavirus were confirmed. The
school is expected to open Monday, according to an alert on the district’s
website. The school will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before then. Elementary
students should follow their online schedule until school opens, according to
the note. The Wilson Area School District’s COVID dashboard shows there have
been single cases in various schools throughout the month. Like most Lehigh
Valley districts, Wilson Area offers students an entirely remote learning
option or a hybrid option. Hybrid students are in school either Mondays and
Tuesdays or Thursdays and Fridays, with everyone learning remotely on
Wednesdays.
PIAA: Executive director Bob Lombardi still ‘cautiously
optimistic’ about winter sports starting on time
By KEITH GROLLER THE MORNING
CALL | OCT 28, 2020 AT 9:46 PM
PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi smiled
when asked about the likelihood of Pennsylvania scholastic winter sports
starting on time. “I’m going to tell you what I told you in August, and you’re
gonna smile, I am cautiously optimistic,” Lombardi said during a Zoom media
Q-and-A after Wednesday’s regularly scheduled board of control meeting. Of
course, the PIAA fall sports season didn’t start on time after Gov. Tom Wolf
made a strong recommendation that sports put be on hold until Jan. 1. After
further discussion, the PIAA started its fall season a few weeks late and now
most of the sports are nearly through the regular season and into the district
and state tournaments.
Our Kids need you! PA Parents Demand Action Virtual Rally
- 10/29 at 4 pm
PCCY - With just days before the
big election, it has never been more important to VOTE for
lawmakers that support children’s issues than right now. At the PA Parents
Demand Action virtual rally, parents, students and community members will
be demanding that Washington pass a
funding package and Harrisburg uses it to fund K-12 education,
child care, pre-k and children’s issues first! We are putting lawmakers
on notice that a failure to invest in our children at all levels this year and
next, will harm our children, our families and Pennsylvania’s economy. We
are watching, speaking out and holding them accountable.
Join us for the Virtual Rally on 10/29 at 4pm
and invite all of your friends! Register here via zoom now: http://bit.ly/MomsRally
What's the connection between reading early and high
school dropout rates? Learn with us at the Education First Compact on 11/5.
Philadelphia Education Fund Free Virtual
Event Thursday November 5, 2020 9:00 am - 10:30 am
From Pre-K to Fifth Grade: Early Literacy as
Dropout Prevention
It’s long been understood that literacy is
the gateway to learning. No doubt you’ve heard the maxim: In grades
K-3, a student must learn to read, so that in grades 4-12 they can read to
learn.
In the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2014
report, “Double Jeopardy,” researchers also found a link between 4th
grade reading proficiency and high school completion rates. Astonishingly,
they discovered that students with low levels of proficiency were four times as
likely to drop out of high school. In Philadelphia, the struggle to improve
upon rates of early literacy is a collaborative one. At the center of
these local efforts are the School District of Philadelphia, the Children’s
Literacy Initiative, and various community partners engaged through
Philadelphia’s Read By 4th Campaign. Join us for the November Education First
Compact to probe such questions as: What lessons has been learned prior to and
during COVID? What adjustments are being made during this period of distance
learning? What challenges remain? And, most importantly, what role can the
larger Philadelphia community play in the effort?
Panelists:
- Caryn
Henning, Children’s Literacy Initiative
- Jenny
Bogoni, Read By 4th Campaign
- Nyshawana
Francis-Thompson, School District Office of Instruction and Curriculum
Host: Farah
Jimenez, President and CEO of Philadelphia Education Fund
Schedule: 9:00 – 9:45am
Presentation
9:45 – 10:15am Q & A
Attendance is free, but registration is
required.
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
310 PA school boards have
adopted charter reform resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 300 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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