Wednesday, November 25, 2020

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Nov. 25, 2020: Philly’s Black-led charter schools band together for ‘Black Schools Matter’ campaign

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 Nov. 25, 2020

Philly’s Black-led charter schools band together for ‘Black Schools Matter’ campaign

 

Pa. certifies election results for Biden, Harris, cementing win in key 2020 battleground state

PA Capital Star By  John L. Micek November 24, 2020

A day after Pennsylvania’s counties met to certify the results of the 2020 general election, the Pennsylvania Department of State followed suit for the presidential contest, Gov. Tom Wolf said in a tweet on Tuesday morning. “Today [the Department of State] certified the results of the November 3 election in Pennsylvania for president and vice president of the United States. As required by federal law, I’ve signed the Certificate of Ascertainment for the slate of electors for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” Wolf wrote. Wolf added that he wanted to “thank the election officials who have administered a fair and free election during an incredibly challenging time in our commonwealth and country’s history. Our election workers have been under constant attack and they have performed admirably and honorably.” On Monday, after weeks of delay, the head of the U.S. General Services Administration announced that she’d signed the ascertainment declaring Biden the president-elect, freeing up millions of dollars in federal money, and allowing the transition to formally begin.

https://www.penncapital-star.com/blog/pa-certifies-election-results-for-biden-harris-cementing-win-in-key-2020-battleground-state/

 

Online or in school? Districts weigh options before telling Pa. their plans under new COVID-19 rules

Penn Live By Steve Marroni | smarroni@pennlive.com and Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com Updated 7:05 PM; November 24, 2020

Among the new guidance issued Monday by Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine and Gov. Tom Wolf, it is recommended that schools in counties with substantial community spread move to full-remote learning, but if they want to remain open, they must submit an "attestation form" outlining their safety efforts to the state by Monday.

Nearly every single school district is in a county with substantial community spread of COVID-19. That means there have been more than 100 new cases of the coronavirus per 100,000 residents over the past seven days. That grim fact led the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Department of Education to issue new mitigation policies for schools on Nov. 23. The new rules say that every school district in a county with substantial spread can make its own decision regarding in-person or remote learning, but either way it must submit an “attestation form” to the state indicating what safety measures they are taking to protect staff and students. Failure to submit the form by Nov. 30 will result in the school district having to shift to fully remote instruction and suspend all extracurricular activities for as long as the community it resides in has substantial community spread. But a deadline of Monday to file that certification paperwork doesn’t give schools a lot of time to react – particularly during the week of Thanksgiving break.

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/11/online-or-in-school-districts-weigh-options-before-telling-pa-their-plans-under-new-covid-19-rules.html

 

Two Langerholc bills presented to governor

Tribune Democrat By Joshua Byers jbyers@tribdem.com November 24, 2020

Two bills sponsored by state Sen. Wayne Langerholc, Jr., R-Richland Township, have been presented to Gov. Tom Wolf for signing. Senate Bill 835 would create a grant program for internet companies to develop high-speed broadband in rural areas that currently don't have access to reliable networks. "Broadband internet access is proving indispensable now, more than ever, for day-to-day activities," Langerholc said in a release. "When provided access to affordable high-speed broadband, rural businesses can expand their markets, residents have greater direct access to education and health care, and farmers can gain real-time access to important information they need to be successful." He said the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the growing need for reliable broadband service in Pennsylvania.

Senate Bill 1216 deals with added flexibility for current and future educators.

Langerholc said the measure would "ease many certification and staff development requirements that are difficult to fulfill during the pandemic," a release from the senator's office said.

That includes waiving the basic skills exam requirement for teacher preparation programs until June 30 and extending the deadline to satisfy staff development requirements to the same date.

Temporary or provisional certificates would be issued to those who meet certain criteria and an extension would be granted to special education certifications as well.

"Emergency permit holders would also be allowed to continue to teach even if they are unable to complete the requirements associated with the permit because the program credits or assessment could not be completed," the release said.

Other items that legislation addresses include delaying the use of the Keystone Exams as a graduation requirement until the 2022-23 school year and empowering the state secretary of education to waive the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute exam requirements and the National Institute for Metalworking assessment.

Additionally, the bill would require transportation be provided to non-public school students during the COVID-19 pandemic regardless of whether public schools are open.

At this time it's unclear when the governor will take action on these bills, Senate Republican officials said Tuesday.

https://www.tribdem.com/news/two-langerholc-bills-presented-to-governor/article_bd063908-2ead-11eb-be49-8fe253e45343.html

 

Philly charter schools led by Blacks are treated unfairly, new group says

Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Posted: November 24, 2020

Philadelphia’s Black-led charter schools play an important role in educating thousands of city children, yet are routinely subjected to inequities and racial bias, leaders of a new coalition said Tuesday. The African American Charter Schools Coalition formed, leaders said, to highlight disparities in and call for fixes to level the playing field. Fifteen of Philadelphia’s 17 Black-run charters comprise the coalition, with enrollment of about 12,000 students citywide. “Our schools have collectively dealt with racism, inequity and biases when it comes to our schools’ oversight, expansion and renewal opportunities,” said Naomi Johnson Booker, a leader of the group, longtime city educator and founder of two charter schools. “We need to raise awareness that there are distinct inequities between Black charter schools and white charter schools,” said Stacy Phillips, the founder of West Philadelphia Achievement Elementary Charter School. A third of all of Philadelphia’s 200,000-plus public school students — more than 75,000 children — attend 87 charters, which are authorized by the Philadelphia school board but run independently with taxpayer money.

https://www.inquirer.com/education/african-american-coalition-charter-schools-philadelphia-20201124.html

 

Leaders of Black-run charter schools in Philadelphia say they are targets of racial bias

Chalkbeat Philly By Dale Mezzacappa  Nov 24, 2020, 7:47pm EST

Black-run charter schools are victims of systemic bias and are recommended for closure or nonrenewal in Philadelphia at a much higher rate than other charters, a newly formed group said on Tuesday. The African American Charter Schools Coalition held a press conference to highlight disparate outcomes in charter regulation. The group includes 21 of the 22 Black-run charters, which enroll students from 13,000 families. By the coalition’s calculations, Black and Latino charter leaders operate 19% of the charters in the city, but account for 87% of those recommended for closure or nonrenewal over the past several years. The group also cited a study from scholars at Johns Hopkins and Tufts University showing that people of color face more hurdles in opening charter schools and keeping them operating, and they are disadvantaged more by stringent regulation. Read National Report Philadelphia has more than 80 charter schools, with a total enrollment of more than 75,000 students, or about a third of those enrolled in public schools. The school district, through its office on charter schools, is the sole authorizer.

https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2020/11/24/21525744/leaders-of-black-run-charter-schools-in-philadelphia-say-they-are-targets-of-racial-bias

 

Philly’s Black-led charter schools band together for ‘Black Schools Matter’ campaign

WHYY By Miles Bryan November 24, 2020

A group of Philadelphia charter schools led by Black educators are banding together to highlight racial inequities in the public school system, and advocate for more resources. The African American Charter School Coalition includes 21 schools that serve more than 13,000 children and families across the city. On Tuesday, organizers announced the formation of the group, and the launch of its “Black Schools Matter” campaign. “Our schools provide high quality educational programs,” said Naomi Johnson Booker, CEO of Global Leadership Academy Charter School. “Yet we have to continue to fight to stop budget cuts at the state level, and city officials who advocate moratoriums and dissolution of public charter schools.” Members of the coalition said Black charters have received an unfair amount of scrutiny from school district officials, who have the authority to close underperforming schools as part of a lengthy public process that includes a review of academic, financial and organizational health. From 2014 to 2019, nine of 14 Philadelphia charter schools that have closed or agreed to close if they didn’t meet certain requirements were run by school leaders of color, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

https://whyy.org/articles/phillys-black-led-charter-schools-band-together-for-black-schools-matter-campaign/

 

Pennsylvania schools to commit to safety measures as COVID cases rise

Chalkbeat Philly By Johann Calhoun  Nov 24, 2020, 8:33pm EST

Gov. Tom Wolf is requiring pre-kindergarten to 12th grade public schools to commit to safety measures if the schools have been in the “substantial” transmission level for at least two consecutive weeks. If schools don’t adopt the safety measures — ranging from signing an attestation form to complying with the orders if they are conducting any in-person instruction — they must transition to fully remote learning without all extracurricular activities. “All of us have a responsibility to slow the spread of this virus so our children can stay or return to the classroom,” Wolf said on Monday. In the past week, the number of statewide deaths attributed to the coronavirus has quadrupled, bringing the total number of deaths to 10,014. The average daily case count, now exceeds 6,000 and is seven times higher than it was two months ago, according to Dr. Rachel Levine, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The state defines “substantial” transmission as recording 100 cases per 100,000 residents or more than a 10% positivity rate over the past seven days.

https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2020/11/24/21717708/pennsylvania-schools-to-commit-to-safety-measures-as-covid-cases-rise

 

Penn’s $100 million pledge has a backstory

WHYY Fresh Air Air Date: November 24, 2020  Listen 16:39

Christmas came early this year for the Philadelphia School District. The University of Pennsylvania pledged $100 million to go toward fixing unsafe school buildings. Over the next decade, the Ivy League institution will send $10 million to city schools each year — the largest private contribution to the School District ever made. Activist leaders on campus and across the city have called for a donation like this for a long time. They want Penn to pay payments in lieu of taxes, known as PILOTs, calling foul on the regulations that allow a nonprofit that owns $3.2 billion in city real estate to skip property taxes. Like the tax dollars contributed by other property owners in the city, their payments could towards public schools and infrastructure, these critics say. Emily Dowdall, policy director of Reinvestment Fund, says the university has instead chosen to invest in public amenities in its own backyard, like the Penn-funded elementary school in West Philadelphia where university employees and their neighbors in the area can now send their children. She explains why Penn is now turning its attention to the school district as a whole and the difference the donation could make.

https://whyy.org/episodes/the-story-behind-penns-100-million-pledge-to-philly-schools/

 

Draft Spring-Ford budget shows $7.5M deficit

Pottstown Mercury by Evan Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com @PottstownNews on Twitter November 25, 2020

ROYERSFORD — The months-long school budget process kicked off Nov. 23 with a broad brush look at a $182.3 million spending plan for the coming year, which is about $10.2 million more in spending than the current year. James Fink, chief financial officer for the Spring-Ford Area School District, said making budget forecasts is difficult because we are only four months into the current fiscal year and two months into the school year, compounded by the unknown impacts the COVID-19 epidemic is having on the economy and costs. As it stands now, the forecast is for a $7.5 million deficit between spending, which he said will increase by about 6 percent and revenues that are expected to rise only 1.7 percent.

https://www.pottsmerc.com/news/draft-spring-ford-budget-shows-7-5m-deficit/article_a654c9c2-2e9e-11eb-9e17-a35821dd42d6.html

 

Online Learning Curve: COVID concerns fuel surges in district-run virtual academy enrollments

The Sentinel by Joseph Cress November 24, 2020

In a matter of months, Cumberland Valley went from having no virtual academy to having 2,900 students enrolled in an in-house cyber program where all the content and instruction is done by local teachers.

Cumberland Valley School District came to a crossroads near the end of last school year.  COVID-19 had forced districts across Pennsylvania to shut down in-person instruction and to pivot to virtual learning. The normal prep work done over the summer was magnified and complicated by the drive to reopen campuses this fall and by the need to offer options to families. “It became very apparent to us in June that no matter what happened with the pandemic there were going to be families staying virtual,” Superintendent David Christopher said. “We needed to come up with a plan. We went through a vetting process.” Cumberland Valley officials had a choice to make around the option of allowing families to enroll their children in a district-run virtual academy. They could either set up a cyber program through the Capital Area Intermediate Unit or develop one completely in-house drawing on the expertise of Cumberland Valley teachers and administrators. “We believed it would be in the best interest of CV students to create our own program,” Christopher said. “Most of that work happened in July and August. It was really crazy. We’d never been able to do it if we didn’t have such amazing people. They worked hard to make it happen.”

https://cumberlink.com/news/local/education/online-learning-curve-covid-concerns-fuel-surges-in-district-run-virtual-academy-enrollments/article_3af4fec8-edae-52eb-8ee1-75ed472800cd.html#utm_source=cumberlink.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletter-templates%2Fdaily-headlines&utm_medium=PostUp&utm_content=8f4b2832bb2dfb7d166580a63a303f99a66452a7

 

Editorial: State must divulge school COVID data

THE EDITORIAL BOARD Pittsburgh Post-Gazette NOV 25, 2020 12:00 AM

As diagnoses of COVID-19 skyrocket to new highs, schools are being impacted to greater levels than ever before. Each day, news trickles out of another school district implementing virtual learning protocols, some for a few days, some for two weeks, others for even longer. And that’s problematic beyond the obvious. Not only are children, teachers and their families becoming ill or being exposed to those with this contagious illness, not only does the learning suffer, but the larger community cannot be sure about the extent of the spread and exposure within and emanating from the schools in our region. Indeed, not only is there a lack of consistency from district to district, county to county, in how schools are dealing with the virus spread, there’s no consistency for the dissemination of information. That is unacceptable and fixable.

https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2020/11/25/State-must-divulge-school-COVID-data/stories/202011180026

 

Pennsylvania schools must sign off on new COVID health protocols or go virtual by end of month

Bucks County Courier Times by Sam Ruland York Daily Record November 24, 2020

Pennsylvania pre-K-12 public schools in counties that have experienced a "substantial" level of transmission of COVID-19 for at least two consecutive weeks, will need to plead their case to the commonwealth if they want to continue teaching students in-person. If these schools have not already transitioned to a full remote learning model, administrators will have to submit an attestation order to the state, affirming they're complying with state health orders — such as the use of face coverings indoors — and have proper precautions in place. The new efforts were announced as a way to curb the spread of COVID-19, which Pennsylvania health officials are projecting will reach 22,000 news cases a day in the commonwealth come December. Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine announced that 59 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties have been at the "substantial" level of transmission for at least two weeks, which indicates there has been more than 100 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents or more than a 10% positivity rate over the past seven days in the county.

https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/story/news/2020/11/24/pa-schools-must-sign-off-covid-19-health-protocols-go-virtual-end-month/6402144002/

 

More schools go remote as state guidelines tighten

ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com NOV 24, 2020 6:47 PM

Unlike in March, the state is not forcing schools to close as the country experiences another wave of COVID-19.  But many school districts across the region are nonetheless transitioning to their remote instruction models as virus cases sharply increase.  Many in-person school closures over the past few months have been the direct result of COVID-19 cases among students or staff members, but that has not been the reason for all of them. “The need to shift from the hybrid model to 100% remote was directly related to the rising communal transmission rate,” said Scott Chambers, assistant superintendent of the Canon-McMillan School District. “Our in-school protocols with disinfecting, social distancing and masks work, but as cases rise in the community, it's inevitable that our staff and student cases increase.”

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2020/11/24/Western-Pennsylvania-schools-remote-guidelines-virtual-online-learning-education/stories/202011240150

 

“According to the district’s COVID-19 dashboard, more than 900 students and 200 staff were in quarantine as of last Friday.”

Hundreds of students and staff in the Altoona School District are quarantined

The schools could be online until Blair County sees two consecutive weeks of a disease transmission level that’s less than the current “substantial” level.

WITF by Min Xian/WPSU  NOVEMBER 25, 2020 | 5:21 AM

(Altoona) — During a special meeting Tuesday night, the Altoona Area School District Board of Directors voted 5 to 4 to approve a shift to fully remote instruction beginning next Tuesday.

The decision comes as the state government has tightened COVID-19 mitigation policies intended to curb growing cases across Pennsylvania. The vote means all 12 schools in the Altoona Area School District will be online until Feb. 1 or until Blair County sees two consecutive weeks of a disease transmission level that’s less than the current “substantial” level.

https://www.witf.org/2020/11/25/hundreds-of-students-and-staff-in-the-altoona-school-district-are-quarantined/

 

Penn-Trafford will be fully remote for a week after Thanksgiving

Trib Live by PATRICK VARINE   | Tuesday, November 24, 2020 7:37 p.m.

The Penn-Trafford School District will send all students home for online instruction during the first week after Thanksgiving, a move aimed at proactively heading off potential covid-19 infections.

District officials announced Tuesday that students will learn remotely Dec. 1 to 4, returning to school on Monday, Dec. 7.

https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/penn-trafford-will-be-fully-remote-for-a-week-after-thanksgiving/

 

Norwin School Board to consider move to fully remote learning

Trib Live by JOE NAPSHA   | Tuesday, November 24, 2020 5:59 p.m.

The Norwin School Board will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday to discuss moving to all remote classes as a result of the state’s new guidelines for districts amid the recent surge in covid-19 cases. Norwin teaches its 5,300 students in a hybrid manner, with students in class two days a week and receiving remote instruction the additional three days.

https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/norwin-school-board-to-consider-move-to-fully-remote-learning/

 

Juniata County School District to go remote through end of the year

Penn Live by Becky Metrick | bmetrick@pennlive.com Updated 4:05 PM; Today 4:04 PM

The Juniata County School District will keep students in remote learning as COVID-19 continues to spread, the superintendent said in a letter to parents on Tuesday. According to Superintendent Gary Dawson, 84 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the county in the last three days, and the incident rate is up to 591 per 100,000 people. The numbers have put the county at the “substantial level of community transmission” status for three weeks and the county is expected to remain there next week.

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/11/juniata-county-school-district-to-go-remote-through-end-of-the-year.html

 

People at three Camp Hill schools ‘highly probable’ for COVID-19: district

Penn Live By Becky Metrick | bmetrick@pennlive.com Updated Nov 24, 2020; Posted Nov 24, 2020

People at three Camp Hill School District buildings are “highly probable” COVID-19 cases, the district announced Tuesday. The students were at Eisenhower Elementary, Camp Hill Middle School and the final case was someone involved in transportation to and from Vo-Tech. The students at Eisenhower and the middle school were both last in the buildings on Nov. 16 and were not in the building the 48 hours before symptoms began. The district did not say when the third case was last involved with Vo-Tech.

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/11/people-at-three-camp-hill-schools-highly-probable-for-covid-19-district.html

 

South Western School District to hold emergency meeting to consider going fully remote

Erin Bamer York Dispatch November 24, 2020

South Western School District will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday night to consider a recommendation to transition all its schools to fully remote learning from Dec. 1 through Dec. 23.  According to the district's website, the district recorded 22 positive COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days, with 36 total cases since August. In a letter to parents, the district identified four COVID-19 cases today. The school board meeting comes two days after Gov. Tom Wolf issued an order for schools in areas of substantial COVID-19 transmission to either transition to fully remote learning or sign a form agreeing to comply with several state safety regulations. 

https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/news/2020/11/24/south-western-school-district-hold-emergency-meeting-consider-going-fully-remote/6414766002/

 

South Eastern School District going virtual to avoid potential COVID-19 staffing issue

Shelly Stallsmith York Daily Record November 24, 2020

South Eastern School District is going completely virtual when classes resume after the Thanksgiving break. It's just for four days, Superintendent Nathan Van Deusen said Tuesday in a letter to parents. The decision to go virtual from Dec. 1 to 4 isn't because of increased COVID-19 cases, but because of potential staffing issues. "In addition to the mandates that were communicated by the governor yesterday, other restrictions, such as travel-based quarantining, along with quarantining for COVID related exposure will leave the district short-staffed after the Thanksgiving break," Van Deusen wrote. "These four days will allow both students and staff the time needed to comply with travel and quarantine restrictions, prior to resuming in-person instruction."

https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2020/11/24/south-eastern-school-district-going-virtual-avoid-covid-staffing-issue/6414431002/

 

Punxsutawney School District has new positive COVID-19 cases

Courier Express By Alex Nelson anelson@thecourierexpress.com Nov 23, 2020

PUNXSUTAWNEY — The Punxsutawney School District released two statements on Friday regarding new cases of COVID-19 within the district, and precautions to be taken. The first case happened on Nov. 10-11 at the Punxsutawney Area High School. An evening employee who was in the school on these days tested positive for COVID-19, and is currently under quarantine. No other individuals were exposed as a close contact with the individual. “Despite the fact that quarantine is limited to those currently known to be exposed to the positive individual, district families must be informed that some risk of exposure still remains,” the statement read. The second incident happened on Monday, Nov. 16 at the elementary school. A staff member at PAES tested positive for COVID-19. “This case is not related to any of the other cases we have previously informed the community about in the past few days,” the statement read.

http://www.thecourierexpress.com/news/punxsutawney-school-district-has-new-positive-covid-19-cases/article_44764c39-6545-52c3-a802-9d9630e4aea8.html

 

Northwest Area going with remote instruction as COVID-19 spreads

Citizens Voice BY MICHAEL P. BUFFER STAFF WRITER Nov 23, 2020

Northwest Area School District will provide fully remote instruction, except for life-skills and emotional-support classrooms, from Dec. 1 through Jan. 19. The school board approved the transition Monday at the special virtual meeting, citing Luzerne County’s substantial COVID-19 transmission metrics and recommendations from the state health and education departments. Northwest Area has been providing a hybrid mix of online and in-person instruction to groups of students on alternate days. Public schools in counties with substantial transmission for at least two consecutive weeks will have to file attestation forms to continue with in-person instruction, according to a state order issued Monday.

https://www.citizensvoice.com/news/coronavirus/northwest-area-going-with-remote-instruction-as-covid-19-spreads/article_ffcffc17-c3a0-5a13-bbfe-c384ee936294.html

 

Dallas School District reports three positive COVID-19 cases

Citizens Voice BY MICHAEL P. BUFFER STAFF WRITER Nov 24, 2020

Dallas School District reported Tuesday three positive COVID-19 cases involving an intermediate school employee, a middle school employee and a middle school student, according to the district website. The district on Wednesday already had planned to provide online instruction on Wednesday in the asynchronous format for all students, and all district schools will be closed for observance of Thanksgiving Break from Thursday to Monday. Dallas has been providing a hybrid mix of online and in-person instruction to groups of students on alternate days.

https://www.citizensvoice.com/news/coronavirus/dallas-school-district-reports-three-positive-covid-19-cases/article_0f577fff-66f3-5555-af67-cd20758bdb5f.html

 

Building Better School Boards: 3 Strategies for District Leaders

Districts with strong, respectful, productive relationships between superintendents and school boards will handle new challenges well. Here are strategies for getting there.

Education Week By Stephen Sawchuk November 17, 2020

There are few things more American than the local school board. But as anyone who sits on a school board—or is answerable to one—can attest, democracy at its smallest level tends to be a lot messier than even a gooey slice of Mom’s apple pie. School boards are in charge of choosing curricula, managing schedules, and negotiating employee labor contracts. They have also become the translators and interpreters of mounting state and federal schooling requirements. And they are first in line as the country wrestles with its changing demographics and questions about representation and political power. Their ability to handle those challenges well depends on their governance structure—the delicate interplay between superintendents and school boards. In essence, the districts with strong, respectful, productive relationships will handle new challenges well, and those without them probably won’t.

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/11/18/building-better-school-boards-3-strategies-for.html

 

 

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

 

332 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.

The school boards from the following districts have adopted resolutions calling for charter funding reform. 

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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