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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.”
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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