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. 4, 2020
The one thing we know about Election 2020: Pa. is right
in the middle of it
Congratulations to
#313 Wilson Area School District for passing the charter funding reform
resolution. Thank you to Representative Robert Freeman, Senator Lisa M. Boscola
and PSBA Ambassador @TomSeidenberger.
https://www.pacharterchange.org/take-action/school-board-resolutions/
AP 2020 Election Results & Maps
Bucks County Courier Times Election Date:
Nov. 3, 2020 | Updated 6:32 AM EST Nov. 4, 2020
Election experts have warned it may take days or weeks after
Election Day for an outcome in the presidential election due to the deluge of
mail-in ballots amid the pandemic. Some battleground states are expected to
count results faster, including Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, Texas, Georgia and Iowa. However,
three critical Rust Belt states – Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan – must
wait until closer to Election Day before opening mail-in ballots.
NYT Presidential Election Results
New York Times Last updated 5:59 a.m. E.T. November
4, 2020
Editors at The New York Times will take into
account a number of factors before declaring a winner, including race calls
made by The Associated Press and Edison Research, as well as analysis of the
votes that have been reported so far. Given the changes in voting methods this
year, it may not be possible to declare a winner in a number of key states on
election night.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-president.html
The one thing we know about Election 2020: Pa. is right
in the middle of it | Wednesday Morning Coffee
PA Capital Star By John L. Micek November 4,
2020
Good Wednesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Pennsylvanians are waking up this morning
much the same way they went to bed: With no clear winner declared in the race
for the White House and with the Keystone State as much of a critical swing
state as ever. As our sibling site, the Florida Phoenix reports, President
Donald Trump held off Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Florida. And
in Pennsylvania, Trump was leading, at least among in-person voters,
with a staggering number of mail-in ballots yet to be counted, which are
expected to favor Democrats.
Pa. goes to sleep without a winner — and with the state
as critical as ever to who wins the White House
Inquirer by Jonathan Tamari and Julia Terruso, Updated: November 4, 2020-
2:39 AM
SCRANTON — The country was left on edge
Tuesday as the most charged election in memory went deep into the night without
a quick resolution, and with millions of ballots still to be
counted in critical states, including Pennsylvania. President Donald Trump held
off Democrat Joe Biden in Florida, one of the most important battlegrounds,
according to the Associated Press. That makes Pennsylvania even more of a focal
point, as the largest remaining swing state and a key to Biden’s path to
victory. Just after 2 a.m., Trump was leading Biden in votes counted so far in
Pennsylvania, but that was at least partly because in-person votes, which were
disproportionately cast by Republicans, were being tallied faster than mail
ballots. Democrats voted by mail in much greater numbers than Republicans.
Those votes take longer to count, and the slow process of tallying them is
expected to shift the margins considerably in Biden’s favor — a phenomenon know
as “the blue shift."
Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania take center stage
Biden flips Arizona, meaning he could lose
Pennsylvania and still win the presidency.
Politico By DAVID SIDERS 11/03/2020
05:58 PM EST Updated: 11/04/2020 06:00 AM EST
Donald Trump’s re-election bid was badly
wounded after Joe Biden flipped Arizona on Wednesday and the eyes of the nation
turned to the trio of states at the center of the 2020 map all along:
Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Trump still has a path to reelection in
those states, where the final counts appear to be hours or days away. But with
his win in Arizona, Biden could lose one of the three Rust Belt states and
still win the presidency. Georgia, another pick-up opportunity for Biden,
remained in play, as well.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/03/presidential-election-2020-433952
Trump said his Pennsylvania lead is ‘impossible to
catch.’ It’s not. Let’s crunch the numbers.
Inquirer by Jonathan Lai 4:03 AM - November
4, 2020
Despite President Donald Trump’s claim that
his early lead in Pennsylvania based on partial vote totals is “going to be
almost impossible to catch,” most mail ballots had not yet been counted and
released as of 3 a.m. Wednesday. And those ballots will heavily favor Joe
Biden.
Not only did Democrats vote by mail at much
higher rates than Republicans, the majority of mail ballots left come from
heavily Democratic areas. Out of more than 2.5 million mail ballots cast, 1.1
million had been counted and included by 3 a.m. in the unofficial totals posted
on the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website. That left 1.44 million — 56%
— that had either not yet been counted or whose totals have not yet been
uploaded into the system and published. (Several counties are counting ballots
around the clock, though they are not uploading results in real time.) Most of
those remaining ballots come from Philadelphia, its four suburban collar
counties — Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery — and Allegheny County,
home to Pittsburgh. Together, the six counties had 800,000 ballots that were
still to be counted or added to the total.
The Remaining Vote in Pennsylvania Appears to Be
Overwhelmingly for Biden
The president leads by nearly 700,000 votes,
but there are 1.4 million absentee votes outstanding.
New York Times By Nate
Cohn Nov. 4, 2020Updated 7:13 a.m. ET
President Trump leads by nearly 700,000 votes
in Pennsylvania as of 5 a.m. on Wednesday, and Mr. Biden’s chances depend on
whether he can win a large percentage of the more than 1.4 million absentee
ballots that remain to be counted. So far, Mr. Biden has won absentee voters in
Pennsylvania, 78 percent to 21 percent, according to the Secretary of State’s
office. The results comport with the findings of pre-election surveys and an
analysis of absentee ballot requests, which all indicated that Mr. Biden held an
overwhelming lead among absentee voters. If Mr. Biden won the more than 1.4
million absentee votes by such a large margin, he would net around 800,000
votes — enough to overcome his deficit statewide.
Notice of Hearing Regarding Cyber Charter School
Application
Notice is hereby given that the Pennsylvania
Department of Education (PDE) will conduct a virtual public hearing(s)
regarding a cyber charter school application(s) received on or before October
1, 2020. The hearing(s) will be held on:
- November
5, 2020;
- November
12, 2020
The hearing(s) will take place virtually,
beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Login information to access the hearing(s)
will be posted to PDE’s Division of Charter School’s
Applications webpage.
https://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Charter%20Schools/Pages/2020PublicHearingNotice.aspx
NACSA: Virtual Charter School Enrollment Is Up, But
Quality Remains Disappointing in Pennsylvania
National Association of Charter School
Authorizers October 28, 2020 | By Veronica
Brooks-Uy
Whether due to the fear of catching and
spreading COVID-19 or a dissatisfaction with the virtual offerings from their
local district, families more than ever are considering virtual
charter schools. There has been a huge increase in virtual charter school
enrollment across the country, including
in Pennsylvania where cyber charter school enrollment is up by 63% to 62,000
students as of October 1st. But
even before the pandemic and influx of students, Pennsylvania’s cyber
sector was one of the largest in the country, and it long struggled with quality. When
I spoke with ML Wernecke, Director of the Pennsylvania Charter Performance
Center*, she said “In the most recent round of assessments,
every single cyber charter school scored below the statewide average in both
English and math. That is not a statistical fluke but rather clear evidence
that cyber charter students are falling behind.” Public schools in Pennsylvania
are measured on a variety of student success indicators and scores and
rolled up into a score, known as the Future Ready PA Index and
historically known as the School Performance Profile (SPP). All of
Pennsylvania’s cyber charters have performed below the state average on the
Future Ready PA Index and the SPP. And currently, due to this poor performance,
every cyber charter in the state has been identified as needing
significant support under the Every Student Succeeds Act
(ESSA). Despite poor quality sector-wide, Pennsylvania is
considering applications from two more virtual schools to open in 2021-22. How
did Pennsylvania get here? The short answer is an outdated charter law. The
charter sector has evolved a lot over the last 20 years, and authorizing has
evolved and changed too. Many states have updated their laws to reflect new
learning, but Pennsylvania’s law has mostly remained the same. For example,
NACSA recommends at a minimum, the six state-level policies below be included
in state law (see this report for a
more comprehensive discussion of how to improve the quality of virtual
schools). We believe that these policies preserve the benefits families find in
virtual schools, while helping to ensure sure kids are getting a quality
education.
Pennsylvania’s law falls well short of
NACSA’s recommendations.
Nearly $475 million increase in charter school tuition
predicted for 2020-2021
Education voters PA Published by EDVOPA on November 2, 2020
As we look forward to Election Day tomorrow,
I wanted to bring to your attention a study that The Pennsylvania
Association of School Business Officials (PASBO) recently released.
PASBO predicts that school district payments
to charter schools will increase by nearly $475 million in the 2020-2021 school
year. Total charter school tuition payments are estimated to reach a
staggering $2.76 billion in 2020-2021. About $125 million of this increase is
not related to new enrollment. Instead, it is the result of a baked-in increase
in tuition rates that is calculated in Pennsylvania’s charter school law. School
districts also expect to pay an additional $350 million or more in tuition
because of an increase in enrollment in cyber charters of approximately 24,000
students. These are students who chose to leave school districts,
brick-and-mortar charters, and private/religious schools to enroll in a cyber
charter school this school year.
If Biden wins, a major ed reform group is set to push
Chicago, Baltimore, Philly schools chiefs for ed secretary
Chalkbeat By Sarah Darville, Kalyn Belsha, and Matt Barnum Nov 3, 2020, 3:47pm EST
Americans are still voting for president, and
it’s not clear when we’ll have a winner. But a major education reform group
already has a short list of preferred candidates for the education secretary
post in a Biden administration. Democrats for Education Reform is coordinating
a behind-the-scenes push for Chicago schools chief Janice Jackson, the head of
Baltimore schools Sonja Brookins Santelises, or Philadelphia superintendent
William Hite, according to an email sent to supporters Monday by the group’s president Shavar
Jeffries and obtained by Chalkbeat. All three, Jeffries wrote, would represent
a “‘big tent’ approach to education policy making.”
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2020/11/3/21548178/biden-dfer-education-secretary-hite-jackson-santelises
Letters to the Editor 11/4/2020
TIMES-TRIBUNE Letter by GREGORY S. KOONS,
Ed.D. Nov 4, 2020
Editor: As a Crestwood Area School District
taxpayer and school administrator, I address the importance of state funding
for public education. The pandemic has brought about an unprecedented negative
impact on public schools. School districts have been confronted with
unparalleled challenges as we implement changes in operations, delivery of
education and student services and planning and putting new health and safety
protocols into practice. The pandemic has turned the complex job of providing
public education into a difficult scenario requiring complicated
implementation. Important areas of concern include:
■ Broad mandate relief. I urge support for
broad, long-term relief from mandates. It would allow schools to direct more
funds to classrooms and give districts flexibility to decide how to use funds.
■ Broadband expansion. The pandemic further
shines a light on the extreme connectivity disparities hampering efforts to
provide online instruction across Pennsylvania. Support legislation to expand
connectivity.
■ Charter school funding reform. School
districts vastly overpay charter schools, which take up greater portions of
school district budgets. In 2018-19, school districts spent $2 billion in
charter school tuition payments and nearly $606 million of that total went to
cyber charters. For example, Schuylkill County’s 12 public school districts
paid $9.1 million during the 2019-20 school year for cyber charter tuition.
Charter funding reform would create savings that will stay within the
districts, benefiting their students while controlling costs.
■ Early intervention funding. Increased
funding is needed to support students and families experiencing trauma and
other mental health issues. Increased staff, technology and training are needed
to enhance inclusive practices.
Our public rises to the many challenges
presented during this pandemic, but we need support to provide for the academic
and service needs of the children in our communities.
3 virus infections among staff, including 2 this week,
halt in-person classes at Lincoln
Ed Palattella Erie
Times-News November 3, 2020
The Erie School District is moving its
Lincoln Elementary School to online-only instruction for a week after three
employees at the school tested positive for coronavirus, the district said
on Tuesday. Like the district's other nine elementary schools, Lincoln has
hosted special needs students for in-person classes since school started Sept.
8, though the district will start in-person classes for traditional elementary
school students on Monday.
North Hills High School back to online classes after 7th
active covid case detected
Trib Live by TONY LARUSSA | Tuesday,
November 3, 2020 10:59 a.m.
North Hills High School is switching back to
online-only instruction for the remainder of the week after another student
tested positive for covid-19. The student was last in the building on Oct. 27,
according to district officials. It is the seventh active case of the
virus at high school. Students are scheduled to return to a mix of online and
in-person instruction on Monday. To date, 15 people in the district — eight
students and seven staff members — have tested positive for the virus.
Second Danville Middle School student positive for COVID
The Daily Item November 3, 2020
A student at Danville Area Middle School has
tested positive for COVID-19, the second student in a week to have the novel
coronavirus. Superintendent Ricki Boyle, the student was in school on Monday.
Contact tracing has been completed and parents of students who must quarantine
have been notified, Boyle said. The school will remain open, Boyle said. In an
alert sent to parents this afternoon, Boyle did ask parents to use the
district's Cleard4School app to determine if students need to be kept at home
because of trick-or-treating over the weekend.
Virus closes Altoona’s Juniata Elem.
Altoona Mirror NOV 3, 2020
Students at Juniata Elementary School in the
Altoona Area School District will transition to virtual instruction, beginning
today, because of recent positive COVID-19 cases. Following guidelines set
forth by the Department of Health, the Juniata Elementary School building and
Juniata Elementary School — grades K-3 — will be temporarily closed for
precautionary reasons. Juniata Elementary will reopen to students and staff on
Nov. 12, according to a release posted on the district’s web page for parents
and guardians by Charles A. Prijatelj, AASD superintendent.
https://www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-news/2020/11/virus-closes-juniata-elem/
Canon-McMillan High School turns to online learning
Observer-Reporter by Karen Mansfield Nov 3, 2020
Canon-McMillan High School has closed to
in-person learning as five students and faculty members have tested positive
for COVID-19 within the past week. Additionally, high school teachers are
awaiting results of COVID-19 tests. The high school will remain closed through
Friday, and students will move to a fully remote learning model from its hybrid
model. The building will reopen to students and staff for in-person instruction
Nov. 9. All sports and extracurricular activities also have been halted,
according to district public relations director Morgan Northy. In all, there
are three students and two faculty members who have active cases of COVID-19.
Conestoga Valley High School to close for remainder of
the week due to COVID-19
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer November 3,
2020
Conestoga Valley High School will close to
students for the rest of the week due to a sudden surge in COVID-19 cases, the
superintendent announced in a letter to families Tuesday. In just over a
week's time, from Oct. 24 to Tuesday, Conestoga Valley School District has
reported seven positive cases, plus one probable case, among students or staff
at the high school, according to Superintendent Dave Zuilkoski's letter. Students
at the high school, therefore, will shift to online learning through Friday.
In-person instruction is expected to resume Monday.
Warwick High School to close through end of the week due
to spike in COVID-19 cases
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer November 3,
2020
Warwick High School will close to students
through the rest of the week after a spike in COVID-19 cases, district
administration announced in a letter to
families Tuesday. "We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause
for your and your family," the administrators said. "With the
unpredictability of the virus, we continue to encourage families to have plans
in place should we have additional closures." Warwick has reported eight
total COVID-19 cases among students or staff at the high school this fall. Five
are active, and two of those required additional quarantines for close
contact.
More than 160 COVID-19 cases have been reported at
Lancaster County schools. Here's where they are [update]
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer November 3,
2020
More than 160 cases of COVID-19 have been
reported at Lancaster County schools so far into the 2020-21 school year. The
cases come from 16 school districts, plus a brick-and-mortar charter school in
Lancaster city and the county's career and technology center. And that might
not be all.
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
313 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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