Started in November 2010, daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, superintendents, school solicitors, principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations, education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
These daily
emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
If any of your colleagues would like to be added to the
email list please have them send their name, title and affiliation to KeystoneStateEdCoalition@gmail.com
Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for Nov. 9, 2020
Out with DeVos: Biden plans series of reversals on
education
What’s a Runoff, and Why Are There Two? Here’s Why
Georgia Matters
Neither of Georgia’s Republican senators drew
a majority on Election Day, sending both of their races to special rematches in
January that will likely determine control of the Senate.
New York Times By Luke Broadwater Nov. 7, 2020
As the dust settles from the presidential
race, the eyes of the political world have already shifted to Georgia, where
two runoff elections set for early January will almost certainly determine
which party has control of the Senate. The outcome of the contests, which will
play out two weeks before President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s inauguration,
will either swing the majority to Democrats, handing the new president broad
power to carry out his policy agenda and push through nominations as he sees
fit, or leave Republicans in charge, allowing them to influence his plans. In
the weeks ahead, tens of millions of dollars in campaign cash are expected to
pour into the state to fund a marathon of political advertising, while party
leaders and interest groups on both sides train their attention on the races.
Here’s how it will work.
A return to decency with Biden’s win? Not yet. But we’re
on the way | John L. Micek
PA Capitol Star Commentary By John L. Micek November
7, 2020
I was walking along the Susquehanna River in
Harrisburg on the Saturday afternoon that we, and the world, learned that Joe
Biden had bested Donald Trump to become the president-elect of the United
States. The November sun was unseasonably warm on my face, and a cool breeze
blew in from the west. I took a deep breath and exhaled. And in that moment,
the tensions of the last four years seemed to go with them. There was a sense,
however briefly, that, after four years of chaos, division, and just plain
mean-spiritedness at the very top of our government, that maybe we were finally
going to be all right. I was hardly alone. From Pittsburgh to Harrisburg to
Philadelphia, which delivered the Keystone State to
Biden only hours earlier, people took
to the streets in celebration, reveling in Biden’s win, and celebrating the
undeniable reality that Trump, for whom cruelty is both a calling card and a
brand, was on his way to becoming the first American president to be ousted
after a single term since President George H.W. Bush. And true to brand, in
defeat, Trump was rage-tweeting a barrage of falsehoods that do not bear
republication here. I’ll link to them, and you
can read them yourself, if you want. But there’s no longer the necessity to
gaze on this rhetorical car crash. So, instead, the nation turns its eyes to
Biden, the former, two-term vice president, who historically served under the
nation’s first Black president, and who historically brings into power with him
not only the nation’s first woman vice president, but also the first person of
Black and South Asian descent to serve in that position: U.S. Sen. Kamala
Harris, of California.
Biden, 77, will take office with plans to significantly boost federal education funding and to focus on “neighborhood
public schools” rather than charter schools. And he ran on outspoken opposition
to the efforts to use public funds to help children attend private schools that
became a signature of his predecessor. Where U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy
DeVos frequently criticized teachers’ unions for blocking the “reinvention” she
supported, Biden embraced them. He embedded their priorities—like criticism of “high stakes testing” and demands for more resources for
schools—into his platform, pledged to appoint an education secretary with
“public school experience,” and promised a “teacher-oriented” department of education.
Joe Biden's Election as President Tees Up Massive Shifts
for K-12 Policy
Education Week By Evie Blad November 7,
2020
Democrat Joe Biden has been elected 46th
president of the United States after running on an ambitious agenda for K-12
education that was later overshadowed by his plans to address the coronavirus
pandemic and its ongoing effects on students and schools. The former Democratic
vice president, whose victory was called by the Associated Press Saturday
morning after a close election and days of vote-counting in multiple states,
has promised a sharp U-turn from the education philosophy and policies of his
competitor, Republican President Donald Trump, in areas including the COVID-19
crisis, civil rights enforcement in schools, and aid for underprivileged
students. “I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have
placed in me and in Vice President-elect [Kamala] Harris,” Biden said in a
statement. “With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh
rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation.” But as the vote count grew
in Biden's favor throughout the week, Trump remained defiant in challenging its
legitimacy, tweeting that he had won the election less than an hour before
several news outlets declared Biden the winner.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/11/03/joe-bidens-election-as-president-tees-up.html
'Bye Betsy' and More: Education World Reacts to Biden
Victory
Education Week By Andrew Ujifusa on November
7, 2020 5:06 PM
Joe Biden's victory has
been greeted with an outpouring of emotion from the education community that's
endured a divisive presidential election and the coronavirus pandemic's
disruption and trauma. Many school leaders and others
in the K-12 world—though not all—exulted in Biden's victory, which was declared
by the Associated Press, the standard Education Week uses when
calling election results, and by many other media outlets. The outcome
might still be subject to legal challenges from President Donald Trump, who had
not acknowledged his defeat to Biden as of late Saturday. And some reactions
also focused on U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who's been champion
for school choice, but a bitter enemy of public school advocates during her
tenure. Trump sought a second term with relatively low support from
educators. In October, 36 percent of educators
had a favorable view of Trump, according
to an EdWeek Research Center survey, while 29 percent of educators said
they supported him in a 2017 research center survey. And political donors
classifying themselves as educators had given
Biden nearly six times as much money as Trump as of
a Center for Responsive Politics analysis from late September.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2020/11/biden-education-election-bye-betsy.html
How a GOP-Controlled Senate Could Affect Biden's Pick for
Education Secretary
Education Week By Andrew Ujifusa on November
7, 2020 12:51 PM
Speculation has been building in the
education world for a while about president-elect Joe Biden's possible pick for
education secretary. If Biden has a Democratic Senate to work with, his job
would be relatively straightforward politically. But it appears there will
be two Senate run-off elections now set to take place in Georgia in January. What
happens if the GOP, whose Senate candidates won the majority of votes in the
Nov. 3 contests, wins both seats and maintains a narrow majority in the
Senate? If they hold the Senate, Republicans would have
significant leverage in decisions about who serves in key Biden administration
posts. There's already talk about how a GOP Senate could make life quite
difficult for Biden's transition plans. And while
education secretary is not a top cabinet post, there's an unusual potential
X-factor: Some Republicans might decide that a little revenge is in order for
the unprecedented hurricane of opposition U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy
DeVos faced when she was picked for the Trump administration back in
2017. Biden has already promised that his secretary of education would be
a former public school educator; a top adviser declined to clarify recently if
that meant someone from the K-12 world or higher education.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2020/11/biden-education-secretary-GOP-senate.html
“Darling-Hammond is currently heading up the education
transition team for President-elect Joe Biden, according to sources familiar
with the process, although she would not confirm that in an interview Sunday,
or discuss her role in the transition.”
Linda Darling-Hammond rejects possible consideration as
Secretary of Education in Biden cabinet
Says she is committed to working with Gov.
Newsom to achieve education goals in California.
EdSource by LOUIS
FREEDBERG NOVEMBER 8, 2020
Ending considerable speculation in media and
education circles, Linda Darling-Hammond, the president of the California State
Board of Education, says she is committed to staying in California, and is not
interested in becoming the next U.S. Secretary of Education.
Darling-Hammond is currently heading up the
education transition team for President-elect Joe Biden, according to sources
familiar with the process, although she would not confirm that in an interview
Sunday, or discuss her role in the transition. Darling-Hammond has been viewed
as a top prospect to become education secretary in a Biden cabinet. But, she said,
“I want to get that speculation out of the way.”
What public education advocates want to see in Biden’s
pick to succeed Betsy DeVos
Washington Post By Valerie Strauss Reporter November
8, 2020 at 10:58 a.m. EST
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is on her way
out of office now that Joe Biden has defeated President Trump, and the
education world is eager to see who her successor will be. Whoever it is, Biden
has said that the new education secretary will be on a mission to undo things
the controversial DeVos accomplished — such as making school choice the primary
priority of the department — and work to support traditional public school
districts. Public education advocates are hoping that he picks someone who will
bolster public schools, and move away from the past two decades of school
policies that emphasized charter schools, standardized testing and operating
schools through a business model. They have been fiercely opposed to DeVos and
her agenda to expand alternatives to the public education system, which she
once called “a dead end.” Trump voters are likely to be as unhappy with Biden’s
selection as public school advocates were with DeVos. This post looks at what
these public education advocates want, written by Diane Ravitch and Carol
Burris. Ravitch is the most prominent public education advocate of the past
decade, a former U.S. assistant secretary of education in the administration of
President George H.W. Bush who turned against the school reform movement after
seeing its effects on teaching and learning. She is an education historian,
author and co-founder of the Network for Public Education, a nonprofit advocacy
group. Another prominent public education advocate is Carol Burris, a former
award-winning high school principal in New York who is executive director of
the Network for Public Education, which opposes the expansion of alternatives
to publicly funded and publicly operated schools and districts, including
charter schools, which are privately operated but funded with taxpayer dollars.
Out with DeVos: Biden plans series of reversals on
education
President-elect Joe Biden, whose wife, Jill
Biden, is a community college professor, says educators will have “one of your
own” in the White House.
Washington Post By Laura Meckler, Danielle Douglas-Gabriel and Valerie Strauss November 8,
2020 at 1:01 p.m. EST
President Trump tried to bully schools into
opening their buildings, a hard-edge pandemic tactic that succeeded in places
and backfired elsewhere. President-elect Joe Biden is hoping to pry them open
with money for increased coronavirus expenses and clear guidance on how to do
so safely, a shift that signals a new era for education policy in America. Under
Trump, the Education Department has been led by Secretary Betsy DeVos, who
alienated many by casting public schools as failures and promoting alternatives
to them. Through executive action and negotiations with Congress, Biden wants
to bolster public schools. Biden has
promised hundreds of billions of dollars in new
education spending, from preschool through college. He has proposed college
debt forgiveness. And he wants to overturn a controversial
regulation on sexual harassment and assault
that universities and others strongly opposed. He has also promised to appoint
an educator as secretary of education and likes to tell people that a teacher
will join him in the White House. Jill
Biden, an English professor at a community
college in Northern Virginia, has said she plans to continue teaching as first
lady. “Teaching isn’t just what she does — it’s who she is,” Biden said
Saturday in a victory
speech after being declared the winner
of the presidential race. “For America’s educators, this is a great day: You’re
going to have one of your own in the White House.”
On COVID and schools, President-elect Biden has promised
a different approach
Chalkbeat Philly By Matt
Barnum Nov 7, 2020, 7:23pm EST
For the last several months, President Donald
Trump has had a simple message for
schools: reopen your buildings. President-elect Joe Biden has a more
complicated one: the federal government is on the way with better guidance and
— hopefully — money, but no mandates. “Schools need clear, consistent,
effective national guidelines, not mixed messages and political ultimatums,”
the Biden campaign
plan for reopening schools says. The
race has been called, and the incoming Biden administration is set to inherit a
country still struggling with the coronavirus pandemic. Though more schools are
reopening their doors, COVID cases are still rising. Schools will still be
grappling with exactly how to balance public health and education concerns for
months to come. A Biden administration is set to play a different role than
Trump officials have, by pushing for additional resources for
public schools and efforts to make up learning loss, while
making no demands of schools on Twitter.
“Four years ago most public ed supporters only kind of knew who
DeVos was. Some didn't know her at all. Now we all know her a bit too well. I
recommend that we keep that knowledge handy and stay alert in the years ahead. In
the meantime, enjoy this moment.”
Betsy DeVos Will Be
Leaving. Prepare To Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Curmuducation Blog by Peter Greene Saturday,
November 7, 2020
It has been a few hours since the race was
finally called, and now, once we get past a few hundred petulant lawsuits, the
Trump Train will be leaving DC (undoubtedly kicking over every table it can
find on the way out).That means that Betsy DeVos will be leaving the department
of education, and that is unquestionably, undeniably a good thing. And if you
want to celebrate it for the rest of the weekend, I don't want to take that
away from you--just put a pin in this post and come back to it Monday. Feel
better? I certainly do. Now then...DeVos is almost certainly not going away.
She has devoted her entire adult life to the pursuit of privatized,
Christianized education, to a system that aids the Betters and keeps the Lessers
in their proper place, to a world in which the wealthy can hold onto their
well-deserved piles of money without having to use any of it to pay for nice
things for Those People. She is not going to stop now.
https://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2020/11/betsy-devos-will-be-leaving-prepare-to.html?spref=tw
Pres-Elect Biden: It’s Time for a Career K12 Teacher as
US Ed Sec.
Deutsch29 blog by Mercedes Schneider November
7, 2020
It’s November 07, 2020, and Joe Biden is
president-elect.
That means extreme right-wing,
pro-private-school-voucher, anti-public school billionaire, US ed sec Betsy
DeVos will hit the US Department of Ed exit doors by January 2021. In September 2020, DeVos told
state education chiefs not to bother about requesting federally-required
testing waivers during a 2020-21 school year steeped in pandemic chaos. And
now, she will be out before 2021 spring testing, and that is fabulous news. But
who will replace her? It is about time for someone with seasoned K12 classroom
experience to hold that position. Not someone with ladder-climbing, token K12
classroom experience. Not someone who is a basketball playing pal of his
buddy, the president (aka Arne Duncan). And not someone who is an activist for
private schools and who admitted publicly to “not intentionally visiting schools that
are underperforming” (that, of course, would be DeVos).
From Scranton to the White House, Joe Biden's dream comes
true
Scranton Times Tribune BY BORYS KRAWCZENIUK, STAFF WRITER Nov 8, 2020
A guy from Scranton could never be president.
Everyone knows that. Winners leave Scranton
and they don’t come back. A scrappy kid from Green Ridge did come back. Back
from personal tragedy and professional losses, back from a well-earned
retirement. Back to the hometown that taught him decency, resiliency, faith and
grace. Again and again.
On Jan. 20, a Scranton native will take the
oath of office as the 46th president of the United States of America.
“But it kicks off on Tuesday with the biennial exercise of
holding caucus leadership elections.’
Pa. lawmakers must return to Capitol this month to finish
state budget in rare post-election session
Penn Live By Jan
Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated
5:30 AM; Today 5:30 AM
State lawmakers return to Harrisburg on
Tuesday for the start of what has become a rarity in recent years with a
post-election session in which substantive legislation is expected to be
considered. That action primarily involves trying to complete work on the
2020-21 state budget. While the annual state budgets usually are completed in
the summer, the coronavirus pandemic changed those plans. State lawmakers and
Gov. Tom Wolf approved a budget to fund most programs through Nov. 30; schools
have been funded through June 30. The Republican-led General Assembly and the
Democratic governor will need to strike an agreement to pay for some essential
state services. Some suspect though there also could be movement on some
non-controversial bills that passed one chamber but were in the final stages of
getting through the other prior to the election break. But it kicks off on
Tuesday with the biennial exercise of holding caucus leadership elections. This
year, those will produce some changes due to legislators' retirements in both
chambers. Among others, the departure of Senate President Pro Tempore Joe
Scarnati, R-Jefferson County, creates an opening in the Senate’s top post.
Potentially, there could be a new House Democratic leader. Rep. Frank Dermody’s
vote totals were lagging behind his Republican challenger Carrie Delrosso for
that Allegheny County House seat as late as Friday afternoon.
Dr. Jonathan G. Ross Elected to Lead State Principals
Association
(HARRISBURG, PA) —Dr. Jonathan G. Ross, Douglassville,
Pa., the proud Principal of Lionville Middle School in the Downingtown
Area School District, Downingtown, Pa., is the 2020-2022
President of the Pennsylvania Principals Association. Dr. Ross
has served in the role of middle school principal for over 19 years. Dr. Ross
began his career in public education in 1992 as a middle school learning
support teacher. In 2001, his professional dreams were realized when he became
principal of his own school – Drexel Middle School in the Upper Darby School
District. Throughout his career, Dr. Ross has been blessed to work with many
talented and passionate educators, students and families who all played a part
in his being named the 2009 Pennsylvania National Distinguished Principal (NDP)
for Middle School in conjunction with the National Association of Elementary
School Principals’ program. In 2010, Dr. Ross was appointed principal of
Lionville Middle School in the Downingtown Area School District.
Despite ‘substantial transmission’ of COVID-19 in Lehigh
County, superintendents decide to maintain current educational models
By MICHELLE MERLIN and KAYLA DWYER THE MORNING
CALL | NOV 06, 2020 AT 6:19 PM
Lehigh County school districts will stay the
course with their respective educational models for the time being, despite the
state’s move to elevate the county to a level of “substantial” coronavirus
community transmission. The state Department of Education and Department of
Health recommend districts move to fully remote learning when there is
substantial community transmission, though the decision rests with local school
officials. On Monday, the state gave that
designation to Lehigh County ― one
of 26 counties in that category this week. Substantial risk applies to counties
with more than 100 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents or more than a 10%
positivity rate over the past seven days. Lehigh’s incidence rate over the
most recent seven days was 156.5, up from 101.6 a week earlier. Superintendents
in the county met and decided as a group to maintain their current
instructional models, according to an email sent to the Parkland School
District community Friday afternoon. Most school districts in Lehigh County
offer hybrid learning, though the Allentown School District announced plans
to continue virtual learning through January. The
superintendents thought it “in the best interest of our students, staff, and
communities that we maintain our current instructional model until further
notice,” Parkland Superintendent Richard Sniscak wrote in a letter to families
Friday.
Some Delco schools consider return to all-virtual
schooling amid pandemic
Delco Times By Kathleen E. Carey
kcarey@21st-centurymedia.com @dtbusiness on Twitter November 9,
2020
As COVID-19 cases continue to increase
throughout Delaware County and across the nation, some school districts are
considering returning to virtual learning as state officials are expected to
issue a recommendation this week. On Monday, state health and of education
officials contacted Delaware County school superintendents to discuss the rates
and trends of COVID-19 in Delaware County. They cautioned the superintendents
that there may be a point where instruction may have to return to an
all-virtual model. On Friday, Delaware County was reporting 14,604 positive
cases of coronavirus, with 823 deaths attributed to the virus. There have also
been 137,504 negative cases. Some days have seen significant spikes. For
instance, 121 positive cases were reported Monday; 116 on Oct. 30; 147 on Oct.
29; 140 on Oct. 28; 140 on Oct. 27; and 144 on Oct. 26. The School District of
Haverford Township is watching its rates to determine how to proceed, after
having transitioned from all-virtual to a hybrid learning module Oct. 19. "The
first question and probably most frequently asked, has been if the current
incidence rates continue, will we need to go back to virtual learning?"
Haverford Superintendent Dr. Maureen Reusche said. "This question was
addressed in my weekly meeting with the Chester County Health Department ...
and the medical experts from CHOP and the University of Pennsylvania. Their
answer to this question was a qualified 'it depends.'" Of most importance,
she explained is linked transmissions, meaning situations in which individuals
in the same building are spreading the virus. This situation, she said, has not
occurred in Haverford to date. Reusche outlined four elements influencing the
potential decision to go virtual. The Springfield School District also identified
these four factors in determining whether to return to full virtual.
Northampton Area High School to close for a week because
of coronavirus
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO THE MORNING CALL |NOV 06, 2020 AT 3:44
PM
Northampton Area High School will be closed
next week after two COVID-19 cases were identified Friday. In a letter to parents,
Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik said the two individuals live in the same
household and were last in school Oct. 30. The high school was notified of the
positive cases Friday. Kovalchik said this brings the total number of cases to
seven over the last 14 days. Students will return to school for in-person
instruction Nov. 17. Lessons next week will be done remotely.
Elizabeth Forward School District elementary school moves
to remote learning after 2 positive COVID-19 cases
LAUREN LEE Pittsburgh Post-Gazette NOV 7,
2020 4:58 PM
The Elizabeth Forward School District
announced this week it will be closing William Penn Elementary School after two
staff members tested positive for COVID-19. In a letter to parents, district
superintendent Dr. Todd E. Keruskin said the district verified the two positive
cases and also worked with the Allegheny County Health Department to conduct
contact tracing.
Brentwood Borough School District reports 5 new cases of
tuberculosis after student tests positive
LAUREN LEE Pittsburgh Post-Gazette NOV 7,
2020 5:08 PM
Five employees have tested positive for
tuberculosis at Brentwood Borough School District, the district announced
Friday. This comes after the Allegheny County Health Department has been
investigating an active case of tuberculosis in a student at Brentwood High
School. According to a letter sent to parents, district
superintendent Amy Burch said the student, who has been attending school
remotely from the beginning of the school year, is no longer infectious.
North Hills High School to reopen Monday
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE NOV 8, 2020 1:06 PM
North Hills High School will return to a
hybrid instruction model Monday following a temporary closure last week. Two
additional teachers tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement from
the school district, but their cases are not connected and the individuals have
not been at the school since Oct. 30. The Allegheny County Health Department
cleared the district to reopen the school Monday, the district said.
Norwin High School closed Monday because of COVID-19
spike
JOYCE GANNON Pittsburgh Post-Gazette jgannon@post-gazette.com NOV 8, 2020
3:42 PM
Norwin High School said it will be closed
Monday because of an uptick in COVID-19 cases. Three new student cases and one
new staff case were reported Friday, the district said. In one case, players on
one of the school’s sports teams possibly were in close contact with someone
with the virus, the district said.
Multiple area schools announce closures after uptick in
COVID-19 cases
JOYCE GANNON Pittsburgh Post-Gazette jgannon@post-gazette.com NOV 8, 2020
3:42 PM
The Seneca Valley School District announced
that its senior high school will move to remote learning this week after a
surge of COVID-19 cases in the school. Eight student cases are currently active
at the school and one is still pending, according to a message on the
district’s website. Classes will remain online until Friday.
Palmer Elementary closed for one week because of COVID
cases
By JACOB W. MICHAELS THE MORNING
CALL | NOV 08, 2020 AT 9:02 PM
Easton Area School District announced Sunday
night that Palmer Elementary school will be closed for the week “out of an
abundance of caution” after a second positive test there.
According to a message on the district’s app,
the school was notified of a second positive case, but “circumstances have
prevented the district’s administration from completing a thorough contact
tracing." The district decided to close the school Monday through Friday.
Cumberland Valley School District temporarily closing two
elementary schools due to COVID
Penn Live By Sue
Gleiter | sgleiter@pennlive.com Updated
Nov 09, 2020; Posted Nov 08, 2020
Two elementary schools in the Cumberland
Valley School District are temporarily closing due to presumed positive cases
of COVID-19 reported among students. In
letters posted on the district’s website, Superintendent
David E. Christopher said Winding Creek Elementary will be closed Nov. 9-11,
while Green Ridge Elementary will be closed Nov. 9. The students, including two
from Winding Creek and one from Green Ridge, were last in their respective
school buildings on Friday, Nov. 6.
Fourth Shikellamy staffer positive for COVID-19
Daily Item By Francis Scarcella
fscarcella@dailyitem.com November 8, 2020
A fourth staff member in the Shikellamy Area
School District has tested positive for COVID-19. Superintendent Jason Bendle
received word Sunday morning that a staff member at Chief Shikellamy Elementary
School has been confirmed positive. "The district received notice
yesterday of one positive case at our middle school and with today's case, both
of these cases are the only active cases in each building," Bendle said.
"Both buildings will remain open this week and the district continues to
receive guidance from the Department of Health and to notify any close contacts
of families related to these cases."
Greencastle-Antrim High School reports three more
COVID-19 cases
Herald Mail By Dave McMillion davem@herald-mail.com November 8,
2020
GREENCASTLE, Pa. — Three more COVID-19 cases
among Greencastle-Antrim High School students were reported over the weekend. Greencastle-Antrim
School District Superintendent Lura Hanks reported the additional cases in
emails to school district families Saturday and Sunday. On Thursday, Hanks said
the high school had experienced its first novel coronavirus case. It involved a
freshman, she said. On Saturday, Hanks reported that the second case was
confirmed in a student in a specialized program at the high school and was
“confined to an individual group.” The affected student was a senior. On
Sunday, Hanks said positive cases had been identified in two seniors. She said
the students’ exposure to COVID-19 was reportedly from outside the school.
Rockwood Area School District moving to remote learning
due to COVID cases
WJAC by Crispin Havener Sunday, November
8th 2020
SOMERSET COUNTY, Pa. (WJAC) — The
Rockwood Area School District is moving to virtual learning this coming week
after the district superintendent said three students in the District have
tested positive for COVID-19. "Over the weekend, we have been notified
that 3 students in the Rockwood Area School District have tested positive for
COVID-19," said Superintendent Mark Bower in an online statement.
"The continued support, cooperation, and patience of the Rockwood family
is appreciated." The superintendent said the district is working closely
with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to notify students and staff members
who were in close contact.
COVID-19 case count increases at Bradford Area SD
Bradford Era By RUTH
BOGDAN r.bogdan@bradfordera.com November 9,
2020
The number of cases of COVID-19 at Bradford
Area School District increased over the weekend. The district sent messages to
local parents advising them of new cases at two schools, as well as the fact
that continued spread might prompt administrators to reconsider the current
in-person class model. Classes will resume as normal today. On Saturday, the
school announced that another student at School Street Elementary School tested
positive for the disease. The school has notified staff members and families of
students who were in close contact with that student. Close contacts are being
asked to quarantine.
Doors set to open for some PPS students for first time
since spring
ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com NOV 9, 2020
5:15 AM
The Pittsburgh Public Schools will welcome
students back to the classroom Monday for the first time in nearly eight
months. The district has not held any in-person instruction since mid-March,
when schools across the country closed in an effort to slow the spread of the
COVID-19 pandemic. But the school board in October gave approval for
select students to return for some in-person instruction this month. “We
are definitely ready because we were actually going to [bring] all students
back in a hybrid form, but that has scaled back,” Superintendent Anthony Hamlet
said in an interview Friday at Allderdice High School. “This gives us time
to really prepare. It’s almost like a test run right now.”
School districts reimagine snow days
Times Tribune BY KATHLEEN BOLUS STAFF WRITER Nov 9, 2020 Updated 1 hr ago
The COVID-19 pandemic is taking away another
part of the normal school year for some students in Northeast Pennsylvania —
snow days. Leaders from Lackawanna County districts, all of which offer either
part-time or full-time virtual instruction, said in the event of severe winter
weather or other emergencies, schools could provide classes through online
learning platforms. In July 2019, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill that allows
schools to replace snow days with “flexible instructional days,” or FID. On
these days, students learn from home and do not have to make up the days
schools are closed. School districts that were interested in the option had to
submit an application to the state detailing how educators will ensure access
to technology, meet the requirements of special education students and monitor
attendance. Schools that do not have FID but are providing remote or virtual
instruction as a result of the coronavirus pandemic may use full remote days
during snow days and other emergencies, said Kendall Alexander, state
Department of Education spokeswoman.
Arizona Voters Approve Tax On Wealthy To Fund Public
Schools
Proposition 208 will add a 3.5% tax on high
earners, with the money going solely to public education.
HuffPost By Dave
Jamieson November 6, 2020
Arizonans voted to boost taxes on high earners
in order to steer more money to public schools, marking a major win for the Red
for Ed movement that began with a wave of teacher strikes in several states two
years ago. Proposition 208, dubbed
Invest in Ed, will go into effect next year to fund salaries and training
programs for teachers and support staff at public schools and public charters. The
Associated Press called the race late Thursday, with “yes” votes leading “no”
52% to 48%. The additional 3.5% tax on income will apply to earnings above
$250,000 for single filers and $500,000 for joint filers. It would be added to
Arizona’s current top tax rate of 4.54%.
Backers of the measure estimate it will put
an additional $940 million annually into the state’s public K-12 school system.
Arizona teachers were part of the historic series of strikes that hit
public schools around the country, starting in early 2018. The educators were
protesting years of disinvestment in public schools that led to staff shortages
and underfunded classrooms. Even though the strikes temporarily shut down
schools, the public by and large supported teachers’ efforts to boost funding
for the education system.
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
315 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.