Monday, November 2, 2020

PA Ed Policy Roundup for November 2: PASBO PREDICTS CHARTER SCHOOL TUITION WILL INCREASE BY $475 MILLION IN 2020-21

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Keystone State Education Coalition

PA Ed Policy Roundup for November 2, 2020

PASBO PREDICTS CHARTER SCHOOL TUITION WILL INCREASE BY $475 MILLION IN 2020-21

 

“The extreme discourse of the Trump/DeVos era that paints “government schools” as centers of indoctrination is alienating voters in both parties.”

The GOP’s Education Extremism Is Alienating Moderate Voters

If Democrats succeed in taking back statehouses on November 3, education will be a major reason why.

The Nation By Jennifer C. Berkshire October 29, 2020:30 AM

Julia Pulver, a 36-year-old nurse who is running to represent Oakland County in the Michigan state legislature, can pinpoint the moment that the momentum in her race against Republican incumbent Ryan Berman shifted decisively. This spring, as Michigan was reeling from the pandemic and facing a collapse in revenue, Berman joined with a small group of Republicans to urge the state’s congressional delegation to reject federal funds meant to help Michigan recover. The backlash in Berman’s district, northwest of Detroit, was swift and furious, recalls Pulver. School leaders from the five school districts that lie inside the 39th district were outraged at what they saw as a deliberate effort by their elected representative to torpedo their efforts to safely reopen. “That really did it. People who’d been willing to give him a chance until then started saying, ‘That’s it,’” says Pulver. “He missed an opportunity to serve our community because he was more interested in punishing the governor and the state.”

Michigan Democrats are hoping that this will be the year that they finally succeed in taking control of the state House. They made significant inroads in 2018 and must flip just four additional seats to reach their goal. Despite an election cycle consumed by President Donald Trump and the state’s bitter partisan battles over masks and lockdowns, education remains a potent political issue here. And it’s not just in Michigan that the GOP’s perceived hostility to public schools has created an opening for Democrats.

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/republican-education-election-extremist/

 

“the statewide cyber charter school enrollment has increased by roughly 24,000 students over last year”

PASBO PREDICTS CHARTER SCHOOL TUITION WILL INCREASE BY $475 MILLION IN 2020-21

ByPASBO On: 10/30/2020 10:58:38

The PA Association of School Business Officials (PASBO) anticipates that school districts will pay about $475 million more in charter school tuition this school year than last year, further straining budgets already stretched thin by the pandemic. As one of the fastest growing mandated costs that school districts have to grapple with, charter school tuition costs increase each year as a result of the charter school tuition calculation itself and increased charter school enrollment. In fact, charter school tuition costs increased by $1.4 billion between 2013-14 and 2018-19. And since there is no state funding or subsidy to school districts for charter school tuition costs, these cost increases are largely paid for by property taxes—with the average school district spending (after covering increases in special education costs) 44 cents of each $1 of new property taxes between 2013-14 and 2018-19 on charter school tuition increases alone.
While increases in charter school enrollment have not been the driving factor behind charter school cost increases in the past several years (annual tuition rates have outpaced enrollment growth), the 2020-21 school year appears to be different. As reported last week, the statewide cyber charter school enrollment has increased by roughly 24,000 students over last year.

https://www.pasbo.org/blog_home.asp?Display=123

 

YOU CLAIM THAT YOU WANT DIVERSE TEACHERS, BUT YOU DON’T WANT TO INTERROGATE HOW RACE, POWER, AND MINDSETS WORK IN YOUR SCHOOL.

Philly’s 7th Ward Blog BY SHARIF EL-MEKKI OCTOBER 30, 2020

I was a principal at Mastery Charter School-Shoemaker in Philadelphia for many years. We took to heart the concept of windows and mirrors, decorating our walls with images and quotes from popular heroes; Malcolm X, Dr. King, Rosa Parks and Barack Obama. But we highlighted people from the community, too – Black people whose names students (and staff) may not have known but whose work and scholarship our kids, and our work, benefited from. This is vital. Part of helping kids believe they can be successful is showing them that they can be successful, and there’s no more impactful way to show them than by who’s in front of the class. Because one of the answers to creating more equitable outcomes isn’t elusive. It’s not a mystery. One study found that Black students who had a Black teacher by third grade were 13% more likely to go to college. Two Black teachers? Kids were 32% more likely to go to college. And there’s research that shows that diverse teachers lead to better outcomes for all students, not just students of color. We need to make teaching more diverse. In my city, 49% of our students are Black, but only 24% of our teachers. Worse still, only 5% of Philadelphia teachers are Black men. We have to change this, in my community and yours. That need is what has led me to where I am today: in my first year working full time to grow the Center for Black Educator Development.

https://phillys7thward.org/2020/10/you-claim-that-you-want-diverse-teachers-but-you-dont-want-to-interrogate-how-race-power-and-mindsets-work-in-your-school/

 

Pa.’s new election dashboard will show progress of mail-in ballot count alongside early returns

PA Capital Star By  Elizabeth Hardison October 30, 2020

Pennsylvanians who plan to spend Tuesday night glued to the news will find some changes to the state’s website for reporting preliminary election results.  The Department of State on Friday unveiled a new election results dashboard designed to provide voters with up-to-date data on how many mail ballots still need to be counted. More than 3 million Pennsylvanians have been approved to vote by mail this year. And while results from in-person voting will be available soon after polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, it could take days for counties to process the mountain of mail-in ballots. The website the Department of State plans to unveil at 8 p.m. on Tuesday will not replace its election results page, which shows how many votes have been counted for each candidate. All results are considered unofficial until Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar certifies them weeks after the election. But state officials say it will contextualize the state of each race by showing how many ballots have yet to be counted.  It will also provide detailed vote breakdowns for individual races, showing how many votes a candidate received from in-person voting, mail-in voting or provisional ballots.

https://www.penncapital-star.com/blog/pa-s-new-election-dashboard-will-show-progress-of-mail-in-ballot-count-alongside-early-returns/

 

“But the total was also buoyed by almost $400,000 from charter school magnates Vahan Gureghian and Michael Karp, among other donations.”

Campaign committees raise record $35.4 million to spend on Pa. Legislature in 2020 election

PA Capital Star By  Stephen Caruso October 30, 2020

Millions of dollars in campaign cash are flowing into Pennsylvania’s General Assembly elections, setting fundraising records as forecasters and insiders see a tightening race for control of the state Capitol. Between 2018 and 2019, the four campaign committees charged with raising money to flip legislative seats or defend vulnerable incumbents for their respective parties have raised a combined $35.4 million, according to a Capital-Star analysis of campaign finance records.  The fundraising peaked between June and October of this year, when the House Democratic Campaign Committee, the House Republican Campaign Committee, the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee and the Senate Republican Campaign Committee raised $25 million.  “Wow,” said Terry Madonna, a professor of political science at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster. “That sounds like a record.” Even with one reporting period left this year, the total raised since 2019 is $9 million more than the four groups’ record setting 2018 fundraising, the Capital-Star’s analysis concluded.

https://www.penncapital-star.com/election-2020/campaign-committees-spend-record-35-4-million-on-pa-legislature-ahead-of-2020-election/

 

Pa. schools need $4.6 billion to close education gaps between affluent and poor districts

The Daily Pennsylvanian By Erin Feng 10/30/20 4:22pm

Pennsylvania's public schools need an additional $4.6 billion to close education gaps between the most affluent and poorest schools, according to a new analysis. Students in the poorest districts, who have fallen the furthest behind, require the most additional funding, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The analysis, which is based on state data from the last decade, shows widening gaps between affluent and poor communities, as well as divides in academic performance. Students in Philadelphia are among those requiring the most across the state. The report, which was prepared for a Commonwealth Court judge, was commissioned by advocates who hope to overhaul the state’s education funding system. It stands as the most recent addition to a years-long legal battle to address statewide school funding inequities. 

https://www.thedp.com/article/2020/10/pennsylvania-education-funding-gaps-public-schools

 

Pa. Coalition of Public Charter Schools gets $30 million grant to expand charter schools

The Daily Pennsylvanian By Ren Yagawara 10/30/20 3:58pm

The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools will be soliciting proposals to expand charter schools across the state after receiving a $30 million grant. The grant, which was was announced this month by the United States Department of Education, will allow the advocacy organization to develop and expand charter schools in Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The coalition stated in its federal grant application that it would “open, replicate or expand” at least 18 brick-and-mortar charter schools by 2025, depending on whether new charter proposals are approved by school districts. Charter schools are publicly funded and independently-run schools that have been popular among families, but a source of controversy for policymakers have been mixed academic results and the cost for school districts, the Inquirer reported.

https://www.thedp.com/article/2020/10/charter-school-expansion-pennsylvania-grant

 

Board Should Not Deregulate Philly Renaissance Charters

Deletion of Policy 141 Cedes Power to Harrisburg 

Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools by Lisa Haver October 28, 2020 

In 2010, the state-controlled School Reform Commission  approved the Renaissance Policy portion of Superintendent Arlene Ackerman’s “Imagine 2014”.  Policy 141 escalated  the privatization of public schools and the diversion of taxpayer funds to privately-managed schools.  The companies awarded contracts to manage  those schools promised to “effect dramatic change”  at “chronically underperforming schools”.  The District, over the past ten years, has spent hundreds of millions on Renaissance schools while getting very little in return. Although the Initiative stipulated  that “Renaissance Schools will be granted greater autonomy in exchange for increased accountability”, there has actually been less accountability, as seen by the repeated renewals of Renaissance charters that fail to meet basic standards, let alone surpass District performance.  Much of the funding for this method of charter expansion came from a major grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Great Schools Compact Grant, accepted by the SRC in 2011 without public deliberation. The Philadelphia School Partnership advanced its privatization agenda while acting as manager and fiscal agent of the Great Schools Compact Committee, whose meetings were not open to the public.

https://appsphilly.net/2020/10/28/board-should-not-deregulate-renaissance-charters/

 

Mayor hopes to have list of candidates for Philadelphia board vacancies in December

Nominating panel appointed by Kenney to convene in two weeks  

Chalkbeat Philly By Johann Calhoun  Oct 30, 2020, 7:59pm EDT

In two weeks, Mayor Jim Kenney plans to begin the process to fill two vacancies on the school board. The nominating panel, which consists of mayoral appointees, will consider candidates starting Nov. 9, and names could be submitted to the city council as soon as December. The nine-member board, which is appointed by the mayor, has lost two members since March. Ameen Akbar, who was appointed to the board in May, stepped down earlier this month to take care of his ailing father. Christopher McGinley, who was appointed to the board in 2018, resigned in March for personal reasons. For a while, it was unclear if the mayor was going to fill McGinley’s seat, which has been vacant for almost eight months now. But it’s a critical time for the Philadelphia School District, as a recent racial reckoning that began with the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and has intensified after Monday’s fatal police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. In a school district that is 73% Black and Latino, the current school board has no Black men. There are three Black women — board president Joyce Wilkerson, and members Angela McIver and Julie Danzy — two white women (Mallory Fix Lopez and Maria McColgan), one Latino woman Leticia Egea-Hinton, and one Asian man in (Lee Huang).

https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2020/10/30/21542885/mayor-hopes-to-have-list-of-candidates-for-philadelphia-board-vacancies-in-december

 

Refugees, other non-English speakers face unique challenges in virtual learning

Times Tribune BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL STAFF WRITER Nov 1, 2020 Updated 22 hrs ago

Aporine Shabani escaped violence in Congo to find a better life for her children in Scranton. As coronavirus cases surge in her new city, the refugee wants to help her sons learn virtually, but she can’t read the lessons. “I’m really worried for what my children are missing,” she said through a Swahili translator last week in her West Scranton apartment. “How can I explain to my children when I don’t know English?” As virtual learning continues in much of Northeast Pennsylvania, including the Scranton School District, families struggle with technology issues and child care and worry about children falling behind. For the city’s refugee community and other families not fluent in English, the challenges are far greater. “It is heartbreaking,” said Sonya Sarner, refugee immigration services program director for Catholic Social Services in Scranton. “I don’t know how to help them.” The number of English learners — or those who speak a different language and are unable to communicate fluently in English — continues to grow in the Scranton School District. As of last week:

https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/news/education/refugees-other-non-english-speakers-face-unique-challenges-in-virtual-learning/article_898a03c3-31cb-588a-9a6f-2cc5d195d5e0.html

 

Pittsburgh Public Schools closes Obama Academy after second staff covid-19 case

Trib Live by MARY ANN THOMAS   | Sunday, November 1, 2020 8:51 p.m.

Pittsburgh Public Schools announced Sunday that it will close the Pittsburgh Obama Academy school in the city’s East Liberty neighborhood on Monday after a second staffer tested positive for covid-19. A staff member tested positive at the school last week, prompting the district to deep clean the facility on Friday. Then on Sunday, the school district received notification that a second staffer tested positive for covid-19. The latest staff member testing positive for the coronavirus was last in the facility on Thursday, according to a school district press release.

https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-public-schools-closes-obama-academy-after-second-staff-covid-19-case/

 

North Hills High School Teacher Tests Positive For Coronavirus

North Hills High School now has five active COVID-19 cases.

By: KDKA-TV News Staff November 1, 2020 at 8:17 pm

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A North Hills High School teacher who was already in quarantine has tested positive for coronavirus. The teacher was in the building on Thursday and reported symptoms on Saturday night. North Hills High School has five active cases but so far the Allegheny County Health Department has said they can continue with its hybrid learning model.

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/11/01/north-hills-high-school-teacher-tests-positive-for-coronavirus/

 

C-M, Peters districts report COVID-19 cases

Observer-Reporter by Karen Mansfield Oct 30, 2020

Two area school districts reported positive COVID-19 cases on Thursday. Peters Township Middle School will be closed Friday for cleaning and contact tracing after receiving a positive case of the virus, according to a phone message sent out to district staff Thursday evening. Three Canon-McMillan High School students also have tested positive. The high school remains open, but will close for remote learning if more students or faculty are confirmed to have the coronavirus, the school district said in a statement sent to parents on Thursday. The school district notified individuals who had direct contact with the students, and they have been directed to quarantine, as recommended by the state Department of Health.

https://observer-reporter.com/series/coronavirus/c-m-peters-districts-report-covid-19-cases/article_12ee4da6-1a27-11eb-89ae-c3ede02290e3.html

 

Canon-McMillan High School to close after additional COVID-19 case

LAUREN LEE Pittsburgh Post-Gazette OCT 31, 2020 12:10 AM

Canon-McMillan High School announced Friday night it will be shifting to remote instruction for one week after the district was notified of an additional positive COVID-19 case. In a letter posted on the school’s website, the district states there are currently four active cases at the high school – three students and one teacher. Additional teachers at the high school are awaiting their COVID-19 test results, which the district said may lead to additional cases. 

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/covid-19-edu/2020/10/30/Canon-McMillan-School-District-remote-learning/stories/202010300189

 

Warrior Run staff member tests positive for COVID-19

By The Standard-Journal November 1, 2020

TURBOTVILLE — Just two days after the Warrior Run School District announced a high school student had tested positive for COVID-19, the district on Sunday confirmed a middle school staff member has also tested positive for the virus.

https://www.standard-journal.com/news/local/article_29042132-760b-536d-a876-a7c6b12682f4.html

 

Grove City High School going remote for 3 days because of 4 virus cases

By MICHAEL ROKNICK Herald Business Editor Nov 1, 2020 Updated 5 hrs ago

GROVE CITY – Effective today, high school students at Grove City Area School District will begin remote learning due to a rising number of COVID-19 cases at the school, the district’s superintendent said. In a joint Sunday e-mail to parents, Jeffrey Finch, the district’s superintendent, and Joshua Weaver, its assistant superintendent, said there there have been four coronavirus cases involving staff and students at the high school over the past two weeks.

“District officials were made aware, over the weekend, of other close contacts, required quarantines, and pending tests of both staff and students connected to our high school,’’ the email said.  Remote learning will run through Wednesday with plans to resume in-school classes on Thursday, the email said.

https://www.sharonherald.com/news/grove-city-high-school-going-remote-for-3-days-because-of-4-virus-cases/article_5b87bb9a-1ca9-11eb-9792-37de3177b02d.html

 

COVID-19 shutters Glendale classrooms one week

The Progress News By Julie Noal jnoal@theprogressnews.com November 1, 2020

FLINTON — Glendale Jr./Sr. High School closed its doors to face-to-face learning effective today through Nov. 5, according to a statement issued Sunday by Superintendent Edward G. DiSabato.

The district was notified over the weekend that a student at the high school has tested positive for COVID-19. This student was in school on Friday, Oct. 30.

http://www.theprogressnews.com/progress_news/covid-19-shutters-glendale-classrooms-one-week/article_6eff1f92-7934-5605-8615-9bea11a25b2c.html

 

Deer Lakes High School student tests positive for covid-19

Trib Live by MADASYN LEE   | Sunday, November 1, 2020 1:56 p.m.

Deer Lakes School District still plans to reinstate full-time in-person learning beginning next week even though another person in the district has tested positive for covid-19. Superintendent Janell Logue-Belden said a student at Deer Lakes High School informed the district they had tested positive for covid-19 on Saturday, Oct. 31. This is the fourth person in the district to have tested positive for covid-19 in the last month. Three staff members — two at the middle school and one at the high school — have also tested positive for the virus.

https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/deer-lakes-high-school-student-tests-positive-for-covid-19/

 

Ambridge Area SD closes elementary school after staff member tests positive for COVID-19

LAUREN LEE Pittsburgh Post-Gazette NOV 1, 2020 8:46 PM

Ambridge Area School District announced Sunday it is closing Highland Elementary School after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. The district’s superintendent Joseph W. Pasquerilla said in a Facebook post he was made aware of the case Sunday and has contacted the Rapid Response Team for more guidance. As a result, Mr. Pasquerilla said students and staff at the elementary school will move to remote learning starting Monday until they get more information by the state Department of Health.  All other buildings in the district will stay open, Mr. Pasquerilla said.

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2020/11/01/Highland-Elementary-School-closure-Ambridge-Area-district-staff-COVID-19-remote/stories/202011010194

 

Cambridge Springs Elementary School Has Positive COVID-19 Test Result.

Erie News Now By Mike Ruzzi Sunday, November 1st 2020, 11:16 PM EST

Cambridge Springs Elementary School will be closed from November 2nd until the 4th. Superintendent Dr. Tim Glasspool said "out of of an abundance of caution, we are closing Cambridge Springs Elementary School until we are able to determine appropriate close contacts, and consult with the PA Department of Health".  All students will begin virtual learning on Monday, November 2nd, 2020.  The PENNCREST School District is asking, if you believe you or a child in your care was exposed and not notified, please contact the school principal.  The District's response to future COVID-19 positive tests or active cases will differ based on information, potential spread, and direction from the PA. Department of Health. 

https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/42849960/cambridge-springs-elementary-school-has-positive-covid19-test-result

 

PENN MANOR HIGH SCHOOL: One individual at high school tests positive for COVID-19

South Lancaster News Nov 2, 2020

Penn Manor High School issued the following announcement.

Dear Penn Manor Family: We have recently learned that one member of the Penn Manor High School community has tested positive for COVID-19. The individual will not be in school until he or she has recovered, and all individuals considered to have had close contact with the individual in the school setting have been notified.  We are not closing the school at this time.  As a result of the positive case, Penn Manor has taken the following actions:

https://southlancasternews.com/stories/564242103-penn-manor-high-school-one-individual-at-high-school-tests-positive-for-covid-19

 

'This is frightening': Lancaster elementary school students return for in-person instruction despite COVID-19 resurgence

Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer Nov 1, 2020

Some of the School District of Lancaster’s youngest students returned to in-person instruction this past week, marking the first time these students stepped inside a physical classroom since coronavirus concerns closed schools in March. The momentous return, however, is clouded by criticism from some community members, particularly teachers, as COVID-19 cases continue to increase at an alarming rate here and across the country. “This is frightening in light of the numbers we are now seeing,” Jason Molloy, president of the Lancaster Education Association and a wellness instructor at Price Elementary School, said in an email. Countywide, weekly cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents reaches into the 70s. In the three largest zip codes within the School District of Lancaster — 17601, 17602 and 17603 — the weekly infection rate per 100,000 residents is 66, 91 and 104, respectively, according to the latest data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/this-is-frightening-lancaster-elementary-school-students-return-for-in-person-instruction-despite-covid-19/article_aa54f256-1add-11eb-bdf7-2bba6fb11940.html

 

Glendale junior-senior high school closing for the week following positive COVID test

WJAC by WJAC staff Sunday, November 1st 2020

CAMBRIA CO, Pa (WJAC) — The Glendale Junior-Senior High School will be closed through Nov. 5 after an individual tested positive for COVID-19, according to the district superintendent. District officials announced that they were notified of the positive test result on Sunday and that the individual was last in school on Friday, Oct. 30. The high school will move to remote learning for the coming week, to allow for contact tracing and cleaning to be done. The school's normal in-person schedule will resume on Monday, Nov. 9, barring any further cases.

https://wjactv.com/news/local/glendale-junior-senior-high-school-closing-for-the-week-following-positive-covid-test

 

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Maine Bar on Tuition Aid to Religious Schools

Education Week By Mark Walsh on October 29, 2020 8:34 PM

A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld the state of Maine's exclusion of "sectarian" schools from its program of paying private school tuition for students in communities without high schools.

The decision came the same week that U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was reported as saying she would no longer enforce a federal prohibition on federal charter school grants to schools affiliated with a sectarian school or religious institution. In the Maine case, the unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, in Boston, was somewhat surprising after the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled twice in recent years that religious institutions could not be excluded from public benefit programs. The 1st Circuit court rejected arguments from President Donald Trump's administration and from three families who sought to enroll their children in private religious schools under Maine's decades-old tuitioning program. The court said the distinctive character and limited scope of the tuition assistance program separated it from the aid programs recently considered by the Supreme Court.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2020/10/federal_appeals_court_upholds.html

 

 

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.

https://philaedfund.org/event/education-first-compact-from-pre-k-to-fifth-grade-early-literacy-as-dropout-prevention/

 

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

 

312 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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