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 Dec. 15, 2020
The COVID vaccine is
here — what does that mean for Pa. schools?
First coronavirus
vaccines are administered in Pa. and U.S., with thousands more on their way, as
nation’s death toll hits 300,000
Inquirer by
Justine McDaniel, Jason Laughlin, Erin McCarthy and Allison Steele, Updated: December 14, 2020- 9:30 PM
Frontline
health-care workers in Pittsburgh, New York, and other cities became the first
Americans to get the coronavirus vaccine on Monday, eliciting cheers and relief
on a day many hoped would mark the beginning of the end of the devastating
pandemic. “Here we go,” said University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Tami
Minnier, injecting one of Pennsylvania’s first vaccines into the arm of
Charmaine Pykosh, an acute-care nurse-practitioner who smiled behind her mask
and flashed a thumbs-up to a throng of photographers. Across Pennsylvania,
111,150 doses of the ultra-frozen vaccine were destined for hospitals
statewide; Philadelphia’s Einstein Hospital got doses Monday, with other city
hospitals anticipating Tuesday deliveries. And shipments rolled into New
Jersey, where health-care workers will start receiving them Tuesday in Newark. As the vaccine was reaching its
first recipients, the U.S. death toll reached 300,000. With months before most
people are vaccinated, officials still warned of a difficult period ahead in a
pandemic that has infected more than 16 million and paralyzed the nation since
March.
"Teachers, school staff working
directly with students are in Phase 1B (behind medical personnel and residents
of long term care facilities"
PA Dept of Health COVID-19
Interim Vaccination Plan
PA
Department of Health December 11, 2020
https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/Documents/Programs/Immunizations/Vaccine%20Plan%20V.3%20FINAL.pdf
The COVID vaccine is
here — what does that mean for Pa. schools?
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent December 15, 2020
With one
COVID-19 vaccine now in emergency use — and potentially more to follow —
Pennsylvania’s weary teachers, parents, and students can see a path back
towards normalcy. A vaccine, if effective, could make in-person schooling
substantially safer and lead to thousands of children reentering classrooms for
the first time since mid-March. But that hope is far from certainty. There are
many unanswered questions about timing, compliance, and safety. Keystone
Crossroads canvassed experts to better understand what the latest vaccine news means
for education.
https://whyy.org/articles/the-covid-vaccine-is-here-what-does-that-mean-for-pa-schools/
If Teachers Get the
Vaccine Quickly, Can Students Get Back to School?
Teachers’
unions largely support plans to put educators near the front of the line, but
given availability and logistics, that might not be enough to open more schools
in the spring.
New York
Times By Eliza Shapiro and Shawn Hubler Dec. 15, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET
States and
cities across the country are moving to put teachers near the front of the line
to receive a coronavirus vaccine, in an effort to make it safer to return to
classrooms and provide relief to struggling students and weary parents. In
Arizona, where many schools have moved online in recent weeks amid a virus surge,
Gov. Doug Ducey declared
that teachers would be among the very first
people inoculated. “Teachers are essential to our state,” he said. Utah’s
governor talked about possibly getting shots to educators this month. And Los Angeles officials urged
prioritizing teachers alongside firefighters and prison guards. But in
districts where children have spent much of the fall staring at laptop screens,
including some of the nation’s largest, it may be too early for parents to get
their hopes up that public schools will throw open their doors soon, or that
students will be back in classrooms full time before next fall.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/15/us/teachers-vaccine-school.html
Pa.’s path to a
half-million coronavirus cases: The last 100K happened in just 10 days.
By Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com Updated 7:30 AM; Today 7:30 AM
Pennsylvania
reported its first cases of COVID-19 in March. It took until July – 134 days
later – to reach 100,000
total cases. It was another 102 days before we hit 200,000 on Oct. 28. We surpassed 300,000 cases 24 days later on Nov. 21. Two
more weeks and we were at 400,000. And on Tuesday, Pennsylvania will reach
500,000. Half a million residents infected with the coronavirus since the start
of the pandemic. One hundred thousand more cases in just 10 days. Only six
states reached the 500,000 mark sooner, according to CDC
data: California, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Ohio
and Georgia.
Study: PA shorted
poor school districts with federal COVID aid
Pottstown
Mercury by Evan
Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com @PottstownNews on Twitter December 15, 2020
Area school
districts with the most students of color, and the most living in poverty were
shortchanged by Harrisburg when federal COVID-19 relief funds were distributed.
That was the conclusion reached in a new analysis by the Keystone Research
Center, an arm of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. And as Congress
debates the provisions of another stimulus package to support the economy
during the coronavirus pandemic, education advocates are urging that when
Harrisburg distributes any further federal funding, that it "not to make
this mistake again." That's was the message Stephen
Herzenberg, executive director of the Keystone Research Center, offered up
during a press conference about the analysis. "The simplest way to say
this is that the state allocated these funds backwards," Herzenberg said.
"And when you consider that this country is currently wrestling with its
history of racial injustice, the tone-deafness to distribute the funds this way
is stunning."
Lincoln Charter
School moves forward on expansion plans for middle school program
Erin
Bamer York Dispatch December 14, 2020
Lincoln
Charter School took one step closer to expanding its program to offer sixth
grade through eighth grade students. The York City school board held
a virtual public hearing Monday night on the expansion, but it did not
vote on the proposal. Attorney Allison Petersen said the board plans to hold a
second public hearing on the subject. That date has not been set, but the board
must make a decision on the proposal by Feb. 27, she said. York City
School District owns the Lincoln Charter building, located at 559
W. King St. The expansion includes the addition of a new building at 459
W. King St. with the capacity to take 750 students, according to Lincoln
President and CEO Leonard Hart. The proposal would transition Lincoln
Charter's program to offer sixth grade through eighth grade over three years.
If approved, the program would begin with up to 250 sixth-grade students in the
2021-22 academic year. The process would finish in 2023-24, allowing up to
750 sixth-grade through eighth-grade students, according to a presentation
on the plan. Earlier this year, York City school board members criticized
the proposed expansion. "We foot their facility and their bills.
They pay us nothing. Let alone they're taking away our children from our school
district, which is also taking away money out of our school district. That's
what we need to be thinking about," York City board member Arleta Riviera
said at a July meeting.
Op/ed: Education’s
lost year
By Dr.
Edward Albert, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Association of Rural and
Small Schools
Posted
by ChaddsFordLive on December 14th, 2020
As the long,
dark COVID-filled months stretch before us, and as schools scramble to respond
to the latest curveballs thrown by the pandemic, the government must fully
address the threats our school districts face moving forward. An unprecedented
educational catastrophe is looming and will jeopardize our children’s future
success, and thus the success of our country if no countermeasures are taken. I
think I speak for all Pennsylvanians when I say the health and safety of
students, teachers, and staff is paramount. And our schools have been working
hard to innovate new ways to protect their children and staff while still
providing the best education possible. Of course, with positive COVID cases
continuing to mount and people being encouraged to stay home as much as they
can, many schools are beginning to rely more and more on remote learning –
which has been riddled with challenges, especially for rural schools in
cash-strapped counties. Many teachers and administrators in these counties have
found it particularly difficult to meet the needs of all of their students via
technology alone without the resources they so desperately need.
https://chaddsfordlive.com/2020/12/14/op-ed-educations-lost-year/
School boards
reorganize for 2021
Times
Tribune BY
KATHLEEN BOLUS STAFF WRITER Dec 15,
2020 Updated 1 hr ago
Incoming
school board presidents from districts that serve Lackawanna County share a
similar goal in 2021 — get students safely back to their classrooms. “We’re
hoping for some kind of return to normal,” said Carbondale Area School Board
President Gary Smedley, who is going into his 10th year in the position. “We
have to get the kids back into the school.” Between Dec. 1 and 9, school boards
reorganized for 2021. During the meetings, board members appointed presidents
and vice presidents. New presidents include Michael Hallinan, Dunmore, and
Joseph Mondak, Valley View, both longtime board members who have served as
president before; Kevin Mulhern, Lackawanna Trail; and Robert Notari, Old
Forge. Abington Heights, Carbondale Area, Forest City Regional, Lakeland, Mid
Valley, North Pocono, Riverside and Scranton school board presidents will serve
another term. The Scranton School District has been fully virtual since the
beginning of the school year and is also in state financial recovery.
Snow days a thing of
the past? Not snow fast, say Bucks schools
Chris
English Bucks County Courier Times December 14, 2020
The joyful
feeling so many students get from looking out a window, seeing snow blanket the
ground and knowing they will get a day off from school will not be a thing of
the past. That's the word from officials at several local school districts who
say they still plan to hold a certain number of snow days this winter, despite
their extensive virtual learning networks built up over the coronavirus
pandemic that pretty much eliminate the need for cancelling classes. Snow days
are a tradition that should be maintained when possible, Neshaminy School
District Superintendent Rob McGee wrote in recent message to students and
parents. The district will continue holding them unless they exceed the number
built into the calendar and threaten to lengthen the school year farther into
June, he stated.
Google shutdown hits
schools
Delco Times
by Pete
Bannan Pbannan@21st-Centurymedia.com December 14, 2020
Delaware
County school districts were among the numerous users disrupted by a widespread
outage of Google and YouTube Monday morning. Google classroom and Google Doc
have popular platforms for many schools in recent years and even more so during
the COVID-19 pandemic when many schools are teaching students virtually. Upper
Darby School District tweeted this to parents and students at 7:39 A.M. :
“Google is experiencing significant outages. Students please complete your
asynchronous work and we will provide an update as soon as possible. Thank you
for your patience!” In Haverford Township administrators sent out a phone
message shortly before 8 A. M. stating that e-mail, Google drive and the ability
to sign on to the Zoom classroom were impacted. They have received
communications with Google that certain features had retained functionality and
they should check their Canvas program which was not affected for asynchronous
work. By 8:45 A.M. Interboro School District was able to report had Google had
resolved the issue with its partial outages that had impacted access to their
Chromebooks, Schoology, and other Google Apps. "At this time, Google is
reporting that all systems have been restored and that all google services are
functioning normally," said Haverford School District spokesperson Anna
Deacon in an e-mail at 10:30 A.M. "They have been stable for a period of
time but we will continue to monitor this throughout the day and will
communicate any changes."
Coalition offers support
to help Pittsburgh Public Schools restart in-person instruction
ANDREW
GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com DEC 14, 2020 10:47 PM
A coalition
of education equity advocates wants to know what it will take for the
Pittsburgh Public Schools to consider reopening as the COVID-19 pandemic
continues. The Pittsburgh Learning Collaborative, a coalition of more than 70
groups and individuals, seeks transparency from the district in its plans for a
return to in-person instruction so the community can help it work toward
specific goals. “Is a 5% positivity rate threshold your target? Will there be a
phased in approach to in-person learning starting with younger and more at-risk
learners? Is the internet bandwidth sufficient at schools for teachers and
students to be able to participate online? If not, is there anything the
community can do to help fix that problem?” said James Fogarty, executive
director of the organization A+ Schools, which spearheads the collaborative.
We can no longer
treat remote learning as temporary
Post Gazette
Letter by KAREN OOSTERHOUS, Squirrel Hill DEC 13, 2020 12:00 AM
The writer is an advocate for people with disabilities at Achieva/The Arc
of Greater Pittsburgh.
When
Pennsylvania schools closed in mid-April, Achieva’s advocacy department was
flooded with calls. Parents of students with disabilities wondered what this
would mean for their children, about 14% of students nationwide, whose needs
are provided for in an Individualized Education Program (IEP). As they did with
all students, schools created plans for distance learning. These plans, however
insufficient, were viewed as temporary, and parents understood that the interim
plans were perhaps all that could be offered given the immediacy of unforeseen
closures and limited knowledge of COVID-19. However, as we approach the end of
the calendar year, distance learning continues. There is widespread concern
that these interim plans, designed to be a temporary stopgap, are still being
employed. Students with IEPs are not receiving the specially designed
instruction that will enable them to make the meaningful progress they are
entitled to by law. More than an issue of legality, however, without
appropriate instruction, students with disabilities run the risk of regression.
Stressed by too much
screen time, these Philly high school students staged a protest
Inquirer by
Kristen A. Graham, Updated: December 14, 2020- 5:37
PM
Fed up with
what they say is too much screen time, some students from one Philadelphia high
school refused to log on for school Monday, staging a protest they hope will
draw attention to the plight of pandemic-stressed teenagers across the city and
beyond. Instead of attending virtual school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., dozens of
students at Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts
declined to participate in classes. Leilani Ferrara and her classmates don’t
want to shirk work, the KCAPA sophomore said. In fact, the logoff was designed
to catch up on missed or incomplete assignments, and organize around the fact
that the current school schedule is unworkable, said Ferrara, 15, typically a
strong student whose grades are now slipping. “We are all depressed, we are all
breaking down every day,” Ferrara said. “I barely eat, I’m sleeping all the
time. This is not normal — you just can’t be on school online every day from 8
to 3. It’s too much.”
Philadelphia
superintendent receives ‘needs improvement’ rating in two areas
Chalkbeat
Philly By Dale
Mezzacappa Dec 14, 2020, 6:17pm EST
The
Philadelphia Board of Education released its 2019-20
school year evaluation of
Superintendent William Hite on Monday, rating him as “needs improvement” in
systems leadership and in promoting student achievement. This is the first
time he has received a “needs improvement” rating
in any category from either the board or its predecessor, the School Reform
Commission, since he started in the 2013-14 school year. The year “uncovered
operational challenges,” the evaluation said, citing the botched
co-location of Science Leadership Academy and Benjamin
Franklin High School and the continued closing of schools with potentially
hazardous asbestos. It also said that while Hite is focused on student learning
outcomes, “our data continues to show that students across Philadelphia are not
achieving at the levels necessary to reach their fullest potential.” The board
on Thursday announced it was reframing
its own stewardship of the district around improving
student achievement, an initiative it is calling “goals and guardrails.”
Superintendent Hite’s
grades slip in latest school board evaluation
Inquirer by
Kristen A. Graham, Updated: December 14, 2020- 5:32
PM
William R.
Hite Jr.’s latest report card is
out, and the longtime Philadelphia superintendent’s grades have slipped. The
school board rated Hite as “distinguished” in two areas. But he received “needs
improvement” — one step above failing — in two areas, student growth and
achievement and systems leadership and operations, defined as the
superintendent’s ability to work with the board to develop a district vision
and, with his administration, to ensure best practices across the school
system. Hite received top marks for professionalism and financial management
for the 2019-20 school year, and proficient in communications and community
relations. That’s a shift from last year’s evaluation, when Hite received three
distinguished marks and three proficients.
Free internet access
available for some now struggling to afford it, city says
Inquirer by
Kristen A. Graham, Updated: December 14, 2020- 11:50
AM
Philadelphia
is expanding free internet access, offering no-cost service to families who
have children receiving special education services or are English-language
learners, and those who participate in public benefit programs with income
qualifications. PHLConnectED, a partnership between the city, School District,
most charter schools, Comcast and others, has connected 12,000 families to
date. Originally, the eligible included families who did not have internet
access, only accessed the internet through cell phones, are experiencing homelessness or had students completing remote
learning in spots without internet access. The expansion covers some families
who do have internet access, but who may be having trouble affording it, and it
comes as Philadelphia’s public schools remain fully virtual, with no return to
in-person education on the horizon and the city in the grip
of a coronavirus spike and
significant restrictions. City officials announced the news Monday as part of a
weeklong push to sign up more eligible families for the service. It’s offered
either via wired internet connections through Comcast’s internet Essentials
program or in the form of mobile hot spots, generally more suitable for
families whose housing situation is less stable, including those living in
homeless shelters.
Shaming exhausted
parents for their kids’ school attendance issues is misguided and unfair |
Opinion
Kenneth
Bourne II, For The Inquirer Posted: December 14, 2020 - 11:00 AM
Kenneth
Bourne II is the only Black male social worker at an all-boys charter school in
Philadelphia. With his colleagues, he’s improved sixth-grade attendance from a
little over 25% to above 95%, the highest rate for any grade in his school and
better than district averages of just 61% of Philadelphia public school students
attending remote learning regularly. He is also the founder and CEO of ANEW, an organization committed to ensuring Black
boys and young men have a fair shot at academic achievement and life success.
“Mr. Bourne,
I am doing the best I can.”
That’s what
Khalil’s mom said just after I had introduced myself on the phone as the school
social worker. Before I could say anything else, she was already in defensive
mode. It was the fatigued voice of one single Black mom of four trying to
manage several part-time jobs while keeping all her children safe and schooled
nearly a year into a pandemic, and months into nationwide racial turmoil. This
one single mom’s voice is echoed by thousands more just like her across
Philadelphia. After I thanked Khalil’s mom, not just for taking the time to
speak with me, but for doing the best she can, she sounded better. I let her
know that we missed Khalil when he missed class. His teachers and classmates
missed his artwork and insights. As a school social worker, I assume every
student wants to come to school and I assume every parent wants their child to
go to school and thrive while there.
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/school-attendance-absenteeism-philadelphia-20201214.html
PSBA Governing Board
votes to endorse Otto Voit for the PSERS Board of Trustees
POSTED
ON DECEMBER 14, 2020 IN PSBA NEWS
Otto Voit,
school board director for Muhlenberg School District has been selected by the
PSBA Governing Board as their endorsed candidate to serve on the PSERS Board of
Trustees. If elected, he will represent the interests of the Pennsylvania
School Boards Association membership and all public school districts statewide.
By unanimous vote, the board approved Voit for the endorsement based on his
extensive financial and leadership expertise, along with his volunteer
involvement in both PSBA leadership and the PA School District Liquid Asset Fund
board. Voit is a former PSBA treasurer and former chairman and current trustee
on the PA School District Liquid Asset Fund board, which oversees investments
of more than $7 billion in public fund assets on behalf of local education
agencies and municipal entities. He is currently the chief financial officer
for Natural Food Group, an international packaging and food distribution
company. His professional experiences and career roles have included CFO and
president for an international manufacturing corporation, CFO for an Inc 500
company, as well as a software development company where he was also a partner.
An interview with Voit will be hosted by PSBA CEO Nathan Mains on Video
Edition on Thursday, December 17, 2020.
COVID spike forces
four Delco schools to go virtual
Delco Times
by Pete
Bannan Pbannan@21st-Centurymedia.com December 15, 2020
Four schools
in Delaware County are shifting from hybrid learning to fully virtual as a
result of increasing COVID-19 positive tests results. Two schools in the
Ridley School District, Amosland Elementary and Ridley High School, will be
fully virtual beginning Tuesday morning. A third Ridley school, Edgewood
Elementary, is already virtual due to low instructor levels with staff
quarantined. "On the rolling 14 day those schools are impacted," said
Ridley Schools Superintendent Lee Ann Wentzel. "You can't just look week
to week, you have to look every day, people drop off from the previous week
based on when they tested positive." Two schools in the Garnet Valley
School District moved from hybrid to all virtual learning Monday after a number
of positive cases in the
high school and at Garnet Valley Elementary School. Superintendent Dr. Marc
Bertrando notified parents Sunday that a sixth positive/probable COVID case was
reported at Garnet Valley High School and a fourth positive/probable COVID case
was reported at the elementary school. Based on the current Pennsylvania
Department of Education guidelines and in consultation with the Chester County
Department of Health, Bertrando said they are now mandated to implement virtual
learning for all students through Wednesday.
Due to an ‘uptick’ in
COVID-19 cases, Bald Eagle to close all school buildings again
Centre Daily
Times BY
MARLEY PARISH DECEMBER 14, 2020 02:05 PM
One week
after returning to classrooms, Bald Eagle Area students will once again pack up
learning materials to attend classes from home. Superintendent Scott Graham
announced Monday all school buildings will close due to an “uptick” in COVID-19
cases and quarantines throughout the district. Remote learning is scheduled to
begin Wednesday and continue through Dec. 22. Since students returned to
in-person learning last week, multiple cases have been reported at the middle
and high school buildings. Two new cases were reported at Wingate Elementary,
and three additional cases were confirmed Monday, Graham told families in a
letter.
Northern York schools
going fully remote at least through the end of the year
Penn Live By Paul Vigna | pvigna@pennlive.com Updated Dec 14, 2020; Posted Dec 14,
2020
Northern
York School District announced Monday on its website that it
is temporarily closing its schools and moving to a full remote-learning setup
beginning Wednesday. This remote model will remain in place until the Christmas
break, with the goal of returning to a face-to-face model on Jan. 4, 2021. The
district said it would update parents Jan. 1-3 on that possibility.
Rally set for North
Allegheny over district’s extended remote learning plan
Trib Live by
TAWNYA PANIZZI | Monday, December 14,
2020 6:30 a.m.
Some parents
upset with North
Allegheny’s new remote learning plan are expected to
rally at the intermediate school at 9 a.m. Monday, according to Tribune-Review
news partner WPXI. The group, North Allegheny Parents for
In-Person Education, disagrees with the district’s plan to keep students
learning from home through Jan. 18. They say students are falling behind and
the district isn’t meeting Pennsylvania Department of Education Guidelines. District
officials were not immediately able to be reached for comment. North Allegheny
announced its extended at-home learning plan last week, with high school
students returning today to
online-only instruction through at least mid-January to help slow the spike in
covid-19 cases gripping the region. Students in K-8 return to remote learning
on Wednesday.
Norwin
post-Thanksgiving corona spike continues
Trib Live by
JOE
NAPSHA | Monday, December 14,
2020 8:11 p.m.
Norwin
School District’s coronavirus cases increased over the weekend, with the school
district reporting Monday it was notified of 14 more cases among students and
staff, boosting the post-Thanksgiving total to about 79 cases. Eleven of the 14
cases were among staff: six at Hillcrest Intermediate, three at the high school
and one each at Sheridan Terrance Elementary and Sunset Valley Elementary.
Among the students, there was one each at the middle school, Sheridan Terrace
and Stewartsville Elementary. Because of the spike in cases in Norwin, all of
the district’s 5,300 students are receiving instruction in a virtual manner
beginning this week.
https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/norwin-post-thanksgiving-corona-spike-continues/
Penn-Trafford closes
middle school, Harrison Park Elementary for the week
Trib Live by
JEFF
HIMLER | Monday, December 14,
2020 5:34 p.m.
Penn Middle
School and Harrison Park Elementary in the Penn-Trafford School District will
be closed through Friday after students at each school tested positive for the
coronavirus. Students will receive remote instruction during that time. Penn-Trafford
Superintendent Matthew Harris said Monday the closures are in keeping with
covid-19 pandemic guidelines set forth by the state health and education
departments. The middle school recorded four new cases and Harrison Park had
two.
East Penn schools to
go to fully online learning Wednesday through Jan. 11
By MICHELLE
MERLIN THE MORNING CALL | DEC 15, 2020 AT 5:58
AM
East Penn
students will soon resume fully remote learning for a few weeks. School
directors voted 6-3 Monday to move to remote learning Dec. 16 through Jan. 11,
the date of their next school board meeting. The move came after some students
and staff returned to district buildings Monday for the first time after a
fully remote contact break that district officials announced would follow
Thanksgiving. Board members Jeff Jankowski, Allan Byrd and Ken Bacher voted
against the motion. Ziad Munson, who proposed the motion, noted cases have
skyrocketed locally. “My concern, in a context where we are not testing people
if they don’t have symptoms and we are not doing contact tracing, is when we
actually identify the first case of school transmission, it’ll be too late,”
Munson said.
More than 930
COVID-19 cases have been reported at Lancaster County schools. Here's where
they are [update]
Lancaster
Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer December 14, 2020
More than
930 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.
Electoral College
makes it official: Joe Biden won, Donald Trump lost
Inquirer by
Mark Sherman, Associated Press, Updated: December 14, 2020- 11:48 PM
WASHINGTON —
The Electoral College decisively confirmed Joe Biden on Monday as the nation’s
next president, ratifying his November victory in an authoritative
state-by-state repudiation of President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede he
had lost. The presidential electors gave Biden a solid majority of 306
electoral votes to Trump’s 232, the same margin that Trump bragged was a
landslide when he won the White House four years ago. Heightened security was
in place in some states as electors met to cast paper ballots, with masks,
social distancing and other pandemic precautions the order of the day. The
results will be sent to Washington and tallied in a Jan. 6 joint session of
Congress over which Vice President Mike Pence will preside. For all Trump’s
unsupported claims of fraud, there was little suspense and no change as every
one of the electoral votes allocated to Biden and the president in last month’s
popular vote went officially to each man. On Election Day, the Democrat topped
the incumbent Republican by more than 7 million in the popular vote nationwide.
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
335 PA school boards have
adopted charter reform resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 330 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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