Friday, December 4, 2020

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Dec. 4, 2020: Pennsylvania charts highest one-day total at 11,406 cases of COVID-19

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. 4, 2020

Pennsylvania charts highest one-day total at 11,406 cases of COVID-19

 

Pa. Capitol complex closing again amid coronavirus surge

Post Gazette by ASSOCIATED PRESS DEC 3, 2020 11:44 AM

HARRISBURG — The Capitol complex in Harrisburg will close to the public until further notice because of a statewide surge in coronavirus infections, officials said Thursday. The closure order takes effect Monday and will apply to all interior venues in the Capitol. Rallies, tours, choir performances, receptions and other public gatherings will be canceled, the Department of General Services said. The governor’s office and General Assembly will continue to operate, with access limited to employees and others with credentials, the agency said. The Capitol is closing amid sharp increases in infections, hospitalizations and deaths statewide and across the nation. Pennsylvania is averaging 6,800 new virus cases per day, up 23% in two weeks, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from The COVID Tracking Project. Hospitals are coping with a surge in COVID-19 patients, with more than 80% of the state’s ICU beds now occupied. Deaths in Pennsylvania have more than doubled since Nov. 18 to an average of 94 per day.

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2020/12/03/COVID-19-closes-Pennsylvania-Capitol-Complex-harrisburg/stories/202012030123?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1607016455

 

Blogger note: Happy Friday. I remember when PA legislators used to go out for a bipartisan beer together after session. More like this please.

Hoping to promote civility in Pa. House, lawmakers form unique bipartisan caucus to work through their differences

Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated 2:23 PM; Today 2:23 PM

Tired of the partisan bickering that seems to get in the way of governing? You aren’t alone. Apparently, so are two members Pennsylvania House of Representatives, one a Republican and the other a Democrat. Together, Reps. Greg Rothman, R-Cumberland County, and Stephen Kinsey, D-Philadelphia, are leading an effort that they hope brings civility and respect into the process in working through policy differences in the upcoming 2021-22 legislative session. They have formed what they are calling a bi-partisan caucus that they hope will draw at least a dozen members from each caucus. “Our caucus aims to buck this undercurrent of centering party matters in legislative matters, which sometimes deters members on both sides of the aisle from collaborating with each other,” Kinsey said in a news release. “As lawmakers, working towards a better and more equitable commonwealth for all should be our top priority, and legislating with a focus on party is a direct detriment to this goal.”

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/12/hoping-to-promote-civility-in-pa-house-lawmakers-form-unique-bipartisan-caucus-to-work-through-their-differences.html

 

COVID-19 in Pa.: Pennsylvania charts highest one-day total at 11,406 cases of COVID-19

PA Capital Star By  John L. Micek December 3, 2020

Amid an already record-shattering fall surge, Pennsylvania charted its highest, one-day total of new COVID-19 cases to date on Thursday, with 11,406 additional cases, the state Health Department said in a statement. The agency reported 187 new fatalities. That brings the statewide total of cases since the beginning of the pandemic to 386,837, and the total number of fatalities to 10,944 deaths attributable to COVID-19, the Health Department said. Statewide, 4,982 people were hospitalized with COVID-19. Of that, 1,048 people are in hospital intensive care units, with the majority aged 65 and older, the Health Department said. The trend in the 14-day moving average of number of hospitalized patients per day has increased by nearly 3,500 since the end of September, the Health Department said. The statewide positivity rate for the week of Nov. 20 to Nov. 26 still stands at 11.7 percent, state data showed. Earlier in the day on Thursday, officials at the state Department of General Services, which manages the Pennsylvania state Capitol complex and its grounds, said they were shuttering it to public access until further notice, citing rising COVID-19 caseloads.

https://www.penncapital-star.com/blog/covid-19-in-pa-pennsylvania-charts-highest-one-day-total-at-11406-cases-of-covid-19/

 

Pa. reports 11,000 new cases of COVID-19 in one day, and asks public to help protect hospitals from filling

Inquirer by Justine McDaniel and Erin McCarthy, Updated: December 3, 2020- 8:42 PM

Pennsylvania shattered its record for coronavirus cases logged in a single day by a staggering amount Thursday, reporting more than 11,000 new infections — just one week after Thanksgiving, which experts had predicted could fuel a significant surge. The day’s increase continued the exponential trajectory of the virus’ spread since the start of November, when days with a few thousand newly reported cases broke records and caused alarm. And it means 50,000 Pennsylvanians have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last seven days. More than 5,000 people were being treated for the coronavirus in Pennsylvania hospitals Thursday, with more than 1,000 in intensive-care units. In a few of the state’s less populated areas, hospitals had run out of ICU beds. Beds remained open around the Philadelphia region, but the need was growing in places: All but eight of Delaware County’s ICU beds were filled, state data showed. “We have to remember that there are not an unlimited number of hospital beds, but even more importantly, there are not an unlimited number of staff, doctors, nurses,” said Health Secretary Rachel Levine.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/coronavirus-covid-19-pa-surge-hospitals-nj-philly-record-cases-20201203.html

 

US virus deaths top 3,100 in a single day for the first time

AP News By The Associated December 3, 2020

The U.S. recorded over 3,100 COVID-19 deaths in a single day, obliterating the record set last spring, while the number of Americans hospitalized with the virus has eclipsed 100,000 for the first time and new cases have begun topping 200,000 a day, according to figures released Thursday. The three benchmarks altogether showed a country slipping deeper into crisis, with perhaps the worst yet to come, in part because of the delayed effects from Thanksgiving, when millions of Americans disregarded warnings to stay home and celebrate only with members of their household. Across the U.S., the surge has swamped hospitals and left nurses and other health care workers shorthanded and burned out. “The reality is December and January and February are going to be rough times. I actually believe they are going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation,” Dr. Robert Redfield, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/public-health-coronavirus-pandemic-thanksgiving-cfc242870ccad7a41c3cc858bfe24e49?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP

 

Cyber Charter Schools Dramatically Impacting Public School Budgets

Butler Radion Posted By: Tyler Frielon: December 03, 2020In: Featured News

With some parents opting to send their children to cyber-charter schools because of the pandemic, school districts in the county are facing mounting financial challenges. The Mars Area School District school board is contemplating actions for how they’ll deal with a $1.3 million deficit. That’s because the district has to pay cyber-charter schools to teach the students. Mars Business Manager Jill Swaney explains. “Under the PA School Code, if any charter schools that is recognized by the state, when students enroll in those charter schools, their home district has to pay their tuition,” Swaney said. “And it’s based on a tuition rate that is based on the school’s cost to operate.” At Mars, that number is around $10,000 per student, and up to $22,000 for a special education student. Swaney argues that the funding mechanism is unfair to the public schools because their operating costs don’t change even if they lose students. “Every time a child goes to a cyber school, you take money away from the public education system,” Swaney said. “They’re always out there saying we mismanage money, and tax and spend, but then they come up with a funding mechanism for cyber school that we have no means to recoup that money.”

https://butlerradio.com/cyber-charter-schools-dramatically-impacting-public-school-budgets/

 

Pennsylvania has left soaring special education costs to districts, report says

Chalkbeat Philly By Dale Mezzacappa  Dec 3, 2020, 5:26pm EST

Over the past decade, school districts in Pennsylvania have been forced to shoulder most of the escalating costs of educating students with disabilities due to meager increases in state aid, according to a report from the Education Law Center and PA Schools Work. An increase in state aid — $50 million for the 2019-20 school year — has been “insufficient” to reverse a “decade-long trend of state neglect,” the report said. This school year’s figures aren’t available. Between the 2008-09 school year and the 2018-19 school year, special education costs grew by $2 billion, while state special education aid grew by only $110 million. The 2018-19 year is the latest for which full aid and expenditure figures are available. In Philadelphia, the cost of educating students with disabilities doubled over that 10-year period, to more than $617 million from about $304 million. Yet its increase in state special education aid was only $20 million.

https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2020/12/3/22151277/pennsylvania-has-left-soaring-special-education-costs-to-districts-report-says

 

School closings threaten gains of students with disabilities

AP News By CAROLYN THOMPSON December 3, 2020

Without any in-school special education services for months, 14-year-old Joshua Nazzaro’s normally sweet demeanor has sometimes given way to aggressive meltdowns that had been under control before the pandemic. The teenager, who has autism and is nonverbal, often wanted no part of his online group speech therapy sessions, and when he did participate, he needed constant hands-on guidance from aides hired by his family. He briefly returned to his private Denville, New Jersey, school for two days a week, but surging coronavirus infections quickly pushed learning back online through at least Dec. 10. Some of Josh’s progress “has been undone, and there are no plans to make it up,” said Sharon MacGregor, who has been involved in the boy’s care since she began dating his father several years ago. The same frustrations are shared by many of the nation’s 7 million students with disabilities — a group representing 14% of American schoolchildren. Advocates for these students say the extended months of learning from home and erratic attempts to reopen schools are deepening a crisis that began with the switch to distance learning in March.

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-fd26be67a40112130b59f946577c86d8?utm_medium=AP&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter

 

“The average school retiree, after 23 years of service, got $25,753 in annual pension benefit in 2019-20. School districts have seen their pension contribution rates soar over the past decade. In 2010-11, districts and the state paid just 8.22% of payroll when the rates were kept artificially low to help with state budget woes.”

Pa. school districts will face higher pension costs in 2021-22

Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Dec 03, 2020; Posted Dec 03, 2020

Pennsylvanias school districts will have to set aside more money in their budgets next year to cover their share of contributing toward employees’ pensions. The Public School Employees’ Retirement System board on Thursday approved an employer contribution rate of 34.94% for 2021-22 – up from this year’s 34.51% rate. The state and school districts split the tab, which next year will total $4.99 billion. Actuaries determined the increase is needed to meet future pension obligations. That reflects an increase of roughly $130 million from this year. Three-quarters of the employer’s contribution is used to pay down the debt in the system caused by years of underfunding by the state and school districts and investments’ under performance over the years, according to PSERS spokesman Steve Esack. That system’s unfunded liability stood at $44 billion as of June 30, 2020, a $100 million decrease from 2019.

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/12/pa-school-districts-will-face-higher-pension-costs-in-2021-22.html

 

Pennsylvanians need liability protections

Pottstown Mercury Opinion by Ryan Costello Dec 3, 2020 Updated 19 hrs ago

Ryan Costello represented Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District from 2015 to 2019.

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association is calling on lawmakers to enact liability protections for schools. As one board member notes, it is unfair for schools to follow all available public health guidance and “end up being sued because someone got sick from the coronavirus.”

I wholeheartedly agree. But it’s not just schools that need protecting. Pennsylvania manufacturers, small businesses, and nonprofits are also grappling with similar concerns; they are shuttering their doors at an already dire economic time. This cannot continue. I had the privilege of serving Pennsylvanians in Congress for four years—working with anyone to advance fair and thoughtful solutions. I am calling on our state’s current Congressional delegation to push for commonsense liability protections so our small businesses and schools can safely reopen.

Our state has experienced great loss from the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly 11,000 of our family members and neighbors have lost their lives, a large chunk coming from Philadelphia County.

https://www.pottsmerc.com/opinion/pennsylvanians-need-liability-protections/article_d7be326b-5534-59a5-85d7-c805a13b9b97.html

 

Guest view: National leaders have failed schools on COVID tests and opening safely. We're on our own.

Where are our fast and frequent tests? Where's the national data on what prevents transmission in schools? There's been a complete absence of support.

GoErie by Dr. David Grande Opinion contributor December 4, 2020

Dr. David Grande is Director of Policy at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania and School Board President at the Wallingford Swarthmore School District in Pennsylvania.

The fall COVID surge has arrived, and with it, another wave of school closures. As a physician and local school board president, I have heard from parents who desperately want schools open regardless of community rates of COVID, and parents who are terrified of COVID infecting their household. I’ve seen teachers working hard to adapt to the times when education as we knew it before is just not possible. And right now, it feels like we are back to where we were in August, making very tough decisions about how to open and stay open.  Amid a huge surge in COVID, staying open is the greatest challenge facing local school leaders today. What makes the challenge even more difficult is the complete absence of any national leadership or policy to support schools. Nearly all decisions have been punted to local leaders with little guidance, limited funding, and grossly inadequate access to testing.  

https://www.goerie.com/story/opinion/columns/2020/12/04/schools-struggle-leaders-fail-covid-tests-safety-column/3800148001/

 

“The district employs more than 20,000 people, including about 8,500 teachers. It has just under 120,000 students and its budget for fiscal year 2020-21 is $3.4 billion.”

Facing a grim budget, Philadelphia School District may need to lay off employees

Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Updated: December 3, 2020- 7:29 PM

In the face of a grim and changing budget picture, Philadelphia School District officials said Thursday they may need to lay off or furlough employees this school year to close a deficit caused by COVID-19. The school system has been hit hard by lower-than-expected city revenues and increased costs related to preparing schools — which have been closed to students since March because of the pandemic — for an eventual reopening. Layoffs or furloughs could be necessary by January, Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson told school board members, though numbers are in flux. To date, the district has identified a $57 million budget gap and identified $46 million in savings. It’s unclear how the school system will come up with the remaining $11 million, Monson said. The district will explore reducing contracted services, and costs may go down depending on how long schools remain closed — the school system has seen some savings in transportation and substitute services based on the current virtual setup — and officials hope to avoid job cuts. But “it has to be on the list at this point,” Monson told the board during a committee meeting Thursday.

https://www.inquirer.com/education/philadelphia-school-district-coronavirus-layoffs-budget-20201203.html

 

‘It’s not boo-boos and Band-Aids’: COVID-19 thrust school nurses onto the frontline

Inquirer by Melanie Burney and Kristen A. Graham, Posted: December 4, 2020- 5:00 AM

Before the school day begins, nurse Kathy McCutcheon makes a list of which students have completed their online COVID-19 health screening. Most students have fallen into the routine since the school year began and complete the checklist. But those who haven’t submitted a form indicating possible symptoms or exposure to the virus must be checked upon arrival at Haddon Township High School in Westmont before they can enter the building. It has become a part of the school day for students and staff across the region, with nurses playing a key role during the pandemic, whether schools are open for in-person or hybrid instruction or fully remote. They do the job knowing the possible risk to them and their families.

https://www.inquirer.com/education/school-nurse-coronavirus-nj-education-screenings-health-pandemic-20201204.html

 

Philadelphia superintendent wants educators to be among first to get vaccine

Chalkbeat Philly By Johann Calhoun  Dec 3, 2020, 4:41pm EST

When a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, educators should be among the first to receive it, schools superintendent William Hite said Thursday. He said he and other school leaders in urban districts are advocating for teachers to get priority after healthcare workers and people in assisted living facilities. “Right now as you know healthcare workers are the priority along with individuals in assisted living and we are trying to make the case that the next group of individuals becomes educators,” Hite said. “So people want to restart the economy, children need to be back in school. We are advocating on a national level to be prioritized.” He also said when the city’s district schools return to hybrid learning the district will have some sort of testing protocol in place for teachers and students, which would include rapid testing. The school district delayed its reopening plan last month amid rising positivity rates in Philadelphia. The city’s positivity rate is past 13% and higher than New York City.

https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2020/12/3/22151215/philadelphia-superintendent-wants-educators-to-be-among-first-to-get-vaccine

 

Philly schools form virtual gender and sexuality alliance

By Michele Zipkin  Special to the Capital-Star December 4, 2020

PHILADELPHIA — The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) has teamed up with Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence to launch the first district-wide virtual gender and sexuality alliance (GSA). The school district has had GSAs for years, but the virtual iteration of the group began this fall. District high schools with existing GSAs include William W. Bodine, Thomas A. Edison, Hill-Freedom World Academy, Kensington, Northeast and George Washington.  Through the virtual GSA, students can connect with each other and LGBTQ+ adults, discuss issues relevant to the community and play trivia games, for example. The overall goals of the virtual GSA include providing a space for LGBTQ students who don’t have a GSA available at their school or don’t feel safe participating in an in-person GSA, to foster a space for queer and questioning students to “identify, develop and share their identities with the world” in a positive group space of their similarly-identified peers and adults, to connect students with adults from a variety of racial and queer backgrounds and to cultivate a district-wide community of LGBTQ students.

https://www.penncapital-star.com/civil-rights-social-justice/philly-schools-form-virtual-gender-and-sexuality-alliance/

 

With over 10% of Philly’s student Access Centers closed by COVID, staff raises safety concerns

Several of the remote learning sites are located in old buildings without good ventilation.

WHYY/BillyPenn Michaela Winberg Yesterday, 11:15 a.m.

Twenty of Philly’s Access Centers for remote school learning have had to close for two weeks to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, and 8 of 77 are currently shut down due to COVID cases among students, staff or parents, city officials confirmed. With 10% of the spaces currently closed, some staffers worry there aren’t enough safeguards in place to protect them from the pandemic. “It scares me,” said a person who works for the Department of Parks and Recreations, and is in charge of running one of the centers. The city employee, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, said the shutdowns make sense. “I’d rather take two weeks off than die, to be honest with you.” But they’re asking for more safeguards to prevent cases in the first place. Intended to give K-6 students a safe space and a good internet connection, the free centers opened at the start of the academic year. They’re hosted at facilities run by the Parks & Rec, the Free Library and a handful of community centers. In total, the Access Centers have 2,105 students enrolled citywide.

https://billypenn.com/2020/12/03/covid-student-access-centers-philadelphia-safety-staff/

 

Mars Area School Board rejects move to raise taxes 3%

Cyberschool blamed for $1.3 million deficit

Post Gazette by SANDY TROZZO DEC 4, 2020 6:00 AM

Members of the Mars Area School Board on Tuesday rejected a resolution that would have raised school taxes next year to the state limit of 3% or less. The district is blaming the tax hike on a projected $1.3 million shortfall, which school officials attribute to the high number of students opting to attend a cyber charter school not affiliated with the district. The budget statement posted on its website noted that the district may have to furlough teachers to balance the budget.

https://www.post-gazette.com/local/north/2020/12/04/Mars-Area-School-Board-rejects-move-to-raise-taxes-3/stories/202012040021

 

COVID case keeps Boyertown Area High School closed

Pottstown Mercury By Evan Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com @PottstownNews on Twitter December 4, 2020

BOYERTOWN — The Boyertown Area High School will remain closed to students until next week after a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus and 20 other possible exposures were identified. The entire district was on remote learning this week, but there was some staff in the high school building. Staff received a text message just after noon Thursday that read "out of an abundance of caution, we're going to ask that you finish up what you're doing right now and leave the building."

https://www.pottsmerc.com/news/covid-case-keeps-boyertown-area-high-school-closed/article_ba040c1a-35bc-11eb-a635-4b6b91b53f2e.html

 

Conneaut schools returning to hybrid model, suspending extra-curricular activities

By Sean P. Ray Meadville Tribune December 3, 2020

LINESVILLE — Conneaut School District is returning to a hybrid learning schedule Monday but all extra-curricular activities have been suspended. In a lengthy discussion at Wednesday's Conneaut School Board work session, members came to a consensus to return to the hybrid model through Christmas break.  The hybrid model has half of the student body attending class Monday through Thursday. Students will be split into two groups — with one group attending on Mondays and Wednesdays and the other on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All students will attend class virtually on Fridays. However, even a small amount of positive cases during that period may force the schools to return to all-remote teaching.

https://www.meadvilletribune.com/coronavirus/conneaut-schools-returning-to-hybrid-model-suspending-extra-curricular-activities/article_5632922c-35af-11eb-9198-4b2ba4b0e19f.html

 

Lewisburg schools extend remote learning

Gettysburg Times By THE (MILTON) STANDARD-Journal December 3, 20020

LEWISBURG — The Lewisburg Area School District announced Thursday afternoon that remote learning would continue through Friday, Dec. 11 for students from kindergarten to Grade 12. Regular in-person instruction will resume on Monday, Dec. 14, according to a district news release. But parents were advised that the district may extend remote learning beyond Friday, Dec. 11, if necessary. “This determination was made based on the number of students and staff members who are either in quarantine, awaiting test results, or have tested positive over the period of time between the Thanksgiving holiday and while in remote instruction,” the release added. “ Because the district is not closing as a result of the updated Pennsylvania Department of Education guidance, and the district has submitted the attestation to the Department, the district can continue to operate extracurricular activities and athletics.”

https://www.gettysburgtimes.com/news/pennsylvania_news/article_4ce1503e-59c2-54e0-85a5-414803341210.html

 

2 school districts returning to in-person classes

Post Gazette by DEANA CARPENTER DEC 3, 2020 12:12 PM

The McKeesport Area School District returned to in-person education this week following the holiday break and the West Mifflin Area School District plans to return to hybrid instruction Monday after both signed state required attestations that they have taken mitigation efforts against COVID-19. On Wednesday students in the McKeesport district returned to school five-days-per-week, with a two-hour early release each day.  “We’re hopeful that we can continue into Christmas” with students going to school in-person, Superintendent Mark Holtzman told the school board Wednesday but added, “Those things can change and shift at any moment.”

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2020/12/03/2-school-districts-returning-to-in-person-classes-mckeesport-west-mifflin/stories/202012030127

 

North Pocono to begin virtual education Monday, continue through at least Jan. 18

Times Tribune by JEFF HORVATH Dec 3, 2020 Updated 32 min ago

North Pocono School District students will learn exclusively online starting Monday and continuing through at least Jan. 18. According to an update posted on the district's website, the school board approved a plan Thursday to begin virtual education Monday amid rising COVID-19 cases in the area and an increase in student and staff quarantines over the past week. The district's target date for a return to school in a hybrid model is Jan. 19.

https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/news/coronavirus/north-pocono-to-begin-virtual-education-monday-continue-through-at-least-jan-18/article_d3a0fe27-1fda-5e6c-b264-69d28216aae2.html

 

Clarks Summit Elementary, North Pocono High School report COVID-19 cases

Times Tribune Dec 2, 2020 Updated 59 min ago

Clarks Summit Elementary School is closed for the remainder of the week after a positive case of COVID-19 was reported, according to a message sent to Abington Heights School District families Wednesday.  One unrelated, potential positive case was also reported in the school, the message said.  A professional staff member tested positive for virus Wednesday and another was listed as "close contact" on Tuesday, according to the district's COVID-19 report. Both staff members are in isolation. All classes at Clarks Summit Elementary will be virtual on Thursday and Friday, according to the alert. The school will reopen for in-person classes on Monday. The district identified and contacted people who were in close contact with the positive professional staff member. Also, two students from South Abington Elementary School are in quarantine and listed as in close contact with a person thought to be positive for the virus as of Tuesday, according to the report. The North Pocono School District also reported a confirmed positive case at its high school, according to an update posted Wednesday night to the district's website and Facebook. The student last attended school on Nov. 20; those needing to quarantine have already been notified, according to the district. North Pocono will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed, according to the post.

https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/news/education/clarks-summit-elementary-north-pocono-high-school-report-covid-19-cases/article_277dae8e-5914-5d00-98c0-abaa96bb5c23.html

 

National Call to Suspend High-Stakes Testing in Spring 2021

FairTest Submitted by fairtest on December 2, 2020 - 2:09pm 

ASSESSMENT REFORMERS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO SUSPEND HIGH-STAKES STUDENT TESTING IN SPRING 2021; PETITION CALLS ON BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, STATE LEADERS  TO LIFT STANDARDIZED EXAM MANDATES

Forcing public schools to administer standardized exams to students after COVID-19 disruptions would produce invalid and unfair results while diverting resources from real educational needs, according to a national campaign to cancel Spring 2021 high-stakes tests that was launched today. A petition to endorse the “National Call to Suspend High-Stakes Testing in Spring 2021” is available online at: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/suspend-high-stakes-student-testing. Both individuals and organizations are encouraged to sign on. The campaign is led by FairTest: the National Center for Fair & Open Testing. Initial endorsers include the Network for Public Education and many local groups, such as Save Our Schools New Jersey.

https://www.fairtest.org/national-call-suspend-highstakes-testing-spring-20

 

 

Adopt the 2020 PSBA resolution for charter school funding reform

In this legislative session, PSBA has been leading the charge with the Senate, House of Representatives and the Governor’s Administration to push for positive charter reform. We’re now asking you to join the campaign: Adopt the resolution: We’re asking all school boards to adopt the 2020 resolution for charter school funding reform at your next board meeting and submit it to your legislators and to PSBA.

Resolution for charter funding reform (pdf)

Link to submit your adopted resolution to PSBA

 

332 PA school boards have adopted charter reform resolutions

Charter school funding reform continues to be a concern as over 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.

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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