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 January 29, 2021
“Hold Harmless”: Pennsylvania
distributes billions of dollars of education funding based on enrollment
numbers last updated in 1991
PSBA Spring Virtual Advocacy Day March 22 via Zoom
@PSBA @PASA public school leaders are invited to join us
for our spring Virtual Advocacy Day on Monday, March 22, 2021, via Zoom.
Registration on http://myPSBA.org.
“While a single deficiency would be
grounds for denial, the Department has identified deficiencies for every
criterion”
@PADeptofEd has denied the Executive Education Cyber Charter School
application that was submitted on Sept. 22, 2020
“Based on a review of the written application, questions and responses recorded at the November 12 Hearing, and public comments concerning the application, the Department denies Executive Education’s application. While a single deficiency would be grounds for denial, the Department has identified deficiencies for every criterion.”
Hold “Harmless”: A
Quarter Century of Inequity at the Heart of Pennsylvania’s School System
PCCY Report
January 2021
http://pccy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PCCY-HoldHarmlessReport-2020-Final.pdf
Pennsylvania distributes billions of
dollars of education funding based on enrollment numbers last updated in 1991. As a result, some wealthy school districts are
getting far more dollars-per-student than others in lower-income areas.
Advocates highlight
how Pa.’s outdated school funding policy causes deep inequities
WHYY By Miles Bryan January 28, 2021
Pennsylvania
distributes billions of dollars of education funding based on enrollment
numbers last updated in 1991. As a result, some wealthy school districts are
getting far more dollars-per-student than others in lower-income areas. That’s
one of the conclusions reached by a new
report on inequities in how the commonwealth
funds education, published Wednesday by the nonprofit advocacy group Public
Citizens for Children and Youth. The report focuses on Pennsylvania’s ‘hold
harmless’ policy. Enacted in 1991, it bars the state from funding school
districts at levels lower than the prior year. When it was implemented,
districts appreciated its guarantee of predictability, making it easier for
school boards to make long-term plans. Over time, as the student enrollment
plummeted in some places and surged in others, it’s added
to the wide inequities that exist
in Pennsylvania public schools. In 2016, the state passed a new
student-based funding formula that more closely tied dollars to need, but
lawmakers decided to use it only to distribute increases in aid. Five years
later, nearly 90% of the state’s $6.8 billion basic education subsidy is still
distributed based on hold harmless. Advocates have been criticizing the policy
for years. PCCY’s report found that the two-thirds of Pennsylvania school
districts where enrollment has shrunk over the last thirty years receive far
more funding per pupil from the state than the others that have grown. Pennsylvania’s
Black and Latino students are the most
negatively impacted: The report states more than 80% of them are
located in growing school districts that would benefit
tremendously by axing hold harmless and running all
state funding through the 2016 formula.
Follow-up Lehigh
Valley School Funding Lawsuit
Education
Voters PA/Bethlehem Area Proud Parents January 28, 2021
Author :
BASDproudparent Category : fair
funding, Funding, Stay
Informed
An update on
the Lehigh Valley School Funding Lawsuit from Education Voters of PA
From a
webinar with attorneys from the Education Law Center and Public Interest Law
Center about Pennsylvania’s historic school funding lawsuit. Please find attached the slides from
last night’s presentation. For more information about the school
funding lawsuit, please visit https://www.fundourschoolspa.org/ You
may find both a recording of a general webinar both in English and with a Spanish translation here:
https://www.fundourschoolspa.org/video
What can you
do now to advocate now?
https://basdproudparents.org/follow-up-lehigh-valley-school-funding-lawsuit/
Funding sub-standard
cyber schools
The Sunbury Daily
Item Commentary January 28, 2021
This
commentary was written by members of the Shamokin Area School Board and school
administrators. Shamokin Area School Board: Brian Persing, Melissa Hovenstine,
Erik Anderson, Laura Scandle, Jeff Kashner, Ed Griffiths, Charlie Shuey,
Rosalie Smoogen, Bernie Sosnoskie. Superintendent: Chris Venna, Business
Manager: Karen Colangelo.
Since the
COVID-19 pandemic hit, there has been a huge increase in cyber charter school
enrollment across the country, including in Pennsylvania where cyber charter
school enrollment is up by 63% to 62,000 students as of Oct. 1, 2020. Locally
in the Shamokin Area School District cyber enrollment is up 17%. This trend
should have Pennsylvania parents and taxpayers, including those in the Shamokin
Area, extremely concerned about the financial implications this enrollment
increase will have on school districts. To put this impact into numbers, school
districts can expect as much as a $350 million dollar increase in their cyber
charter tuition bills this year alone, due to the pandemic-generated cyber
charter school enrollment increases. It’s important to keep in mind that this
massive sum is only part of the $475 million overall cyber charter school
tuition increase this school year that school districts are facing in addition
to navigating through a global pandemic. The $475 million increase in cyber
charter school tuition this school year effectively nullifies the majority of
the federal funds public schools received under the CARES Act.
This means
most of those funds will not have their intended impact — to aid our public
schools in a time of crisis. Moreover, the Act 1 index rate will not allow an
increase in property taxes to cover the gap in increased cyber charter school
payments, leaving hopelessly unbalanced budgets.
The impact
on the SASD budget is immense. We received $834,272 in CARES Act money and will
spend $2.1 million in cyber school tuition, $300,000 more than was budgeted due
to the unknown increase in enrollment.
“In past years, there’s been a steady
rise in students making the switch to charter. Usually, close to two-thirds
choose cyber, the remaining, just over one-third, opt for brick-and-mortar,
Celmer said. But during the past year, 100% of students who left for charter
picked cyber schools. With each student goes $10,000 from the school district
that they must pay to the charter school, he said. For each special education
student, that number jumps to $28,000. For the 200 students the district lost
this year, Celmer said they are looking at a $2 to $3 million payout.”
CARES Act funding
under fire, as Harrisburg School District loses students to cyber charters
The Burg JANUARY
28, 2021 | by Maddie Conley Gittens
Inequity has
been an issue for decades, according to Acting Superintendent for the
Harrisburg School District, Chris Celmer. He was referring to what he sees as
unfair funding for charter schools—specifically cyber charters. While he’s
spoken on this numerous times, this time had a new edge to it—new meaning. Allocation
amounts of second-round federal CARES Act funding recently were announced, and
Celmer expressed his disappointment in what he saw. When the pandemic hit, the
Harrisburg School District had to pivot quickly, like most brick and mortar
schools, closing classrooms and doling out laptops. They scrambled to create
options for students, knowing what would inevitably come and trying desperately
to stop it. The district formed the Harrisburg Virtual Learning Academy (HVLA),
a cyber-only alternative to their mainstream option in which students will
eventually return to the classroom. “We understand that we need to provide
options for our students and families, and we are willing to put in the time,
money and effort to do so,” Celmer said. And yet, that didn’t stop over 200
students from moving to charter schools. He said, without HVLA, which has over
200 students, the number could’ve been closer to 500.
https://theburgnews.com/news/__trashed
West Chester Area
School District Denies Charter School Application
January
28, 2021 - by MyChesCo -
WEST
CHESTER, PA — The West Chester Area School District Board of Directors
this week denied the application of Skills for Life Charter School. “The
administration has spent many hours reviewing this application to determine if
it has met the four standards in the charter school law. We have found it
doesn’t meet any of the four standards,” said Dr. Jim Scanlon, WCASD
Superintendent. “The application doesn’t demonstrate sustainable support from
the community or how it will support comprehensive learning experiences for
students. The application also fails to provide any fiscal stability to
operate, nor does it serve as a model for other public schools,” continued
Scanlon. The Skills for Life Charter School application was filed on November
15, 2020, and presented to the school board via Zoom during a special hearing
on December 7, 2020. “While we appreciate the applicant’s passion for bringing
this to the board, the application falls short of meeting the standards for a
charter school,” said Chris McCune, WCASD School Board President. The applicant
has 60 days to file an appeal to the Pennsylvania Charter Appeals Board.
According to the application, Skills for Life Charter School is designed to be
a micro-charter school serving approximately 15 students in grades 1- 8. The
proposed location for the school is 355 West Market Street in West Chester.
Most Philly kids off
track on reading; school board grills Hite
By 2026, 62%
of third graders should be reading on grade level; based on standardized tests
administered this fall, the district is off track, with 35% of children meeting
standards.
Inquirer by Kristen
A. Graham Updated Jan 28, 2021
Only 33% of
Philadelphia third graders read at grade level, and the school board wants to
know what Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. is going to do about it. On
Thursday night, the school board launched a new approach to monitoring the
Philadelphia School District and its schools chief, examining in great detail
how city students fare on reading assessments and what might be needed to
advance sluggish progress. Late last year, the board adopted a goal of having
62% of third graders reading at grade level by 2026. Based on standardized
tests administered this fall, however, the district is off track — with only
35% of children meeting reading standards. Reading at third grade is
significant; research shows that children who are proficient readers by the end
of that year are likely to graduate from high school.
https://fusion.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-school-district-board-reading-hite-20210129.html
‘We should not rush
this’: Students demand a voice in Philadelphia’s reopening plans
Chalkbeat
Philly By Johann Calhoun Jan 28, 2021, 4:17pm EST
Brandon
Archer, a senior at Masterman High School, has accepted the fact he may never
experience a prom or walk across the stage for his graduation. But he and
others his age are taking issue with the Philadelphia school district’s
reopening plan, calling it “rushed.” A coalition of student leaders from a mix
of schools and organizations gathered on Wednesday evening to discuss the
district’s reopening plans with Chalkbeat. Their view was unanimous: The
district should “slow down” the process and involve more students in the
planning. Student representatives from Philadelphia Student Union, Philadelphia
Black Student Alliance, UrbEd and the Bullhorn attended the roundtable discussion.
“The district needs to be transparent about these processes,” said Archer, who
is a member of UrbEd and the Philadelphia Black Student Alliance. “If we expect
parents to make a decision if they are ready for their child to go back to
school, we need to make sure that our parents are informed of what that entails
— if it is just two days a week.” Superintendent William Hite announced on
Wednesday a reopening plan that calls for prekindergarten through second grade
students to come back two days a week, in shifts, beginning Feb. 22. Staff
supporting those grades will return to school buildings on Feb. 8.
Philly school board
expresses support for return to classrooms at meeting with limited public
comment
WHYY By Emily
Rizzo January 28, 2021
At a
Philadelphia Board of Education meeting that featured unusually limited public
comment, board members expressed support for Superintendent William Hite’s plan
to start in-person learning for
pre-registered Pre-K through grade 2 students on Feb 22. Cohorts of
students would be in classrooms two days a week. Pertinent staff are expected
to report to schools on February 8. No formal vote on the matter was
taken Thursday, as the board granted the district authority over the summer to
reconvene classroom learning. At the start of the meeting, Hite said virtual
learning has caused learning loss and physical and mental health issues.
“A lack of in person learning unfortunately disproportionately harms our low
income students,” he said. “Our most vulnerable children are falling farther
behind.” Much of the public testimony about the return plan came from parents
and teachers who expressed disdain for the hybrid model. Most were concerned
with the risk of contracting COVID-19, especially with new strains in the U.S.
and the slow roll-out of vaccines.
Philly schools
announce plans for students return in February
PA Capital
Star Special
to the Capital-Star By Chanel Hill January 28, 2021
PHILADELPHIA
— School
District of Philadelphia administrators announced Wednesday plans to transition
to a hybrid learning model – a mix of in-person learning and remote learning –
starting Feb. 22 for pre-k to second grade students. Staff supporting pre-k to
second grade students will return to school buildings Feb. 8 to prepare for
students later that month. It will be the first time District students will
have in-person learning since last March due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“We know that while some students can thrive in a digital learning environment,
many do not,” said School District of Philadelphia superintendent William Hite.
“Some of our most vulnerable students, including younger learners, are at risk
of falling behind. “Escalating violence and feelings of isolation are all
tragic consequences of the pandemic, further threatening the health and
well-being of our young people,” he added. “Resuming in-person learning
opportunities is a crucial step to help restore a much-needed sense of familiarity,
community and connectedness for students and families.”
“Marten has been superintendent of San
Diego Unified since 2013. But before that she had been a teacher for 17 years,
as well as principal of San Diego’s Central Elementary School, a school in the
diverse City Heights neighborhood where 96% of students qualify for free and
reduced-priced meals.”
San Diego
superintendent will bring years of teaching to U.S. deputy education
secretary post
EdSource by LOUIS FREEDBERG JANUARY 19, 2021
On the
campaign trail, Joe Biden promised to select a teacher to be
his secretary of education. Just before Christmas, in a surprise choice, he
named Connecticut Commissioner of Education Miguel Cardona to the
post. Cardona has been a teacher — albeit for only about five years before
becoming a principal and district administrator. Biden has now doubled down on
his pro-teacher stance by nominating San Diego Unified Superintendent Cindy
Marten to be deputy secretary of education, the number two position in the U.S.
Department of Education. With Cardona, Marten will play a pivotal role in
advocating for and implementing President-elect Biden’s expansive education
agenda, including getting funds to states, so they can open the majority of
their elementary schools within 100 days of his taking office. With the Senate
soon to be controlled by Democrats, principal elements of Biden’s agenda now
have far more of a chance of actually being implemented. She will also have
major responsibilities in managing the entire department, and to fill in for
Cardona as acting secretary when needed.
Lawmakers Push $75
Billion for Learning Recovery Among Trio of COVID-19 Bills
Education
Week By Andrew Ujifusa — January 28, 2021 6 min
read
Congressional
Democrats are proposing $75 billion over two years to help schools reengage
with missing students, and to help them diagnose and address learning
interruptions and other issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The Learning
Recovery Act, which is being introduced Thursday in the U.S. House of
Representatives, is one of three bills lawmakers are rolling out to address
various K-12 education needs. Taken together, they could become part of the
vehicle on Capitol Hill for President Joe Biden’s COVID-19
relief plan for K-12 education. However, they
aren’t written to precisely match all parts of Biden’s blueprint and could also
serve as stand-alone bills. Versions of the other two bills being rolled out
this week were introduced in the last Congress by Democrats. The Save Education
Jobs Act would provide up to $261 billion over 10 years, and would save up to
3.9 million K-12 jobs, according to its supporters, including 2.6 million
teacher jobs as well as positions for social workers, school bus drivers, and
more. And the Reopen and Rebuild the America’s Schools Act would provide $100
billion in federal aid and another $30 billion in bond authority for schools to
upgrade HVAC systems, improve water quality, and otherwise upgrade their
infrastructure. The Biden plan includes $130 billion for K-12 education that
could be used for everything from virus mitigation measures to addressing
academic needs. There’s also $350 billion in the bill to shore up state, local,
and territorial budgets.
PSBA: Upcoming PA budget
recap webinar Feb. 3rd
POSTED
ON JANUARY 15, 2021 IN PSBA NEWS
On Tuesday,
February 2, Gov. Tom Wolf will present his 2021-22 state budget proposal before
a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives. Following the
governor’s budget address, the Senate and House appropriations committees will
convene hearings beginning March 15 on specific components of the proposal. The
PSBA Government Affairs team will be providing members with complete coverage
of the governor’s budget proposal, budget details and resources for school
boards on February 3 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Claim your spot for the budget
recap here.
https://www.psba.org/2021/01/gov-wolf-to-present-budget-address-february-2/
Join PFPS and NPE for
“Fighting Voucher Legislation in 2021: An Update on State Voucher Bills and
Tools to Oppose Them” Webinar Feb. 4th 4 p.m.
Author: PFPS
Posted: Jan 28, 2021
Public Funds
Public Schools resumes our engaging and well attended webinar series begun in
2020 with the first installment of 2021. Join PFPS and the Network for Public
Education on Thursday, February 4, at 4 p.m. EST for an important and topical
webinar, “Fighting Voucher Legislation in 2021: An Update on State Voucher
Bills and Tools to Oppose Them.”
Panelists
will discuss the significant private school voucher bills that have already
been introduced in State Legislatures around the country, additional legislative
action to watch for during 2021 legislative sessions, and tools and resources
made available to advocates by PFPS and others. The webinar will feature
representatives from the SPLC Action Fund and Education Law Center, which
support the PFPS campaign, and from the National Coalition for Public
Education, as well as Carol Burris, Executive Director of the Network for
Public Education.
Use
this link to register for Fighting Voucher Legislation: An Update
on State Voucher Bills and Tools to Oppose Them on February 4 at 4 p.m.
EST.
EDUCATION
CONVERSATION: An Introduction to the Philadelphia School Board’s “Goals and
Guardrails” Initiative
Philadelphia
Education Fund Free Virtual Event Thursday February 4, 2021 9:00
am - 10:15 am
Attend a
typical school board meeting anywhere in the country, and the agenda will
likely be largely made up of financial, contracting, and spending resolutions.
What if, instead of school operations, a school board were to focus its
attention on student achievement? Might that accelerate gains for students?
Could that improve the student experience? Would that deliver educational
equity? Two years ago, the Philadelphia
Board of Education began consulting with education leaders across the country
to explore this question. The answer, announced just last month, is Goals and
Guardrails. The initiative has been described by former board member, Lee
Huang, as both “obvious and revolutionary.” And, Superintendent Bill Hite
called it a “game changer.” To learn more about this approach and what it might
mean for Philadelphia’s schoolchildren, register for this free event here.
Panelists
- Leticia Egea-Hinton, Vice President,
Board of Education
- Mallory Fix Lopez, Member, Board of
Education
- Angela McIver, Member, Board of
Education
PSBA Spring Virtual Advocacy Day - MAR 22, 2021
PSBA Website January 2021
All public school leaders are invited to join
us for our spring Virtual Advocacy Day on Monday, March 22, 2021, via Zoom. We
need all of you to help strengthen our advocacy impact. The day will center
around contacting legislators to discuss critical issues affecting public
education. Registrants will receive the meeting invitation with a link to our
spring Virtual Advocacy Day website that contains talking points, a link to
locate contact information for your legislator and additional information to
help you have a successful day.
Cost: Complimentary
for members
Registration: Registration
is available under Event Registration on myPSBA.org.
https://www.psba.org/event/psba-spring-virtual-advocacy-day/
Attend the NSBA 2021
Online Experience April 8-10
NSBA is
pleased to announce the transformation of its in-person NSBA 2021 Annual
Conference & Exposition to the NSBA 2021 Online Experience. This experience
will bring world-class programming, inspirational keynotes, top education
solution providers, and plentiful networking opportunities. Join us on April
8-10, 2021, for a fully transformed and memorable event!
https://www.nsba.org/Events/NSBA-2021-Online-Experience
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
342 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
https://npeaction.org/2021-conference/
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.