PA Ed Policy Roundup for January 25, 2021: “Charter schools are a choice every parent has the right to make. But the current system puts an undue financial burden on every taxpayer, who does not have a choice.”

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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If any of your colleagues would like to be added to the email list please have them send their name, title and affiliation to KeystoneStateEdCoalition@gmail.com

 

 

Keystone State Education Coalition

PA Ed Policy Roundup for January 25, 2021

“Charter schools are a choice every parent has the right to make. But the current system puts an undue financial burden on every taxpayer, who does not have a choice.”

 

 

WATCH: Amanda Gorman reads inauguration poem, 'The Hill We Climb'

PBS NewsHour  YouTube 1,130,041 views •Jan 20, 2021

Amanda Gorman, a 22-year-old poet, read an original work at President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ055ilIiN4&feature=youtu.be

 

 

Surfing that charter school wave | Editorial Cartoon

Editorial Cartoon by John Cole, Cagle Syndicate  Capital-Star Op-Ed Contributor January 23, 2021

https://www.penncapital-star.com/blog/surfing-that-charter-school-wave-editorial-cartoon/

 

“Charter schools are a choice every parent has the right to make. But the current system puts an undue financial burden on every taxpayer, who does not have a choice.”

 

"The purpose of this resolution is to ask for a more fair funding formula for charter school education, and especially cyber charter education," Bolton said in a telephone interview. Under the state formula, Pennridge has to pay $13,385.78 of tuition for regular education students enrolled in a charter school this year even though the district offers a “very successful” cyber program that costs about $5,000 per student, Bolton said. The PSBA resolution "calls upon the General Assembly to meaningfully revise the existing flawed charter school funding systems for regular and special education to ensure that school districts and taxpayers are no longer overpaying these schools or reimbursing for costs the charter schools do not incur."

Editorial: School budget season resurrects charter reform

Pottstown Mercury Editorial Jan 24, 2021

School budget numbers for next year are starting to come into focus, and it’s not a pretty picture. In just the North Penn-Souderton-Pennridge region, projected deficits in the first budget drafts range from $6.6 million in Souderton to $15.5 million in North Penn. In all three districts, tuition to charter schools was cited as a large factor in the expense gaps, increasing as more students disenroll from public school systems riddled with pandemic complications. Pennridge is scheduled to vote this week on a charter school reform resolution which has been making its way around the state since last spring. About 400 school districts have already approved the Pennsylvania School Board Associations resolution that asks state lawmakers to change the way it sets the rates the districts pay those enrolled in a charter school. "This is not a resolution that's advocating one way or another for charter schools in terms of their existence and whether families choose that," Pennridge Superintendent David Bolton said at the Jan. 11 meeting of the board's Finance Committee.

https://www.pottsmerc.com/opinion/editorial-school-budget-season-resurrects-charter-reform/article_4a697101-96e2-521b-821e-a7c84923296c.html

 

Guest Column: Why are public schools footing the bill for substandard cyber charter education?

Delco Times Opinion By Art Levinowitz, Ph.D. Times Guest Columnist January 23, 2021

Art Levinowitz, Ph.D., is president, Pennsylvania School Board Association, and school director, Upper Dublin School District.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, school districts across the nation saw a  huge increase in cyber charter school enrollment, including right here in Pennsylvania where cyber charter school  enrollment is up by 63% to 62,000 students as of October 1, 2020.  This trend should have Pennsylvania parents and taxpayers extremely concerned because of the immediate as well as long-lasting financial and academic implications this enrollment increase will have on school districts and their students.

Looking first at the financial concern; school districts can expect as much as a $350 million 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 overall $475 million overall charter school tuition increase for this school year that school districts are facing in addition to navigating through a global pandemic.

The $475 million increase in 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, for many districts, their Act 1 index rate will not allow for them to increase property taxes to cover the gap in increased charter school payments, leaving hopelessly unbalanced budgets.

In the Upper Dublin School District, the costs for charter schools have been relatively low compared to our neighbors. Each regular education student costs the district $17,750 and each special education student costs the district $38,000. We have seen a significant increase in enrollment and costs this year compared to last year. Our overall costs for last school year were $365,250 with only 13 students attending a charter school. This year our costs are projected to be $968,250 or an increase of $603,000 with 42 charter school students. The $603,000 results in a .8% tax increase to offset the additional cost.

https://www.delcotimes.com/opinion/guest-column-why-are-public-schools-footing-the-bill-for-substandard-cyber-charter-education/article_58c0f4ca-5de1-11eb-a80a-e309d0b9696f.html

 

End the blame game: officials should embrace, not attack, public cyber charter schools | Opinion

Penn Live Guest Editorial By Lenny McAllister Updated Jan 22, 2021; Posted Jan 22, 2021

Formerly with the Commonwealth Foundation, Lenny McAllister is the CEO of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools.

In March 2020, Gov. Tom Wolf closed Pennsylvania schools because of the pandemic. Ever since, many school districts have struggled with providing effective virtual learning platforms. Some had issues getting students online due to internet accessibility problems and technology deficiencies. Others struggled with gauging academic progress and attendance. Many students missed key tests, with some receiving blanket passing grades. Recent studies show that some 3 million students nationally may have dropped out of “school learning” due to these shortcomings. A report showed that roughly one-fourth of the third through eighth grade cohort, including a disproportionate amount of socioeconomically challenged students, did not take specific annual academic assessments. In Pennsylvania, these issues have cropped up for months in school districts despite district officials telling lawmakers for years that they could provide online academic instruction better and cheaper than public cyber charter schools. The pandemic has proven otherwise – here at home and around America.

https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2021/01/end-the-blame-game-officials-should-embrace-not-attack-public-cyber-charter-schools-opinion.html

 

Here are the members of the PA Senate Education Committee for 2021

Pennsylvania General Assembly Website

https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=23&CteeBody=S

 

“A spike in enrollment at cyber charter schools escalated already existing budget concerns for school districts. The report said a $475 million increase in charter school tuition costs is expected in Pennsylvania — $350 million of which is from cyber, or online, charter enrollment. Charter school costs are one of the largest expenditures for school districts in Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Public Schools, for example, will spend about $102 million in 2021 on charter school tuition. That accounts for about 15% of the district’s budget — the largest portion spent on anything but staff salaries and benefits.”

Financial, operations concerns continue in 2021 for Pa. school leaders

ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com JAN 24, 2021

6:30 AM

Three statewide professional associations earlier have released a report that says Pennsylvania education leaders remain concerned about the continued economic and operational challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report highlighted anxieties over a number of key issues, including uncertain federal funding, increasing charter school costs and teacher shortages.  “Since March 2020, COVID-19 has disrupted school district operations to a historic degree, the impact of which is uniformly visible in data and survey responses even as the scope of the impact varies widely between districts,” the report, released earlier this month, said. “From the onset of the pandemic to school closures and from school reopening to the COVID resurgence, districts have continued to balance safety needs with budgetary constraints in ever-changing environments.” School superintendents and business managers filled out surveys that provided data for the report, which was issued by the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators and the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools. In addition to the surveys, the report was also informed by statistics from PASBO’s 2019-20 Annual Financial Report. 

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2021/01/24/Financial-operations-concerns-continue-in-2021-for-Pa-school-leaders/stories/202101190115

 

CHOP doctors endorse return to in-person school in Philly area

WHYY By Miles Bryan January 22, 2021

One of Philadelphia’s most prominent experts on how to handle schooling during the pandemic said Friday that going to school may actually reduce a child’s risk of catching the coronavirus. Dr. Susan Coffin is a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Pennsylvania, and a doctor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Her remarks came during a virtual roundtable, hosted by CHOP’s PolicyLab, on what to expect for the remainder of the school year. “Schools may be little islands of safety,” Coffin said. “Where the people who gather, if they gather in good conscience and committed to safety plans, [can] go about their day as safely as the community, but even more safely.” That claim was supported by data she has reviewed, Coffin said, and by the experience of Rhode Island, which bucked the example of most northeastern states by beginning the school year with most students in classrooms and staying the course as community transmission has risen.

https://whyy.org/articles/chop-doctors-endorse-return-to-in-person-school-in-philly-area/

 

The wait for a vaccine has frustrated teachers and slowed school reopening plans

“We’ve spent a year now hearing ... ‘Kids have to be in school. It’s a priority,’” said Garnet Valley School District Superintendent Marc Bertrando. “Now, all of a sudden, it’s not a priority.”

Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, and Kristen A. Graham Published  Jan 23, 2021

Garnet Valley School District Superintendent Marc Bertrando was thrilled when he learned local health officials planned to start vaccinating Delaware County teachers against the coronavirus in February, with clinics at four schools over consecutive weekends. In March, educators would get the second doses required to complete inoculation — enabling schools like Bertrando’s to open more fully for in-person instruction this spring. There was just one problem: The county didn’t have the doses to move forward, officials said. As the pandemic continues to disrupt education — with many area schools offering in-person instruction only part-time or operating entirely online — it’s unclear when teachers around the Philadelphia region will be vaccinated. That’s adding uncertainty to when life will return to something resembling normal for children, their parents, and the broader community.

https://fusion.inquirer.com/education/covid-vaccine-teachers-philadelphia-pennsylvania-schools-reopening-20210123.html

 

Uncertainty reigns with Philadelphia teachers getting vaccine

Here’s what we know about the distribution plan

Chalkbeat Philly By Dale Mezzacappa and Johann Calhoun  Jan 22, 2021, 7:12pm EST

Mayor Jim Kenney says he wants schools to open as soon as possible, telling City Council on Thursday that children are suffering and reopening is “the next challenge facing our city.” Superintendent William Hite agrees, and plans to announce next week a limited reopening plan for kindergarten through second grade students that could begin sometime in February. But it’s unclear if teachers will be able to get vaccinated before they return to school buildings. For now, most school workers cannot sign up to get a vaccine. Although they are in group 1B, which the city is currently prioritizing, they are in line behind others in that group, including firefighters, police officers, prison guards, and transit workers, and it’s not yet clear when teachers will be able to make a vaccine appointment. Why is this? One reason is that city data shows that schools have not been the source of significant spread of COVID-19, based on the experience of more than 100 private and parochial schools that have continued to operate in person during the pandemic. “The health department has never recommended that (at least younger aged) schools in Philadelphia be closed,” said health department spokesman James Garrow in an email. “We have maintained that as long as they implement safety protocols, they can safely operate.”

https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2021/1/22/22245168/uncertainty-reigns-with-philadelphia-teachers-getting-vaccine

 

Greater Latrobe School District starts vaccinating staff, sees ‘light at the end of the tunnel’

JACOB TIERNEY   | Saturday, January 23, 2021 3:03 p.m.

The Greater Latrobe School District staff members who lined up Saturday to get covid vaccines said the shots gave them a glimmer of hope that the pandemic could be nearing its end. “I was thrilled,” said Renee Gyory, a secretary and one of the first district employees to be vaccinated. “It’s positive; it’s what we need. The sooner everyone’s vaccinated, the sooner we can move on with normal life.” The district vaccinated 200 employees Saturday, with hopes to vaccinate about 200 more next week.

https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/greater-latrobe-school-district-starts-vaccinating-staff-sees-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel/

 

Parents with disabilities face extra hurdles with kids’ remote schooling

WHYY/NPR By Kristin Gourlay January 24, 2021

The Americans with Disabilities Act says schools have to help not just students but parents with disabilities, too, like making sure deaf or blind parents can communicate during parent-teacher conferences. But what happens when kids are learning at home? That’s uncharted territory. Rosabella Manzanares, a first-grader at Betsy Ross Elementary in Forest Park, Ill., has a spelling test. Like so many kids around the country, she’s taking the test at home, sharing a Zoom screen with a class full of other boisterous 6-year-olds. Rosabella’s teacher relies on parents to grade simple assignments like this. But while Rosabella can hear the spelling words, her mother can not. Chantelly Manzanares uses American Sign Language, or ASL, which is different than English. It’s a visual language. It has its own grammar. It uses different sentence structure. Rosabella and her siblings grew up using ASL. But while they’ve become fluent in English, Manzanares is not. She can grade this spelling test, which Rosabella holds up to the screen with a big smile. But it can be tough for Manzanares to help with other work in English.

https://whyy.org/npr_story_post/parents-with-disabilities-face-extra-hurdles-with-kids-remote-schooling/

 

Which Centre County schools are operating remotely due to COVID-19? Here’s a running list

Centre Daily Times BY MARLEY PARISH JANUARY 22, 2021 08:32 AM, UPDATED JANUARY 22, 2021 11:28 AM

Since reopening in August, Centre County school districts have been forced to make adjustments to instructional plans as community COVID-19 cases continue to rise and statewide mitigation efforts aim to slow virus transmission. The Centre Daily Times is keeping a running list of school closures and planned reopenings. Because area schools are not required to publicly announce confirmed cases or building closures, this list may not be comprehensive but will be updated weekly with any changes or updates to instructional plans. If a school closure is not listed, or to provide more information, please email cdtnewstips@centredaily.com.

https://www.centredaily.com/news/rebuild/article247509800.html#storylink=mainstage_lead

 

School District of Lancaster students to return to classroom Jan. 25; virtual options available

Lancaster Online by ROBYN MEADOWS | LNP CORRESPONDENT January 24, 2021

After months of virtual instruction, School District of Lancaster students will return to the classroom on Jan. 25. On Tuesday, the school board approved a plan that allows students to choose from three options:

1. Attend class in-person for five days a week for a full day.

2. Learn virtually from home via Zoom along with students who choose in-person instruction.

3. Enroll in the district’s virtual school, Cyber Pathways Academy.

The board split the plan into three separate votes for elementary, middle and high school. Board member David Parry opposed allowing high school students to return to the classroom, citing fears of an increase in COVID-19 infections. “Right now, we have 1,400 kids failing at least one course,” district Superintendent Damaris Rau said in response to Perry’s concern. “We have over 1,000 kids failing two courses, and 506 failing three courses. “This is its own pandemic,” Rau said. “You talk about inequity. This is a pandemic of student failure that we cannot let go another day.”

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/school-district-of-lancaster-students-to-return-to-classroom-jan-25-virtual-options-available/article_88ed11e8-55ac-11eb-9b24-5fb5995db891.html

 

While studying from home, fewer Hazleton Area students make honor roll

Lancaster Online by Kent Jackson - Standard-Speaker, Hazleton, Pa. (TNS) Jan 24, 2021 Updated Jan 24, 2021

Jan. 24—While studying from home during the pandemic, 460 fewer Hazleton Area students made the honor roll during the first quarter. That's a drop of 3.85% between this fall and last fall when students still went to classrooms because COVID-19 hadn't started spreading. The comparison isn't perfect because the district has gained and lost teachers since last fall, and the student body has changed, too. Children of all ages moved in and out of the district while seniors graduated and new pupils advanced to third grade, the youngest class eligible for honor roll. One factor that kept students off the honor roll could be that during the first quarter this year, all 11,498 students took academic courses from home rather than in classrooms. "Distance learning is not for everyone," Superintendent Brian Uplinger said in an email in which he discussed differences in the honor roll from year to year. Instead of using techniques that have worked in the past, he said teachers and students across the country are innovating.

https://lancasteronline.com/news/health/while-studying-from-home-fewer-hazleton-area-students-make-honor-roll/article_ea6a1329-68f8-5014-95eb-5adda2c8e31f.html

 

Scranton School District recovery leads to sacrifices, financial gains in first two years

Times Tribune BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL STAFF WRITER Jan 24, 2021

In the two years since the state placed the Scranton School District in financial recovery, preschool started to end, taxes increased and teachers continued to work without a contract. But the district has also stopped borrowing money to balance budgets, accumulated its largest fund balance in 15 years and updated curriculum. District leaders say becoming financially solvent takes tough decisions and sacrifices, and correcting past mistakes will take years. But facing a future with tax increases, school closures and without preschool or a new teachers contract has some people questioning the steps to get there. “We are certainly in the midst of the part of this process that will see more sacrifice than growth, but we are setting a strong, sustainable financial foundation,” said board President Katie Gilmartin, the last director remaining on the board from when the district entered recovery in January 2019 and when the board approved the plan seven months later.The coronavirus pandemic caused some priorities to shift, such as upgrading technology and inspecting building ventilation systems, as most staff continues to work remotely. But as in-person education halted, progress on the plan continued.

https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/news/education/scranton-school-district-recovery-leads-to-sacrifices-financial-gains-in-first-two-years/article_33a6b9e2-3f76-530a-9abf-c0026a8bd963.html

 

Want kids back in school? There’s a PAC for that

WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent January 24, 2021

Throughout the pandemic, a group of Philadelphia-area parents has been pushing local schools to reopen for in-person learning. And now they have a political action committee to raise money and flex their newfound political muscle. Montgomery County mom Clarice Schillinger founded the Keeping Kids in School PAC last week, an outgrowth of an increasingly popular Facebook page called Parents for In Person Education. The Delaware Valley Journal first reported on the PAC’s formation. “I kept seeing these questions over and over: How do I run for school board? How do I help candidates run for school board,” Schillinger said. Sensing a political tremor, the mother of two formed a PAC — quite possibly the first in the country explicitly tied to school reopening. The PAC’s aim is to endorse and fund school board candidates committed to reopening schools for in-person learning in Montgomery and Bucks counties. Members of this same parent group have already sued unsuccessfully to reopen schools in Montgomery County and protested shutdown decisions.

https://whyy.org/articles/want-kids-back-in-school-theres-a-pac-for-that/

 

Butler County School Board Member Wins Re-Election to PSERS Board Of Trustees

Board Chairman and Vice Chairman also re-elected to second terms

Public School Employees’ Retirement System Press Release Jan. 14, 2021

HARRISBURG -- Eric DiTullio was re-elected to a new 3-year term as the School Board Member Representative on the Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System Board of Trustees. Mr. DiTullio, an 11-year member of Butler County’s Seneca Valley School Board, received 52% of votes cast by Pennsylvania school members who returned ballots, according to election results certified at a public meeting on Thursday. DiTullio’s opponent, Otto Voit III, a school board member in Berks County’s Muhlenberg School District, garnered 48% of votes.

“I am honored my fellow school board members have voted to give me another term to serve on this Board,” DiTullio said. “I will endeavor to do my best as a fiduciary to represent school board members and work to improve the System that provides retirement benefits to public school employers.” PSERS independent election vendor Election-America conducted the election on behalf of the System. DiTullio’s term begins immediately and runs until Dec. 31, 2023.

https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Public-School-Employees-Retirement-System_details.aspx?newsid=119

 

Keystone Oaks teachers say they're prepared to strike by end of January

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE JAN 22, 2021 5:15 PM

The Keystone Oaks Education Association sent a notice Friday to Superintendent William Stropkaj of its intent to strike if a tentative labor agreement can’t be reached by the end of January. The strike would begin Feb. 1 with no agreement. Education association officials said they had been negotiating with the school district since January 2020, and that their previous contract expired June 30, meaning that the teachers, nurses, counselors and mental health therapists represented by the union have been working without a contract since then. Education association officials said the membership had voted overwhelmingly Oct. 21 to give its negotiating team authorization to call a strike.

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2021/01/22/Keystone-Oaks-teachers-say-they-will-strike-if/stories/202101220171

 

Early Education Department Appointees Have Links to Jill Biden, Teachers’ Unions

Education Week By Andrew Ujifusa — January 22, 2021  4 min read

President Joe Biden’s administration announced a slate of new staff at the U.S. Department of Education this week that includes first lady Jill Biden’s former chief of staff and two prominent teachers’ union officials. Sheila Nix—who was Jill Biden’s chief of staff in President Barack Obama’s second term and worked in other positions for both Obama and Biden— will serve as the Education Department’s chief of staff, the administration announced Thursday. Donna Harris-Aikens, who served on the Biden transition team and previously worked on policy issues for the National Education Association, will serve as a senior advisor for policy and planning in the office of the secretary. Emma Leheny, formerly of the NEA and the California Teachers Association, will serve as principal deputy general counsel and acting general counsel for the Education Department. The appointments, 12 in total, don’t cover many of the top jobs at the department, like assistant secretaries who lead efforts in civil rights and planning, evaluation, and policy development. But they send a strong signal about who could be major players in Biden K-12 policy, both inside and outside the administration.

https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/early-education-department-appointees-have-links-to-jill-biden-teachers-unions/2021/01

 

A School District Vowed to Stay Open, Until Its Staffing Ran Out

Nearly 11,000 people were forced to quarantine this fall in a suburban Atlanta district that didn’t mandate masks, but it stayed the course, until a staffing shortage shut the doors.

New York Times By Dan Levin Jan. 21, 2021

This article is part of a series examining the widely different approaches of U.S. school districts to teaching during the pandemic, and the impact on their students. Lizzy Palermo says she was one of the few students in her suburban Georgia high school who consistently wore a mask to classes in the fall. But it didn’t save her from having to quarantine after the district opened buildings in August, as students and staff members came to school with the coronavirus. Twice, Lizzy was forced to stay home for 14 days after exposure to infected classmates. The school closed its doors twice during the fall. Then, just after students returned from winter break, every school in the district shifted to remote classes as staffing shortages grew unmanageable and the local hospital was overwhelmed. “This is what you get when you don’t try to protect the people in the schools,” said Lizzy, 17. She attends River Ridge High School in Cherokee County, a largely white stretch of suburbs north of Atlanta that is among the state’s wealthiest. Despite heated opposition from some parents and teachers, the district’s approach to the fall semester reflected the urging of former President Donald J. Trump, who won nearly 70 percent of the county’s vote in November, and Gov. Brian Kemp, also a Republican: Open the schools, and keep them that way.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/us/coronavirus-schools-georgia.html

 

A viral video forced a wealthy Texas suburb to confront racism. A 'silent majority' fought back.

Southlake is known for its top-ranked public schools. But a heated fight over a diversity plan has some parents questioning their future in the city.

NBC News By Mike Hixenbaugh Jan. 22, 2021, 5:00 AM EST

Robin Cornish was at work in the fall of 2018 when she got a text message from another parent. It was a link to a video showing several white high school students laughing as they filmed themselves shouting the N-word at a party. One of the students in the video had shared it on Snapchat, and now it was going viral. Cornish, a 51-year-old Black mother of five, recognized the girl leading the chant as the younger sibling of one of her son’s former friends. Cornish was upset as she watched the 8-second clip, she said, but she wasn’t surprised. This was Southlake, Texas, after all. The elite, mostly white suburb 30 miles northwest of Dallas has a reputation as one of the best places in the country to raise a family, thanks in large part to its highly ranked public school system: The Carroll Independent School District, home of the Dragons, where the median home costs $650,000 and average SAT scores are good enough to get students into top-tier universities. But the video of Carroll high schoolers shouting the N-word was about to expose another side of the fast-growing and quickly diversifying community, one that Cornish and other Black parents quietly referred to as Southlake’s “dirty secret.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/viral-video-forced-wealthy-texas-suburb-confront-racism-silent-majority-n1255230

 

Biden Is Vowing to Reopen Schools Quickly. It Won’t Be Easy.

The slow vaccine roll out, and local fights between districts and unions, could make it hard for the president to fulfill his promise.

New York Times By Dana Goldstein Jan. 25, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET

In his first 48 hours in office, President Biden sought to project an optimistic message about returning the nation’s many homebound students to classrooms. “We can teach our children in safe schools,” he vowed in his inaugural address. The following day, Mr. Biden signed an executive order promising to throw the strength of the federal government behind an effort to “reopen school doors as quickly as possible.” But with about half of American students still learning virtually as the pandemic nears its first anniversary, the president’s push is far from certain to succeed. His plan is rolling out just as local battles over reopening have, if anything, become more pitched in recent weeks.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/25/us/biden-schools-reopen-coronavirus.html

 

 

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

https://philaedfund.org/event/an-introduction-to-the-philadelphia-school-boards-goals-and-guardrails-initiative/

 

PA School Funding Lawsuit Overview for the Lehigh Valley Community

Jan 27, 2021 07:00 PM

Join attorneys from the Public Interest Law Center and Education Law Center for an overview of Pennsylvania's historic school funding lawsuit and learn how you can help support the school funding Pennsylvania's children need.

Registration:

https://krc-pbpc-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwsdeqprzwoGtcpyrCS8bfh4Qet_qvthfjL

 

Do you know someone who is interested in learning more about the role of a school board director?

PSBA will host free sessions covering the core considerations for candidates who are contemplating running for school board:

http://ow.ly/eCSl50D7ABH

 

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/

 

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

 

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/

 

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.

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

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.