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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for January 28, 2021
Pennsylvania’s school
choice debate more fraught than ever amid pandemic
Times Herald
By Christen Smith The Center Square Jan 27, 2021 Updated 8 hrs ago
It’s
National School Choice week, and public debate about whether lawmakers should
prioritize traditional districts or ease limitations on their public and
private alternatives seems more fraught than ever. In Pennsylvania, the
discourse targets the same players – teachers unions face blame for fighting to
keep in-person instruction limited, parents fearful of the virus want cyber
alternatives for their kids, and school districts grapple with the surging cost
of charter tuition siphoned from their constrained budgets. The pandemic
intensified it all and then some, pushing the historical inequities of the
state-funded system that often leaves behind the most disadvantaged students to
the forefront, said Philadelphia Democratic Sen. Tony Williams. “Even if you
have a lot of money, the length of the pandemic and the requirement to stay
home has revealed that there is no panacea,” he told The Center Square on
Tuesday. “So, those who are not prepared and forced into it don’t tend to do it
as well.” Williams is a rarity in the General Assembly – a Democrat that
advocates for school choice, even though he’s opposed much of the GOP-backed
legislation to come through the Legislature in the last decade. His 8th
senatorial district spans west and south through Philadelphia and into Delaware
County, covering many of the 70,000 city students enrolled at charter schools.
Education should
focus on the needs of the child
Post Gazette
Opinion by TIM ELLER, Senior Vice President of Outreach and Government
Relations, Commonwealth Charter Academy JAN 28, 2021 12:00 AM
The Jan. 24
article “Report: Pa. School Leaders Still Concerned for Operations, Finances in
2021” is another attempt to castigate public
cybercharter schools for the failures of local school districts. Public
cybercharter schools have seen an increase in enrollment because school
districts were not and are not capable of providing high-quality comprehensive
online education to students. Public cybercharter schools are not the villain.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the forefront the great work cyberschools have
been doing for the past two decades. It appears that traditional public
education establishment organizations and their supporters conveniently fail to
mention that since the pandemic hit, Pennsylvania public schools received an
additional $2.7 billion in federal funding, of which, $2.3 billion is allocated
to school districts alone and is not shared with public cybercharter schools.
They also fail to mention that students who attend public cybercharter schools,
on average, receive 25% less funding than their peers in district-run schools. State,
local and federal taxes paid by taxpayers do not belong to school districts.
Tax dollars are meant to educate students based on what parents determine is
the most appropriate school to serve their child’s needs. School district
leaders must face the fact that their inaction has created a paradigm shift in
education, and families shifting to public cybercharter schools are doing what
they believe is in the best interests of their child. You cannot blame them.
Virtual Prep is now appealing the
Department’s decision to the Charter Schools Appeal Board as is their right
under Pennsylvania’s Charter School Law.
…Pennsylvania’s Charter School Law
allows new applicants many bites at the apple. Virtual Prep initially applied
in July 2019, was denied in January 2020, resubmitted in September, and was
denied in November. Now they will go before the Charter Appeals Board in 2021.”
“Previously
unavailable information” concerning Virtual Prep cyber charter school
PCCY Website
January 27, 2021
Last
November, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) rejected Virtual
Preparatory Academy of Pennsylvania’s resubmitted application to create a new
cyber charter school. This was not a close call. “While a single deficiency
would be grounds to deny the application, the Department has again identified
significant deficiencies for each criterion,” wrote PDE.
Virtual Prep
is now appealing the Department’s decision to the Charter Schools Appeal Board
as is their right under Pennsylvania’s Charter School Law. This same law allows
the Appeals Board to supplement the record if the information was “previously
unavailable.” A lot has happened since November and there are two important
pieces of previously unavailable information that should be added to the record.
First, Richard Saccone, a member of Virtual Prep’s Board of Trustees,
participated in the January 6th Capitol protests, raising new doubts about
Virtual Prep’s leadership. Saccone is a former state legislator and who ran for
Congress and was narrowly defeated by Connor Lamb in 2019. His political
activities took a different turn on January 6 when he traveled to Washington,
stood in front of the Capitol and posted “We are storming the capitol. Our
vanguard has broken thru the barricades. We will save this nation. Are u with
me?” and “We are trying to run out all the evil people and RINOs that have
betrayed our president.” and “We are going to run them out of their offices.”
Backyard white
supremacy: Central Pa. high school students take to social media to fight
racism in the classroom | Thursday Morning Coffee
PA Capital
Star Commentary By John
L. Micek January 28, 2021
Good
Thursday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
If you’ve
heard of Biglerville,
Pa., it might well be because you’ve passed
signs for it on your way to the Gettysburg
battlefield in rural Adams County. A stone’s throw
from the Maryland state line, the tiny borough of just 1,222
people is also home to the National Apple Museum. Adams County, after all, is apple and stone
fruit country. But now, it’s known for something else: Impassioned students who
are taking to social media to hit back at what they say is decades of
institutional racism. And they want school officials to
take immediate action. Last week,
students created “Racism at Biglerville High School“ Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts, according to a statement
provided through the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, an LGBTQ advocacy
and civil rights group. “Racist
expressions, taunts, threats, and physical violence have been a regular and
unchecked staple of the Biglerville High School community for
generations,” the group said in its statement. “The punishment for the white
students perpetrating the violence and harassment, if any, has been noted as
extremely lenient. Black and brown students were often blamed or criminalized
for the violence they experienced.” In its statement, the group included
anonymously sourced tales of the racism and harassment that students of color
said they experienced at the school. To put it bluntly, they’re heartbreaking.
You can read
some of them after the jump.
“The rest of the money, $197 million,
would be distributed to educational institutions that did not get a cut of the
$2.2 billion in federal coronavirus aid that public schools and charter schools
are receiving under last month's federal coronavirus recovery package. Most of
it would go to private schools.”
Pa. Senate approves
$912 million bill for pandemic recovery aid
The bill
still requires approval from the state House of Representatives and Gov. Tom
Wolf.
by The
Associated Press, The Associated Press Published Jan 27, 2021
HARRISBURG —
Pennsylvania’s Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation to
distribute just over $900 million to aid schools and hospitality-related
businesses hit hard by the coronavirus, as well as people struggling to pay
rent or utility bills. The bill still requires approval from the state House of
Representatives and Gov. Tom Wolf. Most of the $912 million being directed by
the bill is federal aid approved by Congress in last month's coronavirus recovery
package. Some of it, $145 million, is reserve cash from a worker’s compensation
fund that Wolf last month had asked lawmakers to send to businesses hit hard by
the pandemic. The money would be available through counties in grants of up to
$50,000 for bars, restaurants and hotels.
The majority
of the money, $570 million, would be divided up to counties based on population
to help people struggling to pay rent or utilities. Landlords and tenants would
be eligible to apply.
“The second component designates $197
million dollars for education programs. The majority of that funding will be
used as competitive grants for schools impacted by the pandemic. It also sends
money to career and technical centers, intermediate units, charter schools for
the deaf and blind, private schools, and the State System for Higher Education.
“All those that we appropriated for are given an allocation of these dollars so
they can counter the effects of the pandemic on their operations and their
students and their families,” says Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh), who helped
construct the bill.”
Pa. Senate Lawmakers
Approve COVID-19 Relief Bill
WENY By Cody
Carlson Wednesday, January 27th 2021, 4:22 PM EST
Harrisburg,
Pa. (WENY)-- A $912 million dollar COVID-19 relief bill for Pennsylvania
is making its way through the state Legislature. Senate Bill 109 passed the
Senate Wednesday afternoon with unanimous bipartisan support. It’ll provide
much-needed relief toward rental and utility assistance, education programs,
and small businesses. “This legislation now serves to drive out nearly $1
billion of assistance to our communities to address the ongoing impacts of
COVID-19. Through business assistance, rental assistance, and assistance to our
education community, this legislation is vitally important to drive out these
dollars that are literally sitting in our state Treasury right now,” says Sen.
Joe Pittman (R-Armstrong), who sponsored the bill. The COVID-19 relief bill
includes three main components. The first, and largest, provides $569 million
dollars for rental and utility assistance for tenants and landlords in all 67
counties. It will utilize existing programs that counties are familiar with to
make sure the rollout is as smooth as possible. “We’ve ensured that the funding
will be made available to actually pay the bills through rent and utility
offsets,” says Sen. Pittman.
https://www.weny.com/story/43244969/pa-senate-lawmakers-approve-covid-19-relief-bill
Blogger note: it has been anticipated
that Pennsylvania may lose a congressional seat….
Census numbers for
dividing up House seats delayed until April 30, bureau says
WHYY/NPR By Hansi Lo Wang January 27,
2021 Updated at 6:15 p.m. ET
Disrupted by
the coronavirus pandemic and last-minute changes by the Trump administration,
the U.S. Census Bureau announced Wednesday that the release of the first
results of the 2020 census will likely be delayed by four months. The latest
state population counts used to determine each state’s share of votes in the
House of Representatives and the Electoral College for the next decade are now
expected by April 30. Those numbers were legally due by the end of last year.
But the bureau missed
that deadline last month for the first time since it was put in place in 1976.
Career civil servants postponed releasing the counts in order to try to
fix irregularities
they began uncovering in
census records shortly after Trump
officials ended counting early in October.
59 Schools Receive
Grants To Upgrade Cafeterias
PDE Press
Release 01/26/2021
Harrisburg,
PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced today that
more than $875,000 in competitive grants has been awarded to 59 elementary,
middle, and high schools across the state for the purchase of new food service
equipment for cafeterias. “Research has shown that when students have access to
nutritious meals, their focus, energy, and overall performance in school
increases,” said Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega. “The grants awarded
by the department will provide schools with equipment and other resources
needed to enhance and improve their ability to provide students with the
essential meals they need to learn and grow.” Funding for the grants is made
available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Grants are awarded to
schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program. Schools use the
grants to purchase or upgrade equipment such as refrigerators, freezers,
stoves, and dishwashers. … A list of schools receiving food service equipment grants appears below.
https://www.media.pa.gov/pages/education-details.aspx?newsid=1034
Pittsburgh Public
Schools reopening postponed to April
ANDREW
GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com JAN 27, 2021 7:05 PM
Students in
the Pittsburgh Public Schools will not return to the classroom earlier than
April after the board of directors approved a measure that keeps
brick-and-mortar buildings closed through spring break. The
district had planned to bring back students in early February, but the target
return date is now April 6 — the beginning of the school year’s fourth
quarter. The vast majority of students in the district have not been in the
classroom since mid-March, when schools went remote in an effort to slow the
spread of COVID-19. The board voted, 7-2, to further delay the reopening of
schools after listening to six hours of testimony this week from parents who
demanded the district provide at least some in-person instruction and teachers
who said they would not feel safe going back into buildings. “There are a
lot of concerns,” board member Terry Kennedy said. “I, too, would love to
have our children back in school. Today, I’m not willing to go, and I’m not
willing to ask someone to do something that I’m not willing to do.”Ms. Kennedy
as well as board members Kevin Carter, Veronica Edwards, Cynthia Falls, Bill
Gallagher, Pam Harbin and Sylvia Wilson approved the resolution. Board members
Devon Taliaferro and Sala Udin voted against it. The district is one of only
three school systems in Allegheny County that have not implemented a model of
instruction that includes at least some in-person learning for students.
Pittsburgh Public
board again delays student return to in-school learning, calls on district to
survey needs
Public
Source by TyLisa C. Johnson | January 27, 2021
Pittsburgh
Public students won’t return to brick-and-mortar school buildings until April 6
at the earliest, following a decision by the school board Wednesday evening and
a two-day, 127-speaker public hearing in the days leading up to the
decision. The board approved a resolution in a 7-2 vote, following
amendments, to keep students at home in remote learning through the beginning
of the school year’s fourth quarter. Board members Sala Udin and Devon
Taliaferro voted against the amended resolution, signaling a desire to bring
students and teachers back sooner than April. Board members Pam Harbin and
Terry Kennedy presented an amended version of the original resolution at
Wednesday’s meeting, which had more than 1,000 stream viewers, with additions
to address transportation challenges and growing student needs.
Some Philly kids can
finally return to school next month after nearly a year away. Reactions are
mixed.
About 9,000
prekindergarten through second-grade students can come back two days a week
beginning Feb. 22. Their teachers are expected to report Feb. 8.
Inquirer by Kristen
A. Graham Published Jan 27, 2021
Some
Philadelphia public school students will be eligible to return to classrooms in
late February, nearly a full year after COVID-19 shut buildings — but before
teachers are fully vaccinated. About 9,000 prekindergarten through second-grade
students can come back two days a week beginning Feb. 22, Superintendent
William R. Hite Jr. said Wednesday. Their teachers are expected to report Feb.
8 to begin preparations for in-person learning. Many of Philadelphia’s 120,000
students are low-income, have special needs, are English-language learners, or
vulnerable in other ways, and the pandemic has hit them especially hard,
meaning a safe return to school is imperative, Hite said. “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 said. “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.”
Philadelphia plans
hybrid school reopening next month
Plan calls
for students to come back two days a week, in shifts
Chalkbeat
Philly By Dale
Mezzacappa Jan 27, 2021, 12:15pm EST
The School
District of Philadelphia plans to open school buildings to students in
prekindergarten through second grade next month for a mix of in-person and
digital learning, Superintendent William Hite announced Wednesday. Students are
due to return Feb. 22, with staff expected to start preparing on Feb. 8. Hite
presented similar plans last summer to reopen schools in September, and again
to start in November. Both times, the plans were delayed, the first time after
bitter opposition from parents and teachers, and then primarily by a late fall
surge in cases of the coronavirus. The prolonged absence of most of the city’s
children from school, now approaching a year, is taking its toll on the city
and on families, Hite said, declaring that it is time to start phasing in
hybrid learning as a start to restoring normalcy. Teachers and others have been
doing “heroic” work to educate children virtually, Hite said. But “We know that
children, especially our youngest learners, and those with complex needs, learn
best in person,” he said. “We also know that being out of school buildings has
not been easy for far too many of our students and their families...we have an
obligation and we must take action now.” The youngest children, those learning
to read, are especially vulnerable to learning loss, Hite said. Hite said that
he hoped additional groups of students, starting with those with complex needs,
including English learners and children with disabilities, will be able to
phase back into some in-person learning by March, adding that all future plans
“will be guided by science.”
Philly plans to offer
in-person K-2 classes in February — making third attempt at reopening
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent January 27, 2021
For the
third time since the start of the pandemic, Philadelphia’s public school system
unveiled a plan to bring some students back to classrooms. The School District
of Philadelphia announced Wednesday that some students in pre-K through grade 2
would return to their buildings twice a week starting on Feb. 22. All staff
required to make that transition would report on Feb. 8. The roughly 120,000
students in Pennsylvania’s largest school district have not had the option to
learn in person since last March — more than 10 months ago. “Some of our most
vulnerable students, including younger learners, are at risk of falling
behind,” said Superintendent Dr. William Hite in a statement. “Escalating
violence and feelings of isolation are all tragic consequences of the pandemic,
further threatening the health and well-being of our young people. 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.” The district attempted
to reopen schools in August, but ran into stiff community
opposition. Officials abandoned a second attempt later
in the fall because of rising COVID-19 case numbers. During that second
attempt, school leaders asked K-2 parents if they wanted their children to
attend school twice per week in person or if they wanted their children to
continue learning online only.
Alliance for
Philadelphia Public Schools Calls on Board to Reject Hite Reopening Plan
Alliance for
Philadelphia Public Schools website appsphilly.net January 27, 2021
Members of
the grass-roots Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools have called on the
Board of Education to reject the reopening plan presented by Superintendent
William Hite Wednesday. The Board, which approved a version of the plan months
ago, would have to place the Item on Thursday’s Action Meeting agenda. “Dr.
Hite’s plan is not based on current data or evidence, or even the District’s
own information,” said APPS Coordinator Lisa Haver. “The updates presented
monthly to the Board of Education from Dr. Hite and the Chief Operations
Officer still do not say that District buildings are ready for reopening.
Inadequate ventilation remains an issue, and in many buildings, windows do not
open at all.” “Solicited testimonials from school officials who serve under Dr.
Hite or from representatives of the business community are not a substitute for
facts and data”, said Haver. “The Board must fulfill its obligation to the
families and educators of the District by rejecting this plan and considering
reopening only when buildings are adequately ventilated and all personnel are
vaccinated. The Board cannot sit by while the health and safety of children and
adults are given less than full consideration by the Hite
administration.”
Social distancing
guidelines an issue for some districts as CDC says schools could reopen for
in-person learning
WFMZ 69 News
by Bo Koltnow Jan 27, 2021 Updated 52 min ago
For Parkland
School District Mom Melissa Kane, every day brings homework. "When I get
home, I have to be vigilant to check everything to make sure it's done. If they
have questions trying to help them out," she said. Her boys are in a
hybrid system. Two days in class, three days at home. "Are you counting
down the days till they are back full time in class?" I asked her. "Yes
I am," she said. On Tuesday, the CDC gave the green light for schools to
make that happen. But caveats come with the COVID curriculum. Masks must be
worn, and 6-foot social distancing must be maintained at all times. "We've
been in person since the beginning of the year," said David
Helsel, superintendent of Schuylkill County's Blue Mountain School
District. Helsel adds students can be full time, in-person, or virtual
and adds bumps have happened along the way. "Actually, right now our high
school and Blue Mountain Elementary Cressona are both virtual through
today," he said. It's the result of a COVID outbreak that Helsel said
happened in the community, not at school. He does admit proper social
distancing isn't always followed.
COVID-19 tracking
varies widely among York County schools
Erin
Bamer York Dispatch January 27, 2021
At least
three York County school districts did not immediately shutter schools
buildings after enough COVID-19 cases were reported to warrant temporary
closures under a state guidance. School districts across York County have
different approaches to documenting active COVID-19 cases, and some are
more transparent than others. Meanwhile, state agencies are largely
relying on the districts to enforce their policies. All 16 York County
school districts signed an attestation form in November in accordance with an
order by Gov. Tom Wolf, agreeing to comply with several state safety
regulations in order to keep their schools open. If the districts did not sign
the form, they would have to operate fully remote until the county no longer
saw substantial COVID-19 spread. One of the regulations requires districts
to close school buildings temporarily when a threshold of COVID-19 cases was
reported within 14-day period, based on the size of the building.
York City school
board seeks more details about Lincoln Charter expansion
Erin
Bamer York Dispatch January 27, 2021
The York
City School District officials peppered Lincoln Charter School staff with
questions about the charter's proposed expansion Tuesday night, but
board members have not yet reached a decision. The district's school board
concluded the second of two public hearings sessions ahead of a vote
expected in February about whether Lincoln Charter School should be
permitted to expand its offerings to middle school students. District
officials used the second public hearing to clarify details and request more specific
information in the charter's expansion plan. Lincoln President and CEO
Leonard Hart, along with several other charter officials, addressed the
majority of the requests, and urged the district to approve the plan. "Whichever
way you go, we will make you proud," Hart said. Board members sought
clarity on the charter's plan for curriculum, special education, accommodation
for students with disabilities, staff salaries and other details not specified
in the application. The board held its first virtual public hearing on the
application Dec. 14. At that hearing, 14 parents, students and
charter employees testified in support of the proposal, which would see Lincoln
Charter School expand its program to serve sixth grade through eighth grade.
Retweet about Levine
sparks calls for Upper Perkiomen School Board member's resignation
Pottstown
Mercury by Evan
Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com @PottstownNews on Twitter January 28, 2021
A petition with more than 4,000 signatures is calling for the resignation of Upper
Perkiomen School Board member Raeann Hofkin after she retweeted what some
consider transphobic and derogatory remarks about Dr. Rachel Levine. Levine
most recently served as Pennsylvania's Secretary of Health and has been
nominated for a post in the Biden administration. In at least two retweets
provided to MediaNews Group that appear to be from Hofkin's account, which has
since disappeared from Twitter, Levine's status as a transgender person was
mocked. Hofkin responded to an email from MediaNews Group Wednesday by
declining to comment. The petition was started by Rabbi Jennifer Schlosberg, an
Upper Perkiomen graduate, who wrote: "The students, parents, staff and
faculty of our school district need leaders who model values of inclusivity and
acceptance. Doing so makes everyone feel safe. When a member of the school
board publicly broadcasts a message in contrast with these values, it not only
makes our constituents feel unsafe, but also condones that this message is
acceptable. It is not."
Pennridge parents
call for resignation of school board VP Joan Cullen
Chris
Ullery Bucks County Courier Times January 27, 2021
Tuesday's
Pennridge School Board meeting saw a flood of support and opposition for the
resignation and censuring of Vice President Joan Cullen. Cullen, who has been a
controversial figure in the Upper Bucks district previously, has come under
fire from some parents for her participation in the Jan. 6 pro-Trump rally that
turned into a violent insurrection in the nation’s Capitol. Posts on Facebook,
calling both for and against Cullen's resignation, began spreading Tuesday
afternoon, with plans to fill the 30 audience seats the school board allows
under COVID-19 meeting restrictions. The district would opt to hold the meeting
online only later Tuesday afternoon due to inclement weather. Cullen said prior
to public comments being read aloud Tuesday that she was the central focus of
an online witch-hunt over her political ideals, maintaining she did not
participate in the deadly insurrection after the rally three weeks ago.
"My
attendance at political events and social media communications related to my
other elected positions has no effect on my school board work," Cullen
said.
Allentown teacher
fights suspension over DC protest
Jason
Moorehead says the school district falsely accused him of being at the Capitol
during the siege.
WITF by Michael
Rubinkam/Associated Press JANUARY 27, 2021 | 4:21 PM
(Allentown)
— One day after the deadly insurrection in Washington, a Pennsylvania school
district announced it was suspending a teacher who, the district asserted, “was
involved in the electoral college protest that took place at the United States
Capitol Building.”Three weeks later, Jason Moorehead is fighting to restore his
reputation and resume teaching after he says the Allentown School District
falsely accused him of being at the Capitol during the siege. The district says
Moorehead’s social media posts about the events of Jan. 6, and not just his presence
in Washington that day, are a focus of its probe.
https://www.witf.org/2021/01/27/allentown-teacher-fights-suspension-over-dc-protest/
COVID-19 concerns,
December shutdown wreak havoc on high school wrestling conditioning,
participation
Beaver County
Times by Bill Allmann Times Sports Correspondent January 27, 2021
NEW
SEWICKLEY TWP. — Probably no high school sport has been as affected
by the COVID-19 shutdown as wrestling. The three-week shutdown had a
drastic effect on conditioning in a sport where six minutes of continuous activity
is the standard. Throw in the effect on the number of athletes because of
concerns about spreading the disease through close contact and the
participation numbers are way down. So far down, in fact, that there were five
dual matches held Wednesday night at Freedom’s gym in 90 minutes – and the
Bulldogs still had time to sandwich in their senior night celebration. “Everybody
has a small team this year,” said Freedom coach Jim Covert, whose Bulldogs
captured three wins – over Ambridge, Blackhawk, and Central Valley.
PIAA doesn’t weigh in
on mask rule enforcement at basketball games
By KEITH
GROLLER THE MORNING CALL |JAN 27, 2021 AT 7:45
PM
The
three-day suspension of the Liberty boys basketball team by Bethlehem Area
School District superintendent Dr. Joseph Roy for not wearing their masks
properly didn’t come up during Wednesday’s PIAA Board of Control meeting, but
an official from District 2 put the topic front and center before the online
meeting began.Masks are worn by players and coaches at each game, but not
always properly, and that has raised the concerns as the coronavirus pandemic
has continued to impact how high school athletics are held, or if they’re held
at all. Jim Elliott, the newly elected District 2 officials representative, brought
up the topic during the open forum section. “There is a concern about
mask-wearing and several schools throughout the state are using exceptions for
mask-wearing, so they don’t have to wear a mask,” Elliott said. “But in our
league and in many leagues throughout the state, masks are required. The
question is on mask-enforcement. How do we approach it? How do we deal with
it?”
Suburban Schools Have
Changed Drastically. Our Understanding of Them Has Not
Education
Week By Corey Mitchell — January 26, 2021 2 min
read
What comes
to mind when you picture an urban school district? How about a suburban
district? If those images are completely different, you may need to re-evaluate
your answer. Suburban school districts were once mostly white and affluent
spaces outside of city boundaries, but those spaces have undergone significant
demographic shifts—and yet our public understanding of them has not kept up,
argues a leading scholar on race in education. Differences between urban and
suburban districts are less distinct than people think, John
Diamond, a sociologist of education and the Kellner
Family Distinguished Chair in Urban Education at the University of Wisconsin,
Madison, and two colleagues explain in their recently released study, Reframing Suburbs: Race, Place and Opportunity in Suburban Educational
Spaces. Schools in the suburbs are not havens from
issues, such as poverty and educational inequity, that city schools have long
grappled with. Diamond said that makes them ideal locations to study key issues
that communities must confront: economic inequality, white supremacy and why
school segregation still persists nearly 70 years after the U.S. Supreme
Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision.
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.
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/
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.
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