Started in
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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for Feb. 19, 2021
Charter School
Funding – Examining the 25% Myth;
Same as it ever was –
2021 edition of Voucher Bill
Happy Friday! PA
Ed Policy Roundup will take a pause for a few days. Look for a brand new
newsletter coming out next Wednesday, February 24, 2021.
“If I could pick a topic to add just one
more thing about in my last article, it would be school funding, especially in
the areas of cyber charter schools and special education. Through the years
both have cost school districts an enormous amount of money and have impacted
taxpayer dollars.”
Superintendents'
forum: Just one more thing
Reading
Eagle Opinion By Dr. Robert Pleis Twin Valley School District February 18, 2021
This is my
last article for this column. On March 31, I am retiring from public education
after 35 years of service. Writing for the superintendents' forum has been an
enjoyable experience and an opportunity not only for me but for my
superintendent colleagues in Berks County to share their thoughts and opinions
about education priorities and issues. It is hard to believe that we have been
writing articles monthly for the past nine years. Thank you to the Reading
Eagle for your willingness to partner with us in this endeavor, and I
hope it will continue for a long time. When looking through the history of
articles written for this column, you can see patterns emerge on particular
topics that were important and at the forefront of discussion. For example,
many of the articles written during the 2012-2013 school year dealt with standardized
testing, classroom practices and the emerging impact of technology in
education. In 2013-2014 there was an emphasis on school safety and student
needs such as relationship-building and addiction issues.
Then, of
course, there is no surprise that articles this school year dealt with one of the
greatest challenges of our lifetime, the COVID-19 pandemic. Though you would
expect articles to reflect the times, some topics have come up year after year,
including school funding, standardized testing and school property taxes.
https://www.readingeagle.com/opinion/columnists/superintendents-forum-just-one-more-thing/article_a82931ee-6f89-11eb-802c-6746380dec0f.html
Frustrations over
cyber charter schools continue in Towanda
Towanda
Daily Review By
SAMANTHA LATOS Staff Writer Feb 18,
2021
TOWANDA
BOROUGH – Officials at the Towanda Area School District are frustrated that the
district funds local cyber charter schools out from its allotted budget for the
2020-2021 school year. The district has a budget of $500,000 for this school
year and the cyber charter schools cost about $32,000 per month, according to
Superintendent Dennis Peachey. He related that charter schools generally see
the worst academic performance in Pennsylvania and that remote learning plays a
factor. “There’s no truancy laws with virtual learning,” Peachey said during
Tuesday night’s board meeting. He said that so far this school year, 54 Towanda
district students have been enrolled in different cyber charter schools. There
are currently 37 of these students in cyber charter schools including 25 from
the high school and 12 from elementary. This trend in lowering numbers is
headed in the right direction, according to Peachey. “We’ve had 17 withdraw and
come back, or left the district and went to another district and they can be
another cyber charter school kid from a different district,” he said.
https://www.thedailyreview.com/news/local/frustrations-over-cyber-charter-schools-continue-in-towanda/article_968740b8-107d-532f-a560-45ac4b249731.html
Charter School Funding – Examining the 25% Myth
POSTED
ON FEBRUARY 17, 2021 IN PSBA NEWS Video Runtime 1:04
Do charter
schools really receive 25% less funding per student than school districts? In
2018-19, Pennsylvania school districts in total spent over $2 billion in
mandated payments to charter schools. And yet, as the need for charter school
funding reform builds momentum, charter school advocates maintain that the
system disproportionally benefits school districts. Is this an accurate
statement? To unlock the 25% myth, it is important to understand the revenue
and the reasons surrounding charter school funding issues. Watch
this video on the PA Charter Change website to
learn more, and advocate for charter change!
https://www.psba.org/2021/02/charter-school-funding-examining-the-25-myth/
Chartiers Valley
School Board eyes charter school application
Post Gazette
by DEANA CARPENTER FEB 18, 2021 4:55 PM
The Chartiers
Valley School Board is set to vote Tuesday on an application for a new charter
school that Superintendent Johanna Vanatta said falls short of state criteria. Dogwood
Charter School filed an application with the district in November and plans to
locate its school in the Chartiers Valley School District. Like any new charter
school in the state, Dogwood is required by law to apply for a charter through
a school district. At a Feb. 9 school board meeting, Ms. Vanatta told the
members the application did not meet the state’s four-pronged criteria. She
said charter school applications are evaluated by school boards based on
criteria including, but not limited to, the following: demonstrated sustainable
support for the charter school plan by teachers, parents and other community
members and students; capability of the charter school applicant to provide
comprehensive learning experiences to students pursuant to the adopted charter;
the extent to which the application considers information requested as outlined
in charter school law such as finance, facilities and food services; and the
extent to which the charter school may serve as a model for other public
schools.
https://www.post-gazette.com/local/west/2021/02/18/Chartiers-Valley-School-Board-eyes-charter-school-application/stories/202102120032
New Philly Charter
Application: Pride Academy Charter School
Alliance for
Philadelphia Public Schools by Diane Payne
Every
application for a new charter school represents an attempt to further the
failed experiment on our city’s children. Pride Academy Charter’s
application does not provide any assurance that this school would offer
an educational experience significantly different from the many existing
charter schools that fail to meet basic standards in operation, achievement,
and finance. The District, facing a dire financial future, cannot afford any
more charter schools. The Board should reject the application from
Pride Academy Charter. The Charter School Office Report included 31 pages
of detailed and critical analysis of the many deficiencies in this
application. With few exceptions, most sections in the CSO report
cited a dearth of supporting evidence in an application heavy on lingo but
short on specifics. Although the sub-headings of the CSO report are too
numerous to list and include all aspects of the application, the Board must
consider the CSO’s analysis of the lack of expertise, background, and community
connections of both the sole founding member (who is also the proposed school
leader) as well as the proposed board members. It is hard to imagine how
to get past this single deficiency when entrusting the lives and education of
real students as well as the appropriation of citizens tax dollars let alone
the laundry list of documented CSO critiques.
https://appsphilly.net/new-charter-application-pride-academy-charter-school/
Blogger note: here’s a link to on the
ground advocacy in the Coatesville Area School District
Take Action to Stop
Unfair Charter School Costs
Dear Parents,
Staff & Community Members of
the Coatesville Area School District:
Recently, Governor Wolf proposed his budget for 2021-2022. The details of his
proposed budget can be found here. What he has proposed is favorable to the
Coatesville Area School District, should this budget be approved. We encourage
our families to contact your local legislators to explain how important fair
funding is to our district, and public schools in general. To view Governor
Wolf discuss his budget, please click here. The governor’s plan proposes comprehensive
Charter School Law reform that will save school districts across the
commonwealth an estimated $229 million per year. This package of policy and
budget initiatives promotes accountability for their academic performance and
financial management, and meeting the same standards Pennsylvanians expect from
traditional public schools.
This plan outlines two major issues that if changed, would help CASD immensely:
Applying the Special Education Formula to All Charter Schools: Currently,
school districts receive funding for special education students through a
four-tiered Special Education Funding formula, with funding increasing as the
student’s need for special education services increases. Special education
tuition payments to charters, however, are calculated based on the outdated
assumption that all school districts have a special education population of 16
percent, regardless of the level of services to students. The governor’s plan
applies the four-tiered Special Education Funding formula to all charters to
better align Special Education Funding with actual costs of providing services
to special education students. This was a recommendation from the bipartisan
Special Education Funding Commission and will save school districts an
estimated $99 million annually.
Establishing a Statewide Cyber Charter Tuition Rate: Currently,
cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania charge school districts between $9,170
and $22,300 per student per year. For comparison, the typical tuition rates at
Intermediate Units to provide a comparable online education is around $5,400
per student per year. The governor’s plan establishes a statewide cyber tuition
rate of $9,500 per student per year, and will better align tuition with the
actual costs of providing an online education. This reform will save school
districts an estimated $130 million annually.
These changes would specifically save the CASD $13.8 million annually, and
increase our general education budget by 2.8%, and special education budget by
$28.6%.
https://www.votervoice.net/WannerAssoc/campaigns/63917/respond
Register now for
PSBA’s Virtual Advocacy Day this spring!
POSTED
ON FEBRUARY 19, 2021 IN PSBA NEWS
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. Register
now on myPSBA!
https://www.psba.org/2021/02/register-now-for-psbas-virtual-advocacy-day-this-spring/
Blogger note: We expect SB1, the 2021
version of Vouchers, to be introduced soon. For you nostalgia buffs, here’s
what this looked like last time around….
Vouchers - Reprise
2011: Senator zeroes in on school choice legislation in 2011
JAN
MURPHY, The Patriot-News Published: Tuesday, September 28, 2010,
10:27 PM Updated: Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 10:35 PM
With both
gubernatorial candidates supporting government-funded grants to parents to use
at any school they choose for their children, Sen. Jeffrey Piccola hopes to
grease the skids to make it a reality soon after the victor takes his oath of
office. The Dauphin County Republican, who chairs the Senate Education
Committee, is planning a daylong hearing on Oct. 13 in the North Office
Building Hearing Room 1 in the Capitol Complex in Harrisburg on the
topic of school choice.
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/09/senator_zeroes_in_on_school_ch.html
Here’s cosponsorship memo for SB1:
Senate of
Pennsylvania Session of 2021 - 2022 Regular Session
COSPONSORSHIP MEMORANDUM
Posted: February
3, 2021 03:18 PM
From: Senator
Scott Martin and Sen. John DiSanto, Sen. Jake Corman
To: All
Senate members
Subject: Excellence in Education for All
(EEA)
In the near
future, we intend to introduce legislation in the form of Senate Bill 1, to be
known as “The Excellence in Education for All Act." The goal of this
comprehensive legislation is to allow parents in communities all across the
Commonwealth to be directly involved in helping determine the best approach for
the success of their child’s education. This legislation would provide
additional resources for our most vulnerable students, while ensuring all
families have equal access and maximum flexibility in schooling options. All
students deserve an excellent education. No matter a child’s ZIP code,
educational needs, or parental income, each child should have access to the
best schools and quality teaching to afford them the potential to succeed and the
opportunities they deserve. Now more than ever, we’re seeing that in order to
best prepare the next generation, we cannot take a one size fits all approach
to education. There is no denying that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has
further highlighted the need for increased educational opportunities. As we
look to the future and life after the pandemic, in order to best serve the
education needs of all students we must provide opportunities to parents when
choosing the educational options that work best for their children. Specifically, the key components of the
legislation would include:
Education
Opportunity Accounts for PA’s most vulnerable students
Expansion of
the existing EITC/OSTC tax credit scholarship programs
Charter
school reforms and innovations
Equal access
to the best public education, regardless of ZIP code
Protections
for coronavirus learning pods
We ask that
you consider co-sponsoring this important legislation.
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20210&cosponId=34538
Some Philly parents
are getting worried their kids are ‘never going to be in school’
“We need to
come up with a solution, and just saying, ‘This other district has more
resources’ is not a solution,” said parent Lexi Peskin.
Inquirer by Kristen
A. Graham Published Feb 18, 2021
John’a
Little works overnights, finishing her shift just before 6 a.m.
By 8:05,
she’s sitting next to her son, helping him log on to his laptop for first grade
at Shawmont Elementary in Roxborough. Samir is bright but needs help staying on
track for virtual school, so Little spends her day with him. Little does her
best, and catches catnaps when she can, but she’s exhausted all the time, and
worried that her boy is missing too much by not being in the same room with his
teachers. Samir is one of 9,000 Philadelphia students scheduled to return to
Philadelphia School District schools on March 1, though reopening is up in the
air amid a standoff between the district and city teachers, who say schools
aren’t yet safe for return. While parents, educators, union officials, and
advocates have been organized, vocal, and clear on their position that schools
aren’t ready to reopen, those on the other side say their voices are being
drowned out. They point to other schools’ reopening as evidence that it can be
done. They say that children are suffering with buildings closed and that the
strain of virtual learning on families, especially those of essential workers
and those in vulnerable communities, is a problem.
https://www.inquirer.com/education/philadelphia-school-reopening-parents-20210218.html
Radio Times: Reopening
Philadelphia’s schools
WHYY Radio
Times Air Date: February 18, 2021 10:00 am Listen 49:00
In-person
learning was set to resume in the Philadelphia School District on Monday. But
ongoing disagreements between the school district and the teachers union over
safety have forced the start date to move again, now to March 1st.
The majority of teachers are voicing opposition to returning to schools
over safety concerns, while many parents would like to see their kids return to
normal in-person learning and the socializing that remote classrooms cannot
provide. Today on the show we look at the district’s plan to reopen and what
health experts say about COVID risk and schools. We’ll talk with SUSAN COFFIN, an infectious disease physician at
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who has written guidance for school
reopening, school parents SHAKEDA GAINES, and TAKENIA GOODMAN, and
kindergarten teacher KATE SANNICKS LERNER.
https://whyy.org/episodes/reopening-philadelphias-schools/
Largest Pa. teachers’
union calls for members to be prioritized in COVID-19 vaccine rollout
Teachers are
slated to be next in line for the vaccine in the 1b classification of the
state's rollout.
WITF by Julia
Agos FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | 11:52 AM
(Harrisburg)
— While some teachers’ unions are taking a hardline approach on members getting
vaccinated before they head back into the classroom, the commonwealth’s largest
educators’ coalition is taking a more flexible stance. The group wants
teachers to be prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine
but, notes it’s not a prerequisite for returning to full-time,
in-person learning. Teachers are slated to be next in line for the vaccine
in the 1b classification of the state’s rollout, along with
clergy and postal workers. But, PSEA spokesman Chris Lilienthal says
the association sees a way to start vaccinating teachers
now — without upending the whole process. They are recommending the
state set aside a portion of the vaccine allotment for educators. “While it may
take a number of weeks to occur, we think there is a way to have this running
on a parallel track along with everything else,” Lilienthal said
https://www.witf.org/2021/02/18/largest-pa-teachers-union-calls-for-members-to-be-prioritized-in-covid-19-vaccine-rollout/
“Pennsylvania has one of the largest
funding gap in the country between low-wealth and high-wealth school districts.
Pennsylvania is also ranked 44th in the share of funding that comes from the
state, leaving local taxpayers to take on rising costs. As a result, underfunding
is widespread–affecting urban, rural, and suburban districts–and it reproduces
the same fundamental inequalities brought about by the history of residential
segregation in our commonwealth. We are representing six school districts suing
Pennsylvania legislative leaders to challenge this inequitable system.”
PENNSYLVANIA’S SCHOOL
FUNDING LAWSUIT: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Public
Interest Law Center Website
This year
has shown us the essential importance of public schools. But in Pennsylvania,
thousands of students go without basic educational needs because of where they
live. School districts and parents are going to court to change that status
quo, and trial is coming soon.
Join us for
a free online webinar to learn the latest updates on the case, the potential
impact of the Governor’s budget proposal, the root causes of underfunding and
funding disparities, and how you can join the movement for public schools.
Co-hosted by the Education Law Center-PA
Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2021 Time: 12-1 p.m.
Place: Online via Zoom REGISTER HERE
The $1 billion plan
to close the gap between growing and shrinking Pa. school districts
Inquirer by Cynthia
Fernandez, Posted: February 18, 2021
HARRISBURG —
When Pennsylvania passed a new formula to distribute money for public schools
in 2016, it was hailed as a major step toward equity and away from an arbitrary
system built on decades-old enrollment data. “Prior to today, Pennsylvania was
one of only three states in the nation without a fair funding formula,” Gov.
Tom Wolf said at the time. “We still have a lot of
work to do in order to restore funding, but we are now closer to resolving the
inequity in Pennsylvania’s school funding distribution.” But nearly five years
later, many
of the disparities it aimed to address remain.
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/spl/pennsylvania-education-tom-wolf-budget-funding-formula-hold-harmless-20210218.html
Advocates gearing up
for fair education funding push
Pottstown
Mercury by Evan
Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com @PottstownNews on Twitter February 19, 2021
As debate
begins over Gov. Tom Wolf's budget, which includes a massive infusion of
funding for public schools, advocates for fair school funding are gearing up
their efforts to build support, seeing this as perhaps their best chance to
gain ground on the issue. One of those groups, named PA Schools Work, held an online tutorial Tuesday on the
issue, and how it would be affected by Wolf's budget plan. First some basics: Pennsylvania
currently ranks 47th in the nation for state funding for public schools.
Fair Funding
Formula Failure: On a "dollar-per-student" basis, the state's current
funding also favors districts with dwindling white student populations over
districts with growing non-white populations. To remedy that, Harrisburg adopted a "fair-funding formula" in 2016 aimed at leveling the educational
playing field, increasing funding for districts based on things like community
poverty and the number of English-language learners in a given district. But
that intention is undermined annually by the fact that the formula only applies
to a small portion of the state's education funding. This year, it's 11
percent.
https://www.pottsmerc.com/news/advocates-gearing-up-for-fair-education-funding-push/article_439ac2ce-7150-11eb-8e2a-ebb0a9e81ea1.html
Bethlehem NAACP calls
for full return to in-class learning; school district says hybrid learning is
still safer
By ANDREW
SCOTT THE MORNING CALL | FEB 18, 2021 AT 6:32
PM
The NAACP’s
Bethlehem chapter called Thursday for Bethlehem Area School District to take
immediate steps to return to full-time in-person classes, saying online
learning during the pandemic is stunting students’ academic growth. But the
school district says its hybrid plan is still the safest way to learn. “Bethlehem
Area School District students, especially our Black and Brown students, suffer
serious academic losses and negative social consequences every day that the
pandemic is used to defend continuation of ‘virtual’ educational strategies,”
Bethlehem NAACP President Esther Lee wrote in a letter. “Because schools have
not yet returned to full-time classroom instruction, educational efforts merely
limp along as the publicly-educated children of Bethlehem suffer permanent academic
deterioration.” The letter says returning to five-day, in-person classes will
require all district employees get vaccinated; temperature checks of employees,
students and visitors on a daily basis; and that buildings are regularly
sanitized to ensure everyone’s safety. Since August, the school district has
been using a hybrid model for most of the student body. Those students are
split into two groups, which alternate between socially distanced, in-person
learning one day and online instruction the next.
https://www.mcall.com/coronavirus/mc-nws-coronavirus-bethlehem-naacp-request-to-school-district-20210218-qplytoxkcbe33hv73rrp4j3q5q-story.html
Covid report card: A
look at first semester cases in Allegheny, Westmoreland school districts
Trib Live by
MEGAN
TOMASIC | Friday, February 19,
2021 5:55 a.m.
Since the
start of the school year, districts in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties have
been impacted by the covid-19 pandemic, forcing schools to close and students
to partake in remote learning to help curb the spread of the virus. The chart
below reflects the number of covid cases reported by school districts in both
counties during the first semester. How cases were counted varies by district.
Some reflect positive cases reported during remote learning and holiday breaks,
while others only include cases from when students and staff were in school
buildings. For example, Greensburg Salem, which reported 58 cases during the
first semester, only reported cases that were in school buildings. If cases
were included outside of school buildings, an additional 15 students who may
have been positive could be added to that total, Superintendent Gary Peiffer
said. He noted those 15 cases could not be confirmed.
https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/covid-report-card-a-look-at-first-semester-cases-in-allegheny-westmoreland-school-districts/
‘They see me as a
role model’: Black teachers improve education outcomes for Black students
WHYY By Sojourner Ahébée February 19, 2021
In second
grade, Noah Reilly was assigned to do an immigration project. He and his
classmates had to write short papers about their ancestors’ journeys to the
United States and make dolls that represented their families’ stories. But Noah
had a feeling his doll would look different. “My mom said that I would probably
be the only one with this [doll], and I was the only one,” Noah said. For his
project, Noah wanted to tell the story of his mother’s family, who are Black.
He is a multiracial child who attends a school in the suburbs of Philadelphia
where Black children make up only 5% of the student population. Noah’s teacher
was white. “I think it was hard for the teacher to understand why the project
was an issue, that not everyone has an immigration story,” said Monet Reilly,
Noah’s mother. “There were obviously a large group of people who came here as
slaves. And not as willing immigrants.” Reilly said the project forced her to
discuss slavery with Noah, something she wasn’t ready to do. And despite
several attempts to raise concerns with his teacher, she was met with general
dismissiveness. “She told me, ‘Well, you know the Irish came here as slaves
too,’ as if that somehow made it better that I had to explain to my then 7-year-old
what slavery was and why it not the same as immigration,” Reilly said. At the
time, Black teachers made up only 1% of Noah’s school district. Reilly said
that if there had been more teachers of color in his school, someone could have
looked at the project and been able to intervene earlier.
https://whyy.org/segments/they-see-me-as-a-role-model-black-teachers-improve-education-outcomes-for-black-students/
Teacher bridges
global divide for Philadelphia students with African-centered curriculum
Chalkbeat Philly
By Johann Calhoun Feb 17, 2021, 8:48pm EST
Aminata Sy
is the founder and president of African Community Learning Program in
Philadelphia.
How do
teachers captivate their students? Here, in a feature we call How I Teach, we
ask great educators how they approach their jobs.
Aminata Sy
aims to bring learning skills from her native Africa to West Philadelphia. The
Senegalese native runs the African Community Learning Program, known as ACLP,
and teaches students who are from various countries on the continent about
their culture. She’s currently a graduate student at American University. While
working on her degree at the University of Pennsylvania, Sy created ACLP as an
after-school program for early learners, many of whom did not speak English.
She wanted to reverse learning practices for Black students from the African
diaspora. Her students have hailed from Senegal, Liberia, Burkina Faso,
Nigeria, Mali, Niger, Sudan, and Sierra Leone. “I noticed that many students
from the African continent struggled in the city’s public schools,” Sy said.
“We grew from my basement to the Blackwell Library on 52nd Street to Paul
Robeson High School — teaching students a culturally responsive
African-centered curriculum.” As the program increased in size so did its
offerings. Last year Sy launched the ACLP Future Scholars Program offering an
African-centered culturally responsive college preparatory curriculum.
https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2021/2/17/22288530/teacher-bridges-global-divide-for-philadelphia-students-with-african-centered-curriculum
Quakertown teachers
agree to three-year contract with school district
Peg
Quann Bucks County Courier Times February 13, 2021
Teachers,
counselors and nurses in the Quakertown Community School District have reached a tentative three-year agreement
with the district. The 333 staff members who belong to the Quakertown Community
Education Association voted last weekend to accept the contract. The new
contract will take effect after the current five-year contract expires on June
30. Its terms provide for annual salary increases of 1.5, 1.0 and 1.5
percent. A first-year teacher will make $47,667 while a
teacher at the top of the scale will make $106,463. In the last year of
the new contract, a first-year teacher will make $49,781 while a teacher at top
of the scale will earn $111,184. District spokesman Gary Weckselblatt said
the compensation package will average a maximum cost to the district of $1.8
million but the actual amount is expected to be less due to attritional
savings.
https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/story/news/2021/02/13/quakertown-community-school-district-teachers-agree-three-year-pact/4444806001/
6 Big Questions
Superintendents Are Asking About the CDC Guidance
Education
Week By Stephen Sawchuk — February 17, 2021 7 min
read
Superintendents
continue to wrestle with the finer points about opening schools and how to put
into action the lengthy guidance released last week by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Close to 400 district leaders today attended a
conference call hosted jointly by federal officials and AASA, the School
Superintendents Association, to press the CDC for more information. The
guidance suggests
many schools can open with proper precautions. It puts a particular emphasis on
masking and physical distancing among five key virus mitigation strategies,
which also include hand-washing, cleaning and disinfecting, and contact tracing
and isolation for exposed staff and students. But superintendents looking for
the how-to guide of their dreams will be disappointed. The CDC guidelines are
not a mandate, and decisions about reopening and how to use the guidelines are
still in the hands of local district leaders and health agencies, said Greta
Massetti, a senior scientist at the CDC. She took questions alongside Donna
Harris-Aikens, senior advisor for policy and planning at the U.S. Department of
Education.
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/6-big-questions-superintendents-are-asking-about-the-cdc-guidance/2021/02
Join Education Voters
for "PA School Funding and Advocacy 101" for an overview of school
funding issues, an update on the school funding lawsuit and more.
Education Voters
PA February 2021
Click HERE to register for one of our webinars.
Fri, Feb 19, 12:00pm–1:00pm EST
Tue, Feb 23, 7:00pm–8:00pm EST
Questions we
will answer include:
- How are schools funded in PA?
- Who decides how much funding my local
schools get?
- What is the Basic Education Funding
Formula (fair funding formula)?
- Why does Pennsylvania have the widest
funding gap between wealthy and poor school districts of any state in the
country?
- How are charter schools funded and how
can the current system be reformed?
- How can I most effectively advocate for
the school funding students in my district and throughout Pennsylvania's
need and deserve?
We will also
provide a brief update on Pennsylvania's school funding lawsuit, which is
scheduled to go to trial this year. (Visit www.FundOurSchoolsPa.org to learn more!) And we'll have plenty
of time for Q&A. I hope that you'll join us and/or share this invitation with people in your network who are
interested in learning more and getting involved.
Virtual Town Hall on
education fair funding co- sponsored by Avon Grove Charter School and
Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools set Feb. 24
West Chester
Daily Local by MediaNews Group February 6, 2021
WEST GROVE—There
will be a virtual Town Hall Meeting on Fair Funding in Education on Wednesday,
Feb. 24 at 7 pm. The public is invited. The Town Hall is being co- sponsored by Avon Grove Charter School and Pennsylvania
Coalition of Public Charter Schools. Topics include: problem solve fair
funding solutions; learn how public schools are funded in PA.; learn
about the differences between charter & district schools funding.
All are
welcome. RSVP Link - https://forms.gle/8of8ARxr7Zfdfmp97.
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
The 2021 PA
Educational Leadership Summit, hosted by the PA Principals
Association and the PA Association of School Administrators
(PASA), is being held from August 1-3 at the Kalahari Resorts and
Convention Center, Poconos.
PA
Principals Association Thursday, February 11, 2021 8:54 AM
PIL Hours
Available! See links below to register and for further information.
Click
here to register today!
Click here for the informational flyer and details.
NPE/NPE Action
Conference In Philly was rescheduled to October 23/24 due to concerns w/
COVID19.
Network for
Public Education
NPE will be
sending information to registrants very soon!
https://npeaction.org/2021-conference/
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
358 PA school boards have
adopted charter reform resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 350 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/
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.