Started in November 2010, daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, superintendents, school solicitors, principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations, education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for Feb. 8, 2021
“Those three factors
have meant the difference between being open five days a week or being closed.”
Congratulations to #348 @UnionScotties for passing the charter
funding reform resolution. Thank you @HeatherBScott @RepSainato and Senator Elder Vogel Jr.
See how Governor Wolf’s
Proposed Charter Funding Reforms Would Impact Your School District (From PDE
Website)
Estimated
Charter School Reform Savings by School District (Excel)
Legislative
Proposal
Governor
Wolf has proposed comprehensive charter school reform legislation that would:
- Establish performance standards that
hold charter schools accountable for the educational outcomes of students
and a moratorium on new cyber charter schools.
- Cap student enrollment in low performing
cyber charter schools until outcomes improve.
- Require charter management companies be
subject to the Right to Know Act, State Ethics Act, and post employee salaries
on PDE's website, similar to requirements already in place for public
school districts.
- Create fair, predictable, and equitable
funding for school districts, including in the areas of special education
funding and cyber charter tuition payments.
Comprehensive
Charter School Law Reform Savings
As part of
his 2021-22 Proposed Budget, Governor Wolf is seeking comprehensive Charter
School Law reform to help ensure all public schools in our commonwealth are
providing high-quality education to every child. Updated 2/3/2021: Based on
2018-19 data, this reform could make another estimated $229 million available
for school districts.
https://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Charter%20Schools/CharterPolicyReform/Pages/LegisProposal.aspx
“Who, if anyone, in Pennsylvania or
South Jersey, has come up with a pragmatic plan to tackle three of the biggest
barriers to reopening that private schools have largely figured out? I’d love
to know.
1) Public school buildings were so
packed with students pre-pandemic, with large class sizes aimed at keeping
local property taxes in check, that they had no lavish extra real estate
capacity to create classes large enough to keep students spaced six feet apart,
as recommended by the CDC.
2) Many public schools lack adequate or
any mechanical ventilation to circulate fresh air into rooms. Ventilation —
whether open windows, fans, or elaborate HVAC systems — help prevent the spread
of COVID-19 among masked, carefully spaced people indoors.
3) Many public schools lack the
resources to hire enough additional teachers, substitutes, and support staff to
shrink class sizes so that kids can be spaced apart, or to handle absences due
to teacher leaves or quarantines.
Those three factors have meant the
difference between being open five days a week or being closed. Addressing them
enabled many private schools to open fully in September, long before any
approved vaccines.”
The pressure is on to
reopen public schools. But can it really happen? | Maria Panaritis
Inquirer by Maria Panaritis | @panaritism | mpanaritis@inquirer.com Posted: February
6, 2021 - 5:00 AM
In what is
now the 11th month of shuttered or partially opened public schools since the
onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the call to return to brick-and-mortar
classrooms seems to be intensifying. But does that mean anything
substantive or comprehensive has been done to address the
biggest barriers to safely reopening our nation’s public schools? I wish the
answer to that were “yes.” In the affluent Wallingford-Swarthmore School
District in Delaware County, where students have been in actual school
buildings for only a few days a week, the community was in an uproar Monday
over plans for a five-day-a-week return to classrooms for children through
fifth grade. People appeared split into two camps: Team Hell No or Team Hell
Yes. That day’s snowstorm prompted postponement of a school board meeting until
Monday, Feb. 8. Students began attending classrooms inside school buildings for
just several days a week in Swarthmore, Pa., on Day One of hybrid learning
October 5, 2020. Officials now want to open every day.
On Tuesday
in a district 2½ hours west in Shippensburg, the school board gave angry
parents what they wanted and approved a four-day-a-week return to buildings
for all grades by Feb. 22. It was not clear if students would be spaced six
feet apart as federal health guidance has urged.
Governor Wolf
Proposes a Bold, Historic Investment in Public Education (and a lot more!!) .
Includes links to PDE
district by district spreadsheets for BEF, Special Ed and Charter Savings.
Education
Voters Published by EDVOPA on February 6, 2021
On
Wednesday, February 5th, Governor Wolf gave his budget address.
Gov. Wolf’s
proposed state budget for 2021-2022 demonstrates his understanding of the
extensive unmet needs in Pennsylvania’s public schools and his commitment to
fixing the unfairness of our current funding system.
Gov. Wolf’s
proposed historic investment of $1.5 billion in public K-12 education would substantially
increase resources available to students in the commonwealth’s most profoundly
underfunded schools and make significant progress toward closing the resource
and opportunity gaps that harm our most vulnerable children and threaten
Pennsylvania’s future workforce, tax base, and economy. This
budget provides additional basic and special education funding to all school
districts and would create more than $229 million in savings on charter tuition
payments for districts.
It is a
budget that Pennsylvania’s students deserve.
“Koons and the 12 Schuylkill County
school district superintendents sent a letter to local legislators in October
defending the need for cyber charter reform. The letter stated that the average
cyber charter tuition paid by school districts is $12,660 per pupil in regular
education and $27,699 per pupil in special education, compared to the average
Schuylkill County school district tuition of $9,468 per pupil for elementary
and $10,724 per pupil for secondary education.”
Proposed charter
school reforms 'long overdue'
Hazelton
Standard Speaker By Emily
Graham Staff Writer Feb 7,
2021 Updated 8 hrs ago
Gov. Tom
Wolf proposed some cyber charter school reforms, which many public school
districts have said are needed to begin to reduce the increasing costs of cyber
charter schools. Cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania charge public school
districts between $9,170 and $22,300 per student per year. The governor’s plan
would establish a statewide cyber charter tuition rate of $9,500 per student,
saving an estimated $130 million a year. The governor also proposed changing
the funding formula for special education at charter schools. Currently,
charter schools receive funding for a special education population of 16%,
regardless of the students’ needs. The new plan would put special education
funding for charter schools through the same four-tiered formula that public
school districts go through based on individual students’ needs. Gregory Koons,
Ed.D., said in the 2019-20 school year, cyber charter tuition cost the
Schuylkill County’s 12 school districts over $9.1 million of taxpayer money. “The
costly tuition of cyber charter schools has created a fiscal strain on our
local school district budgets,” Koons said. “The proposed cyber charter
legislation would help reduce the draining of local school budgets and regulate
the ever increasing cyber charter tuition costs.”
Readers' Views:
Pennsylvania schools chronically underfunded
Pottstown
Mercury Letter by Beth Yoder, Douglassville February 7, 2021
Gov. Tom
Wolf’s proposed budget acknowledges the grave needs of Pennsylvania’s schools
by proposing a $1.5 billion increase in educational funding. As a teacher in
the Pottstown School District, I’ve seen first hand the devastating effects of
chronic underfunding. Due to this, none of our elementary schools have guidance
counselors, leaving classroom teachers ill-equipped to provide much-needed
social-emotional guidance to our students. Our middle school does not have a
music teacher or any foreign languages, leaving kids behind most of their peers
in surrounding districts. Additionally, at the high school, we can only offer a
handful of honors and AP courses. This leaves students who want to pursue
numerous careers further behind than any of the properly-funded schools. Even
before the pandemic, the district had to cut staff so class sizes are larger,
leading teachers unable to spend much-needed time with each student every day.
The detrimental impact of this lack of funding will follow my students
throughout their lives. A recent analysis found that Pottstown School District
is being shortchanged more than $13 million by the state’s current funding
system. Pennsylvania’s schools need at least an additional $4.6 billion to
adequately educate students. Every year that the Legislature delays addressing
these growing needs, the outlook for underfunded districts and for our
students’ education grows more dire. It’s time for legislators to take bold
action to adequately and equitably fund our school so all students, regardless
of their zip code, have not only an adequate education, but a truly exceptional
one.
“Pennsylvania's 14 cyber charters will be audited. "Wait," you say. "the cyber charters aren't
audited?" The answer is "barely;" six of the charters have never been audited at all, and
the largest cyber charter in the state, Commonwealth Charter Academy, was last
audited in 2012. The proposal also targets cyber charter funding, one of
the deeply nonsensical features of the Pennsylvania charter landscape. Cybers
get 100% of the same payment as a brick and mortar charter school--even though
they have no bricks, no mortar, and none of the other expenses of an actual
school building. Consequently, cyber schools in PA are making money hand over
fist, and taxpayer dollars go to things like advertising ($1,000 per student recruited at one
charter) and, no kidding, a cool robot dog. The governor proposes to set a
statewide cyber tuition rate that is still mighty generous. The state's
in-house online education program costs about $5,400 per student per year, and
the governor proposes a set $9,500 tuition rate.”
PA: Budget Kicks Off Another Round of Charter Battles
Curmuducation
Blog by Peter Greene Saturday, February 6, 2021
Governor Tom
Wolf has released his budget proposal, and charter supporters are not happy.
This is not
the first time Wolf has made the charter school industry sad. Back in the
summer of 2019 he
fired some shots across their
bows with an aggressive agenda for fixing Pennsylvania's messed up charter
funding system. In return, they've launched a
variety of PR pushes; indications are they have something a
little more potent in mind this time. In his 2020 budget speech, tried to
soothe the industry and thread
the needle, saying that Pennsylvania students should
get a great education "whether in a traditional public school or a charter
school" an noting that "Pennsylvania has a history of school choice,
which I support." But he
also said that some charter schools are “little more than fronts for
private management companies, and the only innovations they’re coming up with
involve finding new ways to take money out of the pockets of property
taxpayers.” The 2021 budget has several features to tighten up Pennsylvania's
exceptionally loose charter industry.
“Another notable proposal would provide
overdue reforms to the Charter School Law, adjusting the way cyber charters get funded to include a flat per student rate of $9,500 per year. Cyber
schools who do not have expenses tied to brick-and-mortar structures have
benefited unduly from the lack of meaningful charter-funding reform. This
change alone represents $229 million in savings to districts.”
Gov. Wolf’s Pa.
budget includes bold proposals. Now it requires bold action. | Inquirer Editorial
The Inquirer Editorial
Board | opinion@inquirer.com Posted: February 7, 2021 - 5:00 AM
Gov. Tom
Wolf’s budget — and the response it has generated —
presents a somewhat jarring déjà vu to budgets of the recent past. On Wolf’s
side, he has put forth bold plans to hike education funding, support
environmental spending, give tax cuts to some families, and hike the state
income tax for others. Republican lawmakers responded by immediately calling
the budget a nonstarter. Bad enough that this performance is so predictable
during normal times. But following a year of economic devastation due to the
pandemic, it’s a particular disappointment. Lawmakers are missing the
opportunity presented by the pandemic to throw out the old partisan and
unproductive script and look at things differently. Contrary to expectations
that this proposal would be a decimated shadow of past budgets, the new $37.8
billion general fund budget represents an 11% increase over last year’s. That
increase comes from a combination of new taxes, reallocating revenues, and
federal dollars. The elements of Gov. Wolf’s budget are indeed bold. Any
proposal to increase income taxes in the midst of a recession takes guts.
The hike
in personal income tax from 3.07% to 4.49% is targeted to higher-income families
(and will also impact businesses) and is coupled with tax cuts for working
families hit hardest by the pandemic.
Blogger note: Senator Mensch serves as Majority
Caucus Chair
Sen. Bob Mensch: Wolf
budget is like the film 'Groundhog Day'
West Chester
Daily :Local Opinion By Sen. Bob Mensch Guest columnist Feb 5, 2021
State Sen.
Bob Mensch is a Republican who represents Pennsylvania's 24th Senatorial
District in portions of Montgomery, Berks and Bucks counties.
In the movie
“Groundhog Day,” the Pennsylvania weatherman played by Bill Murray famously
lives the same day over and over. In “Groundhog Day: The State Budget,”
Pennsylvania taxpayers live the same threat of massive tax hikes year after
year. On Feb. 3, one day after Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of
winter, Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled his proposed state budget, predicting at least
six more weeks of Pennsylvanians fending off the largest tax and spending increases
in state history. The governor’s proposed 2021-22 state budget includes a $3.1
billion (8.2 percent) increase in state spending from the current fiscal year.
This staggeringly large spending increase is unsustainable. In addition, he
wants to increase the state personal income tax (PIT) rate from 3.07 percent to
4.49 percent (a 46.3 percent hike) as of July 1. About one-third of all
Pennsylvanians would see their state tax burden increase under this rate hike. This
doesn’t only harm families. Upwards of one million Pennsylvania small
businesses will have their tax rates increased since these pass-through
businesses (i.e. S corporations, partnerships, etc.) pay business taxes at the
same PIT rate as individuals. This proposed tax increase coupled with the
governor’s ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and his proposed minimum wage hike
would be devastating for many family businesses that are already struggling to
stay financially solvent.
Wolf's school budget
proves disparities
Times
Tribune Editorial BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD February 7, 2021
Gov. Tom
Wolf’s proposed budget would right multiple wrongs regarding public education,
which in Pennsylvania means it will not get through the Legislature. But
conceptually and practically, the proposal points to more equitable taxation
and, at long last, fair distribution of tax money for education. For years, the
state has underfunded scores of school districts, including Scranton and
Wilkes-Barre. Wolf’s proposal fleshes out the degree to which taxpayers and
children in those districts have been shortchanged. It would distribute all $6
billion in state education funding under the fair funding formula that the
state adopted in 2014. Now, the state only applies the fair funding formula to
“new” money appropriated after that year, rather than to the entire state
allocation. By applying the formula to all state funding, the state would
provide the Scranton School District with an additional $33 million — not just
next year but every year. The state has placed the Scranton
district in its economic recovery program, but has precluded it from including corrected
state funding in its recovery plan. In Lackawanna County, the Carbondale Area,
Mid Valley and Riverside districts also would receive significant increases. This
is not a windfall. It is corrective. Wolf acknowledged that unfair
application of the supposed fair funding formula has resulted in some districts
receiving an aggregate of $1.15 billion more than they would if the formula
were applied correctly. He proposed raising an additional $1.15 billion in
education funding so that those districts would not lose any revenue. To raise the additional money for fair
funding, Wolf proposed, in effect, a progressive personal income tax rather
than the highly regressive 3.07% current flat rate.
Chester Upland: Rally
at Chester High School calls for equity in education
Delco Times By
Kathleen E. Carey kcarey@21st-centurymedia.com @dtbusiness on Twitter February 7, 2021
CHESTER —
Concerned that the Chester Upland School District is going to be scavenged to
the lowest bidder, more than 50 people rallied at Chester High School Saturday,
calling for action and recognition that the city's students and teachers
deserve better. "Chester Students Matter! Chester Teachers Matter!"
were among the chants at the rally, organized by Delco Resists and Chester
Upland parents. "I just don't get it," Carol Kazeem, a Chester Upland
parent and Delco Resists member event organizer, said. "State funding
needs to be increased and property taxes should not be used as part of our
educational funding ... How are you going to use that money to make sure that
every child got the same quality right to education? To make sure that they
have the same resources?" The district has had to divert millions of
dollars to charter schools such as Chester Community and Chester Charter
Scholars Academy. "Whether you want to say it's charter, outsourcing, you
can't do it, it's the same thing," Kazeem said. "Don't put children
over profit. It's starting to turn into a business. Our kids are not for sale.
This is not a business." In fact, she said money the district has been
mandated to send to the charter schools over the years should be returned to
the Chester Upland School District. "I want that back money too so these
kids can get what they need in these schools," she said. "The
American Dream, it ain't working for all of us," Kazeem said. "And it
starts here, education. Education is what put that American dream in place and
that American dream do not work for all, not when we have disparities and
systematic issues in our education going on." Maura I. McInerney, an
attorney with the Education Law Center representing Chester Upland, summarized
the situation.
“Online charter schools have a
“uniformly negative” track record for every demographic subgroup of students.
Every subgroup measured by the Department of Education does better in a
traditional public school. And this is not just the result of one study, though
there are many high-profile studies out there such as the study from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford which found that cyber charters have an
“overwhelmingly negative impact.” Even the National Alliance for Public Charter
Schools, a charter advocacy group, in 2016 offered a report entitled “A call to action to improve the quality of full-time virtual
charter public schools.”
Report: California
Wastes $600 Million Per Year On Cyberschools
Forbes by Peter Greene Senior Contributor Feb 6, 2021,02:51pm EST|402
views
Online
charter schools have a troubled history in California. In the late 1990s, a series of scandals broke involving online charters revealed
abuses such as public funds funneled to religious schools and huge management
fees paid to a private company owned by the school executives. A new law was
passed, but problems continued, until a huge charter chain was charged with
defrauding the state to
the tune of $50 million. At that
point, the legislature pressed pause on authorizing any more
nonclassroom-based (NCB) charters. That moratorium expires at the end of 2021.
With that in mind, In The Public Interest issued a report this month offering
“the first comprehensive assessment of California’s (’nonclassroom-based’)
charter schools.” The report is written by Gordon Lafer (The One Percent
Solution) from the University of Oregon’s Labor Education and Research
Center, with co-authors Clare Crawford, Karissa Petrucci, and Jennifer Smith. The
bottom line of the report is simple: California’s taxpayers are overpaying for
an inferior product. The report, Costly
Failure, is heavily researched and well-sourced in
considerable detail, but we can look at some of the highlights here.
Report on cyber
charter schooling misleading
The Express,
Lockhaven PA LETTERS TO THE EDITOR by TIM ELLER FEB 6, 2021
Tim Eller is
senior vice president of outreach and government relations for Commonwealth
Charter Academy
The Jan. 29
article “Cyber, charter schooling may cost JSASD $3.2M” this
year is not only misleading but includes incorrect information. Jersey Shore
Area School District Superintendent Dr. Brian Ulmer claims that the district’s
cyber program only costs the district $3,000 for each regular education and
special education student. The district’s school board, parents, and taxpayers
should request a full accounting of Dr. Ulmer’s figures, specifically focusing
on the following areas:
— Does the
district’s cyber program provide comprehensive services and support to all
students with disabilities and is it in compliance with the federal Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?
— Does the
district’s cyber program include all technology for non-special education and
special education students to fully participate from home, including a
computer, instructional materials, home internet service, and in-home and/or
virtual special education services?
— Does any
portion of the district’s cyber program require students — both regular and
special education — to participate from a district-run building?
If the
answer to any of the above questions is “no,” then the
district’s cyber program cannot be compared to a public cyber charter school
and any cost comparison is deeply flawed.
Commonwealth Charter
Academy purchases former Macy’s space at Waterfront
Trib Live PAUL GUGGENHEIMER | Wednesday, February 3,
2021 1:58 p.m.
A former
Macy’s department store now known as the Waterfront Technology Center has been
bought by one of its current tenants. Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA), an
online education platform, has finalized a deal to purchase the redeveloped
office complex from M&J Wilkow and BIG Shopping Centers, which bought the
140,000-square-foot building from Macy’s in 2018. The building is located in
The Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead. It was part of an effort to
continue expanding the center’s mix of retailers and tenants. Following a reuse
conversion, the building was leased at full capacity to Siemens Mobility and
CCA, turning the space into an office and research and development facility.
CCA currently occupies the first floor, spanning nearly 70,000 square feet.
Seimens Mobility will continue to occupy the remainder of the building on the
second floor. M&J Wilkow has been retained by CCA to provide property
management services.
https://triblive.com/local/commonwealth-charter-academy-purchases-former-macys-space-at-waterfront/
In a reversal,
Philadelphia teachers are no longer expected to report to schools Monday
Chalkbeat
Philly By Dale
Mezzacappa Feb 7, 2021, 10:45pm EST
The city is
not asking Philadelphia teachers to return to school buildings Monday morning,
a last-minute twist in the reopening debate. A spokeswoman said that about
2,000 staff members who had been expected to go to school buildings to prepare
for a Feb. 22 reopening for early-grade students can teach remotely instead,
since a
mediator hired to review a
safety agreement between the district and teachers union won’t have a decision
in time. “The mediation process is still ongoing. Without a final decision from
the mediator, teachers won’t be mandated to report tomorrow, but any teacher
who chooses to report is welcome to do so,” said a statement from a city
spokesperson last night. “We remain hopeful that this process will ultimately
allow both parties to come to a resolution in time for students to return the
week of February 22.
Philly teachers defy
demands to return to buildings, plan Monday protests
WHYY By Avi Wolfman-Arent February 7, 2021
Philadelphia’s
teachers union will hold citywide protests Monday, defying school district
plans to bring teachers back into classrooms for the first time since last
March. As part of its “day of action,” the union has told members not to enter
school buildings as requested. The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT)
said in a statement Sunday that “thousands of teachers” will work outside their
buildings instead of going inside. The protests will include appearances by
Randi Weingarten, who heads the American Federation of Teachers. The union
continues to maintain school district buildings are unsafe for occupancy given
COVID-19 concerns. A mediator in the matter was named Friday. The school
district has requested that some staff report to buildings on Monday to prepare
for the eventual return of some pre-K through grade 2 students. A district
official said staff who defy the order could
be subject to “disciplinary action.” The
PFT has said the buildings are not safe amid the coronavirus pandemic and told its members not to enter
school buildings.
https://whyy.org/articles/philly-teachers-defy-demands-to-return-to-buildings-plan-monday-protests/
Philly teachers union
president tells members not to go to school Monday, setting up a showdown
Inquirer by
Kristen A. Graham, Posted: February 5, 2021
The gulf
between the Philadelphia School District and its teachers widened Friday, with
the union president telling members not to report to work Monday amid concerns
over COVID-19 and building safety. “There is absolutely no reason, other than
sheer cruelty, to bring members into unsafe buildings Monday,” Philadelphia
Federation of Teachers president Jerry Jordan said in a statement. He directed
staffers to work remotely. The standoff emerged after Superintendent William R.
Hite Jr. said he expects 2,000 prekindergarten through second grade teachers to
show up at schools Monday in advance of a Feb. 22 reopening for 9,000 students.
It’s the district’s third attempt at reopening since the pandemic shut schools
in March. The district, in an email to PFT members Friday afternoon, took a
hard line. “If you are expected to be in your building on Monday and choose not
to do so, you will be subject to disciplinary action,” Chief Talent Officer
Larisa Shambaugh wrote.
https://www.inquirer.com/education/philadelphia-schools-union-reopen-20210205.html
‘I would like for
them to come back’: Mayor wants Philadelphia teachers to return to schools
Monday
Chalkbeat
Philly By Johann Calhoun Feb 6, 2021, 6:19pm EST
Mayor Jim
Kenney wants teachers to return to their schools Monday as part of the School
District of Philadelphia’s effort to reopen schools to some students later this
month. ‘I would like for them to come back,” Kenney told Chalkbeat on Saturday
at an event at Smith Playground in North Philadelphia. “There have been people
like the SEIU workers in schools since March.” District leaders planned to open
campuses to teachers on Monday ahead of about 9,000 students in prekindergarten
to second grade returning Feb. 22. But Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
President Jerry Jordan on Friday instructed his members in an email not to show
up to school because of concerns about whether the district’s buildings are
safe. About 2,000 PFT members have been told by the district to return to
school Monday. In his note, Jordan told teachers to continue to work remotely
and “prepare for all eventualities.” Neither the district or city announced
plans for schools or offices to be closed Monday ahead of the anticipated
snowstorm this weekend, with the city declaring a snow emergency beginning at 6
a.m. Sunday.
Reopening debate
tests Biden’s ties with major teachers unions
The school
reopening debate is presenting an early test of President Joe Biden’s
allegiance with powerful teachers unions
Post Gazette
by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FEB 6, 2021 12:15 AM
The heated
school reopening debate is forcing President Joe Biden to balance two
priorities: getting children back into the classroom and preserving the support
of powerful labor groups that helped him get elected. Following weeks of
standoffs in some cities and states where teachers unions are demanding
vaccines as a condition of reopening, the issue came to a head Wednesday when
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, said vaccination of teachers “is not a prerequisite for safe
reopening of schools.” But in a juggling of positions, the White House declined
to back Dr. Walensky. Asked Friday about her earlier comments, Dr. Walensky
punted. So far, it doesn’t appear that the issue is driving a wedge between Mr.
Biden and the unions. Even those demanding vaccines say shots would not be
required if schools were taking other steps to make buildings safe.
Which Centre County
schools are operating remotely due to COVID-19? Here’s a running list
Centre Daily
Times BY
MARLEY PARISH FEBRUARY 05, 2021 08:32 AM, UPDATED
FEBRUARY 05, 2021 10:15 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
Ears on the Philly Board
of Education: January 28, 2021
Alliance for
Philadelphia Public Schools February
1, 2021 appsphilly.net by Diane Payne
The Board
set the tone for this remote Action Meeting by imposing more undemocratic,
punitive measures on the defenders of public education. Disenfranchisement was
carried out in a number of ways, all decided in secret. The Board, for the
first time in District history, cut every speaker’s time from three
minutes to two, and they limited the total number of speakers. In addition, the
deadline for submitting written testimony went from 24 to 48 hours before the
meeting. Violating not only the trust of the public but its own by-laws and the
PA Sunshine Act, the Board amended an official policy without a public vote.
Thus, when Dr. Hite called a press conference on Wednesday to announce his
latest reopening plan, parents, teachers, students and principals had no chance
to voice their opposition. The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers had been
warning against the still unsafe conditions of school buildings, but the Board
made sure that neither they nor the public would hear about them. The Board is
taking advantage of a public health crisis to shut the public out even
more.
https://appsphilly.net/2021/02/01/ears-on-the-board-of-education-january-28-2021/
Pa. Lt. Gov. John
Fetterman is officially running for U.S. Senate
WHYY By Katie Meyer February 8, 2021
Lt. Gov.
John Fetterman has become the first major candidate to officially launch a
campaign for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate in 2022.The 51-year-old Western
Pennsylvania Democrat’s announcement comes
as little surprise. Fetterman, who ran unsuccessfully for U.S.
Senate once before, has a steadily rising national profile and has long been
considered a likely contender for the open seat. Politically, he has made a
project of attempting to bridge the increasing conservatism of
de-industrialized, once-Democratic-voting areas with his own brand of
progressive politics. “I believe in the dignity of work and the dignity of a
paycheck,” he said in his campaign announcement statement. “I believe the union
way of life is sacred. I believe in health care as a fundamental, basic human
right.” Fetterman also said he believes in “environmental justice,” wants to
overhaul the American criminal justice system, legalize marijuana nationwide,
and thinks the country needs to increase protections for LGBTQIA people.
https://whyy.org/articles/pa-lt-gov-john-fetterman-is-officially-running-for-u-s-senate/
Pa. Lt. Gov. John
Fetterman enters 2022 Senate race, but plenty of rivals are on the launchpad
Penn Live By Charles Thompson |
cthompson@pennlive.com Updated
5:30 AM; Today 5:30 AM
Lt. Gov.
John Fetterman has commanded just about all the early public attention in the
nascent race to succeed Sen. Pat Toomey in the U.S. Senate next year. But that
doesn’t mean he’ll have the 2022 Democratic primary ballot all to himself. And
a host of Republicans are going to be vying for the seat as well. Toomey, a
Republican from Allentown, announced
late last year that he would not seek a third term in office. A quick check-in with political consultants,
donors, and leaders in both major parties Friday found robust “short lists” for
the purple Pennsylvania seat, which could be one of a handful that proves
decisive in the struggle for majority control in the second half of President
Joe Biden’s time in office. The Senate is right now evenly split, 50-50, but
Democrats have control of the chamber, with Vice President Kamala Harris
holding the tie-breaking vote on key issues. “We need to know a lot more about
the candidates. We need to know a lot more about the political environment,”
said veteran Pennsylvania political analyst G. Terry Madonna. “But it is going
to be one of the marquee races, there is no doubt about it.”
Summer School Is a
Hot Idea Right Now. Could It Work?
Numerous
obstacles make extending the school year a tough proposition, but the Biden
administration wants to put billions behind it as a way of offsetting
pandemic-era learning losses.
New York
Times By Dana Goldstein and Kate Taylor Feb. 5, 2021
The idea
makes sense, so much so that at least two governors, a national union leader
and President Biden are behind it: extend this school year into the summer to
help students make up for some of the learning they lost during a year of
mostly remote school. By summer, more teachers will be vaccinated against the
coronavirus. Transmission rates might be significantly lower. And it will be
easier in warm weather for students and educators to spend time in the open
air, which is safer than being indoors. Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia promoted
the idea on Friday, saying that schools should make summer classes an option
for families. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Randi Weingarten, the
powerful president of the American Federation of Teachers, have offered similar
endorsements. Boston teachers and the district have started talking about
summer options. And Mr. Biden is expected to ask Congress to approve $29
billion to fund summer programs and tutoring as part of his pandemic stimulus
package. But if parents and students have learned anything during this crisis,
it is that even simple, intuitive ideas are hard to pull off in a public
education system that is simultaneously decentralized and highly bureaucratic.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/05/us/summer-school-covid.html
The next generation
of American voters must learn to decipher fact from fiction
WHYY By Olga
Polites February 6, 2021
“Murder the
media.” Those horrifying words were carved into a door at the Capitol Building
in Washington, DC, during the Trump-inspired insurrection on January 6th. While
many images from that infamous day are seared into my memory, those words have
me thinking about how educators like myself prepare students to be productive
and responsible citizens. The fact that someone would write “Murder the media”
at a symbol of our democracy indicates that we have a great deal of work ahead
of us. The first thing we need to talk about is how people get their
information. We know that social media has disrupted how citizens get their
news. But it also hampers one’s ability to critically read and comprehend
information. Many people rely on their Facebook and Twitter feeds for news
rather than credible new sources, such as the Associated Press or their local
newspaper. The disinformation campaign regarding the legitimacy of the 2020
presidential election is a clear indication of the damage wrought by bad actors
in the conservative media – people such as Fox News’ Tucker Carlson and Sean
Hannity, and radio hosts Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin. The fact that so many
Americans believe lies about widespread voter fraud speaks to the urgent need
to increase media literacy. While it may be too late to provide a significant
portion of the adults with the skills to be better consumers of news, there’s still
time to educate millions of middle and high school students throughout the
United States. The very first skill that must be taught is how to gather facts.
New Biden Education
Staffers Arrive via Gates Foundation, K-12 Reform Group, Sen. Sanders
Education
Week By Andrew Ujifusa — February 05, 2021 5 min
read
The latest
round of political appointees to the U.S. Department of Education include a
veteran of Capitol Hill and Beltway education groups, the former leader of Democrats
for Education Reform’s District of Columbia affiliate, and two former Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation staffers. The Biden administration appointments,
announced Feb. 3, fill spots in key offices, although nominees forthe top jobs
in the office for civil rights and office of planning, evaluation, and policy
development. (We gave folks a heads up about two of the most recent
appointments here and here before they were officially announced.)
However, a few such jobs are being filled on an acting basis. It’s difficult to
discern just one trend or policy direction based on Biden’s Education
Department appointments so far; those who’ve worked for and supported teachers’
unions in the past, for example, will be working alongside union skeptics and
those who’ve drawn labor’s ire in the past. The administration announced
its first
set of department appointees last
month, and it included two former National Education Association staffers. Meanwhile,
Miguel Cardona’s progression towards becoming the next education secretary
continues, following
his confirmation hearing. The Senate
education committee is due to consider
his nomination on Feb. 11. Here are a
few notable names from the latest round of appointments:
PA Schools Work Next
Lunch & Learn Webinar: A Deep Dive on the Budget Tuesday, February 9th
at Noon
Join PA
Schools Work partners on Tuesday, February 9 at noon for our next Lunch &
Learn webinar, where we will explain the details of the education components of
Governor Wolf's budget proposal.
You
can register for the webinar here.
PA State Board of
Education Student Representative Application Now Available
POSTED
ON FEBRUARY 3, 2021 IN PSBA NEWS
On May 22,
2008 the Pennsylvania State Board of Education (SBE) amended their bylaws to
add one nonvoting senior student member and one nonvoting junior student
member. Since September 2009 two high school students have served on the SBE.
For the past year those students have been senior Anne Griffith from Radnor
High School and Junior Eva Rankin from Upper St. Clair High School. These SBE
positions have provided public school students with an unprecedented
opportunity in Pennsylvania to interact with the 22 adult board members and
have helped shape long-term education policy for the 1.8 million K-12 students
in our state and the 680,000 students impacted by our state system of higher
education. The Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils (PASC) was first
charged with the responsibility of recommending two students to hold these
positions for the 2008-2009 school year. PASC is currently accepting
applications for our new junior student representative.
Current 10th grade
students (Class of 2023) enrolled in public high schools in Pennsylvania are
eligible to apply for this position. The introductory letter, commitment forms and
application can be found here. Applications are due back on March
8th, 2021. Interviews will be conducted virtually. One student will be
selected for a two-year term at that time.
More
information can be found at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GZdrMuzBfYw009nbeUC3JGqxwCipCpsnx1ZlCGPipTw/edit?usp=sharing . Questions may be directed to the two
current student representatives at sbe2021@pasc.net and sbe2022@pasc.net.
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
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
348 PA school boards have
adopted charter reform resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 340 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/
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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