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 Jan. 5, 2021
Reform PA cyber
charter authorization, funding
Reform PA cyber
charter authorization, funding
York Daily
Record Opinion By Eric Wolfgang January 4, 2021
Eric
Wolfgang is president of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.
Since the
COVID-19 pandemic hit, there has been a huge increase in cyber charter school
enrollment across the country, including in Pennsylvania, where cyber charter
school enrollment is up by 63% to 62,000 students as of Oct. 1. This
trend should have Pennsylvania parents and taxpayers extremely concerned for
two glaring reasons. First, the financial implications this enrollment increase
will have on school districts. To put this impact into numbers, school
districts can expect as much as a $350 million increase in their cyber charter
tuition bills this year alone due to the pandemic-generated cyber charter
school enrollment increases. It’s important to keep in mind that this massive
sum is only part of the overall $475 million overall charter school tuition
increase this school year that school districts are facing in addition to
navigating through a global pandemic. The $475 million increase in charter
school tuition this school year effectively nullifies the majority of the
federal funds public schools received under the CARES Act. This means most of
those funds will not have their intended impact — to aid our public schools in
a time of crisis. Moreover, for many districts, their Act 1 index rate will not
allow for them to increase property taxes to cover the gap in increased charter
school payments, leaving hopelessly unbalanced budgets.
Applicants Pitch Five
New Philly Charter Schools: December 21, 2020
Alliance for
Philadelphia Public Schools by Lynda Rubin
As in any
drama or comedy, the cast of characters hints at things to come. The 2020
presentation of new charter applications brought back the same privatizing
cast, some with different names, who continue the weakening of Philadelphia
public education for their own financial and political gain. This is the annual
attempt to expand the companies’ existing charter companies with the funding
and protection of non-profits. The organizations behind the new charters may be
non-profit in tax terms, but they are backed by for-profit edu-investors whose
goal is to take the public out of public education. For years, Philadelphia has
been a Ground Zero for carrying out the ideology of the wealthy proponents of
school choice. Charter companies made many promises but produced few
actual gains. Charter operators, with the collaboration of the SRC and the
Board, have eluded meaningful oversight for over two decades. APPS will
testify again that the District does not need, and cannot afford, any new
charters–especially in the face of the dire financial straits laid out by Chief
Financial Officer Uri Monson. We cannot continue to divert public funds away
from public schools and into the coffers of privately managed schools. We can
afford neither the stranded costs nor the exorbitant charter CEO salaries. This
introductory hearing, with District General Counsel Lynn Rauch acting as
Hearing Examiner, allowed fifteen minutes for each of the five
applicants. Charter School Office (CSO) Executive Director Peng Chao, CSO
Director Roger Kligerman, CSO Assistant Director Biridiana Rodriguez, and CSO
Applications Project Manager Cameron Voss attended and were called on to
testify. None of the Board members attended. Rauch stated that the law
dictates that a final vote would have to be made by March 7, 2021. That means
the Board will probably take its vote at the February Action Meeting.
https://appsphilly.net/applicants-pitch-five-new-charter-schools-december-21-2020/
10 questions about
the stimulus for schools, answered
Chalkbeat
Philly By Matt Barnum Updated Jan 4, 2021, 1:18pm
EST
After months
of waiting and watching, public schools will
receive billions to help respond to and recover from the
pandemic. In December, Congress passed a package designed to boost the economy, help
families, and support K-12 and higher education; after initially criticizing
the deal, President Trump eventually signed it into law. So what will the new money
and other provisions mean for school reopening, learning loss, and your school
district? Let’s dig in.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2020/12/22/22195843/stimulus-schools-education-explainer
Gov. Tom Wolf's 2021
agenda for Pennsylvania: Public health, economy, schools. By Tom Wolf
GoErie
Opinion by Governor Tom Wolf January 3, 2021
My first
priority in the new year is to protect the health and safety of Pennsylvanians.
The COVID-19 pandemic has cruelly and indiscriminately affected the lives of
Pennsylvanians over the past year. It brought financial insecurity along with
the stark danger it poses to the public health. I know that many families are
grieving, and much has been lost over the past several months — including our
ability to connect with one another, to gather together to comfort one another
in the face of pain and loss. Pennsylvanians are generous, loving people, and I
am always proud of how we join together to celebrate the good times and to
provide comfort in bad times.
Meet Pa. House GOP
leader Kerry Benninghoff: Woodworker, history buff, knows how to make an
impression
Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Jan 04, 2021; Posted Jan 04,
2021
House
Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff is entering his 13th term of office in the
state House of Representatives. Before he was a state representative, he served
as Centre County coroner. While his service in those elected positions may be
common knowledge or readily available on his website, there are some other
lesser known aspects of his life he recently shared with PennLive.
The Constitution will
guide our way in 2021
GoErie
Opinion by Bryan Cutler January 3, 2021
Rep. Bryan
Cutler, R-100, is the Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. His
legislative district covers part of Lancaster County.
There is no
way to accurately describe what so many families have experienced in 2020. For
too many, the loss of loved ones will leave a hole in hearts that will never be
filled, and I continue to pray for those impacted in our community. I hear from
constituents daily on the impact of the last 10 months as we all continue to
recognize the lasting effects of what we are all experiencing. Sadly, I am sure
that nearly all Pennsylvanians can also name at least one business near their
home that has permanently closed, or know friends and family searching for
work. Our children face constant uncertainty over how and where they will be
educated.
Blogger note: Rep. Mark Longietti (D-07),
Mercer County, a member of the PA House since 2007 and a long time education
committee member, will assume the minority chair
House Democrats
announce committee chairs for 2021-22 legislative session
PA House Democratic
Caucus by Rep. Joanna E. McClinton January 4, 2021
HARRISBURG,
Jan. 4 – House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton, D-Phila./Delaware,
today announced the members of the House Democratic Caucus who will serve as
Democratic chairs of the standing committees for the 2021-22 legislative
session beginning Tuesday. “Our committees do the heavy lifting. They are the
places where legislation is refined and decisions are made that can either
extend more power to the people or give it to the special interests -- and
those committees need a steady hand and a strong vision to lead them,”
McClinton said. “I am confident these proven leaders are more than up to the
challenge and will always make sure any legislation advanced to the full House
of Representatives must put the people first.”
The
list of Democratic committee chairs follows:
- Aging & Older Adult Services
Committee – Rep. Steve Samuelson, Northampton County
- Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Committee – Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, Luzerne County
- Children & Youth Committee – Rep.
Pam DeLissio, Montgomery & Philadelphia counties
- Commerce Committee – Rep. John Galloway,
Bucks County
- Consumer Affairs Committee – Rep. Robert
Matzie, Beaver & Allegheny counties
- Education Committee – Rep. Mark
Longietti, Mercer County
- Environmental Resources & Energy
Committee – Rep. Greg Vitali, Delaware & Montgomery counties
- Finance Committee – Rep. Kevin Boyle,
Philadelphia
- Game and Fisheries Committee – Rep. Ed
Neilson, Philadelphia
- Gaming Oversight Committee – Rep. Scott
Conklin, Centre County
- Health Committee – Rep. Dan Frankel,
Allegheny County
- Human Services Committee – Rep. Angel
Cruz, Philadelphia
- Insurance Committee – Rep. Tony DeLuca,
Allegheny County
- Judiciary Committee – Rep. Tim Briggs,
Montgomery County
- Labor & Industry Committee – Rep.
Gerald Mullery, Luzerne County
- Liquor Control Committee – Rep. Dan
Deasy, Allegheny County
- Local Government Committee – Rep. Bob
Freeman, Northampton County
- Professional Licensure Committee – Rep.
Jake Wheatley, Allegheny County
- State Government Committee – Rep. Margo
Davidson, Delaware County
- Tourism & Recreational Development
Committee – Rep. Mary Jo Daley, Montgomery County
- Transportation Committee – Rep. Mike
Carroll, Lackawanna & Luzerne counties
- Urban Affairs Committee – Rep. Mike
Sturla, Lancaster County
- Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness
Committee – Rep. Chris Sainato, Lawrence County
https://www.pahouse.com/InTheNews/NewsRelease/?id=117839
Pa. Senate GOP leader
to delay seating an incumbent Democratic senator
Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Jan 04, 2021; Posted Jan 04,
2021
Senate
Republicans plan to refuse to seat Allegheny County Democratic Sen. Jim
Brewster on Swearing-in Day Tuesday due to a challenge filed by his GOP
opponent. Brewster, who has represented the 45th senatorial district seat since
2010, was certified by the Department of State as the winner in the race for a four-year
term, capturing 69 more votes than Republican challenger Nicole Ziccarelli. However,
Ziccarelli has a pending federal lawsuit challenging the validity of 2,349
ballots received in Allegheny County from voters who failed to write a date on
them, including 311 in the senatorial district. Including those ballots in the
vote count gives Brewster the majority of votes; if those ballots are excluded,
Ziccarelli would have more votes than Brewster.
GOP leaders in Pa.
Senate will refuse to seat Democrat certified by state as winner
Inquirer by
Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA, Updated: January 4, 2021- 7:07 PM
HARRISBURG —
Setting the stage for a postelection showdown, Republicans who control the
Pennsylvania Senate will refuse to seat a Democratic senator whose narrow win
in November is being challenged in federal court, even as it has been certified
by state officials. Republican leaders confirmed Sen. Jim Brewster of Allegheny
County will not be permitted to take the oath of office Tuesday when the
legislature returns to launch a new two-year session. The top Republican in the
Senate, Jake Corman, said that he and his colleagues believe a decision in a
legal challenge brought by Brewster’s GOP opponent is necessary before the
chamber can act. “Our goal is to get it right, not get it fast,” Corman said. At
the heart of the dispute is Republican Nicole Ziccarelli’s request to throw out
several hundred mail ballots that lacked a handwritten date on the outer ballot
envelope, as required by state law. Those ballots gave Brewster the edge he
needed to eke out a win. The issue has already been litigated in the state
court system, where Ziccarelli ultimately lost. “We believe this is an illegal,
unlawful attempt not to seat Sen. Brewster,” said Senate Minority Leader Jay
Costa (D., Allegheny). He described the maneuver as out of the “Trump playbook”
of contesting legitimate and certified election results.
Official: Republican
Pa. Rep. Mike Reese dies following apparent brain aneurysm, after testing
positive for COVID-19
A top
lawmaker says a state GOP House member who was elected to serve as the
Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus chairman in the 2020-21 session has died.
Inquirer by Associated
Press, The Associated Press Published Jan 3, 2021
HARRISBURG —
A state lawmaker who was elected to serve as the Pennsylvania House Republican
Caucus chairman in the 2020-21 session has died, the House GOP leader said
Saturday. Rep. Mike Reese, 42, who represented Westmoreland and Somerset Counties,
“died peacefully with his family by his side Saturday afternoon at Excela
Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg following an apparent brain
aneurysm,” Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, the majority leader, said in a statement
also posted on Reese’s official House website and his Facebook page. Reese said
Dec. 7 he had recently learned that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and had
been quarantining for the previous week after learning of his exposure to the
virus. It was unclear Sunday whether that diagnosis had any connection to the
aneurysm that reportedly killed him. First elected to the state House in 2008,
Reese served as the House GOP caucus secretary in the 2019-20 session.
How Philly’s biggest
2020 real estate deal could create opportunities for Philly students
WHYY By Claire
Marie Porter December 31, 2020
When Hilco Redevelopment Partners (HRP), a real estate investor that
remediates obsolete industrial sites, bought the 1,300-acre former Philadelphia
Energy Solutions refinery out of bankruptcy in June, all eyes were on the
Chicago-based company. For $225 million, Hilco bought the sprawling site with
a plan to transform it into a distribution and
commercial hub with warehouses and the state-of-the-art logistics
infrastructure needed in the era of Instacart and Amazon. Environmentalists,
Philadelphia residents, and advocacy groups demanded
environmental justice and a cleaner future for the site, as well as equitable job-creation to
replace the refinery’s lost union jobs. The refinery was the biggest
polluter in the city and the cause of longstanding suffering
for the surrounding community, both before and after the site’s explosion
and fire in June 2019. Now, the South
Philadelphia refinery is offering a first-of-its-kind public-private
partnership that promises a new pathway into skilled professions that
historically have been dominated in Philly by white men groomed by the city’s
powerful unions. The new initiative, called a Career-Connected Learning System,
pledges to connect thousands of Philadelphia public school graduates to an
estimated 20,000 jobs in the fields of logistics and distribution, with
guaranteed opportunities for upward mobility after a year-long apprenticeship.
PPS hoping to get
staff, students into schools sooner rather than later in 2021
ANDREW
GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com JAN 4, 2021 5:45 AM
The calendar
may have flipped to a new year, but schools are still facing the same old
challenges from COVID-19. Pittsburgh Public Schools last week said staff
members and students will not be back in their buildings until mid- to late
January at the earliest. According to the district, staff members
are not expected to return any sooner than the week of Jan. 18. Students are
not expected back until at least Jan. 27, the start of the second semester.
Even then, the return would be done in phases. The vast majority of city
schools students have not been in a classroom since March when schools in
Pennsylvania closed in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Although the
district had the option to reopen this fall, the school board approved a
measure that delayed in-person instruction for the first nine weeks of the
academic year. The district began to bring students back using a phased
approach in early November, but the attempt stopped after a few days because
COVID-19 case numbers spiked at the same time in Allegheny County.
Science education
couldn’t be more important as we endure the COVID-19 pandemic | Opinion
As we emerge
from this current crisis, increased philanthropic investment from the private
and public sector is essential for STEM education.
Inquirer Opinion
by Larry Dubinski, For the Inquirer Published Jan 4, 2021
Larry
Dubinski is President & CEO of The Franklin Institute and Chair of the
Association of Science and Technology Centers.
Science
matters, especially in times of crisis. As modern history shows, we relied on
science to help solve some of the most pressing technical challenges and
identify solutions that would address major public health crises, including the
Spanish flu, polio, and HIV/AIDS. In the role of bettering the human condition,
science has been largely dependable. It’s been a constant. Now, in the throes
of yet another test, science has a critical moment. Over the past several
months, scientists have mobilized unprecedentedly, through global
collaborations and innovative technologies, to give us our best chance at
beating COVID-19. On Dec. 14, as the first batch of a federally approved
coronavirus vaccine was administered to health care workers across the United
States, science emerged victorious.
Delaware Valley
School District reports 20 new COVID-19 cases over winter break
Times
Tribune by FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY Jan 5, 2021 Updated 35 min ago
The Delaware
Valley School District had 20 new cases of COVID-19 across its schools during
winter break, according to an update from the district on Monday. In the
update, Superintendent Dr. John J. Bell reported at least one case in each of
the district's seven schools, with Delaware Valley High School accounting for
the largest share of coronavirus cases with seven. Bell anticipates short-term
closures over the next few months, according to the update. If schools reach a
certain threshold of positive cases in a 14-day period, which varies based on
school size, the school will switch to remote learning for at least one day for
disinfecting, contact tracing and case investigations, Bell wrote. Because the
20 cases occurred while the district was closed, all schools opened with their
14-day counts at zero. The district learned of its first new case since
reopening Monday at the Delaware Valley Middle School, Bell wrote, adding that
no one needs to quarantine because the student hasn't been in school since
December.
“Much of the letter serves as a final
appeal for school choice legislation that DeVos pushed for nearly two years
while failing to gain support from Democrats and many Republicans. The proposal
would provide tax breaks for donations to organizations that sponsor students
attending private schools or other alternatives to traditional public
education.”
In farewell, Education
Secretary Betsy DeVos urges Congress to reject Joe Biden’s policies
“While my
time as Secretary is finite, my time as an advocate for children and students
knows no limits,” she said in a farewell letter to Congress.
Inquirer by Collin
Binkley, The Associated Press Published Jan 4, 2021
In a
farewell letter to Congress on Monday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urged
lawmakers to reject President-elect Joe Biden’s education agenda, while
imploring them to shield Trump administration policies that Biden has promised
to eliminate. DeVos does not explicitly acknowledge President Donald Trump’s
election defeat nor does she refer to Biden by name. Instead, her letter offers
lawmakers “some encouragement and closing thoughts.” As DeVos prepares to exit
the Education Department, she says the coronavirus pandemic has exposed much
that is “not encouraging” about U.S. education. “While my time as Secretary is
finite, my time as an advocate for children and students knows no limits,” she
said in the letter, obtained by The Associated Press. It was sent to leaders in
the House and Senate and to committees that oversee the Education Department. DeVos
offered an unemotional farewell to a Congress that had a chilly relationship
with her from the start. Her 2017 Senate confirmation required a tiebreaking vote
from Vice President Mike Pence, and she remained a persistent target for
Democrats in both chambers.
https://fusion.inquirer.com/education/betsy-devos-farewell-letter-congress-joe-biden-20210104.html
PSBA Webinar: New
Congress, New Dynamics
JAN 14, 2021
• 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
The 2020
election brings significant changes to the 117th U.S. Congress. How will the
newly sworn-in senators and representatives impact public education? What
issues will need to be addressed this session? To become an effective
legislative advocate you’ll need to understand the new players and dynamics. Our
experts will profile key new members, discuss what big trends you can expect
and highlight the issues that will be debated over the next two years.
Presenters: Jared Solomon, senior public advisor,
BOSE Public Affairs Group
John Callahan, chief advocacy officer, PSBA
Cost: Complimentary for members.
Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CQkk1Sd0QmOhdJ3VmlSzGg
https://www.psba.org/event/new-congress-new-dynamics/
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
337 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
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.
