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, Wolf education transition team members, 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.
These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
When Congress passed IDEA in 1975 they committed to paying
40% of the cost. Feds currently pay just 14.7%
Pa
Schools Work: Sign the Petition & Join the April 4th Twitter
Storm!
The PA Schools Work campaign is hoping to get
thousands of signatures from school leaders and others across the state to
increase state support for k-12 education. Please add your name to the petition
that urges Governor Wolf and the General Assembly to increase their investment
in education. Click here to sign and share the petition.
Additionally, please join Pa Schools Work partners
for a LIGHTNING LUNCH HOUR from 12 noon- 1 p.m. on APRIL 4-to create a Twitter
storm! The goal of the Twitter storm is
to collect thousands of signatures on the petition urging adequate school
funding by generating a flurry of tweets around PA SCHOOL FUNDING. Click here to view the Pa Schools Work guide
for the April 4 Twitter Storm.
“Because the federal government has
failed to honor its IDEA funding promise, K-12 schools and school districts
throughout America have been forced to pay more than their fair share,” said
Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., who introduced the measure, H.R.1878. “That
means less funding for everything from teacher pay to class size to affording
music, art and physical education classes. That’s why the bipartisan IDEA Full
Funding Act to finally honor the IDEA promise is probably the most significant
thing the federal government can do to support K-12 schools.”
H.R.1878: Lawmakers Look To Fully Fund IDEA
Disability Scoop by
Michelle Diament | April 2, 2019
Bipartisan
legislation to substantially increase Uncle Sam’s investment in special
education is back on the table. Federal funding for educating students with
disabilities would gradually increase under a bill known as the IDEA Full
Funding Act, which was introduced by lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and House of
Representatives late last month. he measure calls for incremental hikes in
federal funding for special education, with the government taking on 40 percent
of the cost — a level known as “full funding” — beginning in fiscal year 2029. When the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was passed in 1975, Congress
committed to paying 40 percent of the associated price tag. However, that has
never happened and today the federal government is footing just 14.7 percent of
the cost of special education, according to lawmakers behind the new
legislation.
Blogger note: Is your member of congress
on this list?
Pennsylvania Members of Congress Cosponsoring H.R.1878
To amend part B of
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to provide full Federal funding
of such part.
Democrat Pam Iovino wins special election to represent
Pittsburgh suburbs in Pa. Senate
PA Capital Star By Elizabeth Hardison April 2, 2019
Democrat Pam Iovino
won a highly contested
race to
represent the 37th Senate District in the Pittsburgh suburbs Tuesday, flipping
a Republican-held seat and putting her party in closer distance to controlling
the chamber. Iovino, a Navy veteran and former Veterans Affairs aide to
President George W. Bush, defeated businessman D. Raja, a Republican who was
making his second run at the seat. With 198 out of 226 precincts reporting,
Iovino had 54 percent of the vote as of 9:40 p.m. Tuesday, according to
unofficial results. Raja conceded around that time, according to local
reporters. Iovino will succeed Republican former Sen. Guy Reschenthaler,
who resigned the seat in January to serve in Congress.
“Raja called her to concede, a spokesman
said. Iovino’s victory will not change the balance of power in Pennsylvania’s
Senate, where Republicans hold a 26-21 majority. Iovino’s victory is somewhat
short-lived: the seat is up again in next year’s election.”
Bellwether election in Pittsburgh suburb won by Democrat
AP By MARC LEVY and
NICHOLAS RICCARDI today
MT. LEBANON, Pa.
(AP) — Democrats claimed victory Tuesday after a two-month campaign for a
vacant state Senate seat in politically divided suburban Pittsburgh where the
sides tested some national themes ahead of 2020′s presidential election in a
critical battleground state narrowly won by President Donald Trump. The
seat had been largely controlled by Republicans the past half-century, but the
district is viewed as increasingly friendly to Democrats in territory that
party strategists now view as something of a bellwether. The winner, Democrat
Pam Iovino, told her enthusiastic victory party at a union hall at Pittsburgh’s
western edge that the district “is blue again” and worked her way through the
crowd, hugging supporters. In a statement, the Democratic Legislative Campaign
Committee said Iovino’s victory shows Democrats “have momentum in key races and
swing states across the country as the American people resoundingly reject
Trump’s agenda and the Republican legislators across the country who follow his
lead.” With more than 90% of precincts reporting before 10:30 p.m., Iovino led
Republican D. Raja by 4,100 votes, or 54% to 46%.
Blogger note: Total cyber charter
tuition paid by PA taxpayers from 500 school districts for 2013, 2014, 2015 and
2016 was over $1.6 billion; $393.5 million, $398.8 million, $436.1 million and
$454.7 million respectively. We
will continue rolling out cyber charter tuition expenses for taxpayers in
education committee members, legislative leadership and various other
districts.
In 2016-17, taxpayers
in Senator @SenHutchinson’s school districts in Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Forest,
Venango and Warren Counties had to send
over $13.2 million to chronically underperforming cybers that they never
authorized. #SB34 (Schwank) or #HB526 (Sonney) could change that.
Links to additional bill information and several resources have been
moved to the end of today’s postings
Data Source:
PDE via PSBA|
Allegheny-Clarion Valley SD
|
$132,574.18
|
|
Butler Area SD
|
$2,542,880.92
|
|
Clarion Area SD
|
$352,565.61
|
|
Clarion-Limestone Area SD
|
$274,246.66
|
|
Cranberry Area SD
|
$450,216.77
|
|
Forest Area SD
|
$326,168.02
|
|
Franklin Area SD
|
$534,767.03
|
|
Karns City Area SD
|
$428,169.80
|
|
Keystone SD
|
$245,051.14
|
|
Mars Area SD
|
$619,876.49
|
|
Moniteau SD
|
$361,518.75
|
|
North Clarion County SD
|
$118,754.19
|
|
Oil City Area SD
|
$647,219.49
|
|
Penncrest SD
|
$1,606,652.38
|
|
Redbank Valley SD
|
$309,025.46
|
|
Seneca Valley SD
|
$1,026,034.96
|
|
Slippery Rock Area SD
|
$903,865.00
|
|
South Butler County SD
|
$484,784.47
|
|
Titusville Area SD
|
$356,641.07
|
|
Union SD
|
$386,622.00
|
|
Valley Grove SD
|
$174,990.88
|
|
Warren County SD
|
$977,795.15
|
|
|
$13,260,420.42
|
Allegheny County charter schools struggle to close racial
achievement gaps
Public Source by Mary Niederberger | April 2, 2019
Brick-and-mortar
charter schools differ from traditional public schools in format, philosophies
and funding, but new state data shows that Allegheny County charter schools
similarly struggle to close achievement gaps between black and white students. White
students in 10 local charter schools outperformed black students by double
digits in state tests, according to 2017-18 data from the Department of
Education’s Future Ready PA index. Experts who study the achievement gap
between black and white students told PublicSource the disparities are more an
issue of equity than ability. They cite such contributing factors as
socioeconomics, implicit teacher bias, disparate discipline and lower
expectations projected on black students. Among the charters, the highest
achievement gaps were found in the highest-achieving schools, which are City
Charter High School, with grades 9 to 12, and Environmental Charter School, which
has grades K-8.
Forum speaker says teaching Pre-K part of ‘virtuous
cycle’
Tribune Democrat By Dave Sutor dsutor@tribdem.com April 3, 2019
Early childhood
education is a key part of what Donna Cooper described as a “virtuous cycle.” Cooper, Public
Citizens for Children and Youth’s executive director, explained how teaching
pre-kindergarten youngsters both basic knowledge and social skills can help
shape the adult they will eventually become during her visit to the University
of Pittsburgh at Johnstown’s John P. Murtha Center for Public Service and
National Competitiveness on Tuesday. And then those adults continue the cycle
by making positive impacts. “We invest in the kids, and they end up investing
in the community,” Cooper said during an interview before delivering the
keynote address during a forum titled “Poverty’s Impact on Early Literacy.” “And
they also end up making the community more prosperous. And we end up reversing
the consequences of childhood property.” She put her message into the context
of challenges facing Cambria County, where about 15 percent of the population
lives in poverty, with Johnstown proper having a rate of approximately
one-third. “I think the big message that we want to get out to the folks here
is that Cambria County, like a lot of America, is having a hard time with sort
of the economic transformation that we’re in,” Cooper said. “One of the ways
that communities can reverse their economic prospects – one of the ways – is by
recognizing the importance of investing in early childhood education because of
the long-term positive benefits that early childhood education, when it’s
high-quality, returns.”
'We need you': Advocates, professionals promote STEM
careers at Women in Mathematics, Science, and Technology Conference
Lancaster Online by
ALEX GELI | Staff
Writer April 3,
2019
STEM goes much
deeper than science, technology, engineering and math. Just ask Jenna
Carpenter. “You make lives better. This is what STEM is,” Carpenter said. The
Campbell University professor and nationwide advocate for women and girls
pursuing STEM careers gave the keynote address during the 32nd annual Women in
Mathematics, Science, and Technology Conference Tuesday at Millersville
University. The conference, in which about 300 girls from middle and high
schools in and around Lancaster County participated, exposed girls to in-demand
STEM careers via hands-on breakout sessions with local scientists, doctors,
engineers, professors and college students. “We need your innovation, your
creative ideas and work ethic,” Carpenter told the students. “We need you.” STEM
jobs, she said, are growing rapidly — so much so that there aren’t enough high
school graduates to fill them. STEM occupations are projected to grow 12
percent by 2024, she said, citing data from the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Whether
it’s in the field of meteorology, forensic science or mechanical engineering,
the opportunities young people — and girls especially — have to pick from are
“limitless,” Carpenter said.
Adaptive curriculum at Central Valley allows pupil with
autism to bloom
Beaver County Times
By Rachel Wagoner rwagoner@timesonline.com Posted at 4:00 AM April 3, 2019
Two Central
Valley School District teachers adapted technology education curriculum for a
pupil with autism, which proved to be the key to helping the boy flourish in
school and out.
CENTER TWP. — Jack
Cassida had trouble engaging in teacher Matthew Reese’s technology classes. Jack,
a fifth-grader at Todd Lane Elementary School in Center Township, has autism.
He doesn’t learn the same as his classmates. Instead of letting Jack sit in his
class doing busy work, Reese went to Jack’s special-education teachers, Cathy
Scuilli and Cher Balestrieri, to see what could be done. “I never had a teacher
come to me and say, ‘Your child can’t participate meaningfully in my class.
What can we do?’” Scuilli said. Together the teachers worked to adapt the
technology curriculum using a specialized program from Jack’s special-education
class. The work that began as a way to get Jack caught up in technology class
grew into a friendship that has impacted the student and his teachers and
helped Jack blossom in many areas of his life.
“He’s really
started to come into his own,” said his mother, Stacey Cassida.
Easton Arts Academy Charter administrator is on leave,
CEO confirms
By Rudy Miller | For
lehighvalleylive.com Updated Apr
2, 8:04 PM; Posted Apr 2, 4:24 PM
Easton Arts Academy Elementary Charter School’s chief administrative officer is now on leave, according to the
school’s chief executive officer. CEO Joanna Hughes confirmed on Monday that
Chief Administrative Officer Shawn Ferrara is on leave. She declined to comment
on the reason for the leave or how long it will last. The confirmation comes
two weeks after the school lost its third principalin two years, Joanellyn “Joey” Schubert. It also comes after former
principal Susan Bostian sued the school, accusing Ferrara of rigging grades and forging employee evaluations.
Bostian’s lawsuit was filed in December in Northampton County Court.
Two Pa. school superintendents call for more financial
transparency from PIAA
Sunbury Daily Item By
Francis Scarcella fscarcella@dailyitem.com April 2, 2019
Two Pennsylvania
school superintendents said the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic
Association (PIAA) needs to be more open with its financial records because
most of its funding comes from public member school districts. Laurel School
District Superintendent Leonard Rich and Millcreek Township School District
Superintendent William Hall are District VII and District X board members,
respectively. "In my opinion, the PIAA is not a private organization
because they are using public money," Rich said. "We are in public
positions and there are ways to respond to questions from the media." Hall
said when he began with the PIAA — the governing body for the state's 13
districts made up of more than 500 school districts — several years ago it was
a "cash operation" but he immediately halted the process in District
X, near Erie. "There needs to be more accountability in the PIAA and there
needs to be more transparency," he said. "They always dealt with cash
and we all thought it was odd. We absolutely would want to have transparency
because these are tax dollars being used."
“The city argues that this revenue is
subject to the business privilege tax because LVPG is compensated for providing
these services and does not meet the definition of a “institution of purely
public charity.” group physicians and clinicians are paid based on performance
— proof, the city argues, that LVPG does not operate “entirely free from
private profit motive,” one of the required characteristics of a purely public
charity.”
LVHN subsidiary becomes third nonprofit to sue Allentown,
challenges nearly $1 million tax bill
By EMILY OPILO and ANDREW WAGAMAN | THE MORNING CALL APR 02, 2019 | 7:53 PM
Lehigh Valley
Physician Group, an affiliate of Lehigh Valley Health Network, has sued
Allentown, joining a growing group of nonprofits challenging the city’s
attempts to charge them a business privilege tax. LVPG’s suit, entered last
week by law firm Stevens & Lee, challenges a nearly $1 million levy for
years 2007 through 2016. Allentown billed the group last year as part of an
effort to take a more “aggressive" approach to city nonprofits that
Allentown officials believe are conducting profit-generating activities. LVPG is the third group and second health
network to file suit against the city. It faces the largest tax bill.
The Special Olympics funding outcry is over, but it’s
been crickets over some of DeVos’s other proposed education budget cuts. Think
civics, history, arts . . .
Washington Post Answer Sheet By Valerie Strauss April 3 at 6:00 AM
The Trump
administration has proposed eliminating a $4.8 million program to enhance
American civics and history education. It has also called for making these cuts
that would eliminate programs:
- $1.2 billion for programs that help boost
student academic achievement before and after school and during the
summer.
- $190 million to boost literacy instruction from
birth to age 20, plus $27 million for grants aimed at improving literacy
by supporting school libraries, professional development for school
librarians and the provision of high-quality books to children and
adolescents in low-income communities.
- $27 million for arts education programs for
children from low-income families and students with disabilities.
- $10 million to boost community schools, which
address the comprehensive academic, social and health services of students
and families.
- More than $207 billion over 10 years from
student loan programs, including the elimination of hundreds of millions
of dollars that go toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness and of Stafford
subsidized loans for low-income students
And there are
plenty of other cuts the Trump administration proposed for 2020 for the Education
Department. They include a reduction of more than 55 percent in federal funds
for the Federal Work-Study program, which helps students who have to work while
attending college.
The other cuts just
haven’t gotten the same attention as the outcry over a failed attempt to
eliminate federal funding to Special Olympics.
PA Schools Work Berks County Thu, April 11, 2019 6:00 PM
– 8:00 PM EDT
Berks County Intermediate Unit 1111 Commons Boulevard Reading,
PA 19605
PA Schools Work is
organizing in Berks County. We are looking for advocates to fight for more
funding for our students. Agenda will include detailed information about individual
school districts, meeting with local Berks representatives to share your
stories, statewide support for your efforts and much more. We want to work
together to make a difference. School leaders, parents, community members and
local citizens that care about education are all welcome. Registration starts
at 6 with meeting beginning at 6:30. Networking available so bring material to
share about your organization too. If you have any questions, please contact
Sandra at smiller@circuitriderforpaschools.org.
Success Starts Here is a multi-year public awareness
campaign sharing positive news in PA public education.
.@PSBA .@PasaSupts .@PAIU .@PenSPRA1 .@PSEA .@PAPRINCIPALS .@SuccessStartsPA Read more stories and share your own on http://www.SuccessStartsHere.org .
Together we can harness the power of all to make a difference in our schools and communities! Hear from the experts and learn how to advocate! Free breakfast & givewaways. Don't miss out!
Sponsored by Norristown Men of Excellence, The Urban League of Philadelphia & PA Schools Work.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/norristown-parents-students-for-education-tickets-59590097586
The League of Women Voters of Delaware County and the Delaware County Intermediate Unit present: EPLC 2019 Regional Training Workshop for PA School Board Candidates (and Incumbents) April 27th 8am – 4:30pm at DCIU
Ron Cowell of The Pennsylvania Education Policy and Leadership Center will conduct a regional full day workshop for 2019 Pennsylvania School Board Candidates.
Date & Time: Saturday, April 27, 2019, 8am to 4:30pm
Location:
Delaware County Intermediate Unit, 200 Yale Ave. Morton, PA
Incumbents, non-incumbents, campaign supporters and all interested voters
are invited to participate in this workshop. Registration is $75 (payable by
credit card) and includes coffee and pastries, lunch, and materials. For
questions contact Adriene Irving at 610-938-9000 ext. 2061.To register, please visit http://tinyurl.com/CandidatesWksp
PSBA: Nominations for
the Allwein Society are welcome!
The Allwein Society is an award program recognizing school directors who
are outstanding leaders and advocates on behalf of public schools and students.
This prestigious honor was created in 2011 in memory of Timothy M. Allwein, a
former PSBA staff member who exemplified the integrity and commitment to
advance political action for the benefit of public education. Nominations are
accepted year-round and inductees will be recognized at the PASA-PSBA School
Leadership Conference, among other honors.
PSBA: 2019 State of
Education report now online
PSBA Website February 19, 2019
The 2019 State of Education report is
now available on PSBA.org in PDF format. The report is a barometer of not only
the key indicators of public school performance, but also the challenges
schools face and how they are coping with them. Data reported comes from
publicly available sources and from a survey to chief school administrators,
which had a 66% response rate. Print copies of the report will be mailed to
members soon.
All
PSBA-members are invited to attend Advocacy Day on Monday, April
29, 2019 at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. In addition, this year PSBA
will be partnering with the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units
(PAIU) and Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) to
strengthen our advocacy impact. The focus for the day will be meetings with
legislators to discuss critical issues affecting public education. There is no
cost to attend, and PSBA will assist in scheduling appointments with legislators
once your registration is received. The day will begin with a continental
breakfast and issue briefings prior to the legislator visits. Registrants will
receive talking points, materials and leave-behinds to use with their meetings.
PSBA staff will be stationed at a table in the main Rotunda during the day to
answer questions and provide assistance. The day’s agenda and other
details will be available soon. If you have questions about Advocacy Day,
legislative appointments or need additional information, contact Jamie.Zuvich@psba.org Register for
Advocacy Day now at http://www.mypsba.org/
PSBA members can register online now by logging in to myPSBA. If you
need assistance logging in and registering contact Alysha Newingham, Member
Data System Administrator at alysha.newingham@psba.org or call her at (717)
506-2450, ext. 3420
PSBA Board Presidents’ Panel
Learn, discuss, and practice problem solving with school leader peers
facing similar or applicable challenges. Workshop-style discussions will be
facilitated and guided by PSBA experts. With the enormous challenges facing
schools today, effective and knowledgeable board leadership is essential to
your productivity and performance as a team of ten.
Locations & Dates
Due to
inclement weather, some dates have been rescheduled. The updated schedule is
below.
Join A Movement that Supports our Schools & Communities
PA Schools Work website
Our students are in classrooms that are underfunded and overcrowded. Teachers are paying out of pocket and picking up the slack. And public education is suffering. Each child in Pennsylvania has a right to an excellent public education. Every child, regardless of zip code, deserves access to a full curriculum, art and music classes, technical opportunities and a safe, clean, stable environment. All children must be provided a level chance to succeed. PA Schools Work is fighting for equitable, adequate funding necessary to support educational excellence. Investing in public education excellence is the path to thriving communities, a stable economy and successful students.
http://paschoolswork.org/
Save the Date: PARSS Annual Conference May 1-3, 2019
Wyndham Garden Hotel, Mountainview Country Club
Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools
https://www.parss.org/Annual_Conference
PSBA Tweet March
12, 2019 Video Runtime: 6:40
In this installment of #VideoEDition, learn about legislation
introduced in the PA Senate & House of Representatives that would save millions
of dollars for school districts that make tuition payments for their students
to attend cyber charter schools.http://ow.ly/RyIM50n1uHi
PSBA Summaries of Senate Bill 34 and House Bill 526
PSBA Sample Board Resolution in Support of Statewide
Cyber Charter School Funding Reform
PSBA Sample Board Resolution in Support of Senate Bill 34
and House Bill 256
How much could your school district and taxpayers save if
there were statewide flat tuition rates of $5000 for regular ed students and
$8865 for special ed.? See the estimated savings by school district here.
Education Voters PA
Website February 14, 2019
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2019&sind=0&body=S&type=B&bn=34
Has your state
representative cosponsored HB526?
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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