Tuesday, October 15, 2019

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Oct. 15, 2019 Pa. needs a well-designed, well-funded special education funding formula


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.

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PA Ed Policy Roundup for Oct. 15, 2019



The Roundup may be intermittent this week due to the PSBA/PASA School Leadership Conference in Hershey. If you are in Hershey come say hello on Wednesday, Oct. 16th - I’ll be at the PSBA booth from 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. with the other PSBA Advocacy Ambassadors.  Find out how we can assist you with engaging your legislators, scheduling Show Them What it Takes school visits, and taking advantage of free statewide advertising to share positive news about public education via the Success Starts Here campaign.



Pa. needs a well-designed, well-funded special education funding formula
The state's share of funding has not kept pace with the growing need. Recurring annual increases in state aid of $100 million or more are needed.
The notebook by Reynelle Brown Staley Commentary October 14 — 11:10 am, 2019
Reynelle Brown Staley is policy director for the Education Law Center, a nonprofit, legal advocacy organization with offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, dedicated to ensuring access to a quality public education for all children in Pennsylvania.
The Special Education Funding Commission wrapped up a series of four public hearings to evaluate how special education money is distributed in Pennsylvania last week. The commission was originally established by Pennsylvania lawmakers in 2012 and came up with a formula that is sensitive to the special education needs and costs of various districts. In 2014, the commission’s formula was adopted as a method to distribute new state special education funding to school districts. Earlier this year, five years after the formula’s adoption, the commission was reconstituted to “determine if the formula and the factors used are meeting their intended goals.”Making sure that special education funding meets its intended goal of serving the needs of students with disabilities is a matter of critical concern to the Education Law Center (ELC). Fulfilling our mission of ensuring that all Pennsylvania’s children have access to quality public schools requires that the students with the greatest educational need receive the resources they need to succeed, regardless of the educational or societal advantage with which they enter school.

Education Law Center: Changes in special education expenditures and revenues for all 500 Pennsylvania districts are provided in the spreadsheet found at:

School Funding in Pennsylvania - A Community Meeting in Philly October 22nd
Hosted by Friends of H.A. Brown and Friends of Adaire Tues, Oct. 22, 2019 at 6:30 PM – 8 PM
Coral Street Arts House 2446 Coral St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19125
On Tuesday, October 22, come to @NKCDC's Coral St. Arts House to learn why Pa's school funding system is so broken, and hear about the lawsuit aimed at giving all kids the resources they need and deserve.

Asbestos that closed Philly high schools exposed deep rifts
WHYY Air Date: October 15, 2019  Listen 16:52
Listen to The Why wherever you get your podcasts:
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About 1,000 students are finally back in class this week after construction delays and the discovery of asbestos forced a building housing two Philadelphia high schools to close for more than three weeks. While officials scrambled to find a space for them, parents pushed back hard on the district’s proposals. WHYY education reporter Avi Wolfman-Arent explains why this fiasco exposed parents’ anxieties about the safety of Philly’s schools.

The Ben Franklin and SLA asbestos crisis is a symptom of a bigger disease | Opinion
Commentary by AJ Ernst, for the Inquirer Updated: October 14, 2019 - 1:56 PM
Don’t be fooled by the headlines. The city’s big education story right now is that almost 1,000 district students cannot go to school, thanks to construction delays and asbestos contamination in the Benjamin Franklin High School building where Science Leadership Academy students were also to matriculate this fall. The district’s failure to preempt this problem deserves attention. But this is not a one-off disaster. It reflects a much deeper issue facing our education system. This disruptive start to the school year illustrates the farce of the high school selection process, ironically branded “Find Your Fit.” Annually every eighth-grade student in Philadelphia can apply to a handful of prestigious Special Admission high schools and opt out of their designated neighborhood high school. To gain admission, students must demonstrate strong character and academic performance. Advertised as a system that rewards the hardest-working students, the selective admissions process is a civil rights violation hidden in plain sight.

Educators in Interboro make the case for pre-K education
Teachers, parents, students and education advocates praised Interboro's efforts to expand pre-K in the district. It started with 16 half-day students in 2017-18 and is now up to 51 full-day students in three classes.
PROSPECT PARK — Extending access to pre-kindergarten education access in Interboro School District was lauded by early-education advocates and state lawmakers Wednesday morning. Over 50 district students are enrolled in full day pre-K at the district’s Kindergarten Center in Prospect Park, up from 34 in the last school year and 16 half-day students in 2017-18. A state grant worth $446,240 helped to establish three full-time classes for the year which goes to pay for three teachers and three paraprofessionals. “We truly embrace pre-K and know and recognize the valuable role it plays in supporting our youngest students,” said Interboro Superintendent and former Kindergarten Academy Principal Bernadette Reiley. “I have always wanted to provide pre-K. With the help of Dr. Valerie Eckman, our curriculum director, and the support of the board we had a vision that if there was ever an opportunity to apply and bring pre-K to Interboro that is something we wanted to do.” A roundtable discussion about the benefits of the district’s program yielded feedback about student’s having better social and emotional development, comprehensive learning skills and, quite simply, being ready “to school” ahead of the full-day kindergarten program that follows.

California dreamin’: The state becomes the first in the nation to mandate later start times for middle and high schools. Here’s why.
Washington Post Answer Sheet By Valerie Strauss Oct. 14, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. EDT
California just became the first state to require most middle and high schools to start later in the morning, bringing them in line with research showing that teenagers benefit academically and in other ways. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation Sunday that would, over three years, phase in a change in start times so middle schools could not begin earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Some rural schools are exempt. The measure was not universally embraced, and Newsom’s predecessor, Jerry Brown (D), had vetoed similar legislation in 2018. Brown said local districts should set their own start times and noted that the California School Boards Association and the California Teachers Association, a large union, opposed it. Other critics opposed the measure for a number of reasons, including parents being unable to adjust work schedules, the consequences for after-school activities and some students still needing to get up very early to get to school by 8:30 a.m.

On the Table: We Count in Delco 2020! Thursday, October 17 @ 1:00 PM
Delaware County Intermediate Unit (DCIU) 200 Yale Avenue Morton, PA 19070
On The Table, Greater Philly, is a one-day event on October 17, when communities all over the region are having conversations about important local issues.   Along with our local sponsor, The Community Foundation for Delaware County, we invite community leaders and partners for lunch and conversation on the 2020 census right here in Delaware County.   We want to make sure everyone gets counted.  Please help us find and connect with underrepresented communities and brainstorm ideas on how we can facilitate access and completion. We know there are other local events happening this week.  We’re working with Congresswoman Scanlon and the Delco Counts Committee to make sure we accommodate schedules and get a complete count. 
Registration Link (space is limited):  https://www.senatorkearney.com/event/census-roundtable/  

Career, Trades & Labor Apprenticeship Fair Saturday • October 26, 10 a.m.– 2 p.m.
Delaware County Intermediate Unit (DCIU) Marple Education Center • 85 N. Malin Road • Broomall, PA
Sponsors: Senator Kearney’s Office, Delco AFL-CIO and DCIU
This event will be open to students from grades 8 – 12, along with their parents and guardians. We are also inviting school administrators and teachers, local businesses and trades, and all community stakeholders who are interested in preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s opportunities. The 26th Senate District has a wide range of career, technical, and labor apprenticeship training programs for young people seeking careers in growing fields where they can earn living wages and, in some cases, even Associate degrees during their training. We hope to connect students with these opportunities and to build new relationships between everyone invested in our young people’s educational and career paths. Please RSVP no later than October 25, 2019. You can RSVP online at https://www.senatorkearney.com/apprenticeship-fair/  or by contacting Gina Curry, my Constituent Relations Associate, at Gina.Curry@pasenate.com or 610-352-3409 (ext. 222). We look forward to seeing you at the fair!

Experience an evening of high-energy, top-quality public school student performances! Join us for the 2019 Student Showcase, October 17 from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. in the Chocolate Ballroom at the Hershey Lodge & Convention Center.
PSBA Website
Congratulations to those selected to perform at this year’s Showcase:
Master of Ceremonies: Sofia Mains, Cumberland Valley SD
Easton Area Middle School Jazz Band, Easton Area SD
The Dr. Kistler Handbell Choir, Wilkes-Barre SD
Washington High School Steel Drum Band, Washington SD
New Hope-Solebury High School Chamber Strings, New Hope-Solebury SD
Cheltenham Twp. High School Choir, Cheltenham Twp. SD
Eisenhower Select Musicians, Norristown Area SD
The Meistersingers, Southern Lehigh SD
Canon-McMillan High School Jazz Band, Canon-McMillan SD
Student Showcase Artistic Director: Sal Scinto, Radnor Township SD band director and Haverford Twp. SD school director

Know Your Facts on Funding and Charter Performance. Then Call for Charter Change!
PSBA PA Charter Change Website September 2019

Register now for PSBA’s Sleep & Student Performance Webcast OCT 31, 2019 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 IN PSBA NEWS
Our students face many issues today, but who would have imagined sleep deprivation could be a significant issue? The Joint State Government Commission established an advisory committee to study the issues, benefits and options related to school districts instituting later start times in secondary schools. Register now to hear from the executive director of the Commission, Glenn Pasewicz, commission staff and David Hutchinson, PSBA’s appointee to the commission, on the results of their study and work.

According to state law, all school directors must complete training. How many hours are required if you are a new school director? What about if you’re re-elected? Get the answers to these and other related questions in this episode of PSBA’s #VideoEDition

Information about the education sessions for the 2019 @PasaSupts @PSBA School Leadership Conference are now live on our website! We hope to see you there! #PASLC2019

Adolescent Health and School Start Times:  Science, Strategies, Tactics, & Logistics  Workshop Nov 13, Exton
Join school administrators and staff, including superintendents, transportation directors, principals, athletic directors, teachers, counselors, nurses, and school board members, parents, guardians, health professionals and other concerned community members for an interactive and solutions-oriented workshop on  Wednesday, November 13, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm 
Clarion Hotel in Exton, PA
The science is clear. Many middle and high school days in Pennsylvania, and across the nation, start too early in the morning. The American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, and many other major health and education leaders agree and have issued policy statements recommending that secondary schools start no earlier than 8:30 am to allow for sleep, health, and learning. Implementing these recommendations, however, can seem daunting.  Discussions will include the science of sleep and its connection to school start times, as well as proven strategies for successfully making change--how to generate optimum community support and work through implementation challenges such as bus routes, athletics, and more.   Register for the workshop here: 
https://ssl-workshop-pa.eventbrite.com Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are able to offer early bird registration for $25, which includes a box-lunch and coffee service. Seating is limited and early bird registration ends on Friday, September 13.
For more information visit the workshop website 
www.startschoollater.net/workshop---pa  or email contact@startschoollater.net

WHERE: Hershey Lodge and Convention Center 325 University Drive, Hershey, PA
WHEN: Wednesday, October 16 to Friday, October 18, 201
Registration is now open!
Growth from knowledge acquired. Vision inspired by innovation. Impact created by a synergized leadership community. You are called upon to be the drivers of a thriving public education system. It’s a complex and challenging role. Expand your skillset and give yourself the tools needed for the challenge. Packed into two and a half daysꟷꟷgain access to top-notch education and insights, dynamic speakers, peer learning opportunities and the latest product and service innovations. Come to the PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference to grow!

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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