Wednesday, November 13, 2019

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Nov. 13, 2019 Charter petition potentially could “hollow out” Chester Upland’s elementary and middle schools


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PA Ed Policy Roundup for Nov. 13, 2019



Charter News: A petition was filed on November 5th in Delaware County Common Pleas Court ordering the Chester Upland School District and the Pennsylvania Department of Education to issue a Request for Proposal for Charter School Educational Services for the school district’s remaining Pre-K through 8th grade student population and for the operation of the facilities for the buildings.

The petition was filed by the Chester Community Charter School, which is under management contract to CSMI, Inc. owned by GOP mega-donor Vahan Gureghian.



“Pressing Barsz Thursday on the rationale for the Chester Community Charter renewal, Flandreau asked whether the school could expand its K-8 enrollment under the agreement and "essentially, over the next nine years, hollow out" the district's elementary and middle schools.
"I suppose so," Barsz said. He acknowledged that another entity could seek to open a charter high school.”
Reprise April, 2018: Judge, state question quick renewal for Chester charter school
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Posted: April 20, 2018
The Pennsylvania Department of Education is questioning the Chester Upland School District's decision to renew its operating agreement with the state's largest brick-and-mortar charter school through 2026 while the school was just one year into its current five-year term. "If charters are going to be renewed right out of the chute, … they've already been approved before they've even performed," said James Flandreau, a lawyer for the department, at hearings this week ordered by a Delaware County Court judge. "Certainly, one year is way too early to evaluate any charter's performance." Kevin Kent, a lawyer for Chester Community Charter School, said the court-appointed receiver and school district could reevaluate the charter school at any point. "Nothing's been compromised," he said. Peter Barsz, the receiver for the financially distressed district, testified on Thursday that he had reviewed audits and school performance records and had support from the district's school board before approving the renewal request last year that allowed the charter school to operate through 2026. In exchange, the charter school agreed to forgo already-approved plans to add a high school. If the K-8 school —  enrolling more students than Chester Upland's district schools — opened a high school, it would "decimate" the district, Barsz said Thursday.

Supreme Court lets Sandy Hook shooting lawsuit go forward
Penn Live By The Associated Press Posted Nov 12, 2019
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Tuesday that a survivor and relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting can pursue their lawsuit against the maker of the rifle used to kill 26 people. The justices rejected an appeal from Remington Arms that argued it should be shielded by a 2005 federal law preventing most lawsuits against firearms manufacturers when their products are used in crimes. The case is being watched by gun control advocates, gun rights supporters and gun manufacturers across the country, as it has the potential to provide a roadmap for victims of other mass shootings to circumvent the federal law and sue the makers of firearm.

Retired military leaders say Pa. schools need more money
PA Post by Ed Mahon NOVEMBER 12, 2019 | 12:01 PM UPDATED: NOVEMBER 12, 2019 | 2:04 PM
A group of retired military leaders says too many young Pennsylvanians don’t meet standard eligibility requirements for serving in the armed forces, and the country’s “thriving economy” makes the recruiting challenge even more difficult. “Gaps in workforce readiness threaten our country’s future economic success and national security,” the group, Mission: Readiness, asserts in a new report released Tuesday. The group’s proposed solutions include more funding for schools, high-quality care for infants and toddlers, and for pre-K programs. Stressed in the report is the need to do more to level the funding gaps between Pennsylvania’s richest and poorest school districts. “Pennsylvania is home to the widest per-pupil spending gap in the nation between wealthy and poor school districts,” the report notes. “This gap has a very real impact on students. Pennsylvania’s wealthiest districts spend 33.5 percent more than its poorest school districts, a gap significantly higher than the national average of 15.6 percent.” Mission: Readiness is part of the Council for a Strong America, a group of law enforcement, retired military, business, faith and sports leader who advocate on children’s issues.

“With cyber charters, the differences are easy to spot. Some of the expenses that a cyber charter does not incur are transportation, food service and the many costs that go with operating a physical structure (utilities, upgrades, cleaning and maintenance, etc.). It’s insulting to the hardworking PA taxpayer that a cyber charter receives the same amount of funding despite not having these overhead costs.”
Op/Ed: Charter school funding same as public schools
Chadds Ford Live Posted by Lisa Lightner, Parent Advisory Committee for Education Voters Pa
on November 12th, 2019
Pennsylvania is overdue when it comes to reforming charter school laws. Parents and taxpayers are weary of the untruths that are often purported to prevent any type of charter reform. It’s also worth noting that proponents of charter reform are quickly and often accused of “trying to shut down charters” which is untrue. Advocating for transparency and fiscal responsibility does not equal elimination. One of the frequent deceptions out there is the “But charter schools get less funding” than traditional public schools argument. The figures I have seen argued vary from $0.68 to $0.91 for every $1 that traditional schools get. But one only needs to do a little bit of digging to realize that this isn’t accurate. Comparing flat dollar amounts is not apples to apples. The fact is when determining the per-pupil spending to pay a charter school, charters A) are not given money for services that they do not provide; and B) are not permitted to double dip from the funding sources which they receive directly. It’s not complicated.

Peduto says Pittsburgh Public Schools should go under state oversight
Denies school suggestion to re-divert wage tax percentage back to district
ASHLEY MURRAY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette amurray@post-gazette.com NOV 12, 2019 6:29 PM
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto suggested Tuesday that the Pittsburgh Public Schools district should go under state financial oversight. The district disagrees. During a question-and-answer session Tuesday after Mr. Peduto’s annual budget address, the mayor said he would work with PPS on its finances only “if the school is open to that, [to] Act 47 for the school district, where the state will come in, open up all the books and let the people of Pittsburgh see where the spending is happening.” The debate sparked as the district is seeking additional revenue, and a school finance official last week told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the district was open to discussions about reclaiming tax revenue that was redirected to the city more than a decade ago.

Some Pittsburgh schools make progress despite chronic problems, A+ Schools reports
Public Source by  Mary Niederberger  | November 11, 2019
The issues facing Pittsburgh Public Schools — chronic absenteeism, racial achievement gaps, underrepresentation of Black students in gifted programs and significant overrepresentation of Black students among those suspended — aren’t new. And while those trends are outlined in the statistics of A+ Schools 125-page report to the community released Monday morning, the major focus of Executive Director James Fogarty’s presentation was on schools that are making progress in reversing the negative trends.  “I could stand here year after year and tell you that Pittsburgh Public Schools fails to educate Black children,” Fogarty said after his presentation at the Kaufmann Center in the Hill District. “But instead we wanted to show examples of schools that are turning things around.”  Among those schools are Pittsburgh Schiller 6-8, which saw a 36% chronic absenteeism rate in the 2012-2013 school year reduced to 3% in the 2018-19 school year. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% (or 18 days) or more of the school year. 

Harrisburg schools not broke, but financial situation is dire
Harrisburg School District's new leadership team presented an updated 2019-20 budget to members of the public Tuesday evening.
Penn Live By Sean Sauro | ssauro@pennlive.com Updated Nov 12, 2019;Posted Nov 12, 2019
Harrisburg School District is not broke. In fact, there are even a few million dollars in its reserve account. Still, there isn’t much room for error, the district’s new administration announced at a Tuesday evening budget presentation, laying blame on its predecessors for gross mismanagement, shoddy accounting and the seemingly reckless approval of contracts. It’s mismanagement that they said put the district in a dire financial position while costing it millions in federal funding. “I guess it’s better than what we anticipated,” Acting Superintendent John George said. That was the message from George and his team Tuesday night when they presented a revised 2019-20 budget, which has been drafted in the four and a half months since they were appointed. Their appointment came after a court-ordered state takeover of the district that had been petitioned for by state Education Secretary Pedro Rivera amid years of financial and academic underperformance. It was a message that came with a plan for how to improve district finances in the future as well as the creation of a system that will allow members of the community to report suspected fraud.

How one Philly school is working to create well-rounded students
PA Capital Star By Chanel Hill  Special to the Capital-Star November 13, 2019
PHILADELPHIA — There is a lot of positive energy going around the Penrose School in Southwest Philadelphia. There is innovative teaching, a gardening program, community partnerships, and numerous programming based around students’ interests — all helping to complement a rigorous academic programming for nearly 545 students. “Penrose is a good school,” said eighth-grader Pamela Godoga. “There are a lot of different things to do here and the teachers are really supportive.” Located at 2515 S. 77th St., the K-8 school’s vision is to provide students with opportunities to achieve their highest individual potential, both academically and socially, in preparation for life beyond high school. “In order to further engage our middle school students, we’re starting to implement an elective program where two days a week the students get to choose a class of their interest,” said principal Carol Casciato. “We gave them five choices which include art, piano, school finance, which is through the school store, STEM, and an aviation program. “We really want to bring in as much real world stuff as possible and get them to experience as much as possible. Our goal has been to really expose our students to opportunities that they won’t always have access to. There is so much opportunity out there, especially in Philadelphia.

Lincoln submits charter renewal application, wants to add middle school grades
Lindsay C VanAsdalan, York Dispatch Published 10:25 a.m. ET Nov. 11, 2019 | Updated 3:29 p.m. ET Nov. 12, 2019
Ten thick binders — consolidated from the 11 sent to York City School District on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019 — represent Lincoln Charter School's 4,276-page renewal application. If granted, the renewal would add another five years to the charter's operations, and expand grades to include middle school.
Lincoln Charter School is asking the York City School District to renew its charter for another five years and allow it to add middle school grades. The school submitted a 4,276-page renewal document, which filled 11 binders, to the district Oct. 31. The administration plans to review the document over 45 to 75 days before making a recommendation to the board during a public hearing, according to a district statement. York City Superintendent Andrea Berry said she was not at liberty to speak more about the renewal. Multiple attempts to reach district board members were not returned before deadline. “I cannot comment on that right now,” said member Tanoue Sweeney, the only member to be reached by phone. If granted, this would be the fourth renewal for Lincoln, which first applied to be a charter 20 years ago. The school has an enrollment of 675 students in kindergarten through fifth grade and is looking to add grades sixth through eighth.

South Western: Districts not responsible for charter fee
Lindsay C VanAsdalan, York Dispatch Published 10:11 a.m. ET Nov. 11, 2019 | Updated 12:29 p.m. ET Nov. 12, 2019
South Western School District will not be paying tuition directly to charter schools — continuing a common practice among districts of redirecting payments through the state. "They get paid," said the district's business manager, Jeffrey Mummert. "The money gets taken out of our account from (the state Department of Education), so they’re being made whole — it’s just we haven’t paid it directly to them." At a Wednesday, Nov. 6, board meeting, Mummert recommended the board make no changes to its process of rerouting monthly payments through the state, despite requests to do so from some charters. More than 150 districts across the state don't pay direct tuition monthly, according to charter advocacy group Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools. Northern York County, South Western, South Eastern and York City school districts were among districts that made no monthly payments to some charters in the 2018-19 school year — though York City did pay its brick and mortar charters directly. While not illegal, the practice does create an inconvenience for charters, opponents have said — and that became more of a concern recently after Gov. Tom Wolf required they pay a $15 fee each time funds are redirected.

NJ Education Law Center Back in Court Seeking Money for New Abbott Schools
NJ Spotlight by JOHN MOONEY | NOVEMBER 13, 2019 | EDUCATION
It’s the first court action since 2017 for the group, which has a 40-year history of pressing a school-equity agenda
After a hiatus of a couple of years, plaintiffs in New Jersey’s landmark Abbott v. Burke school-equity case are back with a familiar request to the court: Order the state to provide adequate school buildings to its poorest districts. But after Trenton’s own pause over school construction, the question now will be whether it has much changed in its willingness — and financial capacity — to address the needs. The Education Law Center, which has led the Abbott litigation for more than 40 years, announced Tuesday it had filed a challenge in state Supreme Court contending Trenton had failed to live up to its promises under previous Abbott rulings to provide adequate school buildings and facilities to 31 needy districts. It was the first action under Abbott since 2017 when then-Gov. Chris Christie unsuccessfully asked the court to throw out the state’s funding formula. Before that, the court last ruled in 2010 against Christie and the Legislature for cutting aid to the districts designated by the rulings, including Newark, Paterson, Jersey City and Camden. Five hundred million dollars was restored.

Another school district sues leading e-cigarette maker Juul
AP November 12, 2019
AVA, Mo. (AP) — Another school district is suing leading e-cigarette maker Juul, claiming that its devices create “enormous distractions for students.” The Springfield News-Leader reports that the Ava R-1 School District in southwest Missouri filed an 80-page lawsuit on Oct. 31 in federal court. The suit claims that the company marketed its products to teenagers and got a new generation of young people addicted to nicotine. Ava Superintendent Jason Dial says the district has rolled out a comprehensive prevention plan to stem the rise in e-cigarette among students. Several other school districts also are suing, including the Francis Howell School District in suburban St. Louis and several in the Kansas City area. Juul has said it doesn’t market to youth and its products are meant to be an alternative to smoking.
Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com

Robots Take Over PA Capitol as Students Showcase STEM Skills
Students from rural counties across the state met in Harrisburg today to show off their skills in robotics and technology.
Erie News Now Tuesday, November 12th 2019, 4:54 PM EST by Cody Carlson
Students from rural counties across the state met in Harrisburg today to show off their skills in robotics and technology. Governor Tom Wolf was there to see their hard work pay off.  Governor Wolf’s PA Smart Initiative awarded a $299,000 grant to the PA Rural Robotics Initiative. He says this money is investing in students, setting them up for success in the future with STEM skills. “You’re going to need these skills to do a good job, take a good job, have a good career. Pennsylvania needs you to take these good jobs and we need you to have these skills, so thank you for doing this,” Governor Wolf says. More than 50 students participating in the PA Rural Robotics Initiative showed off their projects to Governor Wolf Tuesday. These projects displayed the students’ skills in coding, robotics, and drone technology. The PA Smart Initiative invests millions of dollars into STEM Education to prepare students for the 21st century workforce.

Governor Wolf and Rural Students Celebrate PAsmart Success for Science and Technology Education
Governor Wolf’s website November 12, 2019
Harrisburg, PA – Celebrating the success of the PAsmart workforce development program to create educational opportunities at schools across the commonwealth, Governor Tom Wolf welcomed more than 50 students from the Pennsylvania Rural Robotics Initiative to the Capitol today. The students from nine western Pennsylvania school districts showcased their skills in coding, robotics and drone technology. The Wolf administration awarded the initiative a $299,000 PAsmart Advancing Grant earlier this year. “I launched PAsmart as a new way to invest in science and technology education, so students have the knowledge and skills to compete for in-demand, good-paying jobs,” said Governor Wolf. “The Pennsylvania Rural Robotics Initiative shows that whether a student lives in a tech hub like Pittsburgh or a rural town, they can learn about coding and robotics. Programs like this are investing in their future and signaling to businesses that Pennsylvania is ready with the talented workers they need.” Joining the governor at the Capitol from the Pennsylvania Rural Robotics Initiative were students from Cranberry Area School District, Clarion Area School District, Brookville Area School District, Valley Grove Area School District, Forest Area School District, Redbank Valley School District, DuBois Area School District, Franklin Area School District, Riverview Intermediate Unit 6 and the Venango Technology Center.

Impeachment as education: How Philly-area teachers, students are handling the hearings
Inquirer by Ellie SilvermanMaddie Hanna and Kristen A. Graham, Updated: November 13, 2019- 5:05 AM
Mr. Oberfield wrote the names of the major players on a chalkboard:
“Trump - President”
 “J. Biden - ex V.P. [and] candidate”
“H. Biden - son”
“Zelensky - Pres. of Ukraine”
“And Sondland,” Josh Oberfield said to his 12th-grade Advanced Placement Government and Politics class at William Penn Charter School. “Who is he?”  “He is the United States ambassador to the European Union,” a student at the Quaker school in Philadelphia answered. Oberfield told his students Tuesday that they would be diving into the weeds of the House impeachment inquiry. As the first public hearings start Wednesday, he wanted students to understand the historic moment about to play out in front of them. A whistle-blower has alleged that President Donald Trump pressured Ukrainian leaders to investigate former vice president and 2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter, spurring the impeachment inquiry. The rapidly unfolding events have presented challenges for classrooms trying to teach and process the news — from students grappling with gaps in their still-developing understanding of politics and foreign affairs (like why the U.S. provides military aid to Ukraine in the first place) to teachers fielding questions without injecting opinion and steering students toward credible sources.

Impeachment hearings: Start time, witnesses, how to watch and stream
Inquirer by Rob Tornoe, Updated: November 13, 2019- 5:10 AM
The impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump will go live in front of the cameras Wednesday morning, with the first public hearing in the House Intelligence Committee scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. At issue is whether Trump abused the power of his office by holding back security assistance in an attempt to pressure Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to announce an investigation involving Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. Testifying Wednesday are two witnesses who have already shed light about the Trump administration’s dealings with Ukraine — top U.S. diplomat to Ukraine William Taylor and deputy assistant secretary of state George Kent. Former Ukranian ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, who was ousted from her post following a campaign led by former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, is scheduled to testify Friday. Unlike previous committee hearings that have aired on television, rules approved by the Democratic-run House of Representatives will allow Democrats and Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee to conduct multiple rounds of questioning, alternating sides every 45 minutes. The public hearings will be hard to miss, as most broadcast networks will preempt their normal programming to cover the hearings Wednesday and Friday. In Philadelphia, 6ABC, NBC10, CBS3, and WHYY-TV will all carry full network coverage of the hearings, while Fox29 plans to only carry the opening statements live. All of the major cable news networks, including CNN, CSPAN, Fox News, and MSNBC, will also provide live coverage.
You can also follow along live here, courtesy of PBS:

Kamala Harris wants to align the school day to parents’ work schedule. Does it do more harm or good? | Pro/Con
Inquirer Staff Reports Updated: November 12, 2019 - 3:16 PM
Last week, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris introduced her Family Friendly Schools Act, which moves to create after-school and summer programming to align the workday with the school day to help working families. Billed by some critics as a 10-hour school day, Harris’ plan would award five-year grants of up to $5 million in 500 elementary schools nationwide with a large share of low-income students. The Family Friendly Schools Act has been controversial, with some applauding Harris’ for her efforts to help improve the lives of working parents, while others wonder about resources for both students and teachers. The Inquirer turned to two local teachers, who are also parents, to debate the pros and cons of this proposed plan.

“Ten states and Puerto Rico saw the percentage of children living in concentrated poverty increase: Alaska, Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.”
Percentage of Kids in Concentrated Poverty Worsens in 10 States and Puerto Rico
POSTED SEPTEMBER 24, 2019, BY THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION
The Annie E. Casey Foundation today released “Children Living in High-Poverty, Low-Opportunity Neighborhoods,” a KIDS COUNT® data snapshot that examines where concentrated poverty has worsened across the country despite a long period of national economic expansion. The report, which analyzes the latest U.S. Census data available, finds that between 2008–2012 and 2013–2017, 10 states and Puerto Rico saw increases in the percentage of children living in concentrated poverty. By contrast, 29 states and the District of Columbia saw decreases in the share of children in concentrated poverty, and 11 states experienced no change. Growing up in a community of concentrated poverty — that is, a neighborhood where 30 percent or more of the population is living in poverty — is one of the greatest risks to child development. Alarmingly, more than 8.5 million children live in these settings. That’s nearly 12 percent of all children in the United States.


PSBA New and Advanced School Director Training in Dec & Jan
Do you want high-impact, engaging training that newly elected and reseated school directors can attend to be certified in new and advanced required training? PSBA has been supporting new school directors for more than 50 years by enlisting statewide experts in school law, finance and governance to deliver a one-day foundational training. This year, we are adding a parallel track of sessions for those who need advanced school director training to meet their compliance requirements. These sessions will be delivered by the same experts but with advanced content. Look for a compact evening training or a longer Saturday session at a location near you. All sites will include one hour of trauma-informed training required by Act 18 of 2019. Weekend sites will include an extra hour for a legislative update from PSBA’s government affairs team.
New School Director Training
Week Nights: Registration opens 3:00 p.m., program starts 3:30 p.m. -9:00 p.m., dinner with break included
Saturdays: Registration opens at 8:00 a.m., program starts at 9:00 a.m. -3:30 p.m., lunch with break included
Advanced School Director Training
Week Nights: Registration with dinner provided opens at 4:30 p.m., program starts 5:30 p.m. -9:00 p.m.
Saturdays: Registration opens at 10:00 a.m., program starts at 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., lunch with break included
Locations and dates

UPDATE:  Second Workshop Added Thursday, November 14, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm: Adolescent Health and School Start Times:  Science, Strategies, Tactics, & Logistics Workshop in Exton, PA
The first workshop on November 13 sold out in less than 4 weeks.  Thanks to recent additional sponsorships, there will be a second workshop held on Thursday, November 14. Register HERE.
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 a second interactive and solutions-oriented workshop on Thursday, November 14, 2019 9:30 am to 3:00 pm  Clarion Hotel in Exton, PA. The science is clear. Many middle and high schools 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.   
For more information visit the workshop website www.startschoollater.net/workshop---pa  or email contact@startschoollater.net

Congress, Courts, and a National Election: 50 Million Children’s Futures Are at Stake. Be their champion at the 2020 Advocacy Institute.
NSBA Advocacy Institute Feb. 2-4, 2020 Marriot Marquis, Washington, D.C.
Join school leaders from across the country on Capitol Hill, Feb. 2-4, 2020 to influence the legislative agenda & shape decisions that impact public schools. Check out the schedule & more at https://nsba.org/Events/Advocacy-Institute

Register now for Network for Public Education Action National Conference in Philadelphia March 28-29, 2020
Registration, hotel information, keynote speakers and panels:

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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