Thursday, December 12, 2019

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Dec. 12, 2019 “access to a few lifeboats rather than repairing the ship”


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 Dec. 12, 2019:


“Here’s what happened: Lawmakers unconscionably increased their own pension benefits by an astounding 50% in 2001, while raising those of state and public school employees by 25%. To not jilt an important political constituency, lawmakers authorized increases the following year for already-retired state and public school employees. At the same time, having convinced themselves that investment revenue alone would cover the increases, the Legislature did not make the state government’s contributions and advised school districts to do likewise. When markets sharply declined several times over the next decade — exploding the legislators’ false premise and driving the plans deeply into debt — lawmakers passed on the cost of their blunder to taxpayers rather than correct the “unfunded benefit enhancements” described by PSERS.
Legislators since have tinkered with the plans and seem to believe that they done well by having school district contribution rates set at more than a third of payroll.
The burden they created will be relentless absent much deeper reform, for which there is zero movement in the Legislature.”
New PSERS rate not a cause for celebration
Citizens Voice by THE EDITORIAL BOARD / PUBLISHED: DECEMBER 12, 2019
According to the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System, there is good news regarding the amount that employers — that is, taxpayers through their local school districts — will have to pay into the system during the 2020-2021 fiscal year, beginning July 1. The rate will increase from this year’s 34.29% to 34.51% of each district’s payroll. That school districts have to pay the equivalent of more than a third of their payrolls to cover pension costs is a principal reason for hundreds of school districts regularly raising property taxes without improving services. But, according to PSERS, the latest increase is good news because it “... It compares favorably to the previously projected rate of 34.77%,” PSERS said in a statement, and “this is the third year in a row (the) PSERS employer contribution rate is less than previously projected ....”
Rather than a cause for celebration, the new rate simply points to terrible governance. As PSERS noted, 78% of the taxpayers’ contribution rate is to cover pension debt — debt that was created by the Legislature itself and which the Legislature declines to correct because doing so would affect lawmakers’ own benefits. PSERS was candid, in a bureaucratic way, about what caused the debt: “The debt was caused by years of suppressed employer contributions, unfunded benefit enhancements and market downturns,” its statement said.

 “Last year, Iverson said, Wilkinsburg spent approximately 20 percent of its $30 million budget on charter school funding. The district paid charter schools $12,879 for each regular-education student and $40,226 for each special-education student.  But, Iverson said, "the kicker" is that Wilkinsburg uses many of the same providers and curriculums for services as the charter schools do --- yet it pays "a fraction of the cost" that the charters charge Wilkinsburg. Penn Hills spends $3,650 for regular-education students and $32,096 for special-education students to attend charter schools, totaling $15 million annually for charter school tuition and an additional $8 million in transportation costs, according to district Superintendent Nancy Hines.
The charters provide no explanation on why students who have a “speech-only” impairment need the same level of assistance as a student with physical mobility challenges, she said, but the district is charged the same rate, regardless.
"You cannot tell me that the speech-only disability requires that level of programming," Hines said. "What are they doing with the extra money?”
Penn Hills is one of six school districts in Pennsylvania in “financial recovery” status, along with Duquesne, Chester-Upland, Harrisburg City, Scranton and York City.”
Mon-Yough School Districts Say 'We All Face Similar Challenges'
Poverty, hunger are major distractions for many students
By Richard Finch Jr. The Tube City Almanac December 11, 2019
School superintendents who attended a press conference in McKeesport on Thursday said most urban school districts in the Mon-Yough area --- and across the country --- face similar challenges created by poverty. In the Wilkinsburg School District, about 99 percent of approximately 1,000 students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, said Linda J. Iverson, superintendent. Some of them are coming from generations of poverty and "fragmented" home environments, she said. “It's not just that they're coming in from trauma-informed instances," she said. "They may not have had food or sleep the night before, or they may not have clothes.” Emotional or physical outbursts draw attention away from education for teachers and staff members, as well as for fellow students, she said. Besides the human and demographic pressures, there are financial challenges as well, said Mark Holtzman Jr., McKeesport Area superintendent. "We continue to fight rising education costs, relatively flat funding and rising pension costs," he said.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, there are currently five school districts in “financial watch” status because they face severe financial difficulties. They are all in small cities or urbanized boroughs --- Aliquppa, Erie City, Reading, Steelton-Highspire and Wilkinsburg.

Public charter schools’ survival is vital to Pennsylvania families
Penn Live Opinion By Ana Meyers Posted Dec 10, 2019
Ana Meyers is the executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools.
For more than two decades in Pennsylvania, parents have had some ability to decide where, when and how their children will receive their public school education. Currently, the families of 143,000 of these students have decided that their child’s best choice for a quality, safe and engaging education is a public charter school. And thousands more, including more than 30,000 kids in Philadelphia, are on waiting lists for the opportunity to attend charter schools in Pennsylvania. Those numbers alone should tell policymakers that public charter schools are a vital educational option for our kids. Yet every year, lawmakers, bureaucrats and special interest groups take aim at public charter schools and seek to impose destructive, crippling measures that would devastate thousands of their constituents. This year, Gov. Wolf has stepped up the anti-charter rhetoric, calling for measures that would reduce funding to charter schools, limit their enrollment and make it easier to close charter schools.

“It’s a classic charter (and voucher) argument that manages to paint the policy as having only the best interests of the poor at heart, even as it promotes inequality by offering access to a few lifeboats rather than repairing the ship.”
How Media Turn Support for Public Schools Into Opposition to Children of Color
Fair.org by JULIE HOLLAR DECEMBER 7, 2019
Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and other Democratic presidential candidates are rejecting the Obama administration’s embrace of charter schools, and media observers aren’t taking kindly to it. “Minority Voters Chafe as Democratic Candidates Abandon Charter Schools,” blared a recent New York Times headline (11/26/19). “The front-runners for the presidential nomination are moving away from the charter school movement, and black and Latino families ask why their concerns are lost,” read the subhead. The “minority voters” who the New York Times (11/26/19) claims “chafe” at Democratic candidates’ criticism of charter schools do not include the NAACP or Black Lives Matter, both of which call for a moratorium on new charters. The article itself was slightly more nuanced, reporting that the shift away from charters has left “some black and Latino families feeling betrayed”; buried deep within, the reporters note that “there is no consensus on charter schools among families of color.” (Black and Latino voters support charter schools at higher rates than do whites, but less than 50% view them positively; the NAACP and Black Lives Matter have called for a moratorium on new charter schools.) But the article also relied heavily on uncontested quotes from charter school founders and leaders, who accuse Democrats who would stop funding new charters of having “a lack of respect for black voters in the party” and “writing off years, if not generations, of kids.”

Failed charter schools cost federal government almost $505M in nine years: report
The Hill BY JUSTINE COLEMAN - 12/09/19 09:22 PM EST 1,059
Charter schools that never opened or that have opened then closed between 2006 and 2014 have cost the federal government almost $505 million, according to a recent report. The Network for Public Education, an advocacy group, released a report Friday that found more than 35 percent of charter schools never opened or ended up closing down in that time frame, The Washington Post reported. Those schools received more than a half of $1 billion, or 28 percent, of the funding from the federal Charter School Program (CSP).  Through analysis of almost 5,000 schools, researchers found almost 540 schools never opened between 2006 and 2014 but were funded $45.5 million, the report said. Michigan, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s home state, had the most charter schools that never opened at 72. The Hill reached out to the Education Department for comment. The department did not respond to the Post’s request for comment about the report.  Casandra Ulbrich, the president of the Michigan State Board of Education, told the Post she thought the report was “extremely troubling.” “It raises some very legitimate questions about a federal grant program that seems to have been operating for years and years with little oversight and very little accountability,” she said.

Most Philly charter schools failed to test water for lead –– and city gave them a pass
WHYY By Ryan Briggs Avi Wolfman-Arent December 11, 2019
Two years after Philadelphia officials pledged to crack down on lead in drinking water at school buildings, most city charter schools still haven’t tested for the dangerous neurotoxin. The lapse was not caught until now because the city agencies tasked with oversight have failed to enforce Philadelphia’s post-Flint-crisis water quality standards. The rules are simple: City Council passed legislation in 2017 requiring all Philly public schools to test for lead once every five years and post results online for review. The School District of Philadelphia has complied with this law. But a PlanPhilly/Keystone Crossroads investigation found that 45 out of 64 charter schools required to conduct independent lead tests ignored these requirements. Several school administrators contacted for this story seemed shocked to hear about the law. “What lead tests?” asked Edward Poznek, CEO of the Christopher Columbus Charter School. “I don’t know anything about it.”

Suburban school director calls Bethlehem superintendent’s comments on race, poverty and charter schools a ‘new low’
By JACQUELINE PALOCHKO THE MORNING CALL | DEC 11, 2019 | 5:55 PM
The Saucon Valley School Board President is calling for Bethlehem Area Superintendent Joseph Roy to resign over recent comments that some parents in urban districts choose charter schools so their children won’t have to attend school with poor children or minorities. At Saucon Valley’s meeting Tuesday night, President Shamim Pakzad said Roy’s comments at a news conference last week regarding charter schools was a “new low.” Pakzad did not name Roy, but he read aloud what Roy had said before offering his own opinion. “These people ought to apologize and immediately step down from their leadership positions,” Pakzad said. “They just don’t belong there anymore. What they said was ugly, divisive and outside of the boundaries of human decency.” At a news conference last week at Bethlehem’s Northeast Middle School about charter school law reform, Roy was asked why parents choose to send their children to charter schools. More than 2,000 students from the Bethlehem Area School District attend charter schools, costing the district about $30 million a year. Roy listed a number of reasons why parents choose charters such as bus transportation, longer school days, specific academic programs and required uniforms. He then mentioned race as an issue too.  “The honest fact is, not all, but some parents send their kids from urban districts to charters to avoid having their kids be with kids coming from poverty or kids with skin that doesn’t look like theirs,” Roy said last week. “That’s a fact.”

A Philly charter school bought this church building, and now it faces a preservation battle
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Updated: December 11, 2019- 5:21 PM
The church at 63rd and Callowhill Streets in West Philadelphia sits empty, its stone facade rising above a row of houses and small businesses. Boys’ Latin Charter School owns the former Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church and sees it as a future gymnasium and performing arts space for its middle-school students, who currently play in a parking lot. To historian Celeste Morello, it’s an architecturally distinctive piece of Philadelphia’s past worth preserving. “I see this building and its function in the community and what it serves visually," she said. "It tells a story.”  Morello’s vision — designation of the church on the city’s Register of Historic Places — is opposed by Boys’ Latin, which wants to renovate the building without having to adhere to standards for historic structures. The Philadelphia Historical Commission is scheduled to consider the matter Friday. If it designates the building as historic, Boys’ Latin says its proposed renovation costs could grow, from $3.5 million to $7.5 million. School leaders say that would be prohibitively expensive.

This is the time to rightsize, but will we be able to agree on what is “right?”
The important CSPR process come at a time when the District needs to regain public confidence.
The notebook Commentary by Debra Weiner December 11 — 2:35 pm, 2019
The Comprehensive School Planning Review ( CSPR) is likely to be the most controversial undertaking in the Philadelphia School District since the closing of 23 schools in 2011.  As some neighborhoods in South Philly and University City have rapidly gentrified and others like Mayfair have experienced an influx of young working class families, still others have witnessed a major exodus of students to charter schools.  Space utilization has been revolutionized in less than a decade. And given buildings with an average age of 70, decades of deferred maintenance due to underfunding by the State, and an estimated $5 billion price tag for bringing every building up to par, this is clearly the time to right size. If we could only agree on what is “right.” The challenge is daunting, which is why it has been avoided for far too long.  And the context isn’t exactly favorable.  CSPR arrived on the heels of the ill-fated Ben Franklin High School renovation to accommodate Science Leadership Academy, leading many to question the District’s fundamental competence in addressing facilities needs.

Baer: The gerrymander slayer: Meet PA‘s grandma on a mission
Written by Livingston Contributor on December 11, 2019
CAROL KUNIHOLM of Exton, a 61-year old grandmother of three, is on a mission most view impossible: Get gerrymandering out of Pennsylvania politics. She‘s a Mount Vernon, N.Y., native who grew up as “the poorest kid in a pretty wealthy community” with good schools that she says shaped her life. She has a Penn PhD in American literature, and worked as a youth pastor with at-risk kids in Philly‘s Kensington neighborhood. She and her husband have three grown children. He works for the American Bible Society in Philly‘s historic district. Now she‘s running Fair Districts PA, an effort aimed at ending gerrymandering – the practice of politicians drawing congressional and legislative district lines to protect themselves by diminishing or extinguishing electoral competition. Pennsylvania is routinely ranked among the nation‘s most gerrymandered states. For more than a year, Kuniholm‘s been pushing electoral reform hard on social media and at public meetings. She‘s talking and working with state lawmakers and groups affiliated with the effort, including the Committee of Seventy, Common Cause, the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, and the Commonwealth Foundation. She says she‘s watching interest grow in gerrymandering. And she knows a thing or two about watching and growing. She‘s an avid birdwatcher and a native-plant gardener (somebody who studies what plants should be growing where you live). She recently chatted with political columnist John Baer.

“By contrast, Torsella’s office points out, the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System, continues to buy hedge funds. It fell a little short of its own 7.25 percent target for that same period. Since it pays lifetime pensions, PSERS invests for a longer time period than the college fund, so it sets a higher return target. Even with all PSERS’ investments, state and local taxpayers will be charged $4.9 billion to keep the pension fund from becoming less solvent this year. That amounts to a 35 cent surcharge on top of every dollar collected in public school paychecks -- money not available for teaching or other school programs.”
PA dumps dozens of hedge funds in cost-cutting move
Joseph N. DiStefano @PhillyJoeD | JoeD@inquirer.com Updated: 31 minutes ago
Pennsylvania Treasurer Joe Torsella last month told the world he’d pulled the state’s money -- or at least the slice he oversees -- “out of all so-called hedge-fund investments, resulting in [over] $14 million in annual fee saving.” The claim sounded familiar. I looked it up, and sure enough Torsella had announced back in April 2017 that he was moving $2.4 billion in state funds away from private investment managers into a “passive investment strategy, saving an estimated $5 million per year in fees.” The 2017 purge was against “actively-managed” stock investors. This fall’s move, dumping nearly $500 million out of hedge funds, was “the next installment,” Torsella spokeswoman Ashley Matthews told me. This was smaller than the stocks move (just one-fifth of the assets), but also bigger (almost three times the fee savings). And it jives with Torsella’s plan to put more state pension in low cost index funds while avoiding high-fee hedge funds.

“Thanks to the 1,020 PSBA members that took the time to engage their legislators on these campaign issues.”
PSBA: Top advocates in VoterVOICE
POSTED ON DECEMBER 11, 2019 IN PSBA NEWS
The 2019 advocacy campaign season was busy for PSBA and our members. Together we fought hard as a unified voice on issues related to Voucher Bill HB 1800, House Bill 49 -Security Personnel, Senate Bill 334 – Assessment Appeals, Charter reform, PlanCon and passing the state budget in June. This teamwork helped us reach 510 legislators through a total of 1,168 letters, emails and phone calls. Thanks to the 1,020 PSBA members that took the time to engage their legislators on these campaign issues. PSBA would like to especially recognize those individuals that consistently took action through VoterVOICE and have stood out among the rest with their advocacy efforts this season:
  • Mr. Joe Caffrey
  • Mr. Larry Feinberg
  • Mr. David Hein
  • Mrs. Susan M. Jordan
  • Mr. Henry Karg
  • Mr. Al Marazas
  • Dr. Barbara Parkins
  • Mr. John Raymond
  • Mr. James Routh
  • Dr. Gary Smedley
  • Dr. Jeanne Smith
  • Mrs. Kathy Wega
  • Mr. Eric Wolfgang
  • Mr. Evan Williams

Former Pa. Gov. Tom Ridge says Trump asking a foreign leader for a political favor is an 'abuse of power'
Post-Gazette by THE PATRIOT-NEWS, HARRISBURG, PA. (TNS) DEC 11, 2019 9:10 AM
Pennsylvania’s former Gov. Tom Ridge is leaving it up to Congress as to whether President Donald Trump should be impeached, but in his mind there’s little doubt the president abused his power when he asked Ukraine to investigate his rivals, including Joe Biden. Mr. Ridge, a Republican, was in Harrisburg on Tuesday to speak at a renewable energy symposium sponsored by the Pennsylvania Conservative Energy Forum and not for Trump’s campaign rally in Hershey later in the day. Mr. Ridge, the nation’s first homeland security secretary, indicated he is disturbed by Mr. Trump’s actions that led House Democrats to unveil articles of impeachment on Tuesday against the president. “I am disappointed and troubled by the very fact that my president – and he is my president – would ask a foreign leader of a troubled country who’s been besieged by an enemy of the United States, to do him a political favor,” said Mr. Ridge. “As far as I’m concerned, it is abuse of power.”

Impeach President Donald Trump | Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board
Inquirer Editorial Updated: December 11, 2019 - 5:55 PM
Since taking office as president in 2017, Donald Trump has used the unfiltered power of social media to broadcast his daily disdain and mockery of rivals, and to promote his version of the truth. That he has continued this mockery to the impeachment process — the most serious action Congress can initiate beyond a declaration of war — is of grave concern. On Tuesday, the Democratic leadership of the House of Representatives unveiled two articles of impeachment against the president, calling for his trial and removal from office, and charging abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The first article charges Trump with abuse of power for “soliciting the interference of a foreign government to influence the 2020 presidential election.” Trump’s pressuring Ukraine to act on his behalf in the campaign, holding federal aid hostage in the process, has harmed our national security – and our democracy. But it is the second article – the obstruction of Congress, by his “unprecedented, categorical and indiscriminate defiance of subpoenas” — that should have us all frightened. It reads: “In the history of the Republic, no President has ever ordered the complete defiance of an impeachment inquiry or sought to obstruct and impede so comprehensively the ability of the House of Representatives to investigate ‘high Crimes and Misdemeanors.' This abuse of office served to cover up the President’s own repeated misconduct and to seize and control the power of impeachment — and thus to nullify a vital constitutional safeguard.”
In defying these orders, and through his continued ridicule of the impeachment process and the members of Congress who initiated it, Trump has severely disrespected his office and the document he swore to protect and uphold. Should this process end with a trial and a Senate vote to remove him from office — a prospect that seems highly unlikely — it’s not hard to imagine that he would insist that the process was invalid and refuse to go. Such an act of tyranny is what the Constitution was created to protect against. That is why this impeachment process is urgent and should move forward without delay.


Training: Enhancing School Safety Jan. 9th, 8 am – 1 pm Council Rock High School South
The training is provided by the United States Secret Service and the Office PA Rep Wendi Thomas, in partnership with the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, Bucks County DA Matt Weintraub and PSEA.
Date: Thursday, January 9, 2020, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Council Rock High School South, 2002 Rock Way, Holland PA 18954
This is the region’s first presentation of the National Threat Assessment Center's (NTAC) 2020 research on actionable plans to prevent violence in schools. The training is provided by the United States Secret Service (USSS) and is based on updated operational research conducted by the USSS and the NTAC. The training will offer best practices on preventing incidents of targeted school violence. This workshop will focus solely on how to proactively identify, assess, and manage individuals exhibiting concerning behavior based on USSS methodologies.
At the conclusion of the training, attendees will be able to:
·     Understand operational research on preventing incidents of targeted school violence;
·     Be able to proactively identify, using USSS methodologies, concerning behaviors prior to an incident;
·     Be able to assess concerning behaviors using best practice standards and use identified methods to better manage individuals who exhibit concerning behaviors with the goal of preventing school violence.

Charter Schools; Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
PENNSYLVANIA BULLETIN PROPOSED RULEMAKING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [ 22 PA. CODE CH. 711 ]

The award winning documentary Backpack Full of Cash that explores the siphoning of funds from traditional public schools by charters and vouchers will be shown in three locations in the Philadelphia suburbs in the upcoming weeks.
The film is narrated by Matt Damon, and some of the footage was shot in Philadelphia. 
Members of the public who are interested in becoming better informed about some of the challenges to public education posed by privatization are invited to attend.
At all locations, the film will start promptly at 7 pm, so it is suggested that members of the audience arrive 10-15 minutes prior to the start of the screening.   
………………………………………….
Backpack Full of Cash hosted by State Senator Maria Collett, and State Representatives Liz Hanbidge and Steve Malagari
Monday, December 2, 2019
Wissahickon Valley Public Library, Blue Bell 650 Skippack Pike Blue Bell, PA 19422
………………………………………….
Backpack Full of Cash hosted by Montgomery County Democracy for America (Montco DFA)
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Jenkintown Library (Park and enter at rear.)
460 York Road (across from IHOP) Jenkintown, PA 19046
………………………………………….
Backpack Full of Cash hosted by State Representatives Mary Jo Daley, Tim Briggs, and Matt Bradford
Monday, January 6, 2020
Ludington Library 5 S. Bryn Mawr Avenue Bryn Mawr, PA 19010

A Networking and Supportive Event for K-12 Educators of Color (teachers, school counselors, and administrators)! Thursday, December 12, 7:00-8:30 pm Villanova University, Dougherty Hall, West Lounge
You are cordially invited to this gathering, with the goal of networking and lending support and sustenance to our K-12 Educators of Color and their allies. This is your chance to make requests, share resources, and build up our community. Please feel free to bring a school counselor, teacher, or administrator friend! Light refreshments provided.
Where: Villanova University, Dougherty Hall, West Lounge (first floor, back of building)
Directions, campus and parking map found here
Parking: Free parking in lot L2. Turn on St. Thomas Way, off of Lancaster Avenue. You will need to print a parking pass that will be emailed shortly before the event to all who register.
Questions? Contact an event organizer: Dr. Krista Malott (krista.malott@villanova.edu), Dr. Jerusha Conner (Jerusha.conner@villanova.edu), Department of Education & Counseling, and Dr. Anthony Stevenson, Administrator, Radnor School District (Anthony.Stevenson@rtsd.org)

PSBA Alumni Forum: Leaving school board service?
Continue your connection and commitment to public education by joining PSBA Alumni Forum. Benefits of the complimentary membership includes:
  • electronic access to PSBA Bulletin
  • legislative information via email
  • Daily EDition e-newsletter
  • Special access to one dedicated annual briefing
Register today online. Contact Crista Degregorio at Crista.Degregorio@psba.org with questions.

Save the Date: PSBA/PASA/PAIU Advocacy Day at the Capitol-- March 23, 2020
PSBA Advocacy Day 2020 MAR 23, 2020 • 8:00 AM - 2:30 PM
STRENGTHEN OUR VOICE.
Join us in Harrisburg to support public education!
All school leaders are invited to attend Advocacy Day at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units (PAIU) and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) are partnering together to strengthen our advocacy impact. The day will center around meetings with legislators to discuss critical issues affecting public education.
Registration: As a membership benefit, there is no cost to register. Your legislator appointments will be coordinated with the completion of your registration. The day will begin with a continental breakfast and issue briefing prior to the legislator visits. Registrants will receive talking points, materials and leave-behinds to use with their meetings. Staff will be stationed at a table in the Main Rotunda during the day to answer questions and provide assistance.
Sign up today at myPSBA.org.

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

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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