Monday, February 10, 2020

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Feb 10, 2020 1. Adopt resolution for charter funding reform 2. Ask your legislators to cosponsor HB2261 or SB1024 3. Register for Advocacy Day on March 23rd


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PA Ed Policy Roundup for Feb 10, 2020
2. Ask your legislators to cosponsor HB2261 or SB1024
3. Register for Advocacy Day on March 23rd



.@PSBA .@PASA .@PAIU school leaders - this is the best shot we've had for charter reform in 20 years. Adopt PSBA’s resolution for charter school funding reform and register to come meet your legislators in their Capitol offices for Advocacy Day on March 23rd. Register at http://mypsba.org



Adopt the 2020 PSBA resolution for charter school funding reform
PSBA Website POSTED ON FEBRUARY 3, 2020 IN PSBA NEWS
In this legislative session, PSBA has been leading the charge with the Senate, House of Representatives and the Governor’s Administration to push for positive charter reform. We’re now asking you to join the campaign: Adopt the resolution: We’re asking all school boards to adopt the 2020 resolution for charter school funding reform at your next board meeting and submit it to your legislators and to PSBA.

A 120-page charter reform proposal is being introduced as House Bill 2261 by Rep. Joseph Ciresi (D-Montgomery), and Senate Bill 1024, introduced by Senators Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny) and James Brewster (D-Allegheny). Ask your legislator to sign on as a cosponsor to House Bill 2261 or Senate Bill 1024.

Political Cartoon: School vouchers for a divided society
Inquirer Signe Wilkinson Updated: February 7, 2020 - 5:00 AM
After this week of democracy-wrenching politics, it’s nice to think there might be some place where Americans from a variety of backgrounds could co-exist. Say, public schools where American students could once safely divide themselves into rival tables in the lunch room and hurl snarky remarks at each other. At least the tables were in the same building. Now, what was once a public education system that let little Johnny find out that not everyone thinks and believes like his family is being micro-managed so Johnny can go to a school where everyone’s just like him. That should help “bring us together.”

“Lancaster Superintendent Damaris Rau has suggested the district wouldn’t be in such a dire position if the state paid its fair share to schools with the most need. While she said district officials appreciate any state increase, it doesn’t solve the issue of inequitable funding. “We are grateful that Gov. Wolf again called an increase in basic education funding,” Rau said. “But we are still underfunded by $20 million, according to the funding formula.” The state’s funding formula, enacted in 2016, factors in objective measures such as student poverty and charter school enrollment. But the state decided to implement it gradually by allowing only new money since the 2014-15 school year to flow through the formula. Under Wolf’s proposed budget, Lancaster would receive a total of about $64.4 million in basic education funding, of which only $10.6 million, or 16%, would go through the fair funding formula. “We call on the Legislature to speed up full implementation of the formula to help our struggling school districts,” Rau said.”
'We are still underfunded': Funding inequities cast a shadow on Gov. Wolf's proposed increases in education funding
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer Feb 7, 2020
The $100 million in additional basic education funding Gov. Tom Wolf requested in his budget address this week may not go as far as one might think. Inequitable school funding is to blame, local school officials say. In Lancaster County, Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal would mean about $3.3 million more in basic education funding for schools in the 2020-21 budget year, or 1.74% more than the current year’s state funding. Individual district increases would range from 0.37% at Elanco to 6.88% at Columbia Borough. That’s money that will no doubt go toward instruction, support services — and, perhaps in some cases, budget deficits. School District of Lancaster, which has 11,000 students and is the county’s largest district, would get an additional $644,207 in basic education funding under Wolf’s proposed budget. That would be a 1% increase over 2019-20. But this year, the Lancaster district is facing a $10 million deficit. To balance its budget, the district is considering raising taxes, increasing class sizes and leaving vacant positions unfilled.

The inconvenient truth about charter ‘success’: They weed out students; traditional public schools must teach all
By MICHAEL MULGREW NEW YORK DAILY NEWS | FEB 08, 2020 | 5:00 AM
Cheerleaders for New York City’s charter school sector typically trumpet the academic achievements of charter school students. But there is an inconvenient truth about these schools that charter supporters rarely discuss, or even admit. The schools’ “success” is due not to any superior instructional strategy but rather to segregation — segregation based on students’ academic and social needs. Though charters are open to all by lottery, as a group they enroll a significantly smaller percentage than public schools of our neediest children, such as English language learners, special education students or those from the poorest families. Children like these typically have the largest learning challenges. For the 2018-19 school year, for example, the latest for which data is available, charters as a group enrolled half the citywide average of ELLs (6.9% vs. a citywide average of 14.6%) and a third of the special education students with the highest level of need (1.7% vs. a citywide average of 5.4%). But the charter sector average turns out to be only half the story. An analysis of individual charter schools clearly shows that the schools most successful at excluding these kinds of students turn out to be — no surprise — the charters with the highest test scores.

“The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and be willing to bear the expenses of it. There should not be a district of one mile square, without a school in it, not founded by a charitable individual, but maintained at the public expense of the people themselves.”
School choice and the fight for public education’s soul | Editorial
The political and philosophical divides that the election of President Trump exposed often play out as a fight for the soul — and the meaning — of the country. It’s perhaps not surprising that we are also seeing a fight for the soul of education in this country. That battle got particularly heated last week on a number of fronts. During last week’s state of the union address, Trump reiterated his support for school choice — promoted by his Education Secretary Betsy DeVos — and his support for the “Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act.” Those scholarships would be funded by tax credits, meaning public dollars would be used by students to pay tuition for private and religious schools. Pennsylvania already has a massive educational tax credit program that diverts $110 million in revenues to private schools; Governor Wolf has vetoed an expansion of this program, which drew Trump’s criticism during the speech. The true rift that Trump underscored in his speech was not just over the separation of church and state that such scholarships challenge, but his reference to “failing government schools.” This derisive and dismissive reference to public schools shows that the president lacks an understanding and appreciation for the purpose and aspirations of public education. He is clearly unfamiliar with the importance the founding fathers placed when they created a system of public education, or with the words of President John Adams:

Trump used Philly girl’s story to attack ‘failing government schools.’ But she’s at one of the city’s most desired charters.
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna and Kristen A. Graham, Updated: February 7, 2020- 10:41 PM
President Donald Trump turned a Philadelphia fourth grader into a poster child for the school-choice movement Tuesday when he told the nation that thousands of students were “trapped in failing government schools" and announced that the girl was at last getting a scholarship to attend the school of her choice. But Janiyah Davis already attends one of the city’s most sought-after charter schools, The Inquirer has learned. In September, months before she was an honored guest at Trump’s State of the Union address, she entered Math, Science and Technology Community Charter School III. MaST III opened in the fall in a gleaming facility on the site of the former Crown Cork & Seal headquarters in Northeast Philadelphia, part of a charter network so popular that the school received 6,500 applications for 100 seats next year. Like all charters, it’s independently run but funded by taxpayers — meaning that Janiyah and the other 900 students at the school do not pay tuition.

The Billion-Dollar Disinformation Campaign to Reelect the President
How new technologies and techniques pioneered by dictators will shape the 2020 election
The Atlantic Story by McKay Coppins MARCH 2020 ISSUE
One day last fall, I sat down to create a new Facebook account. I picked a forgettable name, snapped a profile pic with my face obscured, and clicked “Like” on the official pages of Donald Trump and his reelection campaign. Facebook’s algorithm prodded me to follow Ann Coulter, Fox Business, and a variety of fan pages with names like “In Trump We Trust.” I complied. I also gave my cellphone number to the Trump campaign, and joined a handful of private Facebook groups for MAGA diehards, one of which required an application that seemed designed to screen out interlopers. The president’s reelection campaign was then in the midst of a multimillion-dollar ad blitz aimed at shaping Americans’ understanding of the recently launched impeachment proceedings. Thousands of micro-targeted ads had flooded the internet, portraying Trump as a heroic reformer cracking down on foreign corruption while Democrats plotted a coup. That this narrative bore little resemblance to reality seemed only to accelerate its spread. Right-wing websites amplified every claim. Pro-Trump forums teemed with conspiracy theories. An alternate information ecosystem was taking shape around the biggest news story in the country, and I wanted to see it from the inside.

“One of their findings highlights a problem with charter funding in Pennsylvania. In the 2014-15 school year, districts paid out $294.8 million for special education supplemental money to charter schools. In the 2014-15 school year, charter schools spent $193.1 million on special education services.”
Pennsylvania Governor Sets Out To Fix “Worst Charter School Laws” In Nation
Forbes by Peter Greene Senior Contributor Feb 8, 2020, 02:00pm
It was Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale who four years ago deemed Pennsylvania’s charter school law the “worst in the United States,” but it may be Governor Tom Wolf who takes a first step toward fixing it. The law is over two decades old, and after letting that sleeping dog continue to lie for the first part of his term, Governor Tom Wolf has pledged to push changes in accountability and funding rules for the charter school industry. Pennsylvania already has school funding problems. Pennsylvania has ranked consistently near the very bottom for contributing state money to local districts, which means that local districts must provide the bulk of the money to run schools. Since schools depend on that local funding, it’s no surprise that the commonwealth also has the largest gaps between rich and poor districts in the country. Charter funding exacerbates the funding problem, with some communities having been besieged by charter schools that are draining taxpayer dollars. At one point, Chester Uplands School District was paying more to charter schools than it was receiving in support from the state.

KCSD board talks charter school reform
Will vote on resolution next week
LockHaven.com The Express by CHRIS MORELLI cmorelli@lockhaven.com FEB 8, 2020
MILL HALL — Charter school reform has been a hot topic in many school districts — including Keystone Central — for the past several years. On Thursday night at the Keystone Central school board’s work session, the board discussed a resolution calling for charter school reform. If adopted next week, the resolution would be signed by school board president Boise “Bo” Miller and sent to Harrisburg and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. “I think it’s important for the board of directors to look at charter school reform and to support the proposal that’s out there because of what it does for the district,” said KCSD superintendent Jacquelyn Martin. The resolution will go to a vote at next week’s school board meeting. “I think this resolution shows people in Harrisburg that we are behind this … at the very least we can pass this resolution to send the message to the legislators down there,” said board member Jeff Johnston. According to Martin, it is imperative that legislators know the significance of charter school reform. “I did meet with Rep. Stephanie Borowicz. We wanted her to make sure that she had a solid understanding of the funding and what I call ‘voodoo math.’ It does not make a lot of sense but when you really nail down how those figures are calculated, it’s very unfair in many different ways,” Martin said. Next week’s voting session will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Central Mountain Auditorium.
The resolution reads as follows:

On call-in show, Wolf defends charter school cuts, doubles down on opposition to supervised injection sites
WHYY By  Emily Rizzo February 7, 2020  Listen 53:00
Governor Tom Wolf’s newest plan for Pennsylvania charter schools has ruffled some feathers. WHYY received a flood of social media messages and phone calls during Friday’s live interview with Wolf, mostly from concerned parents over the change in charter school funding. Wolf spoke with reporters as part of Keystone Crossroads’ Ask Governor Wolf program, recorded live at WHYY days after his 2020-21 budget address. You can stream the full show with the ‘listen’ button above. Last week in Wolf’s annual budget address, he proposed reducing the amount of money school districts have to pay when one of their students decides to attend a charter school. He also plans to change how charters are funded for special education. Wolf responded to the influx of criticism, by first emphasizing that when charter schools work well, “they really add things to the educational enterprise.” The governor said he wants parents to have school choice — but also sees the need to hold charter schools more accountable.

“Over 100 years ago, the Pennsylvania Legislature enacted the Separations Act. This act mandates that public construction projects be delivered by multiple prime contractors. Every time you drive by a public construction project just think to yourself: This project has (at least) four companies in charge. This process often leads to delays, lawsuits, conflicts, etc., and it averages about 10% more than contracting methods that the rest of the country utilizes. Because of the inefficiencies of the multiple prime contracting method, Pennsylvania is the only state left to require such a cumbersome construction delivery process.”
Students deserve better school building conditions
Post-Gazette Editorial FEB 9, 2020 12:00 AM
Bravo to Gov. Tom Wolf and to Sen. Vincent Hughes, D-Philadelphia, for raising awareness and wanting to address the dangerous lead and asbestos contamination in structures and water systems across Pennsylvania (Jan. 26, “Governor to Seek School Construction Aid”). Concerning the school buildings, our students deserve better than current conditions (if you have not seen the videos on Mr. Hughes’ website, I suggest it). Wanting our children to be educated in 21st century schools is commendable; however, constructing and renovating the schools with a procurement law enacted in 1913 is foolish and wasteful. Over 100 years ago, the Pennsylvania Legislature enacted the Separations Act. This act mandates that public construction projects be delivered by multiple prime contractors. Every time you drive by a public construction project just think to yourself: This project has (at least) four companies in charge. This process often leads to delays, lawsuits, conflicts, etc., and it averages about 10% more than contracting methods that the rest of the country utilizes. Because of the inefficiencies of the multiple prime contracting method, Pennsylvania is the only state left to require such a cumbersome construction delivery process. Forty-nine states join the federal government and the private sector in allowing choice in project delivery. It’s time for Pennsylvania to do so as well.

Hopkinson Elementary closed indefinitely for asbestos, lead paint cleanup
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Updated: February 7, 2020- 6:16 PM
The Philadelphia elementary school that was closed Monday after a significant asbestos problem was detected will be closed indefinitely, Philadelphia School District officials said Friday. Hopkinson Elementary, at L and Luzerne Streets in Juniata, has had its students attending classes in various locations since Wednesday. They will continue to be taught in their temporary locations, said Monica Lewis, district spokesperson. The closure will allow the district to remediate asbestos problems throughout the building, and also allow it to prepare for a lead-paint stabilization project, Lewis said. “We’re just doing some work to make sure that the building is safe and up to par for the students and staff to return,” Lewis said. The district is also investigating whether workers spread asbestos when replacing ceiling tiles at Hopkinson last summer. A Hopkinson teacher, not the district, flagged the possible contamination recently; other schools were likely affected, too. The decision to shut indefinitely is a shift in district position. Initially, district officials told Hopkinson families that the building would reopen once air testing showed the school was safe for re-occupancy.

Philly doesn’t have enough black teachers. This family produced four. | Helen Ubiñas
Helen Ubiñas @NotesFromHel | hubinas@inquirer.com Updated: February 7, 2020 - 12:52 PM
It’s never a good idea to meddle in someone else’s family, but after spending a delightful evening with four of the Flemming siblings, I found myself eager to offer some advice to the fifth: Resistance is (probably) futile. Camille, 30, conceded that she, too, once resisted joining the family business, and now here she is, weeks into her first year at Waring Elementary School, where she teaches second grade. It’s all new, but already she sounds like someone who’s found her calling. The collective calling that started when the eldest, Stephen Flemming, who turns 38 in March, used to play teacher as a kid. His mom, Jackie, affectionately recalled him pleading with her to bring his siblings inside one summer day so he could try out a lesson plan. Stephen, who has been an educator for 13 years, teaches English at Martin Luther King High School now, but was a longtime faculty member at Kelly Elementary. Right behind him is Leslie, 35, who has been teaching for 12 years and is at Hartranft Elementary. And rounding up #TeamFlemming is Michael, 37. A teacher for five years now, he teaches social studies at Kenderton Elementary and exudes the Flemming family brand: dedication, passion, and an infectious enthusiasm for teaching, sure, but also for adding to the ranks of much-needed black teachers. In Philadelphia, according to the district’s data, about 25% of the teachers are African American. That’s better than other school systems, but still not great in a district where nearly all students are of color.

Racial tensions in Abington are a reminder we need to calm down and listen more | Jenice Armstrong
Updated: February 7, 2020 - 5:04 PM
Various concerned Abington residents started calling the Rev. Marshall Mitchell’s office at Salem Baptist Church last week. Had he heard what was going on? Mitchell hadn’t. And what was he going to do about it? The “it” callers were referring to was a racial firestorm that had been stoked at a recent meeting of the Abington school board after a new member made a polarizing remark about school resource officers carrying guns.  “There’s a lot of evidence that anyone carrying a firearm in a district building puts kids at risk, particularly students of color,” board member Tamar Klaiman said during the Jan. 21 meeting. “Black and brown students are more likely to be shot by police officers, especially school resource officers, than other students.” To be clear, Abington’s school resource officers have never shot any students. (They’re cops who have been assigned to schools in the district.) But numerous studies nationwide have shown that black students are often more harshly disciplined than white ones for the same offenses. Many white residents in Abington, located in eastern Montgomery County, took great offense at what she said and rushed to defend local law enforcement. A national police group weighed in on Facebook, condemning her statement as “inappropriate and inflammatory.”

What Gov. Wolf’s budget proposal means for your schools.
Education Voters Published by EDVOPA on February 5, 2020
Yesterday, Governor Wolf gave his budget address and outlined his priorities for 2020-2021. His budget proposal is welcome and reflects Governor Wolf’s continued support for public education. It also reflects the cold, hard reality that the Republican-controlled legislature is unwilling to raise the revenues necessary to provide the funding increases our public schools need.  Governor Wolf has proposed an increase of $100 million in Basic Education Funding and $25 million in special education funding for K-12 schools. He has also proposed rightsizing tuition for cyber charter schools and special education payments for all charter schools to save districts $280 million. If his proposal is enacted, funding available to public school districts will increase by $405 million through increased state funding and district savings on charter tuition bills.  

PA SCHOOLS WORK: Update on K-12 Education Funding in Gov. Wolf's Proposed Budget
Want to learn more about what the Governor's proposed #PABudget means for public schools? Join us on Tuesday at Noon for a special "Lunch & Learn" webinar! Register to join us here:

"Between his government gigs with Schweiker and Corbett, Zogby was senior vice president of education and policy for K12 Inc., the nation’s largest for-profit operator of online public schools."
Zogby no longer Erie School District’s finance monitor
GoErie By Ed Palattella Posted Feb 7, 2020 at 1:39 PM
Governor appointed him as the district’s financial administrator in March 2018. Reasons for departure not disclosed.
Charles Zogby has departed as the Erie School District’s financial administrator less than two years after Gov. Tom Wolf appointed him to the $148,000 post. The school district confirmed to the Erie Times-News on Friday that Zogby is no longer working for the state. Zogby reported to officials at the Department of Education, including Education Secretary Pedro Rivera. “Erie’s Public Schools recently was informed that Mr. Zogby is no longer employed with the Commonwealth. While a new financial administrator is being selected, we will be working directly with the Department ... to continue the implementation of our financial plan,” the district said in a statement. Zogby, 57, a former state secretary of education and the budget, could not be reached for comment. His permanent residence had been in the Harrisburg area, though he had moved to Erie when he took the job as financial administrator in March 2018.

“Zogby became policy director for Ridge in 1995 and then state Education Secretary in 2001 under his successor, Mark Schweiker. Along the way, Zogby had a major hand in crafting some of the most impactful pieces of legislation the state’s educational landscape has seen: Pennsylvania’s charter and cyber charter laws; the empowerment zone legislation (now expired) that allowed the state to take over troubled school districts for poor academic performance, as well as the law that created Philadelphia’s state-held School Reform Commission.”….Between his government gigs with Schweiker and Corbett, Zogby was senior vice president of education and policy for K12 Inc., the nation’s largest for-profit operator of online public schools. In January 2003, as Rendell was about to swear-in, Zogby left Harrisburg on a Friday and went to work for K12 Inc. the next Monday – a job he kept until January 2011, when Tom Corbett’s tea-party wave brought him back through the big green dome’s revolving door.”
Reprise 2015: In the final days of Corbett, budget chief Zogby reflects on his quest for school reforms
WHYY By Kevin McCorry January 13, 2015
As the Corbett administration draws near its final days,  perhaps the departure of Pa. Budget Secretary Charles Zogby marks a radical shift in education philosophy. It’s a cold December day in Harrisburg, where the streets and the echoing halls of the state Capitol lie dormant between legislative sessions. In a handsome executive-wing office of mahogany and leather, a copy of the Wall Street Journal sprawled across his desk, state Budget Secretary Charles Zogby has already begun boxing up his belongings. “Don’t make me out to be the villain,” he says, half joking, referring to his supposed image among traditional public school advocates. As the Corbett administration draws near its final days, it’s Zogby’s departure that perhaps best marks the radical shift about to occur in executive-level education philosophy. To his ideological opposites, Zogby’s a union buster, a privatizer, a profiteer.   But the way Zogby sees it – through three governors and an eight-year foray in the private sector – it’s always been all about the children.
“Anything that I’ve done, it’s really been trying to help those most in need get a better shot at a better education,” he says. In Pennsylvania, if you had to craft a short list of the players who best advanced the conservative public school agenda over the past two decades, Zogby’s name would be on it.

“Adjusting for a host of factors that can impact funding, we found that districts where fracking occurred between 2007 and 2015 had lower per pupil incomes, real estate values and property tax revenues. In total, school districts where unconventional drilling had taken place had $1,550.50 less per pupil in 2015 dollars, relative to otherwise similar districts that did not have unconventional drilling.”
Fracking has led to a ‘bust’ for Pennsylvania school district finances | Opinion
Matthew Gardner Kelly and Kai Schafft, For The Inquirer February 10, 2020
In the last decade unconventional natural gas development has transformed American energy – as well as communities across Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale region. Often popularly referred to as “fracking,” this highly industrialized process is used to extract energy resources from underground geologies such as shale or sandstone. In Pennsylvania and elsewhere, wells are often drilled a mile or more beneath the ground and a mile or more horizontally along the shale or sandstone. Water, sand and chemicals are pumped at underground at high volume, fracturing the energy-bearing rock, releasing the gas, which then flows to the surface and then moved through pipelines for processing and consumption in regional, national, and global markets. Since 2007, more than 10,000 unconventional gas wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania, mostly in the northern and southwestern parts of the state, with peak drilling occurring between 2010 and 2014.

Blogger note: Senator Dinniman has also served as Democratic Chair of the Senate Education Committee for many years.
Chesco Sen. Andy Dinniman to retire, won't seek re-election
Delco Times February 7, 2020
State Sen. Andy Dinniman, a force in Chester County Democratic circles for nearly three decades and in recent years the Legislature's most vocal opponent of the Mariner East pipeline project, Friday announced he will retire at the end of his current term and will not seek re-election. Dinniman, D-19th, of West Whiteland, indicated his decision was a personal one, that he intended to take time to help his wife recover from surgery and a series of health setbacks. “For nearly 30 years, as your Chester County Commissioner and state Senator, I have had the privilege of building a close relationship with the people of Chester County. Now, I have a responsibility to explain why I will not be seeking re-election," Dinniman said in a statement posted on his website. "This was a very tough decision, especially knowing just how many of you have faithfully and tirelessly supported my work over the years," Dinniman said. "However, as I sit at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center with my wife, Margo, who is now recovering from surgery, we both came to the sudden realization this was not the time to run again." Dinniman has served in the state Senate since 2006, when he won a special election to fill the vacancy created by the death of Sen. Bob Thompson. Before that, Dinniman served three terms as a Chester County commissioner, beginning in 1991. During that stint, Dinniman was the sole Democrat on the county's ruling body. Dinniman's first foray into politics was a successful run for a seat on the Downingtown School Board. He served on the board from 1975 until 1979.

West Perry worries over special education costs
Penn Live By Jim T. Ryan | Perry County Times Posted Feb 06, 2020
The West Perry School District is concerned about the rising cost of special education and state pensions, which is why its board adopted a preliminary 2020-21 budget early in January, administrators said. “There are areas we don’t have control over, notably (pensions) and special education,” Superintendent David Zula said. The proposed $42 million budget included a tax increase of 9.15 percent, which garnered a lot of attention from residents reading the newspaper’s previous story. But the board has not yet hiked taxes and will not vote on a final budget until at least June.

The Heron's Nest: Add 168th to the hot list; a road trip to kick off spring training
Delco Times By Phil Heron editor@delcotimes.com @philheron on Twitter February 7, 2020
Yesterday I pointed out a couple of key local races to keep an eye on as flashpoints as we careen toward the polls in November. Add another one to the list. I have to admit the one person I thought was most at risk in the Delco Harrisburg delegation two years ago was one of the few members of the GOP to escape the blue wave that rolled across Delco. Rep. Chris Quinn, R-168, had sparked considerable fury tied to his time on Middletown Township Council and some of the early work that cleared the way for the Mariner East 2 pipeline project, which cuts through the heart of the township. Ironically, Quinn won his race. Now it's time four Round 2. Delaware County Democrats have endorsed Deb Ciamacca, a former high school social studies teacher, Marine Corp captain and manufacturing manager in the race. “I am running to represent the working people of this district,” Ciamacca said. ”I will fight 24 hours a day for common sense gun safety, fair education funding, and environmental laws that protect our citizens, their property and that preserve Pennsylvania for future generations.” The 168th District includes: parts of Marple, Middletown, Edgmont, Newtown, Upper Providence, and Thornbury townships as well as the boroughs of Media and Chester Heights in Delaware County.

Defenders of Public Education Speak before the Philly Board Of Education, January 30, 2020
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools February 6, 2020 appsphilly.net 
Testimonies have been listed by topic.  Click on the individual’s name to read a transcript of his or her testimony.

Philadelphia jazz great John Coltrane’s house ‘at risk,’ preservationists say
Inquirer by Oona Goodin-Smith, Updated: 37 minutes ago
For over a decade, the paint-chipped Strawberry Mansion home where jazz legend John Coltrane once lived and honed his skills has echoed a silently somber tune, sitting in a state of disrepair on North 33rd Street. And now, the house is officially at risk, according to a state preservation organization. The John Coltrane House is listed on Preservation Pennsylvania’s 2020 roster of “at risk” sites, a designation intended to “draw statewide attention to the plight of Pennsylvania’s historic resources; promote and support local action to protect historic properties; and encourage funding and legislation that supports preservation activities,” according to the organization. “Preservation Pennsylvania hopes to work with the owners and supporters in the local preservation and jazz communities to find a way forward for this property,” said Julia Chain, the organization’s associate director. The home is the first Philadelphia landmark to make the nonprofit’s list since 2017, when Jewelers Row was dubbed “at risk.” The designation doesn’t come with money or the promise of preservation — as evidenced by the fate of Jewelers Row, part of which is under demolition — but gives visibility and awareness to the site, said Faye Anderson, activist and director of All That Philly Jazz, a public history project.

How will the tumultuous week of Trump's acquittal be taught to future students?
THE LNP | LANCASTERONLINE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE ISSUE: The U.S. Senate voted 52-48 Wednesday to acquit President Donald Trump of a charge, pressed by House Democrats, of abuse of power. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah was the sole Republican to vote to convict the president on that charge. The president was acquitted of the charge of obstruction of Congress by a 53-47 vote. Trump was impeached in December over a July phone conversation he had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in which he sought Ukraine’s assistance in investigating former Vice President Joe Biden (then the Democratic presidential front runner) and his son Hunter.
How are future teachers going to teach the events of last week?
The United States has had tumultuous weeks before. It survived the Civil War, after all.
But how will they explain how the legislative body the Founding Fathers trusted to hold a fair impeachment trial rendered its verdict without seeking further evidence in the form of witnesses and documents? Will they say the framers’ genius in establishing a government of three coequal branches — a system of checks and balances — failed in this instance? Will they say this was a mere blip in history, or a moment of no return in the course of this republic? Will they teach their students about the speech delivered by the lone Republican who voted to convict the president on the charge of abuse of power?


Five compelling reasons for .@PSBA .@PASA .@PAIU school leaders to come to the Capitol for Advocacy Day on March 23rd:
Charter Reform
Cyber Charter Reform
Basic Ed Funding
Special Ed Funding
PLANCON
Register at http://mypsba.org

Hear relevant content from statewide experts, district practitioners and PSBA government affairs staff at PSBA’s annual membership gathering. PSBA Sectional Advisors and Advocacy Ambassadors are on-site to connect with district leaders in their region and share important information for you to take back to your district.
Locations and dates

Sectional Meetings are 6:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m. (across all locations). Light refreshments will be offered.
Cost: Complimentary for PSBA member entities.
Registration: Registration is now open. To register, please sign into myPSBA and look for Store/Registration on the left.

Allegheny County Legislative Forum on Education March 12
by Allegheny Intermediate Unit Thu, March 12, 2020 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT
Join us on March 12 at 7:00 pm for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit's annual Allegheny County Legislative Forum. The event will feature a discussion with state lawmakers on a variety of issues impacting public schools. We hope you will join us and be part of the conversation about education in Allegheny County.

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. Click here for more information or register at http://www.mypsba.org/
School directors 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

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

PSBA Board Presidents Panel April 27, 28 and 29; Multiple Locations
Offered at 10 locations across the state, this annual event supports current and aspiring school board leaders through roundtable conversations with colleagues as well as a facilitated panel of experienced regional and statewide board presidents and superintendents. Board Presidents Panel is designed to equip new and veteran board presidents and vice presidents as well as superintendents and other school directors who may pursue a leadership position in the future.

PARSS Annual Conference April 29 – May 1, 2020 in State College
The 2020 PARSS Conference is April 29 through May 1, 2020, at Wyndham Garden Hotel at Mountain View Country Club in State College. Please register as a member or a vendor by accessing the links below.

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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