Tuesday, March 3, 2020

PA Ed Policy Roundup for March 3, 2020: Bensalem school board urges charter school funding reform


Started in November 2010, daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 4050 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, Wolf education transition team members, superintendents, school solicitors, principals, charter school leaders, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, business leaders, faith-based organizations, labor organizations, education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg


PA Ed Policy Roundup for March 3, 2020


PSBA: Coronavirus Preparedness Guidance
In the last few weeks, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19, has become a topic of concern nationwide. Although the virus is not widespread in Pennsylvania at this time, that status could change. Being proactive is key to prevention and mitigation. Below, you will find a list of resources on all aspects of preparedness, including guidance on communication planning, policy, emergency management and disease control. Use these resources to help you make decisions regarding the safety and health of those in your school district.

Bucks County Intermediate Unit: FLU AND CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES
Resources for School Leaders; Bucks County Intermediate Unit Website
This page contains a collection of news articles, health agency resources, and school system templates related to the Flu and Coronavirus.  This page is by no means exhaustive and in no way serves as an endorsement for specific resources.  Instead, it serves as a collection point for school leaders seeking resources and exemplars.  Please contact Dr. Mark Hoffman with any additional documents or links to post!

Bucks County Courier Times By Peg Quann @pegquann Posted Feb 28, 2020 at 3:09 PM
Funding for charter schools needs to change — that’s the message the Bensalem school board wants to send to Harrisburg. Its members unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday urging the state to find new ways to fund these privately run but publicly funded schools. The resolution states that Bensalem’s costs to finance both brick-and-mortar and cyber charter schools has risen by $5.42 million in the past four years. According to the resolution, Bensalem Township School District paid $15.9 million to support charter schools in the 2018-19 school year, including more than $2 million for cyber charter schools and $13.9 million for brick and mortar charter schools. Charter school reform isn’t a suggestion; it’s an obligation,” said Bensalem school board member Rachel Fingles, founder and chair of the school board’s policy committee. “The charter school laws in Pennsylvania are some of the most damaging laws to public schools in the nation,” she said. Bensalem is home to the highly regarded School Lane Charter School. Neither Fingles nor Marc Cohen, another school board member, said they were targeting the local charter school by voting for the resolution, but rather the funding method. “In Bensalem, we have an outstanding charter school...We are fortunate to have a charter school working with us,” Cohen said. “The funding is not an equitable formula. It’s hurting our district.” School Lane Charter School CEO Karen Schade could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

“At a planned hearing on March 3-4, ELC will present evidence that the plan fails to evaluate whether this conversion will improve or imperil students’ educations. The plan also ignores how the proposal will affect students with disabilities, though data shows that potential charter school options serve a far lower percentage of children with more significant disabilities. We hope our action will help shift the current proceedings toward a focus on the quality of education children will receive under any proposal.”
Court Grants Our Petition to Intervene on Behalf of Chester Families
Education Law Center March 2020 Newsletter
The Delaware County Court of Common Pleas on Feb. 24 granted our petition to intervene in In Re: Appointment Of A Receiver For The Chester Upland School District, giving Chester parents as well as advocates for students with disabilities a voice in plans for the future of that district. ELC, along with Public Interest Law Center, filed the petition on behalf of parents of students in Chester Upland School District and the Delaware County Advocacy and Resource Organization, a nonprofit advocating for students with disabilities. We intervened to challenge a “revised financial recovery plan” that contemplates the conversion of all Chester Upland K-8 schools to charter schools.

Delco Court of Common Pleas hearing March 3-4 includes charterizing up to 3 of the 4 Chester Upland SD K-8 schools

Two visions of school safety dominate House and Senate hearings
PA Capital Star By  Elizabeth Hardison March 2, 2020
As they grilled Pennsylvania’s top education officials in budget hearings, Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Harrisburg both said the state needs to put aside more money to improve school safety.  The stance could be a rare spot of consensus in the state’s months-long budget negotiations — if it not for a persistent, partisan disagreement over what threats demand attention and money from the General Assembly. Legislative Republicans are calling on the Wolf administration to abandon proposed cuts to a school safety grant program, which helps schools fortify themselves against violent intruders.  Democrats, meanwhile, are calling for a massive infusion of cash to address less visible threats: lead, asbestos, mold and other toxins lurking in Pennsylvania’s aging school buildings. Lawmakers from both parties framed their proposals as a way to make schools safer for Pennsylvania’s 2 million-plus school children. But as state appropriators embark on the months-long project of drafting Pennsylvania’s new annual budget, it’s possible that one vision of safety might be funded at the expense of the other. 

As parents demand more answers, Scranton School Board approves more work at Northeast Intermediate
Times Tribune BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL, STAFF WRITER / PUBLISHED: MARCH 3, 2020
SCRANTON — Calling the ventilation system in Northeast Intermediate School an “accident waiting to happen,” environmental consultants recommended the district complete asbestos abatement on duct work, pipes and other areas before students return. The Scranton School Board voted 9-0 late Monday night to begin making some of those repairs. “If we want to get children back there, we need to move sooner rather than later,” said Candis Finan, Ed.D., chief recovery officer. Students could return in 30 days, pending various approvals from city, state and federal agencies. The school has three separate heating and ventilation systems — one each for the 1904 and 1931 sections and the auditorium. Each system needs abatement work, including removing asbestos insulation and repairing asbestos-lined intake ducts. The fresh air intake system for the auditorium is used as a storage area, filled with desks, chairs and old boxes.

PA Gives Out School Safety Funding For A Second Year, Demands Remain Strong
WESA By MIN XIAN | WPSU March 2, 2020
For a second year, Pennsylvania has approved more than $60 million in school safety funding.
For a second year, Pennsylvania’s School Safety and Security Committee has approved more than $60 million in school safety funding, which was announced Wednesday. The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency said demands for funding to improve safety in Pennsylvania schools remained strong. PCCD received a total of 970 applications during this round of funding, and the total cost of all those projects was $134.5 million.  More than $53 million dollars will be spread out among nearly all of Pennsylvania’s school districts. An additional $7.5 million dollars will go to programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters for violence prevention work.  Overwhelmingly, schools are asking for grants to address mental health needs and to strengthen security measures.  State Senator Wayne Langerholc, R-Bedford, is on the committee that approves the funding and said the main areas of focus have been consistent since the legislation that created the funding was enacted in 2018.  “There needs to be more mental health professionals, more school counselors, more guidance counselors, things that kind of treat the root cause of the problem,” Langerholc said. 

“School districts can also petition the state Department of Education to grant an exception, which California Area also pursued. Although the Department of Education on Thursday granted California a $300,000 exception for special education programs and the inflation index, Burford said this amount did not give the district enough leeway to balance next school year’s budget. The district estimates it will need more than three times that amount to balance the 2020-21 budget.”
Referendum on tax increase for special ed headed to ballot in California (PA) school district
Observer-Reporter by Barbara Miller  Mar 1, 2020 Updated Mar 1, 2020
Voters in the California Area School District will be the first in Washington County to see a referendum question dealing with a larger than state-indexed property tax increase. School district business manager and board treasurer Mary C. Burford submitted paperwork Wednesday to the Washington County elections office based on action by the board at a public meeting Feb. 19. The California Area school board hopes to levy a property tax millage rate of 14.3542 mills for the 2020-21 school year. This amount exceeds the district’s permissible millage as defined by Act 1 of 2006. This millage rate may only be imposed under Act 1 by submitting the proposal to the district’s voters. The April 28 primary takes place before the end of the school district’s fiscal year on June 30. The board must adopt a budget for the following fiscal year by that date. Burford, in a letter submitted to the elections office, phrased the ballot question as, “Do you support raising the real estate tax levied by California Area School District by 2.8539 mills for the 2020-21 fiscal year?” Voters would choose “yes” or “no.”

‘It would be a good shift,’ grad says as court boosts plan to split Steelton-Highspire School District
Penn Live By Matt Miller | mmiller@pennlive.com Updated Mar 02, 2020; Posted Mar 02, 2020
So, would it be a good idea or a bad one for Highspire and its 276 students to split from Steelton-Highspire School District and mesh with the far less than willing Middletown Area School District? “It would be a good shift,” said Deanne Armstrong, a Steel-High grad. Armstrong gave that assessment as she watched her grandchildren playing in Highspire’s Grant Street park on Monday afternoon. Hours earlier, a Commonwealth Court panel gave an important OK to the Highspire Education Coalition’s years-long fight to secede. It overturned a Dauphin County judge’s rejection of the break-away proposal and ordered county Judge Andrew H. Dowling to establish an “independent school district” consisting of just Highspire.

Penn Hills schools prepares for coronavirus, communication procedures
Trib Live by  Dillon Carr Monday, March 2, 2020 | 11:44 AM
Penn Hills School District administrators are asking parents to double check email addresses and contact information in the event schools are forced to shut down due to a coronavirus outbreak. “Our district principals will be working with instructional teams to develop standards-based, K-12 lessons that may be forwarded to families via email,” read a letter penned by Penn Hills High School Principal Eric Kostic, Linton Middle School Principal Sandy Barker and Penn Hills Elementary School Principal Kristin Brown. The letter was forwarded to families Feb. 28. The school district uses “Skyward,” a digital system to communicate with students’ families and store individual student information. “We encourage all families to verify that your family’s email is correctly listed in our Skyward system,” Kostic wrote. Kostic said the school district has not been made aware of anyone infected with coronavirus so far, and there have been “no reported symptoms among our students or staff” related to the respiratory disease. “Still, the Penn Hills School District is following the CDC’s recommendation for preparedness,” Kostic said.

Philadelphia public schools need a policy for voter education and registration
It is "puzzling that the District has no policy to assure that all 8,000 eligible students have the opportunity to register to vote."
The notebook Commentary by Coleman Poses and Thomas Quinn March 2 — 4:07 pm, 2020
Asbestos and lead threaten the air that students breathe and the water that they drink in many of our Philadelphia schools. Meanwhile, the state, the Parking Authority, and wealthy nonprofits shortchange our School District by hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Good politicians can address each of these problems through the legislative process, and every citizen over 18 can help to elect them. The School District of Philadelphia should be doing everything in its power to encourage the city’s citizens to participate in the election process, starting with voter registration. According to the most recent census estimates and voter registration data, our city has more than 80,000 unregistered voters. It is therefore puzzling that the District has no policy to assure that all 8,000 eligible students have the opportunity to register to vote.

Just 5% of Philadelphia schools are named after women
Only a third of those have women of color as a namesake.
Billy Penn by Michaela Winberg March 2, 2020
Philly’s public and charter schools are named after a wide assortment of people. The namesakes are founding fathers and former governors. They’re astronauts and Civil War generals, architects and horticulturists. Despite the varied backgrounds of these namesakes, most of them look the same. A Billy Penn analysis revealed that a vast majority of Philadelphia schools are named after white men. Out of 345 public and charter schools, 193 are named after men. Women? 18 are named after women. There’s North Philly’s Mary McLeod Bethune School, named for the National Council of Negro Women founder and civil rights leader. Laura H. Carnell School in Oxford Circle takes its name from Temple University’s first-ever dean. Julia Ward Howe Elementary in Fern Rock honors the Civil War suffragist and abolitionist.
Altogether, schools named after women make up 5% of Philly’s total.

Population decline spurs conversation about education
Beaver County Times By Daveen Rae Kurutz @DK_NewsData and @DKreports Posted Mar 2, 2020 at 11:31 PM
The Beaver County Partnership Community and Economic Growth and its Quality Education Council unveiled its K-12 education study Monday evening.
CENTER TWP. — There are about 30,000 fewer school-aged children in Beaver County than there were in the 1970s, a number education experts expect to continue to drop. It’s startling numbers that have led members of the Beaver County Partnership Community and Economic Growth and its Quality Education Council to ask how the county can continue to provide equitable, high-quality educational opportunities without going broke. On Monday evening, the partnership unveiled its study on “Population Trends and Fiscal Implications on the Future of Education in Beaver County” at Penn State-Beaver. Officials expected more than 150 people to attend the presentation, which Charles “Skip” Homan, chairman of the board of directors of the partnership, said was designed to start conversations. The county’s 14 school districts serve about 20,500 students, with an additional 2,500 children attending charter, parochial and other schools in Beaver County, according to the report. But while enrollment continues to decline, the expenses of educating a student doesn’t drop at the same time, officials said.

Former POWER leader joins Philly DA’s office as senior advisor
Gregory Holston, the former executive director of POWER, joined the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office as senior adviser on advocacy and policy.
WHYY By John N. Mitchell March 2, 2020
This article originally appeared on The Philadelphia Tribune.
The Rev. Gregory Holston, who has served as the executive director of POWER, joined the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office as the senior advisor on advocacy and policy. “To be on the ground floor of a really dramatic and revolutionary change in the District Attorney’s Office is such a great opportunity,” said Holston, who stepped down from his post at POWER (Philadelphians Organized to Witness Empower and Rebuild) earlier this year. “I’m confident that the place for criminal justice change in America is the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.” In his new role, Holston will advise District Attorney’s Office employees on “ways to integrate social justice best practices and community-based policies and procedures” into their work. Externally, he will “work to advance the mission of the office to make the criminal justice system in Philadelphia more accessible and accountable” in order to build public trust in law enforcement, the DA’s office and the court system. The position is newly created.

Belle Vernon Area teachers issue strike notice to school district
 ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com MAR 2, 2020
The union that represents teachers and other staff in Belle Vernon Area schools announced it will go on strike next week unless a contract is reached with the district. The Belle Vernon Area Education Association, which represents 161 teachers, nurses, counselors and education specialists, issued a strike notice to the district and school board on Monday indicating that a work stoppage would begin March 13.  Until then, the union will perform under a “work to rule” designation, meaning that teachers will not perform duties outside of their contractual obligations, such as sponsoring clubs and after-school tutoring.  The union and the Belle Vernon Area School District have been negotiating a contract since January 2019. Teachers have been working without a contract since June 30.

How to Respond to Coronavirus: 6 Steps for Schools
Education Week By Mark Lieberman March 2, 2020
Cases of the novel coronavirus have begun to hit K-12 schools, and it’s likely more will appear in the coming days as evidence mounts of the disease’s spread beyond people who have recently traveled abroad. Schools in states with confirmed cases have begun closing, either to help limit the spread or to test out remote-learning capabilities in the event a longer closure is necessary. There’s still a lot that’s unknown about the disease. Children have largely not been severely affected thus far, but scientists have yet to determine to what extent they contribute to the disease spreading to more vulnerable populations. The fatality rate for COVID-19 thus far (between 1 and 2 percent) outstrips the more typical influenza virus (0.1 percent on average), but that might be in part because it’s difficult to detect the disease in patients who aren’t exhibiting outward-facing symptoms, said Rachel Orscheln, an associate professor of pediatrics and infectious diseases at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. It’s easy to imagine panicking at the thought of COVID-19 appearing in your district, but there’s plenty of information and resources available to take action. Start by reading the CDC’s full list of guidelines for schools. Below are six critical steps K-12 leaders should follow if coronavirus emerges in your communities.

Nearly 30 states that have private school choice programs that either directly pay students’ tuition at private schools or provide generous tax-credits to incentivize businesses and individuals to do so. But few require private schools to follow standard policies used to ensure transparency and accountability in the nation’s public schools, according to an EdWeek Research Center survey of states on how private school voucher and other closely related programs are regulated.”
Private School Choice Programs Fall Short on Transparency, Accountability
Education Week By Arianna Prothero and Alex Harwin February 28, 2020
Montana, like many other states, helps some students pay for tuition at private schools. But the rules for the schools that participate in its tax-credit scholarship program are scant: They do not have to hire teachers with college degrees or conduct criminal background checks on all their employees. Schools do not have to publicly report graduation rates or demonstrate that they are on sound financial footing. And no entity—be it the state, the organization that awards the scholarships, or the private schools—is required to track and report basic demographic data on the students who use the program. Montana is hardly an outlier.


Blogger note: support Governor Wolf’s proposed charter reforms:
Reprise: 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

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.

Cosponsor: 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.

Register: 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

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.

Event: Transparency in Pennsylvania Cyber Charter Schools
A Free Educational Event Hosted at Capitol Building in Harrisburg, March 16, 2020
CONTACT Holly Lubart EMAIL HollyL@PANewsMedia.org PHONE 717-703-3032
A Free Sunshine Week Educational Event Hosted at Capitol Building in Harrisburg, Pa.
Guest Speaker: Sarah Hofius Hall, Education Reporter, The Times-Tribune
Guest Speaker:  Representative Curt Sonney, Chairman, House Education Committee
Guest Speaker from the Wolf Administration
To register for this event, please complete the form below.

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:

NSBA annual conference -- April 4-6, 2020 Chicago
Registration for the 2020 NSBA Annual Conference is now open. The event will be held April 4-6 in Chicago


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.

Register today for the 2020 PASA/PA Principals Association PA Educational Leadership Summit, August 2-4, at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square 
(hosted by the PA Principals Association and the PA Association of School Administrators). Participants can earn up to 80 PIL hours (40 hours for the Summit and - for an additional cost of $50 - 40 hours for EdCamp) for attending the conference and completing program requirements. Register early to reserve your seat! The deadline to take advantage of the Early Bird Discount is April 24, 2020.   
Click here to register today!


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.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.