Thursday, June 25, 2020

PA Ed Policy Roundup for June 25, 2020: TASD Super: Understand the real cost of cyber charters


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PA Ed Policy Roundup for June 25, 2020
TASD Super: Understand the real cost of cyber charters


PSBA Webinar: Building the Foundation for Equity and Trauma-Informed Approaches Through Policy JUN 25, 2020 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Learn more and register today: https://www.psba.org/event/webinar-building-the-equity-foundation-through-policy/


Tweets from yesterday....
@GovernorMifflinSD board of school directors becomes the 267th locally elected Pennsylvania school board submitting a resolution calling for charter school funding reform. Has your district?

#JohnsonburgAreaSD board of school directors becomes the 266th locally elected Pennsylvania school board submitting a resolution calling for charter school funding reform. Has your district? .

“I see the biggest threat to us right now as cyber charter enrollment,” McPherson said. “They’re advertising really hard and I need the community to understand the real cost of cyber charter.” When a student living in the district enrolls in a cyber charter school, Tunkhannock Area schools lose $15,000 per student, and $34,000 each for those in special education. Last year, the district lost $1.5 million for 72 students enrolled in cyber charter schools. “Those are your tax dollars and they’re walking out the door,” she said.
Tunkhannock Area School District super preparing on all fronts
The Tunkhannock Area School District has been planning for four different scenarios that could take shape this fall. “The first is that we could return under normal conditions,” said Superintendent Heather McPherson. “The second is that we would return with social distancing, screening capabilities, etc. in place. The third scenario is that we would return, and then we would have to close again in the fall. The fourth scenario is that we cannot return, that we would be in the red in the fall.” During a “Restart Rebound Rebuild” webinar with the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce on June 17, McPherson explained the school district’s ideas for bringing students back. The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently put out preliminary guidance for reopening schools in the 2020-2021 academic year. McPherson noted in this evolving situation, plans for Tunkhannock Area schools are subject to change.

Philly-area students, alumni are demanding their schools address systemic racism
Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Posted: June 24, 2020- 5:00 AM
As protests swept the nation after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, Machayla Randall thought about her own brushes with racism, most of which had taken place in school. A rising senior at Cherry Hill East, Randall, who is Black and Native American, said she’s sometimes told “you’re not Black,” or “you’re kind of white.” People touch her hair. Despite earning straight As, she said she was recommended for only one honors class in high school — unlike other friends with similar grades. She and Black classmates with similar experiences decided to take action, organizing a march last Friday and calling on Cherry Hill to require a high-school course in African American studies, examine school discipline rates and address implicit bias among staff. “If you look at everything going on you can reflect back — why is this happening?” Randall said. Like other students, she believes part of the answer is in the classroom. Schools are the latest institutions facing a reckoning over racism — a conversation led by high school students and recent graduates who say their educations on race stopped with To Kill a Mockingbird and the civil rights movement, and failed to explain the systemic racism underlying modern unrest. And Black students are speaking out about discrimination they have endured in schools, inflicted by peers or disproportionately white teaching staffs.

The class of 2020: Three students come of age as pandemic meets racial reckoning
Listen Audio runtime about 34 minutes
The class of 2020 is bound for the history books.
They were born in the wake of 9-11. Entered kindergarten during the Great Recession. Had their senior years interrupted by a global pandemic. And have now graduated into an uncertain future amid mass COVID-19 deaths, staggering unemployment and civic upheaval in the streets. In this episode of Schooled, we’re telling the stories of students coming of age in a moment where the world feels both ‘on hold’ and ‘on fire.’

Two Pittsburgh school board members seek more transparency from school police
ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com JUN 24, 2020
Two Pittsburgh Public Schools board members are seeking more information on interactions between students and police inside of city schools. Board members Devon Taliaferro and Pam Harbin introduced a resolution during a school board meeting Wednesday calling on the district to release student arrest data to the public and form a community task force to “reimagine school safety.” “I think it’s time that we really do what it takes to make sure that we are able to provide transparent data and information about areas which relate to our students as well as to be able to open up for community conversation,” Ms. Taliaferro said during a videoconference board meeting. “I’m happy to put forth this resolution today to be able to start that conversation and truly reimagine how we deliver school safety to our students, staff and the community.” The resolution was the result of momentum generated by nationwide calls for police reform that has grown since a Minneapolis officer killed George Floyd in May. School districts in several large cities — including Minneapolis, Seattle and Denver — have suspended or cut ties with police.

“Officials have attributed the deficit to “under-funded and unfunded mandates” from the state. The district is projecting $7.2 million in special education costs for 230 students, with roughly $775,000 in funding from the state and $530,000 from the federal government, according to budget figures. The addition of 30 special education students to the district also contributed to an increase in mandatory spending, Superintendent Jason Harris said. In addition, state-required Morrisville tuition payments for students living within the district who attend charter schools will cost an additional $1 million, or roughly $100,000 more than the previous school year. The district also is on the hook for a $3 million contribution to the Pennsylvania School Employees Retirement System, which is about $200,000 more than last year.”
Tax increase, no cuts in Morrisville school budget
Bucks County Courier Times By Anthony DiMattia @dailydimattia Posted at 6:28 AM
The Morrisville school board approved a 2.79% increase Thursday to help fill a roughly $630,000 deficit in the district’s $22.5 million 2020-2021 school year spending plan. The Morrisville school board approved a $113 average tax increase but avoided making painful staff and program cuts to the 2020-2021 school year budget. The board OK’d a 2.79% increase Thursday to help fill a roughly $630,000 deficit in the district’s $22.5 million spending plan. Board President Damon Miller along with members Donna Getty, Wanda Kartal, Jon Perry, Jacquelyn Catalini, Julie Shemelia, Joe Gilleo andCarolyn Grau voted yes, while Leseh Lentner voted no. While they understood the burden on taxpayers, members said the increase was necessary to retain staff and programs while boosting the district’s dwindling savings account. Officials also anticipate additional spending related to the coronavirus pandemic once students return Sept. 8.

'Wouldn’t wish on anybody': York City school board makes deep cuts
Lindsay C VanAsdalan, York Dispatch Published 7:17 a.m. ET June 25, 2020 | Updated 7:21 a.m. ET June 25, 2020
York City's school board on Wednesday approved a $155.8 million budget with position and program cuts beyond the $6.2 million in cuts proposed in May. Two school police officers, the athletic and assistant athletic directors, the district's performing arts program, an additional teacher, the attendance office supervisor and contracted armed guards were the new eliminations. The district's May announcement to cut 44 positions — 32 of them teachers — drew strong pushback from the York City Education Association, a union representing more than 450 professional staff in the district. "Many of these cuts would directly impact class size and reduce the number of adults who would directly interact with students," said Clovis Gallon, a high school teacher who spoke for the union before Wednesday's vote. Gallon read a list of alternative suggestions for the board to consider, including more cuts to the administration and shortening the school day. A petition shared by the association urging board members not to act prematurely on a budget that could halt district progress in the past few years had about 300 signatures as of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The additional cuts were to offset $2.5 million the district will not be receiving in state funding after the state's education budget was flat-funded because of COVID-19.

New Kensington-Arnold to lay off 28 teachers, projects up to 600 students won’t return to school in fall
Trib Live by BRIAN C. RITTMEYER   | Wednesday, June 24, 2020 1:22 p.m.
New Kensington-Arnold School Board voted Tuesday to lay off 28 teachers because the district said research projects up to 600 students won’t be returning to its schools in the fall. Even with the layoffs and a 3-mill tax increase, also approved Tuesday, the district plans to spend $1.1 million more than it brings in next year. The board said it will cover the deficit with reserves, depleting that account to about $300,000. Superintendent John Pallone said most of the layoffs are based on preliminary results of a survey of district families, showing that 550 to 600 of the district’s nearly 1,950 students won’t come back to its buildings in the fall. Survey respondents who said their children would not be returning to school in person expressed concern about the coronavirus pandemic, he said.

$125M Boyertown School Budget Raises Taxes 3.2%
Digital Notebook by Evan Brandt Wednesday, June 24, 2020
The Boyertown School Board voted 7-2 Tuesday night to adopt a $124.9 million school budget that raises taxes by 3.2 percent, the maximum allowed by the state's Act 1 index. The millage will be raised to 28.2 mills as a result of the vote. School board members Ruth Dierolf and Christine Neiman cast the two votes against the budget. Both said they appreciated all the hard work that went into crafting the budget, but that they have heard from too many constituents that they can't afford the tax hike. "Some have lost their businesses or haven't gone back to work yet and they can't pay their bills," Neiman said. Board member Jill Dennin, who heads the finance committee, said when the budget process began, "we thought we had things under control and then the pandemic hit." School Districts across Pennsylvania have suffered staggering revenue losses due to decreased revenues from local sources, due to the shut down of businesses.

Norristown school board approves budget for new school year
NORRISTOWN — Norristown Area School Board Tuesday night approved a final budget for the 2020-21 school year in the amount of $ 163,728,295. Resolutions set the millage rate at 39.204 mills, or $3.92 on each $100 of assessed valuation of taxable property. This budget carries with it a 3.30 percent tax increase. In other business, after a lengthy discussion at Monday’s meeting, the board postponed its decision on when to allow student athletes to return for voluntary practice. In keeping with Pennsylvania Department of Education’s requirement that school districts reveal plans to resume interscholastic athletics, Superintendent Christopher Dormer noted, “This is a little more time sensitive because we recognize that with the loss of our spring season … in order to be ready for fall we need to make available to our student athletes and teams and coaches a voluntary workout that they do every summer.”

Mechanicsburg school board approves Sept. 8 start date, eyes options for fall instruction
Phyllis Zimmerman For The Sentinel June 24, 2020
Mechanicsburg schools will open two weeks later than originally scheduled for the 2020-21 school year as the district continues post-COVID preparations. At a virtual meeting on Tuesday night, the Mechanicsburg school board unanimously agreed to change the start of the upcoming school year to Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day. While the new start date is a just over two weeks later that the Aug. 24 start date previously approved by the school board, it won’t affect the end date of the 2020-21 calendar already in place, Superintendent Mark Leidy said. Leidy introduced the proposal to delay the start of school for the school board’s consideration on June 11. At that time, he said, “As we’re trying to figure out where we’re going this fall, we need all the time we can get.” This week, district officials remained undecided about which educational model would be in place for students when schools open on Sept. 8. On Tuesday, Leidy presented several options for a phased reopening of school of full-time face-to-face instruction, full-time remote learning, or a hybrid instruction model of both.

Comcast extends offer of two months free internet to new customers as well as public hotspot availability
Superintendent Hite says that this will not fix the access problem for all students. He described the company as a "partner" in working on further solutions.
The notebook by Dale Mezzacappa June 24 — 11:20 am, 2020
UPDATE 6/24: Comcast announced Wednesday that it is also extending through the end of 2020 access to its 1.5 million public Xfinity WiFi hotspots to anyone who needs them, including non-customers. “We saw a huge jump in usage after we opened up our public hotspots, and we’re excited to keep them open through the end of the year as the nation begins taking steps to reopen,” said Dana Strong, President of Xfinity Consumer Services. END UPDATE
Comcast said Thursday that it would extend its offer of 60 days of free online access to new Internet Essentials customers until the end of the year, an offer that was originally set to expire on June 30. The company also said it would continue until the end of the year to waive the requirement that customers have no past-due balance in order to qualify. In his weekly press call Thursday morning, Superintendent William Hite said that 5% of District students have consistently reported having no internet access, and he wondered whether that number would increase if households who took advantage of the two-months-free offer decided, for whatever reason, not to maintain the service and pay the $9.95 monthly charge.

EDITORIAL: Protect the students of Spring Grove
York Dispatch Editorial Board Published 1:28 p.m. ET June 24, 2020 | Updated 9:38 p.m. ET June 24, 2020
A vocal contingent of Spring Grove Area residents is urging that public schools reopen in a business-as-usual format this fall, regardless of coronavirus-related health concerns. No masks for students or teachers. No social distancing. No kidding. Schooling is, indeed, badly needed in the district — for these tragically misinformed residents. Among the lessons: The coronavirus is not a political ideology; refusing to take precautions is not an exercise of rights; and not being afraid of contracting the virus is inconsequential. More: Spring Grove school board member: COVID-19 pandemic 'a crock of sh--' They’d likewise benefit from a few lessons in consideration for others. Same goes for a couple of Spring Grove school board members, including Douglas White, who could also use a remedial course in civility.


Success Academy spokesperson resigns over ‘abusive’ practices at NYC’s largest charter network
Chalkbeat By Alex Zimmerman  Jun 23, 2020, 3:35pm EDT
A spokesperson for New York City’s largest charter network resigned in protest, stating she can no longer defend Success Academy’s “racist and abusive practices” that are “detrimental to the emotional well being” of its students. “I am resigning because I can no longer continue working for an organization that allows and rewards the systemic abuse of students, parents, and employees,” wrote Liz Baker, a Success spokesperson, in a resignation letter Tuesday. “As the organization’s press associate, I no longer wish to defend Success Academy in response to any media inquiries,” she continued in the letter, which was obtained by Chalkbeat. “I do not believe that Success Academy has scholars’ best interests at heart, and I strongly believe that attending any Success Academy school is detrimental to the emotional wellbeing of children.” The stunning resignation letter comes as the network has been besieged by complaints from employees, parents, and students about a culture that some argue is racist. Baker, who has worked at Success for about a year and four months, is one of the network’s most visible employees and was responsible for responding to reporters’ questions about the network.

When kids go back to school, who’s going to drive the bus?
Bus drivers, like other school support staff, are often older and can’t do their jobs remotely. School administrators are struggling to figure out how to reopen while keeping these staff safe.
Hechingr Report by NEAL MORTON June 24, 2020
For the past three months, Bridget and Jerry Boyce have taken every precaution to avoid bringing the novel coronavirus into their rural Oregon home. Both drive buses for the Sutherlin School District — Bridget, for the past five years; Jerry, for two. After schools closed, they chose not to participate in a meal-delivery program to students’ homes. They rarely go to grocery stores, only shop at retailers that require face masks and thoroughly disinfect themselves after each trip. And since mid-March, the Boyces, both in their mid-50s, haven’t seen their daughter or grandchildren who live two hours away. Now, as schools in Oregon prepare to reopen this fall, they must weigh whether returning to work — and greeting the students they sorely miss — is worth the risk of exposing themselves to the novel coronavirus.

Planning Your 2020-21 School Year? Use Our 'Guide to the Guides' on Reopening
By Stephen Sawchuk on June 22, 2020 2:53 PM
As summer gets underway in earnest and most schools let out, the nation's 14,000 school systems are now full-bore preparing for the 2020-21 school year and trying to square all the uncertainties that the novel coronavirus pandemic has thrown up. One by one, the major professional associations that serve teachers and leaders are now releasing guidance for districts beginning this Herculean task. They're excellent resources for superintendents, principals, and other district leaders, all much more detailed than anything state agencies are putting out. The challenge is figuring out which guide will be most helpful for your needs at this momentEnter Education Week's new Guide to the Guides. We hope this will give you some starting points for the challenging deliberations and decisions to come. In addition, Education Week has begun its own series, How We Go Back to School, which includes some downloadable resources sure to help you begin the conversation with your leadership teams, principals, and staff—all coupled with our trademark analytical journalism. See part one of that series here.
And now, here's our curated list.

“It’s not that DeVos isn’t hard at work — it’s just that she’s not devoting her efforts to what we would assume a federal education head should be prioritizing. For DeVos, the pandemic is no obstacle to pushing her long crusade for charter schools and “school choice,” not to mention cracking down on people struggling to repay student loans. She’s attempted to reroute a portion of the $13.5 billion in the Cares Act dedicated for K-12 funding needs — money that’s supposed to be distributed based on poverty and need formulas — to independent and religious schools. She continues to promote school choice and the use of vouchers.”
Betsy DeVos is an abysmal failure and our nation’s schoolchildren are paying the price
The Washington Post Opinion by Helaine Olen Columnist June 21, 2020 at 1:45 p.m. EDT
Months after schools across the country closed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, it’s still not clear how, or even if, children can safely return to classrooms in the coming weeks and months. Despite the best efforts of teachers suddenly plunged into teaching remotely, the loss of learning has been staggering, especially for low-income students. This would be the moment, you’d think, when the nation’s top education policy official would step up and attempt to offer leadership and best practices going forward. Instead, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is missing in action, at least when it comes to the issues that matter most. Almost two months ago, the American Federation of Teachers released a plan detailing how schools could reopen safely. Their recommendations include mandatory hand-washing on entering the school and capping class sizes to encourage physical distancing. Last month, the conservative American Enterprise Institute released one as well; among other things, it urges schools to evaluate students for learning gaps as a result of the closures. The Education Department, by contrast, is all but silent, issuing little in the way of guidance, and doing little to review what did and didn’t work.

Senate approves 200th federal judge nominated by Trump
Inquirer by Matthew Daly, Associated Press, Posted: June 24, 2020- 6:06 PM
WASHINGTON — The Senate has approved the nomination of a Mississippi judge to a federal appeals court, the 200th federal judge named by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the Republican-controlled chamber. It’s the highest number of judicial nominees confirmed at this stage of a presidency in four decades. Cory Wilson was elevated to a seat on the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal despite Democratic objections that he has a record of working to undermine voting rights of African Americans and other minorities. Approval came on a nearly party-line, 52-48 vote Wednesday. Maine Sen. Susan Collins was the only Republican to vote against Wilson. Wilson, a former Republican state legislator, has been a state appeals court judge for 16 months. The 5th Circuit, which hears cases from Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, is considered one of the most conservative appeals courts in the nation.


PSBA Fall Virtual Advocacy Day: OCT 8, 2020 • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sign up now for PSBA’s Virtual Advocacy Day this fall!
All public school leaders are invited to join us for our fall Virtual Advocacy Day on Thursday, October 8, 2020, via Zoom. We need all of you to help strengthen our advocacy impact. The day will center around contacting legislators to discuss critical issues affecting public education. Registrants will receive the meeting invitation with a link to our fall Virtual Advocacy Day website that contains talking points, a link to locate contact information for your legislator and additional information to help you have a successful day.
Cost: As a membership benefit, there is no cost to register.
Registration: School directors can register online now by logging in to myPSBA. If you have questions about Virtual Advocacy Day, or need additional information, contact Jamie.Zuvich@psba.org.

Apply Now for EPLC's 2020-2021 PA Education Policy Fellowship Program!
Applications are available now for the 2020-2021 Education Policy Fellowship Program
The Education Policy Fellowship Program is sponsored in Pennsylvania by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC).  The 2020-2021 Program will be conducted in briefer, more frequent, and mostly online sessions, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The content will be substantially the same as the traditional Fellowship Program, with some changes necessitated by the new format and a desire to reduce costs to sponsors in these uncertain fiscal times.
The commitment of EPLC remains the same. The Fellowship Program will continue to be Pennsylvania's premier education policy leadership program for education, community, policy and advocacy leaders! The Fellowship Program begins with two 3-hour virtual sessions on September 17-18, and the Program ends with a graduation event in June 2021.
The application may be copied from the EPLC web site, but it must be submitted by mail or scanned and e-mailed, with the necessary signatures of applicant and sponsor.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of the Fellowship Program and its requirements, please contact EPLC Executive Director Ron Cowell at 412-298-4796 or COWELL@EPLC.ORG

Adopt the 2020 PSBA resolution for charter school funding reform
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.

Over 260 PA school boards adopt charter reform resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be a concern as over 260 school boards across the state have adopted a resolution calling for legislators to enact significant reforms to the Charter School Law to provide funding relief and ensure all schools are held to the same quality and ethics standards. Now more than ever, there is a growing momentum from school officials across the state to call for charter school funding reform. Legislators are hearing loud and clear that school districts need relief from the unfair funding system that results in school districts overpaying millions of dollars to charter schools.

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

The Network for Public Education Action Conference has been rescheduled to April 24-25, 2021 at the Philadelphia Doubletree Hotel


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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