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, 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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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for October 30, 2020
DeVos will let
religious groups apply for charter grants, opening up new legal battlefront
Congratulations
to #312 @wasdpa for passing
the charter funding reform resolution. Thank you to Rep. Paul Schemel, @SenMastriano and PSBA
Ambassador @lynn_kohler
https://www.psba.org/2020/03/adopted-charter-reform-resolutions/
The Editorial Board endorses Joe Biden: Here are seven
reasons why | PennLive Editorial
By PennLive
Editorial Board Updated Oct 29, 8:21 AM; Posted
Oct 29, 5:30 AM
This is not the first time Americans have
faced a crisis. It’s not the first time we’ve face economic turmoil as well as
suffering and death on a massive scale. And it’s not the first time Americans
have been called to work hard, sacrifice and help our neighbors. During past
times of turmoil and struggle, Americans have been blessed with leaders who
inspired us to live up to our highest ideals as a nation and as one people. The
next President of the United States will need to be that kind of leader. The
next President of the United States will need to respect the values of those we
have come to honor as the Greatest Generation. They showed us how to rise above
chaos. They showed us how to put country above self. They showed us how
Americans will always be victorious when we unite against any enemy – be it
ideological or on the battlefield.
U.S. coronavirus cases surpass 9 million; daily total
sets record
Post Gazette by MITCH SMITH, SIMON ROMERO AND
GIULIA MCDONNELL NIETO DEL RIO The New York Times OCT 29, 2020 9:25 PM
CHICAGO — The United States, which reported
its first known coronavirus case in Washington state 282 days ago, surpassed 9
million total infections Thursday, including more than half a million in the
past week, as COVID-19 spiraled out of control in the lead-up to Election Day.
Across the country, alarming signs suggested
the worst was yet to come: The nation reported more cases Thursday — at least
86,600 — than on any other single day. More than 20 states reported more cases
over the past week than at any time during the pandemic. Patients were sent to
field hospitals in El Paso, Texas, and the Milwaukee suburbs. Growing outbreaks
led to new restrictions on businesses in Chicago. Zero states reported
sustained declines in cases.
DeVos will let religious groups apply for charter grants,
opening up new legal battlefront
Chalkbeat By Matt Barnum Oct 29, 2020, 2:55pm EDT
The law is
clear: In order to be eligible for federal charter grants, charter schools must
not be “affiliated with a sectarian school or religious institution.” But
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said earlier this week that
she will no longer enforce this prohibition. Religious organizations should
feel free to apply for federal money to open charter schools, she said, and a
recent Supreme Court ruling is on her side. “Prohibiting religiously affiliated
public charter schools is unconstitutional,” DeVos said at a forum in Kentucky. “The
Department of Education in the Charter School Program will not discriminate and
will allow for and welcome religiously affiliated applicants.” It’s not clear
that DeVos’s move will prompt immediate changes in who tries to start charter
schools, and it could be reversed by a Biden administration if President Trump
loses reelection next week. But it amounts to the first shot fired in what’s
likely to be a lengthy legal battle over charter schools and religion in the
wake of two recent Supreme Court decisions.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2020/10/29/21540634/devos-charter-schools-religion
Shenandoah
Valley laments cost of cyber/charter funding
Republican
Herald By John E. Usalis Staff Writer Oct 29, 2020 Updated 7 hrs ago
SHENANDOAH
— The Shenandoah Valley school board has repeated a message that it believes
charter/cyber school funding reform is needed. The board adopted a resolution
by a 7-0 vote Wednesday calling for the Legislature to “meaningfully revise the
existing flawed charter school funding systems for regular and special
education to ensure that school districts and taxpayers are no longer overpaying
these schools or reimbursing for costs the charter schools do not incur.” The
district joins the Pennsylvania School Boards Association in “advocating for
substantial change,” the resolutions states. It says the formula was
established in 1997 under the state’s Charter School Law and has not been
changed in the 23 years since. It states the formula is unfair in that it is
not based on what it actually costs to educate a child in a charter school. Also,
the calculation for charter special education tuition is based on the special
education expenditures of the school district rather than the charter school,
the resolution states. Although the General Assembly revised the special
education funding formula in 2014, the formula was applied only to school districts
and not to charter schools, it says, creating “wide discrepancies in the amount
of tuition paid by different districts for the same charter school education
and ... drastic over-payments to charter schools.” The tuition rates for
regular education students can vary by almost $13,000 per student and by
$39,000 for special education students, according to the resolution.
RESOLUTION
IN SUPPORT OF HB: 526 (CYBER CHARTER REFORM) TESTIMONY
Philadelphia
City Council October 29, 2020 Tomea Sippio-Smith, K-12 Education Policy
Director, PCCY
Thank
you for the opportunity to speak this morning. I’m here today in support of
Resolution No. 200580. I’m calling on City Council to show its support for
House Bill 526, which calls for ending the use of taxpayer funds to pay for
cyber charter education when local school districts offer their own full-time
cyber school programs. Supporting this bill is a fiscally responsible, common
sense option for Philadelphia. By championing HB 526, sponsored by the
Republican House Education Chair, Curt Sonney, City Council is taking a step
back from the biting, ultra-polarized rhetoric that currently plagues our political
system. Instead, by showing its support for this Republican bill, the Council
is moving toward a bi-partisan solution to fix a significant part of
Pennsylvania’s badly broken charter school law – cyber charters– an overhaul
that is nearly 20 years past due.
Like
90% of the state’s districts, the school district of Philadelphia offers an
in-house cyber program for students. Unlike other school districts,
Philadelphia spent a whopping $106 million in cyber charter tuition during the
2018-2019 school year. And thanks to a jump in enrollment by more than 1,200
students this year alone, that amount is expected to grow by $15 million
dollars. That’s an unacceptable jump in a year when school districts across the
state are expected to face millions of dollars of increases in mandates,
shortfalls in local revenue and significant costs related to Covid. For the
amount of money the school district is pouring into cyber charters, one would
expect a strong return on investment. However, nothing could be farther from
the truth. Cyber charters have never delivered on that expectation.
https://www.pccy.org/news/pccy-testimony-hb526-cyber-charter-reform/
Superintendents' forum: Taking time to be grateful
[Opinion]
Reading Eagle By Dr. Richard J. Mextorf Superintendent,
Hamburg School District Oct 29, 2020
Life is hard. Sometimes bad things happen
that are beyond our control and we are forced to deal with them. No one invited
a pandemic, yet here we all are, doing our best to face the adversity and deal
with whatever comes our way. While we are all frazzled, frustrated and a bit
frayed at the edges, and there are still more questions than answers, I am
inspired by how people have come together to support this great American ideal
known as public education. We need to be grateful for the support of many. Our
legislators have worked to provide relief to schools. As a school
superintendent, sometimes I forget that education is only one of the many
challenges facing our legislators. I am grateful for their continued efforts on
our behalf. Our school boards have been with us every step of the way. These
elected officials are unpaid volunteers who devote hours of time and effort to
support our schools. I am quite certain that board members did not anticipate
dealing with a pandemic when they agreed to serve. I am grateful for their
ongoing support. I am grateful for our parents and families. They have done
everything we have asked of them to help us provide the best education possible
under adverse conditions. Thank you for trusting us. We will continue to do our
best to earn your trust every day.
Philly’s Nov. 30 back-to-school plan threatened by rising
COVID cases
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, October
29, 2020
With an eye toward surging COVID-19 case
counts in the region, Superintendent
William R. Hite Jr. said Thursday that Philadelphia might not be able to bring
back its pre-kindergarten- through second-grade students Nov. 30 after all. The
Philadelphia School District is still planning for as many as 32,000 students
to return to classes as announced earlier this month, but staff — many of whom
are now scheduled to report to school buildings Nov. 9 — and students won’t
come back unless it’s safe, Hite said. The district will “carefully monitor
COVID-19 to make sure that conditions support in-person learning,” Hite said at
a news conference Thursday. “We’re preparing for all scenarios, a scenario that
will allow for us to bring some children back, a scenario that would allow for
all children to remain virtual,” the superintendent said.
There is no date by which the district must
make a final decision, Hite said; the fluid public health situation will
dictate what happens.
With ventilation questions and coronavirus surging, many
Philly parents and teachers wonder: Will classrooms be ready?
Inquirer by Kristen A. Graham, Posted:October
30, 2020
Stefanie Marrero badly wants her youngest
child inside his first grade classroom at Richmond Elementary in Philadelphia. With
a Friday deadline for Philadelphia School District parents to choose whether
they want their prekindergarten through second grade children to return to
school buildings Nov. 30, Marrero searched for information about ventilation conditions inside
Richmond’s rooms to help make her decision. But none existed. Marrero finds
herself in a situation common to scores of Philadelphia parents and teachers:
skeptical of the school system’s track record, lacking
full information to make decisions, wary of other schools’ data that shows
inadequate ventilation in many schools, and “really troubled” at the prospect
of sending children and teachers into the unknown in a pandemic.
Reading School District sticking with remote classes,
sports still suspended
Reading Eagle By Jeremy Long jlong@readingeagle.com
@jeremymlong on Twitter Oct 29, 2020
The Reading School District will remain in a
full virtual learning model, and extracurricular activities, including sports,
will still not happen. The board voted 8-1 Wednesday night to keep things as
they currently are in the district. Board member Patricia Wright was the lone
no vote. “There are a lot of teachers who are dying to be inside of the schools
right now to better teach,” Wright said before voting. “I believe that should
be an option at this point. Not mandated but voluntary.” The district has been
in a full virtual learning model since the beginning of the school year because
of the coronavirus pandemic. The district also suspended all extracurricular
activities, including sports, indefinitely. That was the bad news. The good
news is Dr. Khalid N. Mumin, superintendent, promised to keep all options open
and the district could start to slowly reopen, potentially before the end of
November. The new recommendation can change at any time, Mumin said. For that
to happen, the data has to improve, he said.
Two more COVID-19 cases reported in Tamaqua Area School
District
Republican Herald BY JILL WHALEN STAFF WRITER
Oct 22, 2020 Updated Oct 22, 2020
Two additional cases of COVID-19 were
reported this week in the Tamaqua Area School District.
In a letter to families, Superintendent
Raymond Kinder Jr. said one case is a high school student and the other is a
middle school staffer. “Both individuals are now in isolation and doing well,”
Kinder wrote, noting that the cases are unrelated. After learning of the
positive tests Wednesday, school officials consulted with the Pennsylvania
Department of Health. The department did not identify any other individuals as
being at risk and did not recommend quarantine for anyone else in the school
setting.
Moon Area students move virtual after 5 COVID cases at
middle and high schools
Daveen Rae Kurutz Beaver
County Times October 29, 2020
MOON TWP. — After a fifth student tested
positive for COVID-19 Wednesday evening, Moon Area School District officials
moved middle and high school classes virtual until Nov. 5. Students at the
middle and high schools have been attending classes in a hybrid format, with
in-person classes four days each week. Beginning Oct. 30, students will attend
classes virtually, Superintendent Barry Balaski told parents in an email
Thursday afternoon. The move is being made out of "an abundance of
caution." District administrators will re-evaluate data on Tuesday
to determine if classes can resume at the schools on Nov. 5. Elementary
students in the district will continue to attend classes in the hybrid model.
Leechburg Area School District will hold classes online
for the next two Wednesdays
Trib Live by JOYCE
HANZ | Thursday,
October 29, 2020 10:02 p.m.
Students at Leechburg Area School District
will begin a modified two-week schedule beginning Monday, Nov.2 through Friday, Nov. 13. Wednesdays
will revert to a fully-remote instruction day after the school board approved
the change Wednesday. “We will not be offering any in-person education on
Wednesdays,” wrote Superintendent Tiffany Nix in a email Thursday sent to
parents. The district is currently holding classes in person all five school
days each week. Nix wrote that students on Wednesdays will learn from home
using Chromebooks and Google Classroom. Materials will be sent home with
students next Tuesday. Parents will not need to come to campus to pick up
anything. Rising covid-19 cases in Armstrong and Westmoreland counties was the
main reason mentioned for the schedule change.
Abington Heights students to stay in hybrid program
Times Tribune BY KATHLEEN BOLUS STAFF WRITER Oct 29,
2020
Students in the Abington Heights School
District will remain in a hybrid program, attending in-person classes two days
a week, the school board affirmed Thursday. Winter sports athletes, including
players on the girls and boys basketball, wrestling, cheerleading and swim
teams, can also begin conditioning, Superintendent Michael Mahon, Ph.D., said
during the special meeting. The board voted 8-0 to continue with the part-time,
in-person learning, which began Oct. 5. Last Wednesday, the school board
discussed possibly moving back to an all-remote schedule after Lackawanna
County was designated “substantial” for the growing spread of COVID-19. But
voted to continue hybrid instruction until at least Nov. 2 and would revisit
the issue this week.
Old Forge students to return to hybrid schedule
Times Tribune by KATHLEEN BOLUS Oct 29,
2020
Students in the Old Forge School District
will return to a hybrid schedule beginning Monday.
The board voted Wednesday to revert back to a
hybrid schedule, where students attend in-person classes two days a week,
according to a press release on the district's Facebook page. The district
began the school year hybrid but on Oct. 22, the board informally voted 6-2
during an emergency virtual meeting to begin remote instruction. The state
Department of Education recommends that school districts within counties designated
"substantial" for increasing COVID-19 cases educate students
completely virtual. Lackawanna County began its second week
"substantial" on Monday.
Bensalem district to reopen schools for hybrid learning
Nov. 16
Peg Quann Bucks
County Courier Times October 29, 2020
Most Bensalem district students will return
to school Nov. 16 as the school board voted 8-1 Wednesday night for a hybrid
Health and Safety Plan including both in-school and remote instruction. Special
needs students are already going to school four days a week and will continue
to do so under the updated plan, while students whose parents opt to keep them
home will continue with the remote learning the district enacted for the
first marking period due to the coronavirus pandemic. School Superintendent Samuel Lee said that
despite there being eight possible cases of COVID among employees, seven cases
among Bensalem students and three among non-public school students in the
district, the cases were not spread in the schools.
Erie School District studies numbers for reopening,
closing as virus cases surge in county
GoErie by Ed Palattella Erie Times-News
October 30, 2020
The Erie School District remains on schedule
to start in-person classes for elementary school students on Nov. 9. When the
district must halt those classes due to COVID-19 is the next big issue for the
Erie School Board. Erie schools Superintendent Brian Polito and his
administration are working on a plan that, with board approval, would require
the district to temporarily close and clean elementary schools based on the
number of staff and students who test positive for the new coronavirus. That is
a shift from the district's previous approach. It was to focus on the
percentage of people who tested positive within the boundaries of the school
district, which encompass the city of Erie.
Williamsport Area School District to return to full,
in-person instruction in November
WBRE/WYOU Posted: Oct 29, 2020 / 11:18 PM EDT
/ Updated: Oct 29, 2020 / 11:18 PM EDT
WILLIAMSPORT, LYCOMING COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) —
The Williamsport Area School District Board voted 7-2 for the district to
return to full, in-person instruction, beginning with elementary students on
November 2nd. Secondary school students will return on November 9th. The
district was previously using a hybrid learning model for all its schools, with
families able to choose full-remote learning if desired. Those currently in
that full-remote model have the option to stay remote, as long as they are
demonstrating proficiency in that platform. In a statement, the district said
in part “With growing academic and attendance concerns, a return to five-day,
in-person instruction is what we believe is the best way for us to serve our
students educationally.” https://www.pahomepage.com/top-stories/williamsport-area-school-district-to-return-to-full-in-person-instruction-in-november/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=t.co
More than 130 COVID-19 cases have been reported at
Lancaster County schools. Here's where they are [update]
Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer October 29,
2020
More than 130 cases of COVID-19 have been
reported at Lancaster County schools so far into the 2020-21 school year. The
cases come from 16 school districts, plus a brick-and-mortar charter school in
Lancaster city and the county's career and technology center.
And that might not be all.
Teacher strike planned in Danville
Teachers plan to go on strike on Monday,
November 2 if an agreement is not met.
WNEP Author: Nikki Krize Published: 4:13
PM EDT October 28, 2020 Updated: 5:19 PM EDT October 28, 2020
DANVILLE, Pa. — School is now in session
using a hybrid model at the Danville Area School District but that might not be
the case for long. According to Danville Education Association President
Dave Fortunato, teachers are planning to go on strike starting Monday. Teachers
here have been working without a contract since June of 2019. Teachers and
district officials have not been able to agree when it comes to a deductible on
health insurance and raises. "How many of us actually do get that, a zero
deductible on our health insurance? How many of us in the country are
getting raises with so many of us out of work," asked Amy Fisher of
Danville. Amy Fisher has three kids in the district. She and other parents we
spoke with believe because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the teachers' timing could
not be worse. "To have last year cut short, it was a hard summer for all
of us, so to have it happen again now." District officials met with the
Danville Education Association Monday. The teacher's union president said
quote: "We are disappointed the school board ended Monday's negotiation
session and canceled Tuesday's session. They have left us with no
alternative but to move to a strike."
Testing Resistance & Reform News; October 21 - 27,
2020
FairTest Submitted by fairtest on October 27,
2020 - 12:41pm
FairTest at 35: What's Happening Now, What's
Next for Assessment Reform?
https://www.fairtest.org/testing-resistance-reform-news-october-21-27-2020
What's the connection between reading early and high
school dropout rates? Learn with us at the Education First Compact on 11/5.
Philadelphia Education Fund Free Virtual
Event Thursday November 5, 2020 9:00 am - 10:30 am
From Pre-K to Fifth Grade: Early Literacy as
Dropout Prevention
It’s long been understood that literacy is
the gateway to learning. No doubt you’ve heard the maxim: In grades
K-3, a student must learn to read, so that in grades 4-12 they can read to
learn.
In the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2014
report, “Double Jeopardy,” researchers also found a link between 4th
grade reading proficiency and high school completion rates. Astonishingly,
they discovered that students with low levels of proficiency were four times as
likely to drop out of high school. In Philadelphia, the struggle to improve
upon rates of early literacy is a collaborative one. At the center of
these local efforts are the School District of Philadelphia, the Children’s
Literacy Initiative, and various community partners engaged through
Philadelphia’s Read By 4th Campaign. Join us for the November Education First
Compact to probe such questions as: What lessons has been learned prior to and
during COVID? What adjustments are being made during this period of distance
learning? What challenges remain? And, most importantly, what role can the
larger Philadelphia community play in the effort?
Panelists:
- Caryn
Henning, Children’s Literacy Initiative
- Jenny
Bogoni, Read By 4th Campaign
- Nyshawana
Francis-Thompson, School District Office of Instruction and Curriculum
Host: Farah
Jimenez, President and CEO of Philadelphia Education Fund
Schedule: 9:00 – 9:45am
Presentation
9:45 – 10:15am Q & A
Attendance is free, but registration is
required.
Adopt the resolution against racial inequity!
School boards are asked to adopt this
resolution supporting the development of an anti-racist climate. Once adopted,
share your resolution with your local community and submit a copy to PSBA.
Learn more: http://ow.ly/yJWA50B2R72
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.
Resolution for charter funding reform (pdf)
Link
to submit your adopted resolution to PSBA
310 PA school boards have
adopted charter reform resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 300 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.
https://www.psba.org/2020/03/adopted-charter-reform-resolutions/
Know Your Facts on Funding and Charter Performance. Then
Call for Charter Change!
PSBA Charter Change Website:
https://www.pacharterchange.org/
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.