Friday, November 13, 2020

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Nov. 13, 2020: PA Legislature Says Bipartisan Goodbye to 244 Year Old Glass Ceiling

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 Nov. 13, 2020

PA Legislature Says Bipartisan Goodbye to 244 Year Old Glass Ceiling

 

 

Want some cliff notes on the school funding lawsuit currently in the Commonwealth Court? Check this out: https://fundourschoolspa.org/faq

 

 

School Funding Lawsuit Webinar Nov 19, 2020 07:00 PM

Public Interest Law Center and Education Law Center

Join attorneys from the Public Interest Law Center and Education Law Center to learn about Pennsylvania's school funding lawsuit. If you live in a plaintiff district--The School District of Lancaster, Johnstown Area, Wilkes-Barre Area, William Penn, Panther Valley and Shenandoah Valley--you will have an opportunity to hear directly from attorneys in the case about opportunities to support the lawsuit in your community. This webinar is open to anyone who would like to learn more about the lawsuit.

Register here: https://krc-pbpc-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0vf-qupzksG9aCbcMrzXxpN7nc2J68016m

 

Tapped for leadership, Ward, McClinton shatter 244-year-old glass ceiling in Pa. General Assembly

PA Capital Star By  Stephen CarusoElizabeth Hardison November 12, 2020

Women made history in Pennsylvania’s House and Senate Thursday, when lawmakers elected two female legislators as floor leaders for the first time in the General Assembly’s 244-year history. State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, and Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, will become the highest-ranking women in the General Assembly when they start their new terms as Senate majority leader and House minority leader next session. McClinton will be the the first Black woman to serve as floor leader in the General Assembly, as well as the second Black lawmaker to lead a caucus – a height not seen since 1977, when the late K. Leroy Irvis was elected the first, and so far only, Black House speaker in the chamber’s history.  She will replace Rep. Frank Dermody, D-Allegheny, as the House’s top-ranking Democrat. Dermody lost his reelection bid to Republican challenger Carrie DelRosso in an upset race last week.  In the Senate, Ward shattered precedent as the first woman in either chamber of the General Assembly to be elected majority leader — a position that gives her great influence over the Senate’s legislative agenda and floor debates.   Ward will succeed Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre, whose colleagues promoted him to president pro tempore to replace retiring Sen. Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson.

https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/tapped-for-leadership-ward-mcclinton-shatter-244-year-old-glass-ceiling-in-pa-general-assembly/

 

Pa. Senate GOP majority elect new president pro tempore and first woman to serve as a majority leader

Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Nov 12, 2020; Posted Nov 12, 2020

When the Senate convenes for the 2021-22 session, it will be led by a revamped leadership team that includes a new president pro tempore and the state’s first female majority leader. Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre County, was elected on Thursday as interim president pro tempore and will be nominated by the Republican majority to serve in that position when the Senate convenes for the 2021-22 legislative session on Jan. 5. Sen. Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland County, was elected by her Senate colleagues as majority leader, breaking new ground for women in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. She fills the post Corman vacated after having served as the caucus leader for the past six years. Corman replaces Sen. Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson County, who is retiring at the end of this session after serving nearly 20 years in the Legislature and 13 years as president pro tempore.

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/11/pa-senate-gop-majority-elect-new-president-pro-tempore-and-first-woman-to-serve-as-a-majority-leader.html

 

Pa. House Democrats elect new leaders for 2021-22 session

Penn Live By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com Updated Nov 12, 2020; Posted Nov 12, 2020

Philadelphia’s Rep. Joanna McClinton was elected on Thursday by her House Democratic colleagues to lead the caucus in the 2021-22 session. McClinton, who is completing her third term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, is the first woman elected to serve as a minority leader in the House or Senate. Also on Thursday, in the Senate, Rep. Kim Ward of Westmoreland County was elected as majority caucus leader, another first for the General Assembly, during that caucus' leadership election. McClinton, who has been serving as caucus chairwoman, replaces Rep. Frank Dermody of Allegheny County, who has served as caucus leader for the past decade. Dermody lost his re-election bid to a 16th two-year term in last week’s election. With 32 women serving in the upcoming session, more than one-third of the incoming 90-member House Democratic Caucus are women.

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/11/pa-house-democrats-elect-new-leaders-for-2021-22-session.html

 

Joe Biden flips Arizona, further cementing his presidential victory

Post Gazette by LUIS FERRÉ-SADURNÍ, JENNIFER MEDINA AND EILEEN SULLIVAN The New York Times NOV 13, 2020 3:41 AM

President-elect Joe Biden has narrowly won Arizona, capturing the state’s 11 electoral votes and strengthening his Electoral College margin as President Donald Trump continues to make baseless attacks on the vote counts favoring Mr. Biden. Mr. Biden, whose margin in Arizona is about 11,000 votes, or 0.3 percentage points, is the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since President Bill Clinton in 1996. Four years ago, Mr. Trump won the state by 3.5 percentage points. That Arizona — the home of the late Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barry Goldwater, a founder of the 20th century conservative political movement and the 1964 Republican presidential nominee — was in play for Democrats at all is remarkable. Before the state voted for Mr. Clinton, the last Democrat it had supported for president was Harry S. Truman in 1948.

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/vote2020/2020/11/13/Joe-Biden-Flips-Arizona-president/stories/202011130125

 

Lancaster County schools must be guided by health experts in this difficult moment [editorial]

THE LNP | LANCASTERONLINE EDITORIAL BOARD November 13, 2020

THE ISSUE: “Lancaster County has reached the ‘substantial’ level of community transmission of COVID-19, according to an update to the state’s weekly early monitoring dashboard,” LNP | LancasterOnline education reporter Alex Geli reported in Tuesday’s edition. But what that means for county schools remains unclear. “State education officials said schools can wait to see if Lancaster County remains at the ‘substantial’ level next week to decide whether they should shift to remote instruction,” Geli reported. But, even then, any shifts in instructional models would be up to local school boards.

In this year of unending stress and sorrow, one of the most challenging questions we have collectively faced is how to handle K-12 public schooling amid a deadly pandemic.

And here’s the horrible truth: There is no good answer. None.

With every potential decision made by school boards and administrators regarding instructional models, there are risks, drawbacks and potential long-term negative outcomes. This is true for in-person, hybrid or fully remote learning. All come with potential negative effects, whether they concern personal health risks or the possibility of at-risk learners falling far behind. And so, before going further, we’d like to express our gratitude to those who are doing their very best — and surely losing sleep — over these impossible decisions that must nevertheless be made. Their jobs aren’t getting easier.

https://lancasteronline.com/opinion/editorials/lancaster-county-schools-must-be-guided-by-health-experts-in-this-difficult-moment-editorial/article_2f10691a-2544-11eb-b73c-475c9368e4db.html

 

“It has gone better than we expected,” Schools Superintendent Joseph J. Roy said as he eyed the latest trend data in October. “Now we know we’re not superspreaders. We have 22 schools. We’re this far into it. We have no evidence that a case spread and created another case in a school.”

Back in school buildings: One school district’s experience in 10 weeks

Washington Post By  Donna St. George November 12, 2020 at 8:58 p.m. EST

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — While much of the country grapples with getting kids back in school buildings, this small city and onetime steel giant snug in the Lehigh Valley has had buses running and classrooms open for more than 10 weeks. It has not so far had a coronavirus outbreak in its schools. But it’s been daunting. Teachers carry a big load. Even with safeguards in place, individual coronavirus cases are nearly inevitable. Contact tracing and quarantining have been critical — as have posting information about schools affected and keeping the trust of anxious parents. With one marking period complete, school has become a pandemic-minded world where caution is melded with the comfort of the familiar. There is the Pledge of Allegiance in the morning, math and reading, lunch in the cafeteria, breaks outside for recess. But fewer than 40 percent of students are on campus at once. They keep to new rules.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/pennsylvania-school-in-person-classes/2020/11/12/c3119142-13a7-11eb-ba42-ec6a580836ed_story.html

 

“Based on an Inquirer analysis of the most recent reliable data, Philadelphia was averaging 529 cases a day in the seven-day period that ended Saturday, 5½ times higher than the average of two months prior, similar to the state’s trend. And not one of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties has shown a decline in infections during the last two weeks, according to an analysis of Department of Health data by The Inquirer.”

Jersey COVID-19 positive tests up 8-fold; Delco hospitals at capacity. Officials warn of ‘long, hard winter’

Inquirer by Anthony R. WoodAllison SteeleRob Tornoe and Erin McCarthy, Posted: November 12, 2020- 8:44 PM

On a bleak and chilly Thursday when COVID-19 numbers continued their alarming surges throughout the region and hospitals scrambled to accommodate a crush of patients, officials warned of a potentially “long, dark winter” with the specter of the coronavirus persisting well beyond the holidays. All five of Delaware County’s hospitals were at capacity earlier this week and had to divert patients, and Camden County was experiencing a “tremendous spike” with infections at their highest point in the pandemic, according to officials in the two counties. “Everything is going in the wrong direction,” said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. "Unless we all recommit to the commonsense measures that got us past the first horrendous months of this pandemic, we are in for a long, dark winter.” Pennsylvania reported that it had received 5,488 new positive-test results and that for the first time in the pandemic it averaged more than 4,000 cases a day in the seven-day period that ended Wednesday. That’s 5½ times the level of two months ago.

https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-deaths-hospitals-philadelphia-new-jersey-pennsylvania-delaware-county-camden-20201112.html

 

COVID-19 spikes have Bucks schools officials on alert

Anthony DiMattia Bucks County Courier Times November 12, 2020

As coronavirus cases rise, some school districts are grappling with the decision to move forward with in-person learning.  On Tuesday, the Neshaminy School District approved plans for students in grades kindergarten through four to have four days of in-person learning starting Nov. 30. However, the board can revisit the issue when it meets again Nov. 24. In Quakertown, Superintendent Bill Harner wrote in a message to parents that the district would move forward with plans for middle and high school students to return to classrooms full time starting next week.  Yet, in Pennsbury, officials are warning that a return to school may be put on pause if coronavirus cases continue to spike in Bucks County. And in Montgomery County, the Office of Public Health has called an emergency meeting Thursday to consider whether to order schools to go to 100% virtual instruction for a two-week period beginning Nov. 23, a county spokeswoman said. Bucks officials have not recommended that any district discontinue in-person instruction, but are allowing districts to make their own decisions, county spokesman Larry King said Wednesday.  While students and staff are among COVID cases, there has been no spread documented in schools and most have been infected at outside activities, King said. Of students who have tested positive, nearly 40% are attending classes virtually, he said.

https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/story/news/2020/11/11/pennsbury-covid-19-cases-virtual-learning/6247954002/

 

Montgomery County delays vote on closing schools in response to coronavirus surge after uproar from angry parents

Inquirer by Maddie Hanna, Updated: November 12, 2020- 6:21 PM

After more than two hours of public comments — largely from angry parents adamant that schools should not be closed — the Montgomery County Board of Health on Thursday pushed back a vote on whether to shut down schools for two weeks. The board will reconvene at noon Friday to consider the proposed shutdown order, which would close all K-12 schools in the county for two weeks starting Nov. 23, and halt school sports and other extracurriculars. “I think it would behoove us to recess and really think about everything that’s been said,” said Michael Laign, the board chair, after a Zoom meeting that drew 500 people, the maximum that could participate. The proposed order — which county health officials recommended as an effort to help mitigate the current surge in coronavirus cases — met with fierce backlash from parents, who flooded the Zoom chat with comments opposed to a shutdown. Dozens spoke out against the order, saying their local schools had been operating so far this fall without outbreaks, and expressed bafflement that schools would be closed before businesses like bars and restaurants.

https://www.inquirer.com/education/montgomery-county-school-closures-pennsylvania-coronavirus-chop-20201112.html

 

Montco punts decision on virtual school after backlash from angry parents

WHYY By Miles Bryan November 12, 2020

Montgomery County’s Board of Health punted on a vote to shut down schools in the county for two weeks due to rising coronavirus cases in the area, after dozens of angry parents spoke out against the decision in a tumultuous meeting that ran nearly three hours. The board had been scheduled to vote Thursday on an order that would require all K-12 students in the county to learn virtually from Nov. 23 to Dec. 6, with a potential extension past that date. However, at the conclusion of 2 ½ hours of public testimony — virtually all of it against the proposed shutdown — Board Chair Michael Laign abruptly postponed the vote until noon Friday.

https://whyy.org/articles/montco-punts-decision-on-virtual-school-after-backlash-from-angry-parents/

 

Arkoosh: Montgomery County at 'fork in the road' in fight against coronavirus pandemic

Pottstown Mercury By Carl Hessler Jr. chessler@21st-centurymedia.com @MontcoCourtNews on Twitter November 12, 2020

NORRISTOWN — As positive coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to rise at an alarming rate in Montgomery County, health officials warned residents they are at “a fork in the road” in the fight against the pandemic. “The fall surge in COVID-19 cases continues here in Montgomery County and across southeast Pennsylvania. We are at a fork in the road of this pandemic. The path that each of us chooses will make all the difference in the next weeks to months,” county Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh said during a news briefing on Thursday. “Working together we have the collective power to keep this virus suppressed, protect our hospitals, allow our children to attend school and keep businesses open. If we do not work together, the outcome is clear, the virus will win,” Arkoosh added.

https://www.pottsmerc.com/news/arkoosh-montgomery-county-at-fork-in-the-road-in-fight-against-coronavirus-pandemic/article_dc59249a-24f4-11eb-a748-df0d524d264e.html

 

Analysis Shows Failure of Philly Renaissance Schools

Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools November 12, 2020 appsphilly.net  by Coleman Poses

In his swan song to the Board of Education last April, Dr. Chris McGinley requested that the Renaissance model be retired, due to its lack of accountability as well as the fact that schools were being coerced to adopt a model that was based upon school choice. Dr. Fix-Lopez promised to bring a motion before the Board to end the Renaissance program by October. Chairperson Wilkerson stated that the Renaissance evaluation that the district had been performing needed to be made public before a vote could be taken. Dr. Hite, however, prepared a way to continued existence for these schools by stating that policy 141, “The Renaissance Schools Initiative” needed to be “updated”. At the Policy Committee meeting on September 10, the committee voted to update various charter policies. During this meeting, Committee Chair Maria McColgan kept assuring the charter school advocates on the Zoom that these policy changes had nothing to do with the existence of the renaissance program.

https://appsphilly.net/2020/11/12/analysis-of-two-renaissance-charter-schools/

 

Beaver Area, Hopewell Area, Ambridge Area, Moon Area, Blackhawk, Riverside, Big Beaver Falls

Coronavirus cases found in several local school districts

At least half a dozen Beaver County school districts reported new COVID-19 cases this week as Pennsylvania combats the pandemic’s third wave.

Chrissy Suttles Beaver County Times November 12, 2020

At least half a dozen Beaver County school districts reported new COVID-19 cases this week as Pennsylvania combats the pandemic’s third wave. Cases are surging in Pennsylvania and the region, with Beaver County seeing two consecutive days of nearly record-breaking new case counts.

https://www.timesonline.com/story/news/2020/11/12/cases-reported-schools/6266483002/

 

Garden Spot secondary schools, Penn Manor and Columbia elementary schools shift to remote learning until Monday

Lancaster Online by ALEX GELI | Staff Writer November 13, 2020

The two schools that make up Eastern Lancaster County School District's Garden Spot secondary campus, as well an elementary school in both Penn Manor and Columbia Borough school districts, are the latest in a growing list of schools finishing the week online due to COVID-19.  Students at Garden Spot High School Garden Spot Middle School learned remotely Thursday and will learn that way again Friday. Students are expected to return to in-person classes Monday.  The district learned of three new cases — one each at the high school, middle school and Brecknock Elementary School, according to a letter Superintendent Bob Hollister sent to families Thursday. A probable case was also discovered at the middle school. 

That makes four out of five of the district's schools with active COVID-19 cases. 

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/garden-spot-secondary-schools-penn-manor-and-columbia-elementary-schools-shift-to-remote-learning-until/article_ed30a504-2521-11eb-a492-7bf413200b78.html

 

Pittsburgh, Moon, Apollo Ridge, Gateway

SCHOOL CLOSURES: Schools, districts shut down, move online as COVID-19 cases surge

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE NOV 12, 2020 12:24 PM

More school districts have announced closures after new COVID-19 cases were identified in their buildings.

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2020/11/12/More-local-schools-close-COVID-19-cases-identified-pittsburgh-apollo-ridge-gateway/stories/202011120118

 

More covid-19 cases found at Norwin

Trib Live by JOE NAPSHA   | Thursday, November 12, 2020 7:59 p.m.

The number of covid-19 cases in Norwin schools continues to increase, with another two cases reported on Thursday, the school district said. A high school student and a Hahntown Elementary School student have recently tested positive for covid-19, Norwin said in a statement.

https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/more-covid-19-cases-found-at-norwin/

 

Philadelphia’s superintendent hasn’t been contacted about top education job

Chalkbeat Philly By Dale Mezzacappa  Nov 12, 2020, 3:00pm EST

After his name appeared on a short list of preferred candidates for education secretary, Philadelphia superintendent William Hite said Thursday that he hasn’t been contacted about a cabinet post in a Biden administration. “I haven’t had a lot of time to be thinking about that,” he said at a briefing with reporters. “I’m happy to be named as one of those individuals, but I haven’t had a lot of time to focus on it. And no, no one has reached out.” Democrats for Education Reform, a group that was influential in shaping the education agenda of the Obama administration, sent an email to supporters last week with possible candidates for the country’s top education job, including Chicago schools chief Janice Jackson, head of Baltimore schools Sonja Brookins Santelises, and Hite. All three have teaching experience, have led major public school districts, and are Black. Regardless of who ultimately leads the federal education department, Hite said Thursday that he believes Biden’s election means a welcome change in direction on several key issues. He hopes to see public schools get more federal aid to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2020/11/12/21562821/philadelphias-superintendent-hasnt-been-contacted-about-top-education-job

 

A Highly Effective Vaccine Is Likely on the Way. What Does That Mean for Schools and Kids?

Education Week By Catherine Gewertz and Arianna Prothero November 12, 2020

News this week that a COVID-19 vaccine on the runway is far more effective than originally predicted has been hailed as a potential game-changer in fighting the coronavirus. Pfizer Inc. announced that early results from clinical trials show the vaccine it’s developing with German company BioNTech is 90 percent effective—which would put it on par with the childhood vaccine for measles. Many scientists had anticipated the level of effectiveness would be only about 50 or 60 percent. Because supply will be limited at first, vaccines will be rationed. As EdWeek has reported, it’s possible that teachers and other school employees may get priority for vaccinations over some other groups. But the vaccine has not yet been tested in young children, and trials with older children have only just begun. So what could Pfizer’s announcement mean for schools? Could they bring more students into the classroom and ease other mitigation efforts as long as teachers are inoculated? And when will a COVID-19 vaccine that’s safe for children be ready?

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/11/12/a-highly-effective-vaccine-is-likely-on.html

 

A big decision awaits Biden’s education pick: to test or not to test

Chalkbeat By Matt Barnum  Nov 12, 2020, 12:42pm EST

President-elect Joe Biden’s education secretary will face an immediate high-stakes test: whether to allow states to forgo their usual standardized testing again. State testing would bring a host of practical challenges at a time when many students are still learning exclusively from home. Critics, including many educators and their unions, also worry that it would sap resources and morale from an already battered school system. But if states don’t test, it would mean going two straight years without one solid source of data on students’ English and math performance, making it more difficult to measure the gaps in learning many expect to result from months of disrupted schooling. Civil rights groups fear those gaps could then be ignored, particularly for low-income students and students of color.

https://www.chalkbeat.org/2020/11/12/21562628/testing-schools-biden-education-secretary

 

Biden’s Education Department Will Move Fast to Reverse Betsy DeVos’s Policies

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has presented an education agenda that is starkly different from the Trump era, beginning with a far more cautious approach to school reopenings.

New York Times By Erica L. Green Nov. 13, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON — Like most federal agencies, the Education Department followed President Trump’s lead in seeking to undo the legacy of his predecessor, and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos diligently tore into President Barack Obama’s policies. President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr’s administration is planning to return the favor. The contrasts in Trump-era education policy and the incoming Biden administration’s agenda are stark. Ms. DeVos, a lifelong booster of private schools and longtime opponent of the teachers’ unions, set out to reduce the Education Department’s footprint by proposing cuts to public school funding and narrowing the department’s enforcement role of federal education laws and civil rights. The incoming first lady, Jill Biden, is a community college professor and member of the National Education Association. The Biden administration has promised to drastically increase resources for public schools, expand its civil rights advocacy for marginalized students and reassert the department’s leadership in policymaking. And on the most pressing issue facing education, reopening schools during the pandemic, the Biden administration has signaled an about-face.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/us/politics/biden-education-devos.html

 

 

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

 

323 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.

The school boards from the following districts have adopted resolutions calling for charter funding reform. 

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.


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