PA Ed Policy Roundup for Dec. 18, 2020: Charter school laws need to be reformed

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Keystone State Education Coalition

PA Ed Policy Roundup for Dec. 18, 2020

Charter school laws need to be reformed

 

“Financially, comprehensive charter school reform is essential. We know that the current charter funding mechanism forces school districts to overpay cyber charter schools and overpay for charter special education costs by hundreds of millions of dollars each school year.”

Charter school laws need to be reformed

Johnstown Tribune Democrat Opinion by George F. Pyo December 18, 2020

George F. Pyo is president of Penn Cambria’s school board.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, there has been a huge increase in cyber charter school enrollment across the country, including in Pennsylvania, where cyber charter school enrollment is up by 63% to 62,000 students as of Oct. 1. This trend should have Pennsylvania parents and taxpayers extremely concerned, for two glaring reasons. First is the financial implications this enrollment increase will have on school districts. To put this impact into numbers, school districts can expect as much as a $350 million increase in their cyber charter tuition bills this year alone due to the pandemic-generated cyber charter school enrollment increases. It’s important to keep in mind that this massive sum is only part of the overall $475 million overall charter school tuition increase this school year that school districts are facing in addition to navigating through a global pandemic.

The $475 million increase in charter school tuition this school year effectively nullifies the majority of the federal funds public schools received under the CARES Act. This means most of those funds will not have their intended impact – to aid our public schools in a time of crisis. Moreover, for many districts, their Act 1 index rate will not allow for them to increase property taxes to cover the gap in increased charter school payments, leaving hopelessly unbalanced budgets.

But the financial implications to our school districts is only one concern. The dismal academic performance of Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools, which is one of the largest systems in the country, is the other. And this was well established before the pandemic hit, causing an influx of new student enrollments. Cyber charter school proficiency rates on the most recent state assessments were on average more than 24% lower, and four-year graduation rates were more than 33% lower than traditional public schools. As a result of this performance, every cyber charter school currently operating has been identified by the Department of Education as needing support and improvement. Pennsylvania’s charter school law is undeniably outdated, ineffective, and damaging to our school districts.

More: https://tribune-democrat-cnhi-app.newsmemory.com/?publink=3e2073814

 

Rural schools need help to make remote learning accessible to all

WHYY By Edward Albert December 18, 2020

Dr. Edward Albert has been in education for over 40 years and currently serves as the executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools.

As the long, dark COVID-filled months stretch before us, and as schools scramble to respond to the latest curve balls thrown by the pandemic, the U.S. government must fully address the threats our school districts face moving forward. An unprecedented educational catastrophe is looming and will jeopardize our children’s future success, and thus the success of our country, if no countermeasures are taken. I think I speak for all Pennsylvanians when I say the health and safety of students, teachers, and staff is paramount. And our schools have been working hard to innovate new ways to protect their children and staff while still providing the best education possible. Of course, with positive COVID-19 cases continuing to mount and people being encouraged to stay home as much as they can, many schools are beginning to rely more and more on remote learning — which has been riddled with challenges, especially for rural schools in cash-strapped counties. Many teachers and administrators in these counties have found it particularly difficult to meet the needs of all of their students via technology alone without the resources they so desperately need.

https://whyy.org/articles/rural-schools-need-help-to-make-remote-learning-accessible-to-all/

 

With Negotiations Likely to Stretch into the Weekend, Relief Bill Expected to Offer Schools $54 Billion, but No Protection From Budget Cuts

The74 By LINDA JACOBSON | December 17, 2020

Senate negotiators were closing in on a $900 billion bipartisan relief deal Thursday that would include $54 billion for schools, saying they were prepared to work through the weekend to get it done. That’s four times the amount schools received in the March relief package, but less than earlier proposals from both parties. Lacking from the deal, however, is funding for state and local governments, which Democrats and education advocates believe is necessary to minimize cuts to education funding, but that President Donald Trump has called a “bailout.” Earlier this month, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson called on Congress not to leave for the holiday break without passing a bill that included funding for states to help families struggling financially, implement vaccination plans, and spark economic recovery.

https://www.the74million.org/with-negotiations-likely-to-stretch-into-the-weekend-relief-bill-expected-to-offer-schools-54-billion-but-no-protection-from-budget-cuts/

 

As the gap between students and teachers of color widens in Pa., Black families demand change

According to an analysis of Pennsylvania student and teacher demographics by Keystone Crossroads and Research for Action, more than one-fifth of the state’s 500 school districts haven’t had a single teacher of color in at least seven years.

WITF By Sojourner Ahebee/Keystone Crossroads DECEMBER 17, 2020 | 7:42 AM

(Philadelphia) — When Ashley Dawson was in first grade, she was one of only a few Black students at Walnut Street Elementary in Darby. But in fifth grade, her teacher, principal and assistant principal at the Delaware County school were all Black women. It’s what inspired Dawson, who now works as a family involvement coordinator at a cyber charter, to pursue a career in education. She was sitting in assembly when she first saw Principal Renee Mustgrove and Assistant Principal Ivy Brown. “There was something about them … I wanted to do what they did,” said Dawson. “Because they showed me what happens when you take the time and you really go outside the curriculum — you work with the student and meet them where they’re at. Those women, they did that.” As Dawson moved through her middle and high school years in the William Penn School District, she continued to develop strong relationships with educators of color, who she largely credits for mentoring her and helping to prepare her for college. Half a decade later, student demographics in the suburban Philadelphia district have completely transformed. It is now predominantly Black.

https://www.witf.org/2020/12/17/as-the-gap-between-students-and-teachers-of-color-widens-in-pa-black-families-demand-change/

 

Pennsylvania preschool program lifts math, language skills, study shows

Chalkbeat Philly By Dale Mezzacappa  Dec 17, 2020, 8:19pm EST

Children who participate in Pennsylvania’s biggest early childhood program, Pre-K Counts, show advantages in math problem-solving and language skills, putting them four to five months ahead of kindergarten peers without the experience, according to a new study. Pre-K Counts provides free half-day and full-day programs for 3- and 4-year-olds at risk of school failure from low-income families, those making up to 300% of the federal poverty level. Pre-K Counts targets in particular English language learners and children with special needs. The program, which started in 2008, enrolls about 25,000 children who attend early childhood programs that the state has certified as high quality and meeting certain standards.

“These results sug

https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2020/12/17/22187994/pennsylvania-preschool-program-lifts-math-language-skills-study-shows

 

Parents trying to stop Chester-Upland from going to all Charter Schools

Chester Matters Blog Date: December 10, 2020Author: SERoots5 Comments

When rumors find me, they’re usually have-baked with some truth and a lot of fiction. Cryptic Facebook posts are trying to bring attention to the Chester-Upland outsourcing plan and the official resistance it’s incurred. Here are the facts…Parents and a community organization in Chester Upland School District (CUSD) filed an emergency motion to suspend a process to outsource the entire Chester-Upland School District’s operations and schools to charter operators.  Parents Jazmine Campos, Latoya Jones, Tiffany Raymond, Precious Scott, and the Delaware County Advocacy & Resource Organization are represented by the Public Interest Law Center and the Education Law Center-PA. In February, the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas granted their petition to intervene and participate in the evaluation of the charter conversion plan. For you people who want to read their emergency motion to suspend the RFP, CLICK HERE.  Back in May 2020, Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Judge Barry Dozor allowed CUSD’s Receiver to move forward with an Request for Proposal (RFP) process to transfer management of the district and its schools to charter operators (if that’s the way they want to go), as part of the district’s financial recovery plan. The judge’s order contained several requirements to ensure that the process was transparent and considered educational quality—not just cost savings. The ruling required the receiver to:

https://chesterpablog.wordpress.com/2020/12/10/parents-trying-to-stop-chester-upland-from-going-to-all-charter-schools/

 

What’s a RFP? Ask the Chester-Upland School Board

Chester Matters Blog Date: December 12, 2020Author: SERoots1 Comment

Maybe our local paper will keep up with the legal wrangling the Chester-Upland School District is in as they identify new entities to run certain parts of the school district. I’m not going to provide the play-by-play you’d get from a real newspaper reporter, but I’ll let you know when something new happens if someone sends me the information.  I believe the elected school board should be charged with educating parents on what’s going on during this selection process conducted by the Receiver. But, that’s just my opinion.  A reader asked me to explain what a RFP is. That term is thrown around quite a bit as the receiver prepares mounds of hard to read documents to select who will run the schools. It’s noted that there will be at least 3 RFPs…

• 1) Request for Proposal Proposed Outsourcing of Functional Areas,
• 2) Request for Proposal Special Education Audit Services, and
• 3) Request for Proposal Audit Services for District Organizational Chart.

If you were trying to follow what’s going on, you’d read court filing language like this…

https://chesterpablog.wordpress.com/2020/12/12/whats-a-rfp-ask-the-chester-upland-school-board/

 

Will PA Schools Ask Parents to Oversee CDT Testing at Home?

Gadfly On The Wall Blog by Steven Singer December 12, 2020

Should parents be asked to administer on-line tests to their own children at home?

Back in May someone at Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) had an idea. Since a global pandemic had shuttered classrooms, no children were being forced to take the multi-billion dollar testing company’s products. Federally mandated assessments like the Pennsylvania System of School Assessments (PSSA) and Keystone Exams – which are made by DRC – were cancelled. And local districts weren’t even making students take assessments like the Classroom Diagnostic Tools (CDT) – an optional test to determine if kids were ready to take the mandatory tests. If someone at DRC didn’t act quickly, the Commonwealth might ask for a refund on the $1.3 billion it spent on standardized testing in the last eight years.  The Minnesota-based DRC, a division of CTB McGraw-Hill, wasn’t about to issue any refunds. So someone had to figure out a way to keep children testing even though they were currently at home sheltering in place.

https://gadflyonthewallblog.com/2020/12/12/will-pa-schools-ask-parents-to-oversee-cdt-testing-at-home/

 

Dallastown Area School District teachers vote to authorize strike in 2021

Shelly Stallsmith York Daily Record December 17, 2020

Teachers in the Dallastown Area School District have been working since June 30 under the terms of their expired contract. On Thursday, members of the Dallastown Area Education Association voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. "We will continue to negotiate in good faith, because a strike is the last thing anybody wants," association president and gifted-support teacher Ellen Connelly said in a news release. "We just want to get back to the table and exchange formal proposals. But our teachers have spoken loud and clear that we are ready to strike if it becomes necessary." The authorization means the strike could be called at any time, as long as the association provides 48 hours notice. They have given the date of March 16, 2021 to give both sides time to come together and work toward an agreement.

https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2020/12/17/dallastown-teachers-working-without-contract-authorizes-strike/3950654001/

 

Franklin Regional joins other districts in second post-holiday shift to online learning

Trib Live PATRICK VARINE   | Thursday, December 17, 2020 10:20 p.m.

If Franklin Regional officials had not made the move to remote instruction the week following Thanksgiving, nearly 60 people with either a positive covid-19 test or a potential exposure would have come back into the senior high school, according to the superintendent. “During those days, from Nov. 26 through Dec. 6, we had 58 individuals who were quarantined due to close contact or being positive,” Superintendent Jamie Piraino told school board members at a special meeting Thursday. The school directors voted to once again proactively move to remote instruction during the first school week of the new year, Jan. 4-8.

https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/franklin-regional-joins-other-districts-in-second-post-holiday-shift-to-online-learning/

 

He Wanted to Count Every Vote in Philadelphia. His Party Had Other Ideas.

When Donald Trump’s campaign tried to overturn the election results in Pennsylvania, Al Schmidt found himself trapped between his party and his principles.

New York Times By James Verini Dec. 16, 2020

Opposing crowds of protesters gathered outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia on the night of Thursday, Nov. 5. One side chanted, ‘Count every vote!’ and the other, ‘Stop the steal!’ Police officers separated the crowds. Sheriff’s deputies guarded the convention center. National Guard troops were stationed around the city. Satellite vans lined the streets, and news crews from New York, Washington, Paris and Tokyo were broadcasting. Joseph R. Biden had at least 253 electoral votes. A win for him in Pennsylvania, with its 20 electoral votes, would decide the race. He and Donald Trump had spent more time in Pennsylvania than in any other state in the last weeks of the race and had closed out their campaigns there. The world was focused on Philadelphia and in particular on the convention center, where, two days after Election Day, the city’s mail-in ballots were still being tallied. Trump led by roughly 18,000 votes in the state.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/magazine/trump-election-philadelphia-republican.html

 

Testing Resistance & Reform News: December 9 - 15, 2020

FairTest Submitted by fairtest on December 15, 2020 - 1:23pm 

The test-and-punish crowd is already backing down in the face of a growing movement to suspend this year's standardized exams. They still want to mandate state and local tests (even though the federal government has cancelled its own National Assessment of Academic Progress because of health concerns) but now claim they do not want to attach consequences to the results. Keep the pressure on to lift all standardized exam mandates by joining the thousands of parents, educators and activists signing the "National Call to Suspend High-Stakes Testing in Spring 2021"

https://www.fairtest.org/testing-resistance-reform-news-december-9-15-2020

 

Christmas star: Saturn and Jupiter have rare encounter Monday as 'Great Conjunction' takes place in the cosmos

Scott Tady Beaver County Times December 17, 2020

You've never seen Jupiter and Saturn this close together. No one has for the last 794 years. So, the Great Conjunction on Monday, Dec. 21 is worth braving the cold for an outside peek at the cosmos. People are using the term "Christmas star," and are making Star of Bethlehem comparisons to this late-December winter solstice pairing of Jupiter and Saturn. "How close they get to each other is usually far enough apart to easily distinguish each planet with the naked eye," said Frank Marzano of the Beaver County Amateur Astronomers. "That will not be the case this year. The two will appear as one planet for almost everyone. "A very rare occurrence, which has not occurred since the year 1623," he added. "But when that occurred, both were very close to the sun so no one could notice. So go back to the year 1226 for as close a conjunction that is also able to be seen in some dark sky."

https://www.timesonline.com/story/news/local/2020/12/17/saturn-and-jupiter-have-rare-encounter-monday-great-conjunction-occurs/6543284002/

 

 

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

 

336 PA school boards have adopted charter reform resolutions

Charter school funding reform continues to be a concern as over 330 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.