Tuesday, January 19, 2021

PA Ed Policy Roundup for January 19, 2021: Important Enough to Repeat: This article should be required reading for new Pennsylvania legislators & staff: Virtual Reality: Cyber Charter Schools and The Need for Reform

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

 

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition

Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

 

If any of your colleagues would like to be added to the email list please have them send their name, title and affiliation to KeystoneStateEdCoalition@gmail.com

 

 

Keystone State Education Coalition

PA Ed Policy Roundup for January 19, 2021

Important Enough to Repeat: This article should be required reading for new Pennsylvania legislators & staff: Virtual Reality: Cyber Charter Schools and The Need for Reform

 

Blogger note: this one is important enough to repeat

This article should be required reading for new Pennsylvania legislators & staff: Virtual Reality: Cyber Charter Schools and The Need for Reform

https://www.pabar.org/pdf/2021/PBA-Quarterly-CyberCharterSchools.pdf

 

Joint Letter from PA Statewide Education Organizations Asking the President, Secretary of Education, Senators Toomey and Casey to Waive the Tests

The PA Principals Association believes it unrealistic and poor educational practice to administer the PSSAs and Keystones this spring. Join us in asking @usdoegov @SenBobCasey and @SenToomey to #waivethetests #PAPRINCIPALS

https://www.paprincipals.org/resource/images/stories/documents/legislative/Joint%20Letter%20-%20Biden%20Casey%20Toomey%20-%20Student%20Assessments.pdf

 

Did you catch our Monday postings?

Cyber charters; ESSER II funding; Chester Upland Charterization; Jeff Yass Donations…

PA Ed Policy Roundup for January 18, 2021

This article should be required reading for new Pennsylvania legislators & staff: .Virtual Reality: Cyber Charter Schools and The Need for Reform

https://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2021/01/pa-ed-policy-roundup-for-january-18.html

 

Biden picks Pa.’s Dr. Levine to be assistant health secretary

WHYY By Associated Press Will Weissert January 19, 2021

President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, leaving her poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. A pediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed to her current post by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in 2017, making her one of the few transgender people serving in elected or appointed positions nationwide. She won past confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate and has emerged as the public face of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

https://whyy.org/articles/biden-picks-pa-s-dr-levine-to-be-assistant-health-secretary-would-make-history-if-confirmed/

 

Billionaire backer feels ‘deceived’ by Josh Hawley over election objections

Jeffrey Yass, Club for Growth donor, told associate he did not foresee senator’s role in attempt to overturn US democracy

The Guardian by Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington  @skirchy Mon 18 Jan 2021 03.00 EST

A secretive billionaire supporter of Josh Hawley and other rightwing lawmakers suggested he had been “deceived” by the Republican senator from Missouri, who led the effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Billionaires backed Republicans who sought to reverse US election results Jeffrey Yass is a co-founder of Susquehanna International Group – headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a critical swing state – who has donated tens of millions of dollars to hardline Republican groups who supported Donald Trump’s effort to invalidate his defeat at the polls by Joe Biden. Yass privately told a longtime associate he had not foreseen how his contributions would lead to attempts to overturn US democracy. “Do you think anyone knew Hawley was going to do that?” Yass wrote to Laura Goldman, a former stockbroker who has known him for more than three decades. “Sometimes politicians deceive their donors.” Yass, who does not give interviews and generally avoids publicity, also told Goldman he did not believe the 2020 election had been “stolen”, even though he has directly and indirectly supported rightwing Republicans who have repeatedly – and falsely – sought to discredit the results.

https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/18/josh-hawley-billionaire-deceived-election-objections-capitol-attack?__twitter_impression=true

 

Capitol attack gives corporate donors sudden conscience; will it last?

Protesters and their political enablers have been funded by corporate millions. The Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol interrupted some of the money flow. Will it resume?

Inquirer by Joseph N. DiStefano | Columnist Published  Jan 18, 2021

The founder of the Marriott hotel chain chaired Richard Nixon’s inaugurals and hired Nixon’s brother before that president resigned under threat of impeachment. Last week, though, the firm led the list of big U.S. companies that cut off campaign money to Republicans who rejected Joe Biden’s election. We’ve grown so used to corporations — and rich people and labor unions — funding our politicians. But the ugly Capitol riot that accompanied the political assaults on President-elect Biden’s legitimacy has made this “the right moment” to end business as usual, says Mike Posner, a former State Department official who now heads the Center on Business and Human Rights at New York University “Rejecting a democratic election has turned out to be a bright red line,” he told me, adding. “When a lot of companies say ‘That’s not OK,’ it changes behavior.”

https://fusion.inquirer.com/columnists/capitol-protest-marriott-comcast-20210118.html

 

Lehigh Valley schools look to emerging tech to make sure buildings are safe for classes: bipolar ionization

By KAYLA DWYER THE MORNING CALL | JAN 19, 2021 AT 6:35 AM

It’s not often school board directors need a science lesson before deciding to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. This year, as the science has evolved on COVID-19 and best practices to mitigate the spread, several in the Lehigh Valley have decided to pursue an air purification strategy that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still considers an “emerging technology,” though its basic principals are as old as the Earth’s atmosphere. In normal times, using a process called bipolar ionization to clean the air would seem a luxury for schools. These days, it’s looking to directors like one more thing they can do, often with money available from state-distributed coronavirus relief grants, to try to make schools safer. So at least four Lehigh Valley school districts have or are getting ready to install these unimpressive blue boxes in their HVAC systems.

https://www.mcall.com/news/education/mc-nws-lehigh-valley-schools-bipolar-ionization-air-purification-20210119-r6tm6plr7ndctf5satiw3pujfi-story.html

 

Ligonier Valley school staff get covid vaccine; doses pending for those at Greater Latrobe

Trib Live by JEFF HIMLER   | Monday, January 18, 2021 6:55 p.m.

Greater Latrobe School District expects to have the majority of its staff receive the first dose of the Moderna covid-19 vaccine before the end of January. Meanwhile, neighboring Ligonier Valley School District confirmed that the better part of its staff already has been vaccinated against the virus at the heart of the ongoing pandemic that has disrupted in-person classes at area schools. Greater Latrobe could learn on Tuesday if The Medicine Shoppe pharmacy in Latrobe will have enough doses in time to vaccinate the staff on Saturday, according to Assistant Superintendent Mike Porembka. If not, he anticipates the vaccinations could be administered on the following weekend.

https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/ligonier-valley-school-staff-get-covid-vaccine-doses-pending-for-those-at-greater-latrobe/

 

Norwin to keep any tax hike to 3.9% or less

Trib Live by JOE NAPSHA   | Monday, January 18, 2021 9:36 p.m.

Norwin School District will not raise real estate taxes more than 3.9% for the 2021-2022 school year, under a resolution the school board approved Monday. By passing the resolution under Act 1, the board members promise not to raise property taxes more than the state-determined inflationary index of 3.9%. The school board raised property taxes for the current fiscal year by 2.9% to balance at $76.93 million budget. That 2.9% increase raised property taxes in North Huntingdon, Irwin and Norwin by 2.4 mills to 84.8 mills. For the 18 properties in White Oak and South Versailles in Allegheny County that are served by Norwin, taxes increased 0.36 mill to 12.72 mills. A Westmoreland County homeowner with a property at the median assessed value of $22,130, is paying an extra $53 a year. It was the first time in more than six years that Norwin approved a budget that did not raise taxes to the maximum allowed under the state formula, Superintendent Jeff Taylor said last year. Norwin could have raised taxes by 3.4%.

https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/norwin-to-keep-any-tax-hike-to-3-9-or-less/

 

Hamlet to receive yearly pay increases in new contract with Pittsburgh schools

ANDREW GOLDSTEIN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette agoldstein@post-gazette.com JAN 18, 2021 12:39 PM

The Pittsburgh Public Schools board will vote this month on pay raises and other financial terms of Superintendent Anthony Hamlet’s new contract. The four-year contract extension includes annual pay increases, performance bonuses and five weeks’ vacation.  School board members in August approved the renewal of Mr. Hamlet’s contract through June 2025 by a vote of 7-2 and must now agree on the compensation.  If approved, Mr. Hamlet will make $236,350 in 2021 — up from $229,372 in 2020. Then he’ll receive a salary of $241,083 in 2022, a 2% increase; $248,316 in 2023, a 3% increase; $255,765 in 2024, a 3% increase; and $265,996 in 2025, a 4% increase. In 2016, his first year leading the district, Mr. Hamlet made a salary of $210,000.  In addition to the salary increases, Mr. Hamlet will have an annual performance bonus of up to $15,000, 25 vacation days and 15 sick days. School board members who voted to approve Mr. Hamlet’s contract extension in August said that the district needed stability as it navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and pointed to modest gains in student performance and graduation rates.

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2021/01/18/anthony-Hamlet-annual-pay-increases-new-contract-pps-pittsburgh-public-schools/stories/202101180077

 

After Capitol attack, social studies and civics teachers struggle with real-time history lessons

Washington Post By Joe Heim and Valerie Strauss Jan. 19, 2021 at 6:00 a.m. EST

America’s social studies and civics teachers have never felt more pressure.

The United States is in the middle of a traumatic month of political upheaval that, so far, has included a violent assault by a mob on the U.S. Capitol, the impeachment of the president for his role in directing that mob and his efforts to overturn a legal election, and threats of right-wing violence in state capitals. A new president will be inaugurated Wednesday in a city with areas under military lockdown. And the educators responsible for teaching students how government works — or is supposed to work — say they are trying to explain and make sense of it all in real time for their students. It’s not easy. When she reached out to social studies teachers across the country after the attack on the Capitol, the common sentiment they were experiencing was “shock and grieving,” said Emma Humphries, the chief education officer for iCivics, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization founded in 2009 by retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to create content and games to promote civic education in schools. “It felt like a day of mourning for social studies teachers,” she said. “It might have felt like that for all of America, but they were thinking about what they have to say to their students.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/social-studies-teachers-inauguration-lessons/2021/01/19/c39e616e-5752-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html

 

Pandemic Teacher Shortages Imperil In-Person Schooling

The nation’s schools need thousands of more teachers, full-time and substitute, to keep classrooms open during coronavirus outbreaks.

New York Times By Natasha Singer Jan. 19, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET

As exposure to the coronavirus forced thousands of teachers across the United States to stay home and quarantine this winter, administrators in the Washoe County School District, which serves 62,000 students in western Nevada, pulled out all the stops to try to continue in-person instruction for students. They exhausted the district’s regular supply of substitute instructors. They asked teachers to use their planning periods to cover classes for quarantining colleagues. Some schools tapped principals, librarians, guidance counselors and other staff members to teach classes or monitor lunch and recess. The superintendent even filled in for an absent teacher. “We had to embrace an all-hands-on-deck mind-set to keep schools open,” said Joe Ernst, an area superintendent who oversees 24 Washoe County schools. But by late November, the virus had forced so many teachers to stay home that the district was unable to cover some 2,000 requests for substitutes. Soon after, the district halted in-person instruction, shifting all middle and high schools to remote learning until this week.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/us/pandemic-substitute-teacher-shortages.html

 

 

PSBA: Upcoming PA budget recap webinar Feb. 3rd

POSTED ON JANUARY 15, 2021 IN PSBA NEWS

On Tuesday, February 2, Gov. Tom Wolf will present his 2021-22 state budget proposal before a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives. Following the governor’s budget address, the Senate and House appropriations committees will convene hearings beginning March 15 on specific components of the proposal. The PSBA Government Affairs team will be providing members with complete coverage of the governor’s budget proposal, budget details and resources for school boards on February 3 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Claim your spot for the budget recap here.

https://www.psba.org/2021/01/gov-wolf-to-present-budget-address-february-2/

 

PA SCHOOLS WORK: New Tools for Public Education Advocates in PA

Thu, Jan 21, 2021 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST

PA Schools Work partner Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials will hold a digital workshop to roll out their new suite of tools on their Data Dive website to show parents, educators, and public education advocates how they can use the site (including interactive data maps and graphic visualizations) when talking to other members of their community, legislators, media, etc. Don't miss this first-look at these innovative tools for PA public school advocates!

Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register

 

Attend the NSBA 2021 Online Experience April 8-10

NSBA is pleased to announce the transformation of its in-person NSBA 2021 Annual Conference & Exposition to the NSBA 2021 Online Experience. This experience will bring world-class programming, inspirational keynotes, top education solution providers, and plentiful networking opportunities. Join us on April 8-10, 2021, for a fully transformed and memorable event!

https://www.nsba.org/Events/NSBA-2021-Online-Experience

 

PSBA Spring Virtual Advocacy Day - MAR 22, 2021

PSBA Website January 2021

All public school leaders are invited to join us for our spring Virtual Advocacy Day on Monday, March 22, 2021, 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 spring 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: Complimentary for members

Registration: Registration is available under Event Registration on myPSBA.org.

https://www.psba.org/event/psba-spring-virtual-advocacy-day/

 

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

 

339 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.


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