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Keystone
State Education Coalition
PA Ed Policy Roundup for Feb. 5, 2021
Fair, increased
funding for Pennsylvania schools is 2021 budget's biggest priority [editorial]
Congratulations to #345 @PennridgeSD for passing the charter funding reform
resolution.
Thank you @TomSeidenberger, Representative Shelby Labs, @RepPolinchock, @RepStaats and @SenSantarsiero. https://t.co/L6Sphq3DdN
Commonwealth Charter
Academy purchases former Macy’s space at Waterfront
Trib Live PAUL GUGGENHEIMER | Wednesday, February 3, 2021 1:58 p.m.
A former
Macy’s department store now known as the Waterfront Technology Center has been
bought by one of its current tenants. Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA), an
online education platform, has finalized a deal to purchase the redeveloped
office complex from M&J Wilkow and BIG Shopping Centers, which bought the
140,000-square-foot building from Macy’s in 2018. The building is located in
The Waterfront shopping complex in Homestead. It was part of an effort to
continue expanding the center’s mix of retailers and tenants. Following a reuse
conversion, the building was leased at full capacity to Siemens Mobility and
CCA, turning the space into an office and research and development facility.
CCA currently occupies the first floor, spanning nearly 70,000 square feet.
Seimens Mobility will continue to occupy the remainder of the building on the
second floor. M&J Wilkow has been retained by CCA to provide property
management services.
https://triblive.com/local/commonwealth-charter-academy-purchases-former-macys-space-at-waterfront/
Fair, increased funding for Pennsylvania schools is 2021 budget's
biggest priority [editorial]
Editorial by
THE LNP
| LANCASTERONLINE EDITORIAL BOARD February 5, 2021
THE ISSUE: “Gov.
Tom Wolf asked lawmakers Wednesday to raise income taxes on higher earners and
give public schools a massive boost in aid, as state government faces a gaping
deficit and uncertainty over how much more pandemic relief the federal
government will send,” The
Associated Press reported, describing the seventh-year Democratic
governor’s proposed budget. “No matter how great a parent you are, if your
local school system lacks the resources it needs to provide your kids with a
quality education, that’s a barrier to giving them a better life,” Wolf
said in his budget address of the urgency for increasing and
fairly distributing public education funding.
Wolf’s
proposed path is problematic, but his end goal is absolutely necessary. The
governor is correct in moving boldly to address long-term inequities in how
Pennsylvania funds its public schools. The need is even more urgent than it was
a year ago, as the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problems faced by
school districts that simply don’t have the resources to educate children
safely and satisfactorily. But we’re hesitant to fully endorse the governor’s specific
proposal to raise state income taxes amid a still-ongoing health crisis. An
approach that potentially stymies job growth and inhibits the eventual economic
recovery doesn’t seem prudent. But the alternative is that school districts,
faced with challenges imposed by the pandemic, will have to raise property
taxes for homeowners. Unless Republican lawmakers have another idea.
What cannot
be up for debate is the need to deal aggressively with Pennsylvania’s public
education crisis this year. There can be no more delay. Leaders of both parties
must collaborate and rise to this challenge. If Wolf’s plan isn’t palatable to
Republicans, then the party in control of the General Assembly should offer
aggressive ideas of its own that keep children from being left behind.
Pottstown
Superintendent Rodriguez sees opportunity for education equity in Wolf budget
Pottstown
Mercury by Evan
Brandt ebrandt@21st-centurymedia.com @PottstownNews on Twitter February 5, 2021
Pottstown
Schools Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez does not want to lose the momentum of
the moment. Rodriguez, who is also the president of the Pennsylvania League of
Urban Schools, said he was elated when Gov. Tom Wolf announced his educational
budget priorities in a speech Wednesday. "I am 100 percent in support of
any proposal that provides more resources for our students and our
community," Rodriguez said. Widely leaked details about a major infusion
of funding proposals for public education turned out to be true beyond
Rodriguez's expectations. Among other things, Wolf has proposed funneling all
state education funding through the five-year-old fair funding formula which
would double the amount of state aid Pottstown and other under-funded schools
receive — an increase of more than $13 million. Studies in recent years
have used the fair-funding formula to uncover not only how Pennsylvania's
education funding is skewed to favor wealthier districts, but also how it
favors districts with whiter school populations. Rodriguez pointed out that
"52 percent of Pennsylvania students attend an under-funded school
district." He said urban school districts with the most "Black and
brown students have been undermined by Pennsylvania's unfair education funding
for too long."
Budget aims at cyber
charter school concerns
Williamsport
Sun Gazette by PAT CROSSLEY pcrossley@sungazette.com FEB 5, 2021
Revealed in
Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget agenda this week was a proposal to establish a statewide
cyber charter school tuition rate aimed at reducing the costs to districts for
students attending those schools, which has local superintendents saying it’s a
start, and state cyber charter schools calling it “callously wrong.” Under
Wolf’s proposal, cyber charter school tuition would be established at $9,500. Currently,
cyber charter schools in the state charge between $9,170 and $22,300 per
student each year. The average tuition rate Intermediate Units in the state
charge districts for a comparable online education is about $5,400 per student
annually. This change in how cyber charter schools are funded is estimated to
save school districts an estimated $130 million annually. The governor also
proposed to change the formula for determining funding for special education at
cyber charter schools. Although they are happy that there is some movement in
the direction of a more equitable funding for cyber charters, the district
superintendents contacted agreed that it still was not enough to rectify the
situation.
https://www.sungazette.com/news/top-news/2021/02/budget-aims-at-cyber-charter-school-concerns/
“What we are currently paying per student
is way too high and does not accurately reflect the cost of the services the
kids get when they go to those cyber charters,” said Michael Boccella, Ed.D.,
Valley View superintendent. “It’s egregious. Our cyber charter laws are among
the most broken I’m aware of.”
Fair funding, charter
reform proposed for Pennsylvania schools
Times
Tribune BY
SARAH HOFIUS HALL STAFF WRITER Feb 3, 2021 Updated 1 hr ago
The 37
school districts in Northeast Pennsylvania would see a combined increase of
$159 million in basic education funding under a budget proposed by Gov. Tom
Wolf on Wednesday. Most of the increase would go to the districts underfunded
for years, as the governor tries to fully use a funding formula meant to
increase equity. The proposal also calls for a $1.15 billion adjustment, so no
school district would receive less than last year, and an increase in the
personal income tax rate to help provide the funding to schools. The Scranton
School District — the largest and most underfunded in Lackawanna County — would
see an additional $39 million in basic education funding in 2021-22, according
to funding estimates provided Wednesday by the Department of Education. Pennsylvania
enacted the fair funding formula six years ago, but the state currently only
distributes new money — or any amount districts receive above 2014-15 funding
levels — through the new formula. Beyond the proposed funding, which some
Republican lawmakers immediately rejected due to the necessary tax increase,
Wolf proposed comprehensive charter school reform once again. Along with
developing standards to hold charter schools accountable for student
achievement and requiring charter school management companies to be subject to
the state’s Right to Know law and Ethics Act, Wolf wants to establish a
statewide tuition rate for cyber charter schools. School districts currently
pay between $9,170 and $22,300 per student who elects to go to a cyber charter
school, even if it’s to the same school. The proposal would set a statewide
rate of $9,500. Coupled with changes to special education tuition rates, the
state estimates districts would save about $229 million a year.
Pennsylvania charter
schools face cuts in governor’s education-focused spending plan
By
Christen Smith | The Center Square Feb 4, 2021 Updated 11 hrs ago
(The Center
Square) – Gov. Tom Wolf’s $37.8 billion spending proposal prioritizes a $2 billion boost in
public education funding to tackle crumbling school buildings, stagnating
teacher salaries and dwindling achievement among disadvantaged students. But
charter schools and the 170,000 students they serve across the state would see
their funding cut under the governor’s plan through policies that standardize
tuition rates and lessen the amount some districts pay. “Finally, we will
be able to fully and fairly fund every school, in every school district, in
every part of the commonwealth,” Wolf said during his annual budget address
Wednesday. “Putting all this funding through the fair funding formula means
that struggling schools will finally get the resources they need without taking
away from schools already being adequately funded.”
Wolf’s $37.8 billion
budget seeks to confront state’s longstanding school funding inequity
Johnstown
Tribune Democrat By John Finnerty jfinnerty@cnhi.com Feb 4, 2021
HARRISBURG –
Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday laid out a plan to spend $37.8 billion in the
2021-22 fiscal year, an 11% increase over the state’s spending this year. Wolf's plan calls for a dramatic boost in
school funding to allow the state to confront long-standing inequities in the
way the state divides education dollars between local school districts. The
biggest change is his proposal to increase the personal income tax rate from
3.07% to 4.49%, a move that the administration projects would increase school
funding by almost $2 billion. Wolf is calling on the General Assembly to
cushion that tax increase by providing exemptions for lower-wage earners. Republicans
who hold the majority in both chambers of the Legislature rebuffed the plan as
particularly poorly-timed in that it would seek to hike taxes on people after
so many Pennsylvanians faced economic hardship through the pandemic economic
crisis.. House Appropriations Chairman Stan Saylor, R-York, said that he
supports the idea of fairly funding schools, but he called the suggestion that
the state increase the personal income tax at the tail-end of the pandemic’s
economic crisis “absurd.” School groups say that they recognize that lawmakers
are going to be resistant to Wolf’s proposal, but they said the governor is
trying to tackle a problem the state needs to address.
Greater Johnstown
would get $13M windfall under Wolf budget proposal
Johnstown
Tribune Democrat By Joshua Byers jbyers@tribdem.com Feb 4, 2021
Regional
schools are set to receive a significant boost, according to Gov. Tom
Wolf’s proposed state budget, which suggests investing more than $1 billion for
Pennsylvania education funding through an income tax increase. A tentative
plan from the state shows Greater Johnstown, Ferndale Area and Cambria Heights
school districts would benefit the most in Cambria County, while Somerset
Area, Windber Area and North Star would receive the largest boost in Somerset
County. “It would be amazing for us,” Greater Johnstown Superintendent Amy
Arcurio said. Her district would get an additional $13 million for the
next academic year, a 66% increase that would raise the basic
education funding for that district from $19 million in 2020-21 to $32 million
for 2021-22. That’s the largest increase in the area, and Arcurio
said the first item the supplemental money would be used for is to fix the
leaking roof at the elementary school. She added that there’s a “laundry list”
of other undertakings the administration would handle, such as adding
educational programs and hiring more behavioral specialists, guidance
counselors and reading specialists.
Wolf's massive
education funding proposal is long overdue for some Lancaster County school
leaders, worrisome for others
Lancaster
Online by ALEX GELI | Staff
Writer February 4, 2021
Facing
intense budgetary pressure from the coronavirus pandemic and years of being
severely underfunded, a handful of Lancaster County schools received a
semblance of hope Wednesday as Gov. Tom Wolf proposed what some school
officials say is a long-overdue shakeup of education funding in Pennsylvania. The
democratic governor’s 2021-22 budget proposal, which some Republicans say is
dead on arrival, builds on previous education funding increases by calling for
a historic, $1.35 billion, or 21.6%, increase in basic education funding. Wolf
is also asking for all basic education funding to flow through the state’s Fair
Funding Formula that presently is used for new money only. That translates to a
$59.5 million, or 32%, boost for Lancaster County schools. The biggest
beneficiaries include Conestoga Valley School District, long regarded as one of
the most inequitably funded school districts in the state. The district would
see a staggering $10.6 million increase to the $4.8 million it received in
2020-21 — an increase of 221%. “For years I have been talking about how
inequitably funded CV has been, and that the application of the Fair Funding
Formula on only ‘new’ monies did nothing to address that inequality, especially
when we are in the lowest five percent of the school districts receiving
equitable funding from the state,” Conestoga Valley Superintendent Dave
Zuilkoski said in an email. “As such, I would not consider this a ‘boost,’ but
rather a long-overdue equitable distribution of state funding.”
As Pa. budget shows,
the governor is from Venus, the Legislature is from Mars
No
Democratic governor has had even one chamber of the Legislature in his corner
since 2010.
WITF by Charles
Thompson/PennLive Jan Murphy/PennLive FEBRUARY 4, 2021 | 10:49 AM
(Harrisburg)
— Gov. Tom Wolf picked the big lumber off his policy bat rack Wednesday,
unveiling a $37.8 billion state budget proposal that calls for the kind of
sweeping change that he started his tenure in office with six years ago. Wolf
proposed a major tax reform that also — and unfortunately for the governor and
his allies — can be accurately described by his Republican critics as the
single-biggest income tax increase ever seen in Pennsylvania, even though it
would only ask the top one-third of state wage earners to pay more, according
to the administration’s numbers. He has proposed a transformative increase in
funding to Pennsylvania’s public schools, boosting the main budget line for
state aid that districts can use to support their basic education programs by
$1.35 million, with a major shift in the formula that drives out those dollars
to one that puts schools on more equitable footing. He proposed a
quick-turnaround, $3 billion investment in a variety of economic development
programs designed to help Pennsylvania build back better, as President Joe
Biden might say, from the pandemic-fueled recession; this one funded by a new
severance tax on Marcellus Shale natural gas production. You have to admire the
guy’s ability to go into the policy laboratory and come up with ambitious
ideas. But you might also wonder about his ability to read the political tea
leaves in Harrisburg.
Lehigh Valley school
districts would get this much more money under Wolf budget plan
By KATHERINE
REINHARD and EUGENE
TAUBER THE MORNING CALL | FEB 04, 2021 AT 7:00
AM
Gov. Tom
Wolf’s proposed injection of an additional $1.5 billion in basic education
funding would be a “game changer” that would help free school districts from
recurring tax hikes and the need for bailouts to balance budgets, Lehigh Valley
education leaders said. Under Wolf’s
plan announced Wednesday, Allentown
School District would see its basic education funding grow by $108.9 million to
$229.7 million — a 90% increase over 2020-21 subsidies Bethlehem Area School
District would see its funding go up by $25 million to $58 million — a 74%
percent hike, according to figures released by the state. Other districts in
Lehigh and Northampton counties would see a range from a 1.65% increase to $7.2
million in Northern Lehigh to a 142% hike to $20.7 million in Parkland.
Gov. Wolf defends
proposed school funding increase, Pa. superintendents remain cautious
ABC27 by: Andrew Forgotch Posted: Feb 4, 2021 / 01:20 PM
EST / Updated: Feb 4, 2021 / 06:54 PM EST
LANCASTER,
Pa. (WHTM) — Under Governor Tom Wolf’s proposed $1.35-billion education funding
increase, schools across the state would receive more money. In Lancaster
County, one of the districts that would receive one of the highest funding
increases under the proposal is Eastern Lancaster County School District, which
would receive a 55% funding boost. “We’re still trying to figure out where the
budget is really going to come out versus what the Governor asked for,” Eastern
Lancaster County Superintendent, Dr. Robert Hollister, said. Superintendents
are hopeful, but cautious. Wolf is calling for education dollars to be given
out according to a Fair Funding Formula. That’s something schools have wanted
for years. “Growing districts in big cities and rural communities will finally
get their fair share and we can ease the pressure on property taxpayers,” Wolf
said on Thursday. The formula takes into account factors like enrollment,
student poverty, and charter school enrollment. Wolf said it stops public
school children from being short-changed.
Seeking ways to
fairly fund all schools
Post-Gazette
Opinion by Lenny McAllister FEB 5, 2021 12:00 AM
LENNY
McALLISTER is CEO of
the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools
School
district officials still complain about how school choice takes their money as
families increasingly enroll their children in public charter schools. It’s not
their money. It’s taxpayer funding for public school children, regardless of
where a student attends a public school. Starting with Black History Month, we
must pivot from funding fights and back toward equality for all students —
regardless of the schools they are enrolled in. Innovation for education equity
is why lawmakers authorized the creation of public charter schools in 1997.
They saw charters as valuable in correcting downward trends, such as the
school-to-prison pipeline that wrecked many communities for generations. In
contrast, Pennsylvania’s Public School Code — passed in 1949 — still uses a
model of education that predates the 20th century civil rights movement. Disproportionately,
Pennsylvania’s charter community consists of Black and minority, students
historically over-policed, underserved, and disconnected in school districts
for decades. They choose public charter schools for different reasons but with
the same mindset: school choice in public education is a gateway to a better
life.
Amanda Gorman’s
poetry shows why spoken word belongs in school | Opinion
PA Capital
Star Opinion By Kathleen M. Alley, Mukoma Wa Ngugi and Wendy R. Williams Capital-Star
Op-Ed Contributor February 5, 2021
Not long
after Amanda Gorman recited one of her poems at the inauguration of President
Joe Biden on Jan. 20, three of her forthcoming books skyrocketed
to three of the top four spots on Amazon. She was also selected
to recite
an original poem at Super Bowl LV. Here, three scholars of poetry explain why
the writings of the 22-year-old Gorman – who became the country’s national
youth poet laureate at age 17 – and her rise to fame represent a prime
opportunity for educators to use spoken word poetry as a lively way to engage
students.
Wendy R.
Williams, assistant professor of English at Arizona State University
During
my research
studying a diverse group of spoken word poets in Arizona, I learned that adolescents improved their
writing skills, academic performance, confidence and social skills through
writing and performing spoken word poetry. The poets used this medium to heal,
advocate for change and imagine new futures. I noticed that these brave young
writers often delivered stunning lines, such as, “If I sit long enough in a
dark room will I develop like film?” They used poetry to talk back to those who
wronged them. And they used this medium to speak out about injustice. As one
adolescent poet in the study wrote, “We live in a first-world country, yet
inner-city kids still go hungry.”
Black Lives Matter
Movement goes to school to teach students about social justice
Inquirer by Melanie Burney, Posted: February 4, 2021- 5:53 PM
This week,
the first graders in Tamar LaSure-Owens’ class have started social studies
lessons the same way every day: belting out the lyrics to a Black Lives Matter
song that encourages them to speak up about social injustice. LaSure-Owens used
the catchy song to engage students in her virtual class at the Leeds Avenue
School in Pleasantville to mark Black
Lives Matter at School Week of Action. Teachers across the country are sharing
lessons and having frank conversations about the movement with students of all
ages. “All skin colors are as good as each other. That’s why we should be
treated the same. But for far too long Black people have suffered, so all
around the world we are saying that must change,” the class sang. In
Philadelphia, where more than 50% of students are Black, students began
learning about the Black Lives Matter movement in 2017. Other cities, including
New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, are also teaching it. The idea was the
brainchild of the Caucus of Working Educators, an activist group within the
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. City schools are participating for the
fifth straight year, said district spokesperson Monica Lewis. Teachers are
encouraging students “to see the value of respecting one another and living in
a more inclusive society steeped in equity and appreciative of diversity,” she
said.
‘Bored this whole
school year’: Philly students reflect on 11 months online
WHYY By Miles Bryan February 5, 2021
Eleven
months.
That’s how
long it has been since students enrolled in the School District of Philadelphia
have stepped into a classroom, chatted face-to-face with a teacher after the
bell rings or gossiped with friends by the lockers. For some young children,
that’s set to change soon. District officials announced a plan last week to
bring some
K-2 students back to class twice a week, starting in late-February. It’s the
district’s third attempt to reopen schools since the pandemic hit last March.
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers opposes any return to the classroom
until all
members that are required to be in school buildings are fully vaccinated, which city officials have said isn’t likely
to occur for months. For older students, however, there isn’t a tentative
timetable to leave virtual learning behind. “We want to see how [bringing
younger students back] will go first,” Superintendent William Hite said in late
January. For Philly high school students, that’s meant settling into a school
year that may be held entirely online. Meeting up after class IRL is out.
Making new friends via IG is in. WHYY spoke to students across the city about
how they have come to terms with a high school experience no one could have
predicted, one that nearly a year later has become all too strangely normal.
https://whyy.org/articles/bored-this-whole-school-year-philly-students-reflect-on-11-months-online/
Despite teachers’
concerns, superintendent believes Philadelphia classrooms are safe
Chalkbeat
Philly By Dale
Mezzacappa Feb 4, 2021, 5:49pm EST
With about
2,000 teachers set to return to buildings Monday, the Philadelphia Federation
of Teachers has asked for a third-party evaluation of whether classrooms meet
high enough safety standards for students and teachers to safely come back this
month for in-person learning. PFT president Jerry Jordan said he requested the
evaluation because there are a number of unresolved ventilation issues. “Due to
ongoing ventilation issues amidst a global pandemic, I cannot, at this time,
say schools are safe to reopen,” Jordan said in an email to his members
Wednesday night.” The union is seeking the assessment under a school
safety memorandum of agreement it reached with the district in the
fall. Superintendent William Hite said Thursday that he welcomes the evaluation
and believes the district has taken enough precautions to make schools safe. “Safety
and choice are the two pillars of the [school reopening] plans we’ve created,”
he said, citing not just plans to circulate fresh air in buildings, but other
protocols including frequent and random testing for the virus.
Philly teachers’
union says it’s ‘not safe’ to reopen schools, city to appoint mediator. Will
teachers return?
Inquirer by
Kristen A. Graham and Maddie Hanna, Updated: February 4, 2021- 7:15 PM
The
Philadelphia School District and its teachers’ union on Thursday moved toward a
possible showdown over plans to reopen schools next week, with teachers
questioning whether it’s safe to return to buildings and Superintendent William
R. Hite Jr. saying he expected them to do so.
Days after
criticism erupted over the district’s plan to use window fans to improve
ventilation during the COVID-19 pandemic, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
president Jerry Jordan called on the city to assign a neutral third party to
assess if buildings are ready for reopening Monday. Hite acknowledged that the
expert’s opinion — an option open to the PFT under terms of a reopening
agreement signed by the union and district last fall — could “possibly delay”
students’ return for in-class instruction. It would be the third such change in
reopening plans since last summer. But, the superintendent said, “it will not
delay our expectations for teachers to be in classrooms” on Feb. 8.
Pa. lawmakers’
spending jumps, boosting reserves during pandemic as deficit ballooned
Trib Live by
ASSOCIATED
PRESS | Thursday, February 4, 2021 3:52 p.m.
HARRISBURG —
The Pennsylvania Legislature’s spending grew by more than 8% last year, adding
some $28 million to its own reserves as the state’s deficit ballooned and many
residents struggled to pay bills during the pandemic. The Legislative Audit
Advisory Commission on Thursday voted without debate to approve the legislative
branch’s spending report for the 2019-20 year that ended in June. Total
spending reached $392 million, up from $362 million the prior year and from
$355 million in the 2017-18 year. Payroll costs grew by about $29 million. The
largest category of legislative expenses, by far, was payroll and benefits,
which cost slightly over $328 million, up from $299 million last year.
Pennsylvania has among the largest legislative staffs in the country. “The
audit went through all the individual accounts and did tests on all the
individual accounts and did not come up with any audit findings as far as
inappropriate spending,” said the commission chairman, Rep. George Dunbar,
R-Westmoreland. Lawmakers boosted their own budgetary reserve from $172 million
to just over $200 million. The reserve, which legislators have justified as a
cushion against running out of money during a future budget impasse with the
governor, was $95 million in 2016-17. It’s now approaching the record size of
$215 million in 2006, the year after the ill-starred — and subsequently
reversed — decision lawmakers made to boost their own base pay in amounts that
ranged from 16% to 34%.
Will Bellefonte cut
ties with the ‘Red Raider’ mascot in 2021? Board reopens discussion
Centre Daily
Times BY
MARLEY PARISH FEBRUARY 03, 2021 10:01 AM, UPDATED
FEBRUARY 03, 2021 10:28 AM
For more
than 80 years, Bellefonte Area School District students have been dubbed the
“Red Raiders,” but after months of debate, the district could take action on
the Native American mascot and nickname that some community members find
offensive. Though the district is unsure what that action looks like, board
members met for a work session Tuesday to discuss addressing the mascot — a red
Native American with a headdress — and a potential change or compromise. The
name has a long history in the district and has not been without controversy in
previous years. According to Bellefonte Area School District’s website,
the Red
Raiders were first introduced to the
district in 1936, after a Centre Daily Times reporter
referred to the team that way a year earlier. Chief Okocho, a costume depicting
a Native American and worn by students at activities such as athletic events,
was introduced as the district’s mascot in 1984, according to BASD. It was
“reportedly removed due to its insensitive appearance and poor representation
of Native Americans” in the early 1990s. In 2015, the school made its Native
American symbol a secondary logo, replacing it with a red block letter “B.” The
most recent debate began in June, when a group of BASD alumni began to
circulate an online
petition in support of replacing the mascot with
something not hostile or stereotypical toward Native Americans. Nearly 6,000
community members have signed.
Miguel Cardona
Pressed by Lawmakers on Tests, Reopening Schools, and Transgender Students
Education
Week By Andrew Ujifusa — February 03, 2021 11 min
read
Nominee for
education secretary Miguel Cardona vowed at his Senate confirmation hearing
Wednesday to help schools reopen safely and ensure educators and students have
the support they need during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Cardona did not take a
firm position on the role of standardized tests during the pandemic, and in
general tried to stake out positions on controversial issues such as the rights
of transgender students without seeming combative. President Joe Biden’s pick
to lead the U.S. Department of Education told members of the Senate education
committee that future pandemic relief funding from Congress must focus on
helping students recover from COVID-19 academically and in other ways. Cardona,
currently the Connecticut commissioner of education, championed the importance
of public schools without criticizing charter schools or private school choice.
And in response to questions from several Republican senators who questioned
the fairness of transgender female students competing in girls’ athletic
contests, Cardona insisted that schools had an obligation to provide
transgender students the chance to participate in activities like sports.
Carrying Betsy DeVos’
Torch: More States Push Voucher Programs
School
voucher programs are gaining momentum around the country.
HuffPost By Rebecca Klein February 3, 2021
In Iowa, a
bill that would directly give families over
$5,000 to help finance the cost of private school is quickly making its way
through the legislature. In Georgia, lawmakers introduced a bill that would
give families savings accounts with money to use on private school tuition. In
Florida, Republicans are set to push new legislation that would
expand the state’s already-vast network of publicly funded private school
scholarships. In the first few weeks of 2021, state legislators have introduced
a wave of new bills designed to expand or create new voucher, tax credit and
education savings account programs. While these programs are often
controversial ― eliciting staunch opposition from public school groups and
teachers unions ― advocates say they have seen new momentum after a wave of
Republican wins in statehouses and a pandemic that has forced millions of
schoolchildren to learn from home. So far, new legislation related to private
school choice has been introduced in over 15 states during 2021. Private
school choice programs have long been a pet cause of conservatives, and
expanding such initiatives was the singular goal of former Secretary of
Education Betsy DeVos during the Trump administration. While she failed to
expand these programs on a federal level despite repeated attempts, they are
experiencing a surge at the state level, just weeks after her departure.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/betsy-devos-school-voucher_n_6019bb29c5b668b8db3c89d9
Rep. Marjorie Taylor
Greene Barred From Spot on the Education Committee
Education
Week By Andrew Ujifusa — February 04, 2021 2 min
read
The U.S.
House of Representatives has voted not to allow a GOP congresswoman to join the
House education committee, following a storm of controversy over her support
for claims that school shootings were false flag
operations or somehow staged. In a Thursday vote, the House decided to bar Rep.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., from taking a position on two committees,
Education and Labor and Budget, that House Republican leaders assigned her to
last week. The vote was 230-199, with 11 Republicans joining 219 Democrats. Greene
reportedly apologized to GOP
colleagues at a closed-door meeting on Wednesday about her comments about
school shootings, which were posted on social media before her election to
Congress in November. And on the House floor Thursday, she told her colleagues,
“School shootings are absolutely real. And every child that is lost, those
families mourn it.” She called her prior social media posts “words of the past”
that don’t represent her, but didn’t apologize directly to the families and
students affected by school shootings that she commented on. Her remarks failed
to prevent the vote to bar her from her committee positions. Greene’s posts on
social media about the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in
Parkland, Fla., and other school shootings, as well as her endorsement of violence
against Democrats, received widespread media attention, and
the backlash from Democrats was quick.
Pa. Republicans stand
by QAnon congresswoman as House votes to strip committee assignments
PA Capital
Star By Laura
Olson| John
L. Micek February 4, 2021
WASHINGTON —
Eight out of nine of Pennsylvania’s Republican U.S. House members voted against
removing Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee
assignments on Thursday night. According to an official House roll call, U.S. Reps. Dan Meuser, R-9th District;
Scott Perry, R-10th District; Lloyd Smucker, R-11th District; Fred
Keller, R-12th District; John Joyce, R-13th District; Guy Reschenthaler, R-14th
District; Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, R-15th District, and Mike Kelly, R-16th
District, voted against the motion brought by the chamber’s majority Democrats,
who cited a series of violent, anti-Semitic comments and social media posts
Green made before being elected to Congress in November. The eight lawmakers
also variously
objected to certifying Pennsylvania’s
electoral college votes and joined
in litigation challenging their state’s election
results. U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1st District, was one of 11 Republicans
who joined Democrats in support. The 230-199 vote came hours after the
Georgia Republican walked back some of her most incendiary comments, saying she
“was allowed to believe things that weren’t true.”
PA Schools Work Next Lunch & Learn Webinar: A Deep Dive on the Budget Tuesday, February 9th at Noon
Join PA
Schools Work partners on Tuesday, February 9 at noon for our next Lunch &
Learn webinar, where we will explain the details of the education components of
Governor Wolf's budget proposal.
You
can register for the webinar here.
PA State Board of
Education Student Representative Application Now Available
POSTED
ON FEBRUARY 3, 2021 IN PSBA NEWS
On May 22,
2008 the Pennsylvania State Board of Education (SBE) amended their bylaws to
add one nonvoting senior student member and one nonvoting junior student
member. Since September 2009 two high school students have served on the SBE.
For the past year those students have been senior Anne Griffith from Radnor
High School and Junior Eva Rankin from Upper St. Clair High School. These SBE
positions have provided public school students with an unprecedented
opportunity in Pennsylvania to interact with the 22 adult board members and
have helped shape long-term education policy for the 1.8 million K-12 students
in our state and the 680,000 students impacted by our state system of higher
education. The Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils (PASC) was first
charged with the responsibility of recommending two students to hold these
positions for the 2008-2009 school year. PASC is currently accepting
applications for our new junior student representative.
Current 10th grade
students (Class of 2023) enrolled in public high schools in Pennsylvania are
eligible to apply for this position. The introductory letter, commitment forms and
application can be found here. Applications are due back on March
8th, 2021. Interviews will be conducted virtually. One student will be
selected for a two-year term at that time.
More
information can be found at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GZdrMuzBfYw009nbeUC3JGqxwCipCpsnx1ZlCGPipTw/edit?usp=sharing . Questions may be directed to the two
current student representatives at sbe2021@pasc.net and sbe2022@pasc.net.
NPE/NPE Action Conference
In Philly was rescheduled to October 23/24 due to concerns w/ COVID19.
Network for
Public Education
NPE will be
sending information to registrants very soon!
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/
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
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
344 PA school boards have
adopted charter reform resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 340 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/
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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