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 October 28, 2020
PA law
requires that the state calculate how much schools are underfunded each year. That
number? 4.6 billion dollars.
Follow the Money: Which candidates have received Students
First PAC money leading into this election?
Blogger note: in an October 27th Spotlight PA article Matt Brouillette, treasurer for the
Commonwealth Leaders Fund – funded primarily by donations from the Students
First PAC (Yass, Dantchik, Greenburg) said that the group decides to get involved
in races where there’s the greatest opportunity to elect someone who will
support expanded charter schools and more tax credits that fund tuition at
private schools. Here’ s list of candidates that have received 5 or 6 digit contributions
from the group and/or its other related PAC, the Commonwealth Children’s Choice
Fund:
John DiSanto
Scott MartÃn
Chris Dush
Rob Mercuri
Heidelbaugh for Attorney General
Devlin Robinson
Carrie Lewis Delrosso
Milou Mackenzie
Andrew Lewis
Doug Mastriano
Jason Silvis
Craig Williams
Valerie Gaydos
Larry Yost
Source: https://www.campaignfinanceonline.pa.gov/Pages/CampaignFinanceHome.aspx
Voter Voices: Independent-minded Erie Republican wants
president who's a leader, ethical
GoErie by Matthew Rink Erie
Times-News October 27, 2020
This is one in a series of profiles of
members of the Erie Times-News community voter panel, a diverse and
representative group of registered voters in election-critical Erie
County who applied and were randomly selected in January.
Pamela Lenz remembers tagging along with her
mom to Erie County Republican Party meetings as a young girl. Her mother was a
local committeewoman, immersed in GOP politics, and she would later work in
Erie County's Voter Registration office. Like many other Erie County residents,
her father worked as a supervisor at General Electric. He, too, was a
Republican. Lenz, 64, adopted her parents' political stripes when she
became old enough to vote. "In some ways, it was like if you grow up a
Catholic or Protestant, you end up being Catholic or Protestant because your
family is," Lenz said. But the McKean Township resident and
registered Republican hasn't always backed her party's nominee. She won't this
year, either. "I just believe that you should make a decision based upon
the merits of the people who are running for office," she said. "And
so it doesn't really matter to me if I am Republican or Democrat or
independent. It just always seems to me like you should listen and go with the
best ideas if they're going to benefit the people in the best manner." She's
turned off by President Donald Trump's behavior and what she says is a lack of
leadership.
Blogger note: this article includes a searchable table showing
per-student shortfalls for each of the state’s school districts
Pa. schools need an additional $4.6 billion to close
education gaps, new analysis finds
by Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA and
Maddie Hanna of The Philadelphia Inquirer | Oct. 27, 2020
Spotlight
PA is an independent, non-partisan
newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The
Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign
up for our free newsletters.
Pennsylvania’s public school children are
being shortchanged by $4.6 billion — and those in the poorest school districts,
who have fallen the furthest behind, are owed the most, according to a new
analysis commissioned by advocates seeking to overhaul the state’s education
funding system. The conclusions, based on state data over the past decade,
depict widening gaps in education
spending between affluent and poor
communities — and divides in academic performance. Public schools in
Philadelphia, Reading, and Upper Darby are among those shortchanged by at least
$5,000 per student, according to the analysis, while some districts, including
Radnor, Abington, Hatboro-Horsham, and even Pittsburgh are sufficiently funded.
At the same time, students in the poorest districts have the lowest
standardized test scores and highest dropout rates, while students from
low-income families in Pennsylvania’s highest-spending districts perform better
on state measures and graduate from college at higher rates. The funding gap
may be even greater, the report says — noting rising costs for schools, and more
rigorous state standards for students. The analysis, prepared for a
Commonwealth Court judge, is the latest salvo in a yearslong legal battle to
address school funding inequities, one that could intensify as the case moves
toward trial.
Pennsylvania sets record for largest daily increase of
new covid-19 cases
Trib Live by ZACH BRENDZA | Tuesday,
October 27, 2020 12:15 p.m.
Pennsylvania reported 2,751 new covid-19
cases Tuesday, per the state Department of Health.
New coronavirus cases in the state represent
the largest daily increase to date, according to the state. The coronavirus
death toll in Pennsylvania continued to grow as 23 new deaths were reported.
All 23 deaths reported Tuesday are from October. Totals for cases and deaths in
the state now stand at 198,446 and 8,696, respectively. https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-sets-record-for-largest-daily-increase-of-new-covid-19-cases/
Merion Elementary Closed Due To Positive Coronavirus Case
Merion Elementary School will have fully
remote learning through Nov. 6 after a staff member tested positive for the
coronavirus.
By Max
Bennett, Patch Staff Oct 27, 2020 9:29 am ET| Updated Oct
27, 2020 4:51 pm ET
MERION, PA — A Lower Merion School District
elementary schools is moving to a fully virtual learning model after a member
of that school community tested positive for the coronavirus. Merion Elementary
School Principal Toby J. Albanese said in a letter to families that the school
will be going to fully remote learning until Friday, Nov. 6. Albanese said the
move comes after a staff member was confirmed to have a case of coronavirus
Sunday.
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/ardmore/merion-elementary-closing-due-positive-coronavirus-case
Danville Middle School student positive for COVID-19
Daily Item October 27, 2020
A student at Danville Area Middle School has
tested positive for COVID-19 according to an alert sent out today from the
district. According to the alert from Superintendent Ricki Boyle, the student
was in school on Monday. Contact tracing has been completed and parents of
students who must quarantine have been notified, Boyle said. The school will
remain open, Boyle said. "We appreciate the quick call from the parents
enabling the school to quickly determine what actions need to be taken,"
Boyle wrote. The middle school is the third Danville school to have at least
one positive COVID-19 case. The primary school went full remote for a week
earlier this month following some confirmed cases, while the high school has
used a staggered schedule with students in school every other day since
September.
Many Berks school districts bypassing state advice for
'substantial spread' coronavirus counties
Pottstown Mercury By David Mekeel
dmekeel@readingeagle.com @dmekeel on Twitter Oct 27, 2020
There has been a resurgence of COVID-19 this
fall across Pennsylvania. The state's daily number of new coronavirus cases has
lifted back to levels seen at the early stages of the pandemic and beyond. The
last three weeks have seen more than 1,000 cases each day, and Tuesday's 2,751
cases were the highest total of the pandemic by about 500. Berks County has seen its numbers trend
upward as well, hitting triple digits in new cases the past four days. The 131
new cases reported Tuesday were the most since April 23. Berks has the fourth
most cases per 100,000 people in the state. The uptick has been reflected in a
metric used by the state Department of Education to provide recommendations to
school districts on how to handle instruction: in person, virtually or a mix of
the two. The tool used by the state measures the risk of community spread of
COVID-19, placing counties in one of three categories. Last week, for the
second week in a row, Berks fell into the worst category: substantial. The
state recommends that schools in counties with "substantial spread"
should not have children in classrooms, instead using a fully virtual model for
instruction. However, that is just a guideline and local districts are free to
make their own choices. Several districts in Berks said the county's
designation isn't going to alter their current plans.
UPDATE: Positive coronavirus case reported at West End
Elementary; school to close for two days
Meadville Tribune October 27, 2020
West End Elementary School will close for the
rest of the week after a staff member tested positively for COVID-19. In a post
on the Crawford Central School District's Facebook page, the district announced
that they were informed late Tuesday morning about the positive test from a
therapeutic support staff worker. The school will be closed Wednesday and
Thursday as a result, while Friday was already scheduled as an in-service day. Students
are to attend remotely for Wednesday and Thursday.
Paradise Elementary School closes for nearly two weeks
because of COVID-19
Teresa Boeckel York Daily
Record October 27, 2020
An elementary school in the Spring Grove Area
School District will be closed for nearly two weeks because of the number of
coronavirus cases, according to a letter from the district. Paradise Elementary
School is closed Tuesday through Friday, Nov. 6, the district said. Students
will have distance learning while the school is closed. In-person learning
is expected to resume on Monday, Nov. 9.
Seneca Valley School District Reports 6 Active
Coronavirus Cases
The cases landed some students in quarantine.
KDKA CBS Pittsburgh By Nicole Ford October 27,
2020 at 5:57 pm
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) – As more
school districts continue to report positive COVID-19 cases, we are learning of
a potential exposure at Seneca Valley School District. “They’ve been very
upfront, very open, very lengthy emails and detailed about what the next steps
are and they will be in touch with us privately immediately if there is any
concern with my specific son,” said Amy Simmons, whose son attends Seneca
Valley School District. As those cases tick up in Butler County, more parents
are getting those calls about close contact exposure.
https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/10/27/seneca-valley-school-district-coronavirus/
New COVID-19 case confirmed at Central Dauphin High
School
Penn Live By Sean
Adams | sadams@pennlive.com Updated Oct 27, 2020; Posted Oct
27, 2020
A student in the Central Dauphin School
District has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the district. On
October 26, the district sent letters home to families at the Central Dauphin
High School that one of the students at the school had been confirmed to have
been infected. “This individual was last present in the school building on
Tuesday, October 20, 2020,” the letter reads. “We have engaged in tracing this
student’s exposure both to students and employees at Central Dauphin High
School.”
KCSD has two more positive cases
The Express by CHRIS MORELLI
CMORELLI@LOCKHAVEN.COM OCT 27, 2020
MILL HALL — Five cases in 10 days. Those are
the growing numbers as the Keystone Central School District has had five
COVID-19 cases reported in the last 10 days. On Monday, two more cases were
announced on the district’s website. One of the cases is a staff member at Robb
Elementary School in Lock Haven who had tested positive for the deadly virus.
The second is a student at the district’s Career and Technical Center located
at the Central Mountain High School complex. In the news release, KCSD
superintendent Jacquelyn Martin said that schools will stay open “as
long as we can do so safely” but parents should be prepared for
possible school closures with “little advance warning.” Just
last Friday, KCSD reported a second case at Central Mountain High School and an
initial case at Central Mountain Middle School. All of those positive cases
involve students.
https://www.lockhaven.com/news/local-news/2020/10/kcsd-has-two-more-positive-cases/
West Mifflin Area High School to close for 10 days due to
spike in COVID-19 cases
Post Gazette by DEANA CARPENTER OCT
27, 2020 4:26 PM
Beginning Wednesday, students who attend West
Mifflin Area High School will be learning remotely for 10 days due to a spike
in COVID-19 cases at the school. “The high school is experiencing an increase
in positive cases among staff members,” Superintendent Jeffrey Soles said in a
letter emailed to parents. West Mifflin Area High School has three staff
members who have confirmed cases of COVID-19. The district also has multiple
staffers quarantining, on leave and/or calling in sick.
New Kensington-Arnold going to all remote instruction for
1 week
Trib Live by BRIAN C. RITTMEYER | Wednesday,
October 28, 2020 4:23 a.m.
New Kensington-Arnold School District will
change from in-person to remote instruction for all students the week of Nov.
2, the school board decided Tuesday. The state Department of Education has
recommended that Westmoreland County districts move to fully remote instruction
to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. On Tuesday, the county reported the most new covid-19
deaths since May, according to the state Department of
Health. The county had 72 new covid-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total
case count to 4,169 with 88 deaths.
Ears on the Philly Board of Education: October
22, 2020
Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools by
Diane Payne October 26, 2020
This month’s Board of Education Action Action
Meeting featured administration PowerPoints that again failed to reflect the
experiences and needs of those on the ground. Many of the seventy-four
registered speakers testified to this lack. The Hite administration now
requires Pre-K to Grade 2 staff to return to buildings on November 9th to
prepare for the return of students on November 30th–in spite of still
incomplete ventilation reports. COVID’s main form of transmission is
through the air. People of color are statistically more likely to contract and to die from the
illness. Many older District buildings
with asbestos, mold and lead were unsafe for children and adults before COVID.
Now staff, students, families, and community members are being asked to trust
that the District gets this right. The neglect of the District has caused
the illness and impending death of one
teacher (that we know of) from mesothelioma. Failure this time will
have immediate and devastating consequences.
https://appsphilly.net/2020/10/26/ears-on-the-board-of-education-october-22-2020/
Our Kids need you! PA Parents Demand Action Virtual Rally
- 10/29 at 4 pm
PCCY - With just days before the
big election, it has never been more important to VOTE for
lawmakers that support children’s issues than right now. At the PA Parents
Demand Action virtual rally, parents, students and community members will
be demanding that Washington pass a
funding package and Harrisburg uses it to fund K-12 education,
child care, pre-k and children’s issues first! We are putting lawmakers
on notice that a failure to invest in our children at all levels this year and
next, will harm our children, our families and Pennsylvania’s economy. We
are watching, speaking out and holding them accountable.
Join us for the Virtual Rally on 10/29 at 4pm
and invite all of your friends! Register here via zoom now: http://bit.ly/MomsRally
What's the connection between reading early and high
school dropout rates? Learn with us at the Education First Compact on 11/5.
Philadelphia Education Fund Free Virtual
Event Thursday November 5, 2020 9:00 am - 10:30 am
From Pre-K to Fifth Grade: Early Literacy as
Dropout Prevention
It’s long been understood that literacy is
the gateway to learning. No doubt you’ve heard the maxim: In grades
K-3, a student must learn to read, so that in grades 4-12 they can read to
learn.
In the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2014
report, “Double Jeopardy,” researchers also found a link between 4th
grade reading proficiency and high school completion rates. Astonishingly,
they discovered that students with low levels of proficiency were four times as
likely to drop out of high school. In Philadelphia, the struggle to improve
upon rates of early literacy is a collaborative one. At the center of
these local efforts are the School District of Philadelphia, the Children’s
Literacy Initiative, and various community partners engaged through
Philadelphia’s Read By 4th Campaign. Join us for the November Education First
Compact to probe such questions as: What lessons has been learned prior to and
during COVID? What adjustments are being made during this period of distance
learning? What challenges remain? And, most importantly, what role can the
larger Philadelphia community play in the effort?
Panelists:
- Caryn
Henning, Children’s Literacy Initiative
- Jenny
Bogoni, Read By 4th Campaign
- Nyshawana
Francis-Thompson, School District Office of Instruction and Curriculum
Host: Farah
Jimenez, President and CEO of Philadelphia Education Fund
Schedule: 9:00 – 9:45am
Presentation
9:45 – 10:15am Q & A
Attendance is free, but registration is
required.
Adopt the resolution against racial inequity!
School boards are asked to adopt this
resolution supporting the development of an anti-racist climate. Once adopted,
share your resolution with your local community and submit a copy to PSBA.
Learn more: http://ow.ly/yJWA50B2R72
Adopt the 2020 PSBA resolution
for charter school funding reform
In this legislative
session, PSBA has been leading the charge with the Senate, House of
Representatives and the Governor’s Administration to push for positive charter
reform. We’re now asking you to join the campaign: Adopt the resolution: We’re
asking all school boards to adopt the 2020 resolution for charter school
funding reform at your next board meeting and submit it to your legislators and
to PSBA.
Resolution for charter funding reform (pdf)
Link
to submit your adopted resolution to PSBA
310 PA school boards have
adopted charter reform resolutions
Charter school funding reform continues to be
a concern as over 300 school boards across the state have adopted a resolution
calling for legislators to enact significant reforms to the Charter School Law
to provide funding relief and ensure all schools are held to the same quality
and ethics standards. Now more than ever, there is a growing momentum from
school officials across the state to call for charter school funding reform.
Legislators are hearing loud and clear that school districts need relief from
the unfair funding system that results in school districts overpaying millions
of dollars to charter schools.
https://www.psba.org/2020/03/adopted-charter-reform-resolutions/
Know Your Facts on Funding and Charter Performance. Then
Call for Charter Change!
PSBA Charter Change Website:
https://www.pacharterchange.org/
The Network for Public Education Action Conference has
been rescheduled to April 24-25, 2021 at the Philadelphia Doubletree Hotel
Any comments contained herein are my comments, alone, and do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of any other person or organization that I may
be affiliated with.
