Focus on Education: Week One
Rep. Carol Hill-Evans August 21, 2020
Unlike in past weeks, there is just one committee you will need to contact if you support any of the following legislation. These bills are all in the House Education Committee. Contact Representatives Curt Sonney and James Roebuck Jr and advise them it is time to put these bills up for a vote.
Charter Schools/Cyber Charter Schools Legislation Highlight
HB894 would prohibit public school entities from advertising “free” tuition or transportation, stipulating they must disclose that instructional and transportation costs are paid for by tax dollars. Some schools -- particularly cyber charter schools -- are referring to those services and programs in their advertising as “free".
HB1329 includes language from previous bills aimed at protecting taxpayers by leveling the playing field between public school districts and public charter schools by requiring them to adhere to the same unassigned fund balance requirements.
HB1396 would require that 80% of teachers working in a charter school or cyber charter school hold state certification.
HB1449 would enact a moratorium on the creation of any new cyber schools in Pennsylvania until we have sufficiently reviewed their funding, operations, and performance. As many cyber charter schools are run by for-profit management companies, money that should be directed to our public school system instead lands in the hands of shareholders and executives, or is used for TV ads and billboards and not students. An appalling example of this was the recent revelation that one Pennsylvania cyber charter program used taxpayer money to pay for a lavish condominium and a corporate jet. With 15 programs, Pennsylvania cyber charter schools enroll 35,000 students, which is nearly one-fifth of all cyber school students in the United States.
HB1451 would implement a cap on the amount of reimbursement cyber charter schools receive for students who live in an area in which the school district or an intermediate unit operate their own cyber charter school.
Cost and Aid for Higher Education Legislation Highlight
HB244, also known as the PA Promise Act intends to help alter to course of rising student debts and promote attendance at our state-owned and affiliated colleges and universities. The grants associated with the Pennsylvania Promise will cover the “last dollar” - the remaining amount after all other federal, state, and institutional grants are awarded to a student. Additionally, this legislation provides dedicated grants to adult learners who are seeking additional credentials, including certification and college credit.
HB1039 would allow certain students who are differently abled to enroll in an empowerment scholarship account that parents or guardians can use for specific approved education-related expenses, including private school tuition, tutoring, online courses, costs associated with college entrance exams, and curriculum. These accounts would deposit 90 percent of the per-pupil spending of the student’s home district.
HB1473 would require postsecondary educational institutions who are state-owned or related to consider a student’s childcare expenses when calculating decisions on the amount of financial aid that a student is eligible to receive.
HB1552, also known as the REACH Scholarship program, which would be funded by private and public donations, is designed for the thousands of academically qualified Pennsylvania students who may not otherwise be able to afford higher education. Eligible students must meet academic, community service and other requirements to qualify for this program, such as maintaining residency in PA for several years post-graduation.
Additionally, there are multiple bills in the Education Committee that would provide pathways to loan forgiveness for those in many different careers that Pennsylvania is having difficulty filling the needs of. These include but are not limited to healthcare careers, social services, emergency responders, and certain professionals.
School Coursework Legislation Highlight
HB185 would require mandatory education for students grades 6-12, regarding opioid abuse and drug abuse, in addition to their current education on these issues.
HB189 would require handwriting instruction in kindergarten through fifth grade to ensure that students could legibly print by third grade and to write in cursive by the end of fifth grade.
HB495 and HB843 would mandate dating violence and sexual harassment education and peer support training in middle and high schools. This bill will also require school districts to develop a specific dating violence and sexual harassment policy and provide training for district faculty and administration on the subject. An American Association of University Women report revealed that sexual harassment is widespread in middle and high schools, with 40 to 50 percent of students experiencing some form of sexual harassment in a single school year, and with more than 80 percent of students reporting such an experience at least once over the course of their school career. In addition, teen girls face relationship violence three times more than adult women.
There are also many other bills that direct specific coursework requirements in areas of driving, CPR/AED, bullying, disability and mental health.
HB1678 would require the State Board of Education to establish a “Tutoring Program” whereby students in eleventh and twelfth grades may tutor pupils in grades one through six. The participating tutors would receive academic credit for their services.
HB1730 would establish a pilot program utilizing new approaches to testing and technology to improve education. In particular, the program will allow school districts to use adaptive testing which tracks student performance and measures academic growth throughout the school year. Additionally, these tests will provide teachers with assessment results faster as school districts currently using adaptive testing have the results available within 24 hours. These adaptive tests will replace standardized tests for grades 1-8. Not only do standardized tests take away from necessary instruction on a given subject, but the results fail to inform teachers of student performance or growth within a school year. The delay in providing teachers with test results prevents them from working in a targeted manner to help the students grow academically. Additionally, the test results often arrive too late for teachers to adjust their classroom plans for the following school year. As a result, the delayed notification inhibits a teacher’s ability to make any necessary adjustments to their classroom methods to help students the following year.
Public School Funding Legislation Highlight
HB961, HB1229, HB1313, HB1638, HB1790, HB2628, HR345 all deal with altering the way the state funds schools by providing better equity through elimination of Hold-Harmless, adding trauma as a funding factor in the formula, or differentiating distribution until equity is resolved. None of these bills have been given consideration
There are also multiple bills to assist in school construction financial needs that need to be moved.
At this point, due to the abundance of legislation that needs to be passed to reform education before the end of the term, I believe it best to continue discussing this further next week. Meanwhile I ask you to review these for your support and contact the Committee Chairs to move the legislation you would prioritize.