PSBA Bulletin May/June 2022

PSBA

May/June 2022 www.psba.org

ulletin The leading public education magazine in Pennsylvania

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE NEW WORKFORCE 10

PANDEMIC-INDUCED CHANGE IN SCHOOLS 16 SUCCESS STARTS HERE – FIVE YEARS AND COUNTING 21

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HILL TALK: SEN. MICHELE BROOKS PUZZLE: PRINCIPLES FOR GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP

PUBLIC EDUCATION

builds resilient communities SuccessStartsHere.org

WE CAN SUPPORT your search for top candidates by increased exposure among star education professionals.

EMPLOYERS

SEARCH for your next career step that brings your unique expertise and skills to the right role.

JOB SEEKERS

The PSBA network extends across the commonwealth and beyond, connecting qualified candidates to hiring school districts through a robust online job board. careergateway.psba.org

PSBA

ulletin

inside features

The leading public education magazine in Pennsylvania

May/June 2022

Volume 86, No. 3

Great expectations: preparing students for the new workforce

GOVERNING BOARD PRESIDENT David Hein, Parkland SD

PRESIDENT-ELECT David Schaap, Brentwood Borough SD VICE PRESIDENT Allison Mathis, North Hills SD TREASURER Mike Gossert, Cumberland Valley SD IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT Dr. Art Levinowitz, Upper Dublin SD

STAFF

Nathan G. Mains Chief Executive Officer and Publisher nathan.mains@psba.org Jackie Inouye Editor jackie.inouye@psba.org Cynthia L. Eckerd Editor cindy.eckerd@psba.org Amanda Daniels Editor amanda.daniels@psba.org Lisa Baldwin Senior Graphic Design Manager lisa.baldwin@psba.org www.psba.org (717) 506-2450 (800) 932-0588 Fax: (717) 506-2451 PSBA BULLETIN: (ISSN 01623559) is published five times a year by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, 400 Bent Creek Blvd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050-1873. Tel: (717) 506-2450. Periodicals postage paid at Mechanicsburg, PA and additional mailing locations. Subscrip­tions: $60 per year (members), $150 per year (nonmembers). Postmaster: Send address changes to PSBA Bulletin, 400 Bent Creek Blvd., Mechanicsburg, PA 17050-1873.

EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING POLICY: The granting of PSBA Partners and the acceptance of ad­vertising in this publication do not necessarily ­ constitute an endorsement by the Penn­ sylvania School Boards Association for products and services offered by the advertisers. Official positions and­services en­dorsed by PSBA will be clearly stated and noted in this publication.

Opinions by au­thors do not necessarily reflect positions of PSBA. Copyright 2022, Pennsylvania School Boards Association. All rights reserved.

2 PSBA Bulletin May/June 2022

10

The workplace today looks much different than it did three years ago. Skills such as finding the best lighting for a video call, taking initiative to start work on time when it’s just down the hall, and the ability to deal with ambiguity and change, are ones that high school students today are prioritizing to help land jobs in a post-pandemic world. For educators, this means shifting programs and classes to get students prepared to meet these ever-changing demands from employers.

BY KENDAL (GAPINSKI) KLOIBER

From necessity to innovation: pandemic-induced change in schools It was during the worst dreary days of the pandemic, and officials at the Penn Manor School District in south-central Pennsylvania had yet another unsettling decision to make about a path forward. And yet again they had to do it on the fly. Like many other districts statewide, Penn Manor officials found that changes in systems and structures necessitated by the pandemic helped the district get through the disruption, but also prompted them to undertake new initiatives more quickly and efficiently.

BY JIM PATERSON

16 Success Starts Here – five years and counting

21

More than five years ago, PSBA embarked on a mission to “move the needle” on the public’s perception of public education by launching the Success Starts Here public awareness campaign. Since that time, more than three-quarters of school districts in Pennsylvania have submitted stories to the campaign, a new website was launched, and a series of advertisements on billboard, television, radio and internet have rolled out across the commonwealth.

BY JACKIE INOUYE

inside departments

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24

27

32

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45

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from the top

PSBA President David Hein discusses expectations for our students, public education and the legislature, and PSBA CEO Nathan Mains highlights the Success Starts Here campaign.

5

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A collection of newsworthy items, brief updates, announcements and even a quick quiz to test your knowledge of the Keystone state.

24 2 months 1 page

Who has the time? Now you do. This feature highlights some of the major events impacting public education during the last few months.

27 hill talk

Sen. Michele Brooks, Erie (part), Mercer and Warren (part), discusses Senate Bill 312, unfunded mandates and school infrastructure.

29 member profile

Meet Yu-Ling Cheng, board vice president at the Avonworth School District.

31 guest perspectives

Dr. Doris Gernovich, board president at the Corry Area School District, discusses instructional changes at the district and how it prepares students for the workforce.

32 making money count What are the recommended savings options for schools in the current economic environment?

41 expert advice

Facilities specialist Trane explains options for creating a better learning environment in schools.

45 it’s the law

Understand the ways school boards are permitted to restrict public comment at board meetings.

50 Q&A

Get answers to some of the most commonly asked questions related to school governance.

33 by the numbers

Get an overview of average annual salaries for professional personnel positions statewide.

39 bright ideas

Career preparation and dual enrollment programs at Bloomsburg Area School District and elsewhere are giving students a head start on postsecondary education.

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 3

from the top

Working toward our expectations

By David Hein, president “G. E.” – that’s what I nicknamed our last three dogs. It stands for “Great Expectations” – that longing look I got from Cheyanne and Indi each time I opened the refrigerator for carrots, and now, Mercy, when I get the cheese out!

Great expectations are what we have for our children from day one. What will they become?

The doctor who cures Alzheimer’s? The scientist who figures out how to clean the environment once and for all? The person who finally delivers world peace? Those would all be wonderful accomplishments!

But what about our children? What do they want to become when they grow up – what are their great expectations? It is our job as the people in their lives (parents, relatives, friends, teachers or random people on the street) to teach our children – yes, they are all our children – to dream big and become whatever they want to be. We need to encourage our children to always work hard and let them know it is okay to fail because in failing, we also learn.

Great expectations are also what our children have for us – the expectation that we will be there to support and guide them as they grow, that we will work hard to provide them what they need.

With the annual state budget season now underway, there are also great expectations that school districts will be provided with the funding needed for our children to realize their dreams, understanding that there is a finite pot of money that needs to be stretched to cover many projects and services across the commonwealth.

So, all of this means that there is still much more work to do. I encourage all of us to talk to our legislators and continue to advocate for fair funding. But I also urge all of us to look within our own districts to see what we can do with the resources we have. Look at things differently. Start an education foundation, partner with local businesses, hold fundraisers. Seek out best practices from other school districts. We are all in this together and have a lot to offer each other.

Great expectations – we want to see every child achieve theirs. Working together, we can make it happen!

Five years of success

By Nathan G. Mains, chief executive officer In this issue we celebrate the fifth anniversary of PSBA’s Success Starts Here campaign. Over the past five years, we have been able to share hundreds of stories and examples of the amazing programs offered across Pennsylvania in public schools. The campaign has brought attention to students overcoming great challenges and teachers employing creative ways to motivate and educate their students. Along the way, we’ve had the chance to meet many talented students and educational leaders. On behalf of PSBA, thank you for allowing us to share your stories with every Pennsylvanian – they deserve to know the amazing work in your district.

Keep the stories and examples coming! We are excited for what the next five years will capture. Success truly starts here – in Pennsylvania’s public schools.

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For the latest in education-related news, click the Advocacy & News tab on psba.org

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Advocacy Corner

Advocacy is a year-round activity – ongoing twoway communication is key to maintaining a positive relationship with your legislators. Stay up to date with the weekly State Legislative EDition, Action Alerts and PSBA website for information and talking points on issues affecting public education.

Successful Advocacy Day brings school officials to the Capitol On April 25, school directors and superintendents gathered at the Capitol for Spring Advocacy Day. Following a welcome and briefing at the State Museum, advocates spent the day meeting with legislators to discuss the need for increased state funding for basic and special education as well as for critical student services and the need for meaningful charter school funding reforms. Participating with PSBA was the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA). Some members chose to participate virtually by using resources provided by PSBA to communicate with legislators via email and social media. Congratulations and thanks to all who participated in Advocacy Day!

Advocacy Engagement m Progra

ro Become a heuc ation ed ic bl for pu

Be an advocacy hero PSBA’s new Advocacy Engagement Program recognizes members for their commitment to advocacy through participation in events like Advocacy Day, Show Them What It Takes events and contacting legislators on critical issues. Log your efforts on the online tracking form and you could be mentioned in Daily EDition, Bulletin magazine and on signage at PSBA events!

Learn more on PSBA.org.

PSBA accepting proposals for the 2023 Legislative Platform PSBA invites your school board to submit proposals for the 2023 PSBA Legislative Platform -- create new proposals, voice support for the continuation of specific items in the current platform, amend existing platform language or suggest the deletion of a current statement. Key dates in this year’s platform adoption process: • May 20-July 22: Window for school boards to submit proposals.

• May 20- July 22: Window for school boards to submit the names of their voting delegates for the Delegate Assembly meeting. PSBA will email information to board secretaries.

• September 17: PSBA Platform Committee meeting to review proposals and make recommendations to the Delegate Assembly for final vote.

• November 5: Delegate Assembly meeting.

In addition, this year school directors will be invited to participate in a separate process to select PSBA’s Legislative Priorities for the upcoming 2023-24 session of the General Assembly. This process occurs every two years to coincide with the legislative session. Look for more information soon on how to submit proposals, the appointment of voting delegates and selection of priority issues.

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 5

bulletin board Question of the issue:

What was the last good book you read?

Prudential Emerging Visionaries winners announced Congratulations to the top youth innovators who have been named 2021 Prudential Emerging Visionaries Award winners!

The awards are sponsored by Prudential Financial and Ashoka – a leading social impact organization – and honor youth ages 14-18 who offer bold, creative solutions to financial and societal challenges. The national award program is an evolution of the 26-year Prudential Spirit of Community Award.

From Pennsylvania, Isabella Hanson, a junior at Kennett High School in Kennett Consolidated School District (Chester Co.), was one of the winners in the “Societal Solutions for a Changing World” category.

In the project description, Hanson says her “I Matter” initiative “was created to motivate and encourage youth to utilize poetry and art to advocate for social justice and equity.”

The project has already reached 42 states and 30 countries.

Hanson and each of the 24 other winners will receive $5,000 in funding as well as an invitation to participate in an awards summit from April 23-26, 2022.

The most recent good book I’ve read is Devoted: The Story of a Father’s Love for His Son by Dick Hoyt and Don Yeager. Dick’s oldest son, Rick, was born a quadraplegic.

His parents defied doctors’ recommendations to put Rick in an institution. Rick’s father, Dick, helped Rick to realize his dream of running in marathons and participating in triathlons as “Team Hoyt.” This book was a gift from one of our teachers and it is a very inspirational read, confirming that it’s possible to overcome obstacles we all face.

Cindy S. F. Donovan confidential secretary to the superintendent and board secretary, Avonworth School District (Allegheny Co.) The last good book I read was actually a collection of short stories, The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, Finca Vigia edition.

Stuart Knade chief legal officer, PSBA

While not the last good book I read, this one has stayed with me over the years: The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge, M.D. The pages of the book open my mind up about what is possible for the brain and the mind to achieve. Generally, the book explains how our brains are able to wire and rewire based on external stimuli.

This outlook differed from my preconceived/ learned notion that the brain was more static and skills/abilities/intellect possessed at birth were largely predetermined.

John Maurer director of data, evaluation and research, PSBA Next question:

What is an essential part of your routine in preparation for an upcoming board meeting?

To submit answers to the “Question of the issue,” send an email to Jackie Inouye at jackie.inouye@psba.org

by July 1, 2022. Submissions should be kept to 50 words or less.

Annual school cybersecurity report highlights challenges, recommendations As schools respond to a greater need for technology, keeping school and student data and systems secure continues to be a challenge. The national nonprofit K12 Security Information Exchange (K12 SIX) released its fourth annual report outlining cybersecurity incidents affecting public elementary and secondary schools in the U.S. Since 2016, the organization has tracked all publicly disclosed incidents – a total of 1,331 – on its Cyber Incident Map. Here are some significant findings from the latest report: • In 2021, there was a decrease in the number of publicly disclosed cyber incidents compared to the prior two years.

• The most frequently experienced types of incidents reported were ransomware (62%) and student data breaches (33%).

• Larger school districts and those in wealthier communities appear to be at a greater risk for experiencing a cyber incident.

In addition to possible explanations for these findings, the report makes several recommendations for reducing the frequency and impact of cyber incidents, including increased disclosure when they occur; widespread use of baseline cybersecurity controls at schools; more collaboration among districts on handling cybersecurity challenges; and the need for threat intelligence guidance and best practices to be tailored specifically for the K-12 sector. The report also cautions districts that the cost of cyber risk insurance is rising and that insurance should not be a replacement for preventative measures as schools seek to avoid and combat cyber incidents.

To read the full report, go to the K12 SIX website at k12six.org.

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Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life by Jim Kwik published by Hay House Inc., 2020 Reviewed by Jackie Inouye What if you could learn quicker and remember more? In his book, Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life, self-described “brain coach” Jim Kwik illuminates how we learn, outlines potential barriers to learning and provides methods for how to overcome those roadblocks.

Kwik’s basic premise is that individuals’ perceived limitations, lack of purpose and/or understanding of the learning process can keep them from maximizing their learning potential.

However, with the right mindset, motivation and methods, anyone can learn more efficiently and make better use of what they learn.

Having experienced a brain injury during childhood, Kwik expertly describes the detrimental effects of negative self-talk around one’s ability to gain and retain knowledge. He uses examples from his own struggle to learn, particularly at school, to illustrate common pitfalls, such as the assumptions that his brain was “broken” and he was not as smart as others. He catalogs other common “lies” people believe about their ability to learn and then debunks these myths with research in the first section of the book.

Kwik champions Carol Dweck’s growth mindset, or the idea that intelligence isn’t fixed but is something to be developed over time. In this paradigm embraced by many educators today, failure is a tool for learning rather than a source of shame.

bulletin board Keystone Quiz

1 2 3 4 5

Name PA’s top agricultural commodity.

How many members are there in Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives?

What is Pennsylvania’s state tree?

What percentage of PA citizens are foreign-born: 5.2%, 7% or 8.6%?

In 2021, did more residents use public transportation or carpool to travel to work?

ANSWERS 1. Milk 2. 203 3. Hemlock 4. 7% 5 . Carpool. 8.4% carpooled and 5.7% used public transportation.

For the latest in education-related news, click the Advocacy & News tab on psba.org

The mid-section of the book coaches readers on how to develop a sense of purpose for learning, set goals and cultivate healthy habits. Kwik even delves into the physiological needs of the brain, with suggestions for how to ensure a good night’s sleep and maintain ideal nutrition for brain function.

Limitless concludes with several chapters on practical techniques readers can employ to boost their learning, such as speed-reading (of paramount importance, according to Kwik) and memorization and retention methods. (Tip: If you want to skim the book effectively, start by reading Chapter 14, “Speed-reading”!)

As the pace of information continues to grow, Limitless asserts the increasing importance of learning quickly to succeed in school, the workplace and life. Readers may find empowerment in the notion that we all have agency in our ability to learn and that “genius” has many faces.

Educators specifically may find this book helpful as they consider the different ways students learn and work to remove some of the recognizable barriers for learning at school.

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 7

bulletin board 2022 State of Education report highlights biggest challenges facing schools (and PSBA responds)

Understanding the school district budget process The annual general fund budget is one of the most important legal documents that a school district will develop. The district’s spending plan is based on its educational and operational needs, and the amount of revenues that are available. How a district moves from drafting to adopting its budget includes a series of key decisions, so it’s important to understand the process and the timeline.

Budget cycle Like the state, school districts’ fiscal years operate from July to June. As required by law, school districts must pass a budget by June 30 each year. This requires a lot of planning and even some estimation since the deadline coincides with the state budget deadline – school districts do not yet know their allocation from the state when they must develop and pass a budget.

The budget cycle includes planning, preparation, adoption, implementation and monitoring, and evaluation.

This five-step process spans the course of three years: planning, preparation and adoption in the year prior to a budget’s effective date, implementation and adoption when the current budget year is underway, and Pennsylvania School Boards Association

(800) 932-0588

PSBA.org

Closer Look: School district budget process PSBA released a new Closer Look report on school district budgeting, which explains the process that school boards undertake, as required by law, to develop and adopt their district budgets. The publication also includes a listing of the legally mandated 2022 budget deadlines that school districts must meet as they go through the process.

In order to help legislators better understand how they can support the work of school districts, the report also outlines major challenges of budgeting.

Major difficulties include the fact that the school district budget deadline is the same date as the state budget deadline, which requires school boards to analyze last year’s revenues and estimate local tax effort projections as well as expected contributions from the state.

Other specific challenges school boards must consider are Act 1 limitations and numerous mandates – many of which are unfunded or underfunded.

PSBA provided the Closer Look to all members of the Senate and House of Representatives and continues to urge legislators to connect with their local school boards.

In the recently released 2022 State of Education report, 75% of school districts reported that they expect staffing shortages to be one of the biggest challenges they face in the next year. Among the areas in greatest need of staffing were substitute teachers, instructional aides, transportation personnel, full-time teachers and school nurses. To help address these areas of need, PSBA has been actively supporting and advocating for legislative changes that would make it easier for schools to find substitute teachers, such as Act 26 of 2021, which permanently allows school districts to utilize student teachers as substitutes, and Act 91 of 2021, which allows retirees to serve as substitutes and creates additional flexibility related to certifications and the time which substitutes can teach. More recently, PSBA has been discussing ideas to attract more individuals to the teaching profession with other statewide associations. Stay tuned to PSBA publications for more information as concepts take shape.

The most common source of budget pressure reported by school districts for the third year in a row was mandatory charter tuition payments. As flaws in the way charter schools are funded help push mandatory charter school tuition payments above $3 billion, PSBA has made advocating for meaningful charter reform its top priority. To help address this critical area of need, PSBA has been actively supporting and advocating for legislative changes that would establish a statewide tuition rate applicable to cyber charter schools, change the method used to calculate tuition payments for special education students, and revise the reconciliation process to ensure charter schools submit accurate payment requests and school districts have an opportunity to have appeals resolved in a timely manner.

The State of Education report serves not only as a barometer of the key indicators of public school performance, but also as a valuable data-based advocacy tool. PSBA encourages members to use the report in your advocacy and to see how the data trends in the report apply to your own school entity, and then tell that story to your state legislators so they know the biggest issues facing your schools.

Most common source of budget pressure:

mandatory charter tuition payments

Biggest challenges expected next year:

75% said staffing shortages

2022 State of Education report at www.PSBA.org

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PSBA ALLIANCE PARTNERS PSBA salutes its bronze alliance partners for their ongoing support of the education community

For more information on these and other PSBA Alliance Partners, visit

PSBA.org/Alliance-Partners/

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 9

preparing students for the

new workforce

BY KENDAL (GAPINSKI) KLOIBER

T

HE WORKPLACE TODAY LOOKS MUCH DIFFERENT THAN IT DID THREE YEARS AGO. Skills such as finding the best lighting for a video call, taking initiative to start work on time when it’s just down the hall, and the ability to deal with ambiguity and change, are ones that high school students today are prioritizing to help land jobs in a post-pandemic world.

For educators, this means shifting programs and classes to get students prepared to meet these ever-changing demands from employers.

“The most obvious one is getting used to working independently on your own without direct supervision,” says Ryan Myers, business teacher at Bellefonte Area High School. “With so many people staying home to work, thanks in large part due to the pandemic, we’re seeing how important it is for students to be self-starters, and have the ability to do things like get up and get to work on time without having that in-person supervisor hanging over your head.”

The pandemic has also led to more students seeing the vast amount of opportunities available to them.

“I think the pandemic gave students more ‘down time’ to think about their future life choices and do some more online exploring of potential careers of interest,” says Rachael Davis, transition coordinator for the Bellefonte Area School District in Centre County. “We have seen an increase in involvement from our students in some of the programs we offer, but we would definitely want more students involved. This is a great opportunity to get them some key employment and life skills.”

Kendal Kendal (Gapinski) Kloiber is a freelance writer living in Lancaster, PA.

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GREAT EXPECTATIONS: PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE NEW WORKFORCE

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 11

Emotional intelligence and a growth mindset are also becoming more critical in the virtual world.

Those programs include Bellefonte Area High School’s partnership with the Department of Labor and Industry’s CareerLink resource, which provides students with the opportunity to better explore careers. CareerLink works with eligible students from the spring of their sophomore year through one year after graduation, and includes assessment and interest inventories, creating goals, participating in work-based learning, resume and interviewing training, soft skill development and more.

“The purpose of this is to first, expose students to resources they have available to them in their own community. Then, it’s to offer trainings on how to look for employment, how to fill applications or resumes, etc.,” Davis says of CareerLink.

“They can also assist in facilitating job shadowing opportunities for students as they discover their strengths, weaknesses and career interests. Students can also participate in Camp STEAM to get additional trainings and exposure. It’s a really great program.”

The Bucks County Intermediate Unit (IU) is helping students explore potential career paths through its Career Ready 12 PSBA Bulletin May/June 2022

Bucks program, which helps students gain experiences related to potential career paths they may choose, says Robyn Gross, the IU’s educational marketing lead. The program gives students “a preview or taste of a career” to see if it’s something they want to pursue further.

The program includes businesses that register to provide growth experiences to students, such as internships, mock interviews, guest speakers, industry tours, job shadowing, mentoring, volunteer opportunities and more. Schools can review the experiences available and then work with their IU liaison to coordinate the opportunities for students. The program is free and open to all Bucks County K-12 public schools and career and technical centers.

“When students have a clearer focus on what they may want their future career to look like, their schools can better guide academic decisions in support of those goals and aspirations,” Gross says.

PREPARING FOR A VIRTUAL WORLD

Over the course of the pandemic, some of these career programs have had to go virtual or shift their offerings, mimicking the workforce in many areas.

When “students have

a clearer focus on what they may want their future career to look like, their schools can better guide academic decisions in support of those goals and aspirations

”

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE NEW WORKFORCE

“A lot of our job shadowing opportunities and hands-on experiences have stopped due to COVID regulations,” Davis says. “All of our trainings are virtual now, which is a barrier to engagement, but also, allows students to participate from home.”

In business classes at the high school, Myers notes that teachers are targeting these skills needed for a virtual world to help prepare students better for remote interviews and work-from-home opportunities.

“We know that we’re not all professional on-screen characters,” Myers says. “So we work on how to participate on a Zoom call, and even simple things like how to get a good background image, how to speak clearly so the other person can hear you and how to use the technology to conduct a virtual meeting.”

For example, in his entrepreneurship class, students were required to submit a video project, despite the class being in person, in response to seeing more employers seeking video interviews.

“A lot of job interviews are going virtual, and a lot of candidates are even having robot interviewers, so you don’t get the biases associated with a human interviewer,” Myers says. “We’ve adjusted our assignments to do video presentations instead, to help them understand how to speak in a different way to future employers on a screen versus one-on-one in person.”

Emotional intelligence and a growth mindset are also becoming more critical in the virtual world, Myers notes.

“I am leaning into more leadership opportunities that require critical thinking and independent thinking,” he says. “There are students that struggle because they get an idea in their head — ‘I’m going to go to CPI and learn heavy machinery operations’ — and they think they don’t need to learn math, reading or writing. But what happens if they need to change directions?

We want to prepare them for things that can change in life and make sure they have

as many skills as possible, so if things don’t go how they think they will, they can adapt and be flexible.”

One small way he challenges his students is through his “class starters.” Every day, students come into his class and have the first few minutes to work on a small task or challenge. After he has led the activities for a few weeks, he turns it over to students to run and plan the daily challenges.

“So much in the workforce, you’re leading people and having to get them into groups and organize meetings or activities,” Myers says. “By having them run the activities, it’s one of the few chances in their high school career where they can lead something and take full ownership of it.”

Though there was an “awkwardness” that occurred when virtual learning first took hold at the start of the pandemic in March 2020, students have begun to get over that initial hesitancy and are now seeking out virtual opportunities, Davis notes.

“There is this huge shift to where students are more comfortable doing everything virtually. I don’t see the awkwardness I used to see when students would log on to virtual meetings or even the resistance to doing things virtually,” he adds.

“When the students are meeting with myself or providers, a lot of the questions regarding postsecondary education and/or employment involve investigating whether there are virtual options for students. They’d rather take their classes all online or want to find a work-from-home opportunity.”

ADDRESSING THE LABOR SHORTAGE

The post-pandemic workforce has also been marked by a labor shortage, which schools are watching closely to see how they can better prepare their students.

For example, the Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Pipeline Into The Trades (P.I.T.T.) Pre-Apprenticeship Program recently became the first registered carpentry preapprenticeship program for high school students in the state.

The P.I.T.T. Pre-Apprenticeship Program, sponsored by the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Division of Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) and Keystone Mountain Lakes (KML) Carpenters Apprenticeship and Training Fund, is designed to augment CTE’s threeyear Carpentry program of study with components that will help eliminate barriers that have hindered application and acceptance into the Carpenters Apprenticeship Program.

The pre-apprenticeship program is available to the carpentry students enrolled at Pittsburgh Carrick and Pittsburgh Westinghouse high schools.

At the end of the three-year program, the pre-apprentices will have received: handson skills development, including live construction builds, industry-recognized certifications, paid part-time construction work experience in the summer and advanced placement points toward acceptance into the KML Carpenters Apprenticeship Program, to name a few benefits.

“Labor projections indicate that over the next eight years, construction occupations will grow by 4%, creating nearly 300,000 new jobs in this field,” noted CTE Executive Director Angela Mike in a press release.

“But the construction industry, which has an aging workforce, has struggled to attract younger and more diverse employees.

Through this pre-apprenticeship program, we will not only help address these challenges, but help our students prepare for a successful career in a booming industry.”

Bucks County IU’s Mobile Fab Lab is also designed to meet the need for a STEAM workforce in the local community, and statewide. “In 2018, there were over 300,000 STEM-related jobs in Pennsylvania, and nearly 17,000 of those jobs were unfilled,” Gross says. “In Bucks County, advanced manufacturing jobs are frequently cited as the most in-demand.”

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 13

The post-pandemic workforce has also been marked by a labor shortage, which schools are watching closely to see how they can better prepare their students.

The lab itself is a transit van that transports several carts full of equipment such as 3D printers, a laser engraver, CNC router, vinyl cutter and robotics equipment. The lab visits schools for a one-week residency and visits regional homeless shelters on the weekends and during the summer.

Opening in September 2019, the Mobile Fab Lab engaged over 12,000 students in its first year and is on track to exceed that number this school year, Gross says. At each school, students engage in learning activities related to digital fabrication and computer science that are planned based on the school’s existing curriculum. In the past activities have included fabricating backdrops for spooky stories, coding a path to identify different energy sources and fabricating buildings that would later have circuitry added.

Expanding on the initiative is the Bucks IU’s Fab Lab Center that opened its doors in December 2021. Here, students can engage in computer science, engineering, and general STEAM activities in a fun, innovative, out-of-school environment, while educators can learn about and engage in STEAM topics that they can bring back to their schools.

The program has been a hit, especially as more and more educators and students look to get ahead in high-demand fields.

Gross says the Mobile Fab Lab and Fab Lab Center programs have been reaching capacity, even as new programs are being added.

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Federal and state career readiness requirements TO GET A HOLISTIC VIEW OF SCHOOLS’ IMPACT, data on how schools are preparing students for postsecondary success is required at the both the state and federal level, in addition to test scores.

One of the indicators required by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, and the state plan for implementation for student success, is college and career readiness. In fact, this indicator is one of the measures of progress on the PA Future Ready Index, which began in the 2017-18 school year, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).

Starting that year, PDE began reporting districts’ calculations of career readiness experiences at the building level as a way to ensure that all students had access to career exploration and preparation activities, starting in elementary school. In the years following, school entities have had to demonstrate that students have met the full continuum of career readiness expectations as defined for each grade span.

Specifically, districts must submit evidence that validates that all four strands of the Career Education and Work standards have been “meaningfully addressed.” These four standards – Career Awareness and Preparation, Career Acquisition, Career Retention and Advancement, and Entrepreneurship – must be addressed at least once in the benchmark pieces of evidence, according to PDE. Grade span requirements are as follows: • By the end of grade 5, the student has produced six or more pieces of evidence accumulated within the 3-5 grade span. In future years, best practice is to produce a minimum of two pieces of evidence in grades 3, 4 and 5.

• By the end of grade 8, the student has produced six additional pieces of evidence beyond the K-5 band evidence. One piece of evidence for the 6-8 grade band must be the student’s individualized career plan.

• By the end of grade 11, the student has produced eight additional pieces of evidence beyond the K-5 and 6-8 grade bands of evidence. At least two of these pieces of evidence must demonstrate implementation of the student’s individualized career plan.

Ultimately, the goal is for each student to develop a career portfolio by the end of grade 11 that reflects evidence from all three grade bands, according to PDE. The first class of students able to fully meet the completion goal is the Class of 2026.

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T WAS DURING THE WORST DREARY DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC, and officials at the Penn Manor School District in south-central Pennsylvania had yet another unsettling decision to make about a path forward. And yet again they had to do it on the fly.

The district had provided most students with laptops back in 2013, but still needed to supply them to students in grades 1-3, which involved spending $500,000 on 1,500 laptops and other hardware at a time when vendors were dealing with thousands of other districts that were also scrambling to equip students. They also had to train staff and students – and even parents – then figure out how to store and distribute the items, all while COVID peaked and restrictions for schools were perhaps the tightest.

Jim Paterson is an education writer living in Lewes, DE. 16 PSBA Bulletin May/June 2022

“We were making high-stakes, strategic financial decisions in minutes and hours,” says Charlie Reisinger – director of technology for the district, which enrolls 5,400 students. When you roll out anything like this you want to be deliberate and strategic, and we were, but we had to make very rapid decisions about big tech issues. It was alien to us. Schools are not built to turn on a dime.”

After huddling for a few hours, district officials purchased the laptops, and it proved to be the right decision. Although online learning was challenging for

From

necessity to

innovation: pandemicinduced change in schools

By Jim Paterson

We had to “make very rapid decisions about big tech issues.

It was alien to us. Schools are not built to turn on a dime.

”

the youngest students, the technology was used very effectively in most cases, according to district Superintendent Mike Leichliter, helping keep these students engaged through this period and training them further on proper tech use.

Leichliter says while many of the essential pandemic-related changes the district made were often undertaken out of necessity, they generally proved successful. These ranged from technology for online learning or class registration to the streaming of sports and other performances and video conferencing for parent meetings.

Beyond that, like many other districts statewide, Penn Manor officials found that changes in systems and structures necessitated by the pandemic helped the district get through the disruption, but also prompted them to undertake new initiatives more quickly and efficiently. They took on projects they had previously discussed or some of value that likely wouldn’t have been considered.

“I think there is a saying from Winston Churchill about ‘never letting a good crisis go to waste,’ and that applied here,” Reisinger says.

Valuing education East Penn School District Superintendent Kristen Campbell and Board President Joshua Levinson both note that while the technological shifts the pandemic necessitated were a prominent positive outcome, another was the change in attitudes about education – and the opportunity to further advance the standing and attitudes about schools.

“We have spent a lot of the last 18 months tackling the challenges that the pandemic presented,” Campbell says. “I think it is really important for us to shift the nation’s focus to the positive things that happened in schools and can happen in the future. I think this provides us with an opportunity to do that.”

She notes that educators, students and family members all grew increasingly to value the face-toface learning experience in the classroom and the sense of community found in a school. “We have families and kids who have been longing to return to pre-pandemic routines – the morning meetings on the carpet in an elementary-level class, for instance, or doing guided reading in small groups,” she says.

“We believe that we improved our community’s views about the value of our schools and about the value of education in general, and we are looking to build on that,” Levinson says.

One indication of the revaluing of the school and classroom in the Penn Manor community was evident last year in registration for summer school, which typically did not gain much interest among students beyond those required to take it, says Leichliter.

“We gave teachers an opportunity to create classes, and we had a lot of students reach out about

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 17

The most conspicuous pandemic-related changes came about as classrooms had to move online, which required hardware but also training and dramatic changes in teaching methods and student routines.

attending – then had a higher attendance and completion rate than ever,” he notes.

“What we have also seen is that we are social beings – and students just wanted to be in school, and not being there created mental health issues and diminished learning,” says Carlton “Herk” Rintz, Penn Manor school board president. “We are all aware of that now.”

Levinson says that point also has been made clear to him in board meetings and reports from classrooms. And he notes that while some contentious issues about the curriculum or pandemic policy have come up, they also are often fueled by a desire to return to a more traditional school setting.

“Even some of the negative rhetoric is couched in wanting to return to those environments and that sort of interaction,” he says. He believes those expectations provide challenges for schools but also an opportunity to meet them and gain support.

In the classroom The most conspicuous pandemic-related changes came about as classrooms had to move online, which required hardware but also training and dramatic changes in teaching methods and student routines.

“You don’t get the laptops and drop them in student’s laps and begin online learning,” says Rintz. “But in the end that training and experience will be valuable moving forward.”

Tom Arnett, research fellow at the Christensen Institute, which has focused on disruptive positive forces in education, says that in many cases schools found that the pandemic forced them to develop online learning and other processes that they perhaps should have explored earlier. (See the sidebar for more details on “positive disruption.”)

He, too, believes that it will move schools along toward upgrading and updating their systems with new technology, but he worries they are somewhat overwhelmed by the lingering issues the pandemic created, such as learning loss and social-emotional concerns.

18 PSBA Bulletin May/June 2022

“I don’t think these changes in education will grow broadly because school districts have so much to worry about still,” he says. “But I’m sure their adaptation to these systems will improve over time and really gain traction.”

Leichliter says that while Penn Manor had been using Google Classroom before the pandemic, more educators adopted it, and many found new ways of putting it to use.

“We have teachers who put tremendous amount of work into finding new ways to use it,” he says. “And we believe that work will continue in the future. It helps teachers communicate with students and parents – and even can help a great deal with students who are out sick or away from school for some reason.”

Reisinger notes that teacher workflow became easier online, such as completing the paperwork that must be done by educators for students with 504 plans or individualized education programs, and other student records.

The pandemic also identified one other key problem with technology, he says: the number of students in the district who did not have high-speed internet access. The district provided additional hot spots (available through the library) and came up with other ways to make access available, all of which will continue.

Outside the classroom Leichliter noted that district officials recognized the need for students to connect with classmates and have other diversions, so they made putting sporting events and performances online a priority. “That’s something we are likely to continue because it was so successful,” he says.

Sponsors of extracurricular activities in both districts met with students online to provide them with outlets and structures for socializing. Those efforts also can make those activities more accessible and easier to manage in the future.

Initiatives like career day, for instance, are easier and more effective because parents or others can participate virtually, Levinson notes.

College visits by students and visits to high schools by college

representatives moved online – another process that limited important face-to-face interaction but often increased and enhanced one-on-one communications and perhaps created pathways for students to interact with officials at more colleges.

Campbell notes that parent meetings for East Penn had to be held virtually, which made it easier for both staff and families to attend – another change that will endure. Some routine district meetings for administrators were also made virtual, allowing principals to stay in their buildings where they are needed, she says.

“We are a rather large district. We have 10 buildings and cover 40 square miles, so it is much easier in some cases for us to communicate virtually – and we found ways to do that during the pandemic. We can bring people together much more efficiently.”

Rintz points out, however, that the district also became more aware of the value in face-to-face meetings with staff and parents.

“I think the pandemic made us aware of the ways virtual meetings can be used, but also their limits,” he says, recalling a corporate executive who gained notoriety because he used an online platform to terminate hundreds of employees. “That’s certainly not something one should do online, but there are a lot of more positive interactions too that we now know are best in person. More than ever, we now appreciate that value in face-to-face interaction.”

Board meetings Both East Penn and Penn Manor districts moved their board meetings online during the pandemic and noticed that attendance bumped up, although Levinson points out that it is difficult to tell whether it is caused by the issues revolving around the disrupted school day or other contentious issues that arose.

“As a society, even before the pandemic, we had grown accustomed to that sort of access. We are used to that sort of engagement when we want it and on our terms.

So, it is good that our school board meetings can provide it,” says Campbell.

She notes that community members may tune in more readily simply for portions of the agenda, she says, but their attendance introduces them to other issues and a better awareness of the work of the district and its schools.

THE POWER OF

POSITIVE DISRUPTION DISRUPTION CAN OFTEN HAVE POSITIVE OUTCOMES, AND THE DISRUPTION FROM THE PANDEMIC IS NO DIFFERENT. That’s the view of Tom Arnett, research fellow at the Christensen Institute, which studies the positive effects of disruptive change, particularly in education.

“The use of technology presents a lot of opportunities for individualized learning, and it required us to look at education in new ways,” Arnett says. “As educators adapted to online learning, they found that simply moving their classroom online didn’t work. We had these new tools and old teaching methods. It was a bit like eating pudding with chopsticks or putting together a jigsaw puzzle with gloves on.”

But, he says, most educators found effective ways to teach remotely and use technology more effectively. Solutions ranged from putting slides online to videotaping a lesson to more sophisticated use of interactive applications.

“There was a lot of variety in how they did it,” he notes. “But it typically moved the needle on use of important technology.”

He says blended learning using both virtual and classroom sessions or what some might describe as “flipped learning” may become more prevalent and grow in popularity with greater use of online resources and connections. With flipped learning, students typically study alone inside or out of the classroom, often online, to access material that they can acquire individually such as fundamental or initial content, or writing assignments or research.

“Teachers look for as many things as they can to offload. Then they look for the things tech cannot do where it can be important to have in-person teaching that requires feedback and more individual attention. That then takes place in the classroom. Things like discussions, group projects and the work of the teacher to provide coaching and encourage relationship-building.”

He says those approaches and more online connections can lead to increased individual or personalized learning where students can learn at the speed they wish and with approaches that match their learning style.

But he warns that because there is the need to recover from the pandemic in several ways, districts should be patient, encouraging exploration of new methods but not forcing students or teachers to progress right away.

“They have had their hands full and had enough to deal with. This will take time.”

To learn more on this topic, listen to the Keystone Education Radio podcast episode, “Disruptive Innovation – Turning Challenges Into Positive Changes.”

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 19

PEPPM celebrates 40 years of work soliciting low bids for technology products ES TABLISHED 1982

PEPPM STARTED ITS WORK conducting sealed competitive bids on your behalf in 1982, when we awarded contracts to low-price bidders on four lines of microcomputers.

Today, PEPPM has grown to award contracts representing millions of bid-protected products, and they are posted on our interactive website at www.PEPPM.org.

We’re still the non-commercial, peer-to-peer purchasing cooperative we started out to be, and we’re proud to be today’s premier national technology co-op that is: • Following best-practice bidding procedures • Offering most all major-brand technology hardware, software, and furniture • Transparent, with pricing and documentation posted on our website for registered users • Compliant with federal Uniform Guidance language that allows you to spend your federal funds • Operated by a peer educational agency like yours • Giving you the ability to speedily and legally buy products without having to go to bid yourself

www.PEPPM.org 20 PSBA Bulletin May/June 2022

SUCCESS STARTS HERE – five years and counting

By Jackie Inouye

M

ore than five years ago, PSBA embarked on a mission to “move the needle” on the public’s perception of public education by launching the Success Starts Here public awareness campaign. Since that time, more than three-quarters of school districts in Pennsylvania have submitted stories to the campaign, a new website was launched, and a series of advertisements on billboard, television, radio and internet have rolled out across the commonwealth. The campaign has made an impact felt around the state.

Looking at the more than 2,000 stories posted to the Success website, SuccessStartsHere.org, it’s clear that Pennsylvania’s schools are resilient, resourceful – and successful. Research shows most parents agree. Despite the numerous COVID-related challenges faced by public schools over the past two years, two-thirds of parents with children in school districts who participated in a survey for PSBA’s 2022 State of Education report rated their local public schools as having done a good job during the pandemic. Most parents also indicated that their local public school provided a good or excellent education, and the majority said they would choose a traditional public school for their children over any other type of school.

Multiplying efforts The Success campaign hinges on its ability to increase exposure to the great things already happening in public schools across the state. Sharing a positive news story on the Success

MILESTONES

SEPTEMBER 2016 PSBA and partnering organizations (including PA School Public Relations Association, PA Principals Association, PA Association of School Administrators, PA State Education Association and PA Association of Intermediate Units) hold a press conference at Central Dauphin School District, launching the campaign.

Statewide advertising begins.

JULY 2018 Advocacy Ambassadors grow the Success Starts Here campaign by urging districts to share and promote their stories through the website.

JANUARY 2020 The Success Starts Here website is redesigned to display district data including cyber options offered by school districts and designations for school directors who have completed required and other trainings through PSBA. Downloadable internet ads promoting the campaign are made available for districts to add to their websites or social media accounts.

APRIL 2022 More than 75% of districts in PA are represented on SuccessStartsHere.org, along with numerous career and technical centers and intermediate units.

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 21

Left to right: A School District of Philadelphia school opens a new Quantum STEAM Lab; Shikellamy School District provides creative desk shields during the pandemic

caption can go here

TIP: For guidance on sharing stories or story criteria, see the

Tool Kit

located under the Show Support tab of the website SuccessStartsHere.org.

website creates a ripple effect that further amplifies its impact. By clicking on “Share Your Story” on the Success website, districts can easily upload information and photos for consideration and posting. Many of the stories posted are also shared in PSBA’s Daily EDition newsletter and promoted via advertising and on PSBA’s social media accounts with #SuccessStartsHere.

Because each school entity has its own webpage on SuccessStartsHere.org, individuals can access all stories associated with their own district, career and technical center, or intermediate unit, as well as view all stories posted statewide on the Success Stories webpage.

Advocacy Ambassadors play a key role in the effectiveness of the campaign. PSBA Advocacy Manager Jamie Zuvich says says one of the ambassadors’ goals is to encourage schools to share stories highlighting their district and students. Because of their regular contact with schools in their area, they can help school leaders identify which news is appropriate to share via the campaign. After these stories are reviewed and posted, the ambassadors boost the outreach by sharing via social media with the community and legislators. “Once the district realizes the ease of submitting their stories, they continue to highlight the positive activities happening in their district,” Zuvich says.

Dale Kirsch, ambassador for sections 2 and 6, offers a few tips based on his experience: “Every school has events and accomplishments that they are proud of and may already have information that they can easily edit for the Success Starts Here website. I also recommend the stories be written by a teacher or student closest to the event and sent to the superintendent for review.”

Local impact At West Jefferson Hills School District in the suburbs of Allegheny County, public relations coordinator Jeff Nelson says the campaign has been a great way to communicate with the local community and also promote “big-picture stories that are compelling, that even people who have no association with WJH would have interest in learning” as well as outstanding achievements by district educators or students.

To further amplify the stories, the district shares them via a local newspaper network and on the West Jefferson Hills website and social media accounts.

Nelson says Success Starts Here helps West Jefferson Hills illustrate to the community how it’s fulfilling its mission to prepare students for a variety of paths after graduation. The campaign also builds upon one of the district’s strengths – innovative teachers.

22 PSBA Bulletin May/June 2022

SUCCESS STARTS HERE – FIVE YEARS AND COUNTING

Fifth graders at the Carlynton School District launch their own “Mars space rovers”

State College Area School District partners with the library system to promote reading

One of West Jefferson Hills’ recent Success stories was on how an environmental science class at the high school learned about the global clean water crisis through hands-on activities. “The teacher for that class came up with this idea for an Amazing Race for Water, with clues the students had to follow,” he says. “Not only did it cement what the students were learning in class, it increased the awareness of things that are going on in the world.”

For a rural district such as Oley Valley, which operates without the benefit of public relations staff, the campaign has proved an easy and effective way to champion the work of staff and students in the community. It’s also been a way to network with other districts in Berks County and beyond. “We found that we were able to celebrate all of the great work of our teachers and students in the classroom and also pick up some great ideas from other districts even when we couldn’t travel to conferences,” says Dr. Tracy Shank, Oley Valley School District superintendent.

Shank coordinates story submission districtwide by soliciting stories from teachers on a monthly basis as well as writing some of the stories herself. Some teachers ask their students to provide articles about school-based organizations they are involved in, such as Future Farmers of America.

Oley Valley’s success stories are also compiled in a regular newsletter that goes to district alumni, education foundation donors, business partners and other community members.

Once a biannual newsletter, the additional content generated by participation in the Success campaign enabled the newsletter to move to a monthly format, increasing the community engagement impact. “Our taxpayers get an idea about how education has changed and the opportunities we provide for better lives for our students — it helps them to know where their dollars are going,” she says.

SuccessStartsHere.org stats (as of March 2022)

2,063

# of Success stories published on SuccessStartsHere.org

5

Average # of stories added per week:

406

# of school districts that have stories on the website (does not include CTCs and IUs)

Overall, Shank says the campaign has multiplied the efforts of the district to get the word out about the positive things happening in schools. “We’ve been so pleased with the outreach and feedback and we’re going to continue to be involved in Success Starts Here,” Shank says. “It’s a tough time in public education and teachers, especially, don’t always get the recognition they deserve. We all need to find ways to celebrate the great work going on at our schools.”

As the campaign moves into the future, it continues to be an encouragement for schools, parents and the community with an ever-increasing number of stories illustrating educational success and excellence. A mosaic of positive moments, it gives a big-picture view of the significant impact of today’s public schools, while saluting the individual efforts and achievements of our school leaders, educators and students.

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 23

2 months 1 page Federal waivers that allowed universal free school meals during the last two years were not renewed despite advocacy efforts.

ELISHA BURNS, A FOURTHGRADE TEACHER AT JUNIATA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE DUBOIS AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT, WAS NAMED THE WINNER OF THE FIRST EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR CONTEST SPONSORED BY NEARPOD. PSBA Chief Legal Officer STUART L. KNADE was named the 2022 Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year by the Dauphin County Bar Association (DCBA).

The Baldwin-Whitehall School District Board was named D. Richard Wynn Distinguished School Board for 2022 by the the Tri-State Area School Study Council, University of Pittsburgh.

The Federal School Safety Clearinghouse launched a new school safety grant tool on SchoolSafety.gov.

The Grants Finder Tool assists school entities in finding applicable funding opportunities related to school safety and security.

Legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to change the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s homelessness definition to align with those of other federal agencies.

PDE released the results from the 2021 statewide assessments (PSSAs and Keystone Exams), noting that pandemic-related disruptions lead to low participation rates and test scores.

24 PSBA Bulletin May/June 2022

A look back at some highlights found in Daily EDition and @PSBA Twitter feed

The PA Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) approved PDE’s proposed regulations for charter and cyber charter schools.

PA LAWMAKERS BEGAN NEGOTIATIONS OVER GOV. TOM WOLF’S PROPOSED 2022-23 STATE BUDGET. Schools around the country called on the National Guard to fill in as SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS amid the ongoing teacher shortage.

State Representative Frank Ryan (R-Lebanon) introduced House Bill 13, legislation that would eliminate school property taxes and establish “a more modern and reliable way to fund education” in the state.

Governor Wolf signed into law House Bill 232, now Act 11 of 2022, which amends the Public School Code to add language that would allow specific school districts to change their name by a two-thirds vote of the local board of school directors.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court picked a new congressional map with relatively few changes to the existing map. In a separate ruling, the Court approved new redistricting maps to be used for seats for the General Assembly and also approved a modified election calendar.

The Pennsylvania school funding trial came to a close in March, with a series of post-trial legal filings that will continue through July before the court issues its final ruling.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an order that extended the service delivery deadline for internet service and equipment funding requests through the Emergency Connectivity Fund from June 30, 2022, to June 20, 2023.

The Food and Drug Administration said it needed more data before authorizing the emergency use of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID vaccine for children six months through 4 years of age, delaying the rollout for this age group by at least two months.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed mask guidelines, stating that universal masking in public settings, including schools, is necessary only in areas at high risk of serious illness or high hospitalization rates.

The federal requirement for universal masking on school buses also was dropped.

THE NATIONAL PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION CELEBRATED ITS 125TH ANNIVERSARY. THE ORGANIZATION WAS FOUNDED ON FEBRUARY 17, 1897.

A CONTINUING DECLINE IN THE NUMBER OF TEACHER CERTIFICATIONS IS PROJECTED AT THE STATE AND NATIONAL LEVEL IN THE COMING YEARS. IRRC approved the State Board of Education’s proposed changes to the Chapter 49 regulations for certification of professional personnel.

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Thoughts from policymakers on public education

Hill Talk

R - Crawford, Erie (part), (D – Montgomery, part) Mercer, and Warren (part) counties

Health & Human Services Committee chair Senate Education Committee member

Can you talk about Senate Bill 312 and why you felt it was important to introduce? I appreciate working with PSBA and its advocacy on this important issue, which retains our current law’s focus on transparency, while helping to eliminate burdensome costs on residents. Under the current Right-to-Know Law, school districts, local governments and municipal authorities are frequently required to spend significant staff time and resources to comply with requests from commercial entities for records that will be used for marketing, sales and other profit-making purposes. These commercial requests go far beyond the intent of the original Right-toKnow Law, with many being vague, broad and voluminous; the sought-after material can take hours to locate, review and compile.

The information produced may also have nothing to do with the governance of these communities or school boards, and how decisions impacting residents are being made. Senate Bill 312 contains a modest fee structure for commercial entities, which is intended to keep fees reasonable and limited to the reimbursement of costs associated with these particular requests.

Without this legislation, local residents in these communities will continue to bear the burden of the costs related to these profit-making data searches. Senate Bill 312 restores the original, noble intent of the Right-to-Know Law, which is to give citizens access to public records to ensure transparency in decisions being made that impact their daily lives.

What are your thoughts on how to help defend public schools from unfunded mandates and provide needed relief? During my tenure as a legislator, I have worked to eliminate

burdensome mandates across the board for Pennsylvania’s residents, including mandates that directly affect school districts. I look forward to continuing to work closely with PSBA and my local school board directors on alleviating state mandates that erect barriers to educational success. Maintaining a dialogue with all legislators, whether federal or state, is essential. While some mandates are more costly than others, I think it’s important to have a deeper and more comprehensive dialogue on all mandates, in addition to some of the most expensive ones. During the pandemic, many waivers were put into place, and I think it’s important for school board directors to let us know which educational waivers should stay in place.

What are your thoughts on the need for state support for public school infrastructure? I have wholeheartedly supported, and continue to support, the state’s efforts to assist with school infrastructure costs. There is a significant backlog of much-needed maintenance and renovation projects. It is important that we restore PlanCon funding and improve the program to address our schools’ significant infrastructure needs.

What are your thoughts on effective public school advocacy, and can you provide a useful advocacy tip to school directors across the state?

I find that personal letters and emails that convey school district-specific information are more productive than thousands of form emails that are copied and pasted with generic information. A more personalized approach allows legislators to try to assist with the specific challenges the school district is facing. Sometimes there is a creative solution that may help one school district but will not apply to other school districts throughout the state. I also encourage school directors to continue to be informed and be involved; get to know your local senator and representative and work with PSBA to track legislation, budgetary items and regulations that will impact your school district and community. Some of the best legislation has been inspired by, crafted for and improved upon after those on the frontlines of education contributed their feedback, and I thank you for the benefit of your experiences and expertise!

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 27

PROTECT WHAT’S INSIDE – SO THEY CAN BREATHE EASY Safeguard Your Buildings for Better Indoor Air Quality.

STOP AIR LEAKS NOW: HVAC Ducts/Vents/Grills Rooftop Mechanical Vents Roof/Wall Joints Roof Level Changes Service Penetrations, Pipes & Cables Doors, Weatherstriping Windows Electrical Outlets Baseboards Soffits/Overhangs

Unseen gaps, cracks and holes that let in unconditioned air, moisture, pests, and contaminants can be detrimental to health, safety and even building integrity.

There’s never been a better time to inspect and improve your building enclosures.

• Federal funds, like ESSER, are available for inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement, and upgrade projects to improve indoor air quality.

• Procurement through the KPN Cooperative Purchasing Contract meets EDGAR requirements for use of federal funds.

• Quality is assured with solutions delivered by industry expert Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance and affiliated construction services company WTI.

We’ve helped school districts in 64 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties protect what’s inside.

To learn more, contact Jennifer Miller at jdmiller@tremcoinc.com or 412.225.6007.

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What aspect of your education has changed the most (or not at all) since you were a student?

So much has changed since I was a student, especially the changes in how technologies can now be used. I remember using encyclopedias in the library when writing a paper. Now, I’m in awe as I watch my elementary-aged kids learn how to find factual information on the internet and create PowerPoint presentations and accompanying green screen videos for their reports. But, happily, what hasn’t changed in education is the commitment of caring adults and teachers to provide the best environment possible for kids to flourish and do good in this world.

What was your favorite extracurricular activity when you were in school and/or your favorite subject?

The arts have played an influential role in my life.

I played the violin and loved being in the school orchestra. Other favorite school extracurricular activities included tennis, math team and dance.

If you are employed/volunteer, where do you work/volunteer and what is your job?

I’m humbled to serve as the ambassador and marketing director of Kidsburgh.org as well as the co-producer of Remake Learning Days Across America (RLDAA).

Photo caption: I’m in the Art Room at the Avonworth Primary Center. I love all the creativity that happens not just in art but across all learning subjects in our school district.

member profile Yu-Ling Cheng, board vice president at the Avonworth School District, board member since December 2019.

What motivated you to become involved in board service?

As a parent, I was excited by the innovative learning I was seeing from the teachers, principals and leadership at Avonworth. What they were doing – to prompt creativity and curiosity in classrooms – made me hopeful about how schools were adapting to our times, and I wanted to lift that up. Plus, I believe public schools serve an essential role in our community – yes, as sites for great learning; and also as places that offer students a safe place to grow, access to community services and chances to explore extracurricular activities.

What issue in public education is most important to you right now?

I think a lot about family-school engagement and how we can build trust among all types of caring adults. Research has shown that if we can build trust between families and schools that it leads to 10 times better educational outcomes for the student. This is motivation for me to learn how parents, teachers, administrators and students can authentically engage each other. I believe the process begins with listening — by asking parents what their dreams, fears and hopes are for their children. By doing so, we build a genuine partnership between families and schools.

Where did you graduate from high school?

I’m a proud graduate of Ferndale High School in Washington State. I’m also an alumna of The Wharton Business School (MBA 2009), New England Conservatory (MM violin, 2002) and University of Washington (B.S. economics, B.A. music, B.M. violin, 2000).

What is your biggest passion outside of board service?

I’m an avid foodie. Cooking brings me a lot of joy. I also appreciate how exploring different cuisines gives me the chance to learn about new cultures.

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 29

guest perspectives Dr. Doris Gernovich, board president, Corry Area School District (Erie Co.)

H

ow has your district changed its approach to educating students since the start of the pandemic?

The pandemic hit all of the school districts suddenly and with severity. It accelerated already existing trends in education, namely remote learning, in which the community was not fully prepared. Many of our students did not have access to internet services and we scrambled to meet their needs remotely.

The pandemic has had a large and lasting effect on learning as teachers develop hybrid models of teaching, preparing for remote as well as in-person learning. They are in touch with students by various means – email, phone, texting – realizing remote teaching and learning are difficult, magnified by the age and maturity of the student.

Remote teaching continues to challenge our teachers with its limitations on controlling misbehavior, inattention, being able to see body language, and students not being able to come to the teacher with problems. We have added psychological services to deal with the increase of issues created by the pandemic.

In what ways do you think education will change in the next 10 years?

All the forecasts indicate the teacher shortage we are experiencing now will get worse in the coming years. We will need to find new ways of recruiting new teachers and offerings to retain our workforce. I believe it will become common practice for at least our secondary students to participate in some remote classes and have hybrid schedules.

Administration will learn to manage and evaluate a remote as well as in-person workforce. Goal-setting will undoubtedly have many different facets.

We must explore ways of creating and maintaining a “team culture” for people who will be working from home. We will rethink the reasonableness of expectations for teachers and how to effectively measure

efficiency in order to address employee and student needs. An increase in wellbeing programs for students and staff will continue.

Fortunately, several years ago our administration and technology staff had the vision to make technology access a priority by taking the district to a 1:1 program for all students, pre-K to 12th grade. I believe we will constantly have to be mindful of cybersecurity for students and staff. Regular security awareness training is currently being implemented for staff and will be future curriculum for students. The district is implementing endpoint detection and response solutions on all critical systems as well looking to make policy and precedential changes to secure district data. The district is aware that technology is an ever-changing platform for daily operation and instructional delivery, and the district approach regarding technology for students and staff will continually be under revision.

What are some ways your district is preparing students for today’s workforce?

We are very fortunate that we have a career and technical center on site including threeyear programs in automotive technology, building and property maintenance, cosmetology, early childhood education, machine tool technology, welding technology, diversified occupations, and healthcare technology. In middle school or early high school, students rotate through these programs for career awareness and interests.

We offer honors and advanced courses and AP courses, as well as 14 dual enrollment courses. Upon entering high school, students begin to create a web-based career portfolio, which includes career exploration, evaluations of interests and

The guest column features responses from school leaders on topics of relevance. This issue focuses on changing expectations in public education. If you would like to participate as a columnist, please contact Jackie Inouye at Jackie.Inouye@psba.org.

aptitudes, community participation, and professional documents.

We have 14 business partners in our Work Corridor, which is a school-towork program. Juniors rotate through 12 different places of business. Every two years our juniors and seniors participate in Pennsylvania Business Week, which offers competitive exercises, soft-skills education, and 21st-century business lessons.

Career awareness and exploration start at the elementary level with STEAM participation from early primary into middle school. Computer skills have become more critical and not solely for specific roles such as research or homework, with classes starting also at the primary level.

For those students who need or want extra help or who need to bridge the learning gap caused by the pandemic, we continue to offer after-school tutoring, summer academy and parent involvement programs throughout the school year.

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 31

making money count Yet another avenue of savings that each school should consider is a procurement/rebate card program.

Next chapter: cash flows and investments

By Chase Byler, senior vice president, PSDLAF

A

s we look to close the chapter on the lowest interest rate environment of the modern era, we shift our focus to the next one, which feels a little more familiar. As rates begin to rise and we prepare for a new fiscal year, proactive cash management again becomes a focus to sustain and grow interest earnings from investments, as well as identify savings opportunities.

It does seem like an eternity ago that we could discuss actual earnings made on investments, but as we look for rates to potentially rise, preparing a proper cash flow can put your school entity a step ahead.

What is the benefit? Historically, locking in fixed rates for even two or three months has typically outperformed liquid rates in a normal or rising interest rate environment.

In a declining interest rate environment, liquid rates will typically outperform fixed

32 PSBA Bulletin May/June 2022

rates. Fortunately, a declining interest rate environment is not anticipated anytime soon at the time of this writing. However, as we experienced in 2020, things can change in a heartbeat.

If your school can earn an additional 10 basis points on a $1,000,000 investment for the full fiscal year (365 days), that is an additional $1,000 to spend on essential needs. What could your school do with an extra $1,000, $10,000 or $20,000?

Optimizing cash flow is a management practice that should be employed by all, in my opinion. It is a practice of analyzing expected receipts and expenditures to prudently invest funds not needed even for short periods of time (such as two or three months). This process aids in suitable investment decisions as well as cost savings opportunities that may arise.

Having the entire cash flow profile available may provide the opportunity to invest in more advantageous rates, which would match an expenditure further out on the cash flow (such as a debt service payment in April as taxes roll in during the month of September). Schools should work with their individual investment providers to find opportunities that are most suitable for them. (Just remember that there is no substitute for “safety first.”)

Yet another avenue of savings that each school should consider is a procurement/ rebate card program. These programs are specifically designed to help schools take advantage of earning a rebate on the funds they already spend. Most programs or rebate card providers will work with each school to help analyze spending and let schools know what types of rebates could potentially be earned. Some programs can also aggregate the school’s spend with that of others to increase total rebates paid.

Schools should research the programs that are available to assess if this type of program is suitable and valuable to them.

As we all look forward to an environment that is more familiar, we head into a new fiscal year with renewed energy. The past few years provided low interest rates due to the pandemic as well as a host of other unexpected “curve balls” that we had never dreamed of. At some point in the past two fiscal years, all of us wondered if this was “the new normal” and hoped for the day that we were able to move onto the next chapter.

I think we can agree that it is time for us to, hopefully, turn the page.

by the numbers

Five-year Review of Average Annual Salaries

P

SBA recently completed the annual study of professional personnel position salaries scheduled for payment during the 2020-21 school year. The study breaks the professional salaries reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Education into three main classifications: total professional staff, administrative and supervisory personnel, and bargaining unit positions. Please note that the number of positions in each figure represent the number of positions for which valid data could be obtained.

Since 2016. . .

S econdary teachers’ average annual salaries increased

$5,498

For definition purposes: Total professional staff includes all professional personnel employed in public schools – both administrative-supervisory and bargaining unit personnel – as a total composite grouping.

Administrative-supervisory staff includes superintendents, assistant superintendents, central office administrators, principals and others normally considered part of the management team in most school districts.

Bargaining unit staff includes teachers, guidance counselors, nurses and other personnel normally covered by the terms of a contractual agreement under Act 195.

All comparisons are based on the statewide average annual salaries reported for each category or position.

In addition to the three main classifications studied, several individual positions found in public schools are reported to track the movement of salaries within management and bargaining unit areas. The individual position salaries studied include superintendent, secondary principal, elementary principal, secondary teacher and elementary teacher.

Specific salary data for 2020-21 reveal the following trends: • An increase of $1,070 (1.5%) in the average annual salary of the total professional staff (Figures 1 and 2).

• An increase of $1,828 (1.7%) in the average annual salary of administrative-supervisory staff (Figures 3 and 4).

• An increase of $1,051 (1.5%) in the average annual salary of bargaining unit personnel (Figures 5 and 6).

Elementary principals’ average annual salaries increased

$9,018

Since 2016...

• Administrative-supervisory average annual salaries increased $7,211 (7.0%) (Figures 7 and 8).

• Bargaining unit average annual salaries increased $5,214 (7.8%) (Figures 7 and 8).

• Superintendents’ average annual salaries increased $12,604 (8.9%) (Figure 14).

• Secondary principals’ average annual salaries increased $9,072 (8.5%) (Figure 14).

• Elementary principals’ average annual salaries increased $9,018 (8.6%) (Figure 14).

• Secondary teachers’ average annual salaries increased $5,498 (8.2%), and elementary teachers’ average annual salaries increased $5,250 (7.9%) (Figure 14).

Note: 2020-21 School Management Salaries, a follow-up to this analysis that provides detailed information including salary range distributions for management positions, will be available later this year on the PSBA website.

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 33

by the numbers INCREASE OF

$1,070

IN THE AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARY OF THE TOTAL PROFESSIONAL STAFF INCREASE OF

$1,828

1

FIGURE

$1,051 107539

IN105045 THE AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARY OF 103538 UNIT STAFF BARGAINING

101993 100601

Average Annual Salary

N=152,634

2020-21

$73,891

2019-20

$72,821

N=151,545

2019-20

$72,821

1.5%

2018-19

$71,335

N=149,923

2018-19

$71,335

+2.1%

2017-18

$69,896

N=147,917

2017-18

$69,896

+2.1%

2016-17

$68,552

N=148,121

2016-17

$68,552

+2.0%

0

15000

15

30000

45000

30

45

60000

60

0

75000

75

15000

15

3

FIGURE

2020-21

ADMINISTRATIVE-SUPERVISORY STAFF

Average Annual Salary

107539 105045 103538 101993 100601

$110,749

2019-20

$108,921

2018-19

$107,539

2017-18

$105,045

2016-17

$103,538

N=8,376 107539

105045 N=8,409 103538 N=8,324 101993 100601 N=8,184 N=8,066

4

FIGURE

45000

45

60000

60

75000

75

ADMINISTRATIVE-SUPERVISORY STAFF

2020-21

$110,749

2019-20

$108,921

2018-19

$107,539

2017-18

$105,045

107539 105045 +1.7% 103538 +2.2% 101993 100601 +2.4%

2016-17

$103,538

+1.5%

75000 90000 95000 75 80000 80 85000 85 90 95 100000105000110000 100 105 110

75000 90000 95000 75 80000 80 85000 85 90 95 100000105000110000 100 105 110

DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS

DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS

5

6

FIGURE

BARGAINING UNIT STAFF

Average Annual Salary

BARGAINING UNIT STAFF

Average Annual Salary

107539 2020-21 107539 $71,751 N=144,258

$71,751

2019-20

$70,700 N=143,136 103538 2019-20

$70,700

2017-18

30

Average Annual Salary

2020-21

2018-19

30000

DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS

DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS

2016-17

105045 105045 103538 101993 2018-19 $69,206 N=141,599 101993 100601 100601 2017-18

$67,837

$66,537 N=140,055

2016-17

$66,537

52000 52

59000 59

66000 66

DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS

73000 73

80000 80

107539 105045 +1.5% 103538 +2.2% 101993 100601

$69,206

$67,837 N=139,733

45000 45

34 PSBA Bulletin May/June 2022

Average Annual Salary

$73,891

FIGURE

107539 105045 103538 101993 100601

TOTAL PROFESSIONAL STAFF

2020-21

IN THE AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARY OF ADMINISTRATIVESUPERVISORY STAFF

INCREASE OF

2

FIGURE

TOTAL PROFESSIONAL STAFF

45000 45

52000 52

+2.0% +1.9%

59000 59

66000 66

DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS

73000 73

80000 80

by the numbers

7

FIGURE

8

FIGURE

OLLAR GROWTH IN AVERAGE D ANNUAL SALARIES 2016-17 To 2020-21

$10,000

Since 2016. . .

ERCENTAGE GROWTH IN AVERAGE P ANNUAL SALARIES 2016-17 To 2020-21

ADMINISTRATIVESUPERVISORY AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARIES INCREASED

7.0% 7.8%

15%

$9,000 $8,000 10%

$7,211

$7,000

7.8%

$6,000

$5,339

7.8%

$5,214

7.0%

$5,000

5%

BARGAINING UNIT

$4,000

AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARIES INCREASED

$3,000 Total Professional Staff

9

FIGURE

Admin./Supv.

Staff

Barg. Unit Staff

Total Professional Staff

10

FIGURE

SUPERINTENDENTS

Average Annual Salary

2020-21

$154,096

2019-20

$150,528

+$3,568 (2.4%)

$147,330

2018-19

$147,330

+$3,198 (2.2%)

$144,102

2017-18

$144,102

+$3,228 (2.2%)

$141,492

2016-17

$141,492

+$2,610 (1.8%)

125

11

FIGURE

135

140

DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS

145

150

Barg. Unit Staff

SECONDARY PRINCIPALS

Average Annual Salary

2020-21

$115,920

2019-20

$113,792

2018-19

$111,629

+$2,163 (1.9%)

2017-18

$108,229

+$3,400 (3.1%)

$106,848

+$1,381 (1.3%)

$150,528

130

Admin./Supv.

Staff

2016-17

$139,122

+$2,128 (1.9%)

80

155

85

95

100

105

110

12

FIGURE

Average Annual Salary

115

S ECONDARY TEACHERS Average Annual Salary

2020-21

$72,215

+$2,325 (2.1%)

2019-20

$71,319

+$896 (1.3%)

$110,100

+$1,508 (1.4%)

2018-19

$69,762

+$1,557 (2.2%)

2017-18

$106,362

+$3,738 (3.5%)

2017-18

$68,155

+$1,607 (2.4%)

2016-17

$104,915

+$1,447 (1.4%)

2016-17

$66,717

+$1,438 (2.2%)

$113,933

2019-20

$111,608

2018-19

85

90

95

100

DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS

105

8.9%

DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS

ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS

2020-21

UPERINTENDENTS’ S AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARIES INCREASED

110

120

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 35

by the numbers Since 2016. . .

SECONDARY PRINCIPALS’ AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARIES INCREASED

8.5% 8.6% 8.2% 7.9% ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS’ AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARIES INCREASED

13

FIGURE

14

FIGURE

ELEMENTARY TEACHERS

Average Annual Salary

2020-21

$71,401

2019-20

$70,254

+$1,147 (1.6%)

$10,000

2018-19

$68,827

+$1,427 (2.1%)

$8,000

2017-18

$67,517

+$1,310 (1.9%)

$6,000

2016-17

$66,151

+$1,366 (2.1%)

50

$12,000

55

60

65

70

75

DOLLAR AND PERCENTAGE GROWTH OF ANNUAL SALARIES 2016-17 To 2020-21 $12,604

$9,072

$9,018

$5,498

$5,250

8.9% 8.5% 8.6% 8.2%

7.9%

$4,000

80

DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS

Supt.

Sec. Prin.

Elem.

Prin.

Sec. Elem.

Teacher Teacher

SECONDARY TEACHERS’ AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARIES INCREASED

ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARIES INCREASED

36 PSBA Bulletin May/June 2022

15

FIGURE

COMPARATIVE RELATIONSHIP OF SELECTED POSITION Average Annual Salary

POSITION

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

Superintendent

$147,330 (100%)

$150,528 (100%)

$154,096 (100%)

Secondary Principal

$111,629 (75.8%)

$113,792 (75.6%)

$115,920 (75.2%)

Elementary Principal

$110,100 (74.7%)

$111,608 (74.1%)

$113,933 (73.9%)

Secondary Teacher

$69,762 (47.4%)

$71,319 (47.4%)

$72,215 (46.9%)

Elementary Teacher

$68,827 (46.7%)

$70,254 (46.7%)

$71,401 (46.3%)

psba puzzle

Acrostic: PSBA Principles for Governance and Leadership

By C. Anne Herald

T

his acrostic puzzle is based on the PSBA Principles for Governance and Leadership, seven guiding benchmarks to help school directors serve effectively. Learn or be reminded of these principles by solving this puzzle.

An acrostic puzzle contains a hidden word that is the framework for the answers to the puzzle questions. Each of the answers to the 10 puzzle questions contain one character of the hidden word found in the shaded-bold vertical boxes of the puzzle grid. To solve the puzzle, write your answers to the questions in the boxes and the hidden word will be revealed when the puzzle is completed. The answer key for this puzzle can be found at the end of this issue.

1 2 3 4

1. What action is taken by school boards regarding the Principles? (8-letter word) 2. In addition to policy, what is another way school boards can act on the Principles? (10-letter word) 3. What is the missing word that ends the Principles phrase?

Act … (9-letter word) 4. What is the missing word that begins the Principles phrase? (6-letter word) … Effectively 5. What is the missing word that begins the Principles phrase? (8-letter word) … Earnestly 6. What is the missing word that begins the Principles phrase? (11-letter word) … Clearly 7. What is the missing word that begins the Principles phrase? (4-letter word) … Thoughtfully 8. What is the missing word that begins the Principles phrase? (8-letter word) … Continuously

5 6 7 8 9 10

Questions

9. What is the missing word that begins the Principles phrase? (4-letter word) … Responsibly 10. Those adhering to the Principles, school directors and chief school administrators, are known by what plural collective term?

(3 words: 5 letters, 2 letters, 3 letters)

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 37

PSDLAF IS SPONSORED BY PSBA & PASBO •All Investments Fully Comply with PA School Code •Competitive Investment Yields •Rated AAAm by Standard & Poor’s

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bright ideas will have upwards of 10 to 15, as this was the first class that could begin the program as freshmen.”

Dual enrollment and career prep programs give students a real boost

By Amanda Daniels

I

magine getting a jump start on college while still attending your high school courses. This cost- and time-saving strategy is becoming a reality for more and more students in Pennsylvania high schools.

Since the 2018-19 school year, what began as one college-level course being offered after school at Bloomsburg Area School District (BASD) has grown to an extensive offering of college-level courses from Luzerne County Community College (LCCC), taught

by Bloomsburg teachers and in alignment with existing honors-level curriculum at the high school. With the K-12+ Program, BASD students can “experience college level coursework during their high school careers,” says the program’s Executive Principal and Curriculum Coordinator Jason Moser. “They also are able to receive up to an associate degree from LCCC while they are high school students, providing up to a two-year scholarship. This provides an incredible value for our families, which is something that is quite powerful given the fact that our district has somewhere in the range of a reported 40-45% socioeconomically disadvantaged student population.”

In this partnership with LCCC, BASD pays for the students’ college credits as well as their textbooks. Most of the credits transfer to PA State System of Higher Education institutes, the Pennsylvania State University system, and many other colleges and universities. The value of this program is not lost on the district’s students and families. Moser recalls receiving several thank-you notes from former students who have gone on to higher education with a bundle of credits transferring with them.

The success of BASD’s K-12+ Program relies on its teachers. The instructors who offer the LCCC classes have taken training to become adjunct faculty for LCCC, which allows their students to complete the college classes without leaving the BASD campus. The program also provides the opportunity for teachers to engage in their own ongoing learning and professional development. “This school year, we will have three students who will actually graduate from high school while simultaneously graduating from LCCC with an associate degree,” Moser says.

“Next school year, we anticipate that we

Other districts around the state are finding similar success with their college experience programs. For example, Muhlenberg High School works with Reading Area Community College to offer dual enrollment opportunities for eligible students, providing them a chance to earn credits that transfer to their chosen institute of higher education. Like at BASD, the program offers high school students an opportunity to experience the rigor and challenge of college-level courses while having a teacher on site in their high school every day for support.

Beyond college experiences, other districts, such as Cranberry Area, have partnered with local chambers of commerce to create opportunities for students to learn the soft skills that future employees will expect and require of their employees.

The staff at Cranberry High School worked with the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce to put together a checklist of classes or activities that will help the students hone the six VenangoREADY attributes: work ethic; tactfulness and manners; communication; teamwork; critical thinking and problem solving; and understanding supervision and world of work. The VenangoREADY program, established in 2020, assists educators in preparing students for successful and meaningful contributions as employees in the 21st century.

In these and other classrooms around Pennsylvania, high school students have more opportunity than ever before to begin their postsecondary learning while still public school students. And that is making a difference in many lives.

To learn more about Bloomsburg’s K-12+ Program, contact Jason Moser at jmoser@ bloomsd.k12.pa.us. Read more about these and other successful programs offered at Pennsylvania public schools on Success Starts Here.

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 39

SUPPORTING SUCCESSFUL SCHOOLS Beyond gleaming floors and fresh paint, schools are full of hidden potential. We’re making schools stronger by shifting costs from operations to education, and building STEM engagement with energy education programs and sustainability dashboards.

We’re using digital technologies to keep classrooms healthy and effective.

Let’s go beyond conventional HVAC thinking and make your building more cost efficient, sustainable and conducive to learning. We’re transforming schools with experience, innovation and passion for making buildings better.

CONTACT: Dennis Rumsey 717.773.5883 dennis.rumsey@trane.com

Bill Gordon 412.596.5113 bmgordon@trane.com

Trane.com/K12 ©2022 Trane. All Rights Reserved

expert advice

Q&A with Trane What type of innovative services and solutions do you provide to the K-12 education market?

Trane’s multidisciplinary approach orchestrates all

Trane takes a holistic approach to building efficiency, operational improvement and facility wellness. We use a multidisciplinary approach to create a facility that is dynamic, resilient and cost effective for the situation.

Our program’s goal is to turn your buildings from a liability to an asset, designed to flex as your needs and programs change.

To meet this goal, we employ a number of experts using world-class technologies and services to improve the viability of your building by helping optimize the well-being of the people inside it, while optimizing operational costs. Our program is broken into six different areas of focus: acoustics, lighting, air quality, thermal comfort, operational use and energy utilization.

that is optimal for each building and its purpose.

Trane’s programs rely on building performance analytics while providing expertise in innovative and emerging areas, such as renewable energy, digital connected technologies and strategic energy supplyand-demand management. Our approach to your schools begins with a few missionlevel questions: What are your challenges?

What do you want to achieve? Then, we’ll bring your buildings into the strategy.

How is Trane creating a better learning environment for schools?

As addressed by the Environmental Protection Agency, at schools that are comfortable, quiet, properly ventilated and

aspects of facility operations to create an environment

well lit, student attendance is better, test scores are higher and teacher retention increases*.

It has been proven that an ideal learning environment doesn’t just happen. Trane’s multidisciplinary approach orchestrates all aspects of facility operations to create an environment that is optimal for each building and its purpose.

The value we provide directly ties to the key performance metrics educators are interested in tracking. The key to an effective program is the ability to track and trend performance over time. If you are not measuring outcomes, you cannot manage performance.

How does Trane help maximize school funding to improve the infrastructure of a school?

We provide ways to help maximize a school district’s dollar. First, Trane’s programs provide financial modeling that allows you understand the impact of the dollars you use in your budget, as well as the ability to evaluate the program by considering the impact of energy and operational uses due to the program. Second, unique funding and financing options are available to improve project outcomes.

Finally, Trane has significant purchasing power that gets passed on to our clients. The result of this purchasing power has given us the ability to win OMNIA Partners® Cooperative Purchasing contracts, which have been competitively bid. The value to the client is that our Cooperative Contract has been certified and meets Uniform Grant Guidance requirements for the utilization of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds and will allow schools to fast-track projects to meet the American Rescue Plan’s tight time frame.

How does Trane support student learning and workforce development skills?

Trane’s BTU Crew can help schools create a better STEM learning environment by making the school a living, hands-on learning lab and providing relevant program curriculum to round out your students’ education with practical skills for when they graduate.

* https://www.epa.gov/iaq-schools/reference-guide-indoor-air-quality-schools

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 41

EFFICIENT. TRANSPARENT. SECURE. Better board meetings require the best-in-class solution.

Learn how the premier governance portal for education helps thousands of districts and schools nationwide to streamline meeting preparation and connect with the community.

BoardDocs is a proud partner of PSBA. Exclusive pricing for PSBA members.

Visit engage.BoardDocs.com/PSBA to request a demo.

800-407-0141 | BoardDocs.com | info@boarddocs.com

Energy Solutions is a program that will help districts realize energy savings in these challenging times. The program is strategically designed to help schools reduce energy costs and environmental impact, and to improve energy infrastructure performance – typically at no out-of-pocket expense to the district.

Energy Solutions, a consulting service supported by Gabel Associates, can offer much-needed cost reductions along with environmental benefits, and can drive savings for your district.

Please contact our team of energy experts at EnergySolutions@psba.org to learn more about the program and get started with your free energy assessment.

EMPOWERING

your school district and the professionals who lead it.

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With a consistently increasing number of tasks to juggle, our partnership extends a broad range of support services so students can remain the primary focus. To assist school administrators and leadership, PSBA is proud to offer Human Resource Services.

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it’s the law

Maintaining order at public school board meetings, part 2

I

n the 2022 March/April edition of the PSBA Bulletin, I addressed the following issues associated with policies aimed at maintaining order at public school board meetings and avoiding the disruptions that may arise from the waging culture wars.

I recommended the adoption of quality policies and administrative regulations that define who has the right to have an opportunity to provide public comments, recommended that a sign-in sheet be utilized and that commenters not be required to publicly state their address, recommended that policy clearly define the permissible subjects for public comment, and recommended that the presiding officer strictly enforce policy restrictions and limitations. In this article, I will address the rules associated with the timing of public comment and the constitutional rules at play.

School boards have the right to limit the time available at public meetings for public comment. Section 710.1 of the Sunshine Act requires that school districts provide a “reasonable opportunity” for public comment. 65 Pa.C.S.A. §710.1. In addition, Section 510 of the School Code generally authorizes school boards to adopt reasonable rules and regulations “regarding the management of its school affairs.” 24 P.S. §5-510. Under these rules, school boards typically define through policy when during a meeting public comment will be allowed, limit the time for public comment, and limit the time for each commenter

to comment. In terms of when comment must be allowed, the Sunshine Act provides that comments must be allowed “prior to taking official action.” 65 Pa.C.S.A. §710.1. As a result, it is recommended that there be time designated before official action by the school board to allow public comment regarding those items on the agenda.

School boards typically limit this time to 30 minutes. Some school boards allow a longer period of time. In addition, it is common for a three-minute limit to be imposed upon each commenter. Further, if a 30-minute

School boards have the right to limit the time available at public meetings for public comment. time period is allowed, and 20 people sign up to speak, policy may allow that the maximum time for any commenter to be reduced to allow everyone to speak within the time allotted. Although Section 710.1 requires school boards to afford the public comment opportunity only to residents and taxpayers, many boards choose to extend this to employees and others having a connection to the district who may not be residents or taxpayers. 65 Pa.C.S.A. §710.1.

As stated earlier, the Sunshine Act requires that school boards provide an opportunity for public comment not only on those items appearing on the agenda, but also on those items that “may be” before the school board.

65 Pa.C.S.A. §710.1. Acknowledging that

By Michael I. Levin PSBA General Counsel

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 45

it’s the law

When members of the public comment, their comments have constitutional protections.

46 PSBA Bulletin May/June 2022

“matters of concern” that “may” come before an agency can be construed to be very broad, two decisions of the Commonwealth Court have nonetheless concluded that it is intended to prescribe some limitation, and that policies limiting public comment to items on the agenda for that meeting do not violate Section 710.1. Baravordeh v. Borough Council of Prospect Park, 706 A.2d 362, 366–67 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 1998)(en banc); Alekseev v. City Council of City of Philadelphia, 976 A.2d 1253, 1253 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2009), reversed on other grounds, 607 Pa. 481, 8 A.3d 311 (2010). Even so, it is more common for school boards to allow a broader scope of public comment, to include matters not on the agenda but still reasonably likely to come before the board in the foreseeable future. Some boards that allow a broader scope of public comment provide two separate opportunities for public comment – one at the beginning of the meeting limited to agenda items upon which the board anticipates taking action at that meeting, and a second near the end of the meeting during which comments may be offered on matters not on that meeting’s agenda.

it’s the law When members of the public comment, their comments have constitutional protections. Said another way, the school board has a duty not to violate the free speech rights of commenters. So, what are these constitutional rules?

First, school boards may impose reasonable restrictions on time, place and manner of speech without violating the First Amendment. Ward v. Rock Against Racism, 491 U.S. 781 (1989); S.B. v. S.S., 243 A.3d 90 (Pa. 2020), cert. denied, 142 S. Ct. 313, 211 L.Ed.2d 148 (2021). It is because of these rights that school boards can limit the amount of time for speech and can require that decorum be honored, for example. Second, regardless of what the Sunshine Act may say about the scope of public comment, the courts have acknowledged that when a government agency establishes a forum for a particular purpose, the First Amendment allows the agency to restrict the content of speech in that forum to subjects pertinent to the purpose of the forum. Minnesota Voters Alliance v.

Mansky, 138 S. Ct. 1876, 1885–86, 201 L. Ed. 2d 201 (2018); Porter v. City of Philadelphia, 975 F.3d 374, 387 (3d Cir. 2020).

Because school boards can regulate time, place, manner and subject of public comment, school boards may require that commenters sign in to establish eligibility to speak, limit when in the meeting comments can be made, limit the amount of time allotted, and restrict those items to those that are on the agenda or that are reasonably likely to come before the board. As one court said: Because of the importance of the interests protected by the First Amendment, the government bears the burden to show its speech restrictions are reasonable. See NAACP, 834 F.3d at 443. But unlike in public forums, the government’s “burden to establish reasonableness” in nonpublic forums “is a light one.” Id. at 449.

Since the “flexibility” afforded to the government in these settings is justified by the government’s ability to preserve property for its intended uses (Minn. Voters All., 138 S. Ct. at 1885), the government must provide a legitimate explanation for the restriction in “light of the purpose of the forum and all the surrounding circumstances,” Cornelius, 473 U.S. at 809, 105 S. Ct. 3439. To be “legitimate,” the government’s explanation must be supported by either record evidence or “commonsense inferences” based on the record. NAACP, 834 F.3d at 445. Once this requirement is met, though, we give the government latitude to devise appropriate regulations. “Even if more narrowly tailored regulations could be promulgated,” the government “is only required to adopt reasonable regulations, not ‘the most reasonable or the only reasonable’ regulation possible.”

Kokinda, 497 U.S. at 735–36, 110 S. Ct. 3115 (quoting Cornelius, 473 U.S. at 808, 105 S. Ct. 3439). Pomicter v. Luzerne Cty. Convention Ctr. Auth., 939 F.3d 534, 541 (3d Cir. 2019)(citations in original).

The courts have recognized that the public participation portions of meetings of school boards and similar bodies are a nonpublic forum (also referred to as a “limited public forum”). Eichenlaub v.

Twp. of Indiana, 385 F.3d 274, 281 (3d Cir. 2004); Galena v. Leone, 638 F.3d 186, 198-199 (3d Cir. 2011). However, while content in such a forum may be limited to the purpose of the forum, restrictions on content as well as time, place and manner must be neutral as to viewpoint.

Moreover, the board must uniformly enforce the rules.

Selective enforcement of the rules may lead to legal liability. For example, if the rules are relaxed for those who agree with the school board but are strictly enforced against those who oppose what the school board is proposing to do, there is likely a violation of the First Amendment. See United States v. Marcavage, 609 F.3d 264, 281 (3d Cir. 2010). When enforcement of the rules is inconsistent, it allows people to allege that the school board enforced the rules as to them and not others simply because of who they are or the fact that they are known to oppose the school board’s actions. In this regard, it has been said that: “no government official could impose limitations on citizens’ speech based upon the speaker’s identity or disfavor with a particular viewpoint on matters under discussion. Monteiro v.

City of Elizabeth, 436 F.3d 397, 405 (3d Cir. 2006); Wilkinson v. Bensalem Township, 822 F.Supp. 1154 (E.D.Pa.1993).” Galena v. Leone, 711 F.Supp.2d 440, 451 (W.D. Pa. 2010), aff’d, 638 F.3d 186 (3d Cir. 2011); Marshall v.

Amuso, 2021 WL 5359020 (E.D. Pa. Nov. 17, 2021).

Although the “manner” of speech may be limited, the rules must be clearly defined and may not be overbroad or vague. One court recently expressed the applicable rules as follows: A policy is unconstitutionally vague “if it fails to provide people of ordinary intelligence a reasonable opportunity to understand what conduct it prohibits.” Adams Outdoor Advert. Ltd. P’ship by Adams Outdoor GP, LLC v. Pa. Dep’t of Transp., 930 F.3d 199, 205 (3d Cir. 2019) (quoting Hill v. Colorado, 530 U.S. 703, 732, 120 S. Ct. 2480, 147 L.Ed.2d 597 (2000)). “Although there is no requirement of narrow tailoring in a nonpublic [or limited public] forum, the State must be able to articulate some sensible basis for distinguishing what may come in from what must stay out.” Minnesota Voters All. v. Mansky, ––– U.S. ––––, 138 S. Ct. 1876, 1888, 201 L.Ed.2d 201 (2018). While some degree of discretion in how to apply a given policy is necessary, “that discretion must be guided by objective, workable standards” to avoid the moderator’s own beliefs shaping his or her “views on what counts” as a policy violation.

Id. at 1891. “The need for specificity is especially important where, as here, the regulation at issue is a ‘content-based regulation of speech.

The vagueness of such a regulation raises special First Amendment concerns because of its obvious chilling effect on free speech.’”

Sypniewski v. Warren Hills Reg’l Bd. of Educ., 307 F.3d 243, 266 (3d Cir.

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 47

it’s the law “Reasonable decorum” means conduct in keeping with good taste and propriety for a public meeting of the school board or a committee of the school board.

2002) (quoting Reno v. ACLU, 521 U.S. 844, 871–72, 117 S. Ct. 2329, 138 L.Ed.2d 874 (1997)).

Marshall v. Amuso, 2021 WL 5359020, at *6 (E.D. Pa. Nov. 17, 2021).

At the same time, the United States Supreme Court cautions that “perfect clarity and precise guidance have never been required even of regulations that restrict expressive activity.” Minnesota Voters All. v. Mansky, 138 S. Ct. 1876, 1891, 201 L. Ed. 2d 201 (2018).

In the Marshall case, the school board policy prohibited comments that may be considered “irrelevant,” “abusive,” “offensive,” “intolerant” or “otherwise inappropriate.” The policy also prohibited comments that were “personally directed” at someone. The court ruled that all of these

terms are impermissibly subjective, vague and overbroad. Addressing the concept that the policy was overbroad, the court said: The policies here are overbroad because they prohibit a broad array of constitutionally protected speech. The policies prohibit speech that is “offensive,” which the Supreme Court has specifically held is an unconstitutional restriction on protected speech. Iancu, 139 S. Ct. at 2301; see also Street v. New York, 394 U.S. 576, 592, 89 S. Ct. 1354, 22 L.Ed.2d 572 (1969) (“It is firmly settled that under our Constitution the public expression of ideas may not be prohibited merely because the ideas are themselves offensive to some of their hearers.”). The Supreme Court has also found the term “abusive” overly broad in other contexts, reaching conduct outside the “fighting words” category of unprotected

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it’s the law speech. Gooding v. Wilson, 405 U.S. 518, 525, 92 S. Ct. 1103, 31 L.Ed.2d 408 (1972). The phrases “intolerant,” “inappropriate” and “otherwise inappropriate” would appear to thwart even more protected speech than “abusive.”

Marshall v. Amuso, 2021 WL 5359020, at *7 (E.D. Pa. Nov. 17, 2021).

So, what standards can be placed in policy governing public comment that will survive a constitutional challenge? I suggest that the following rules would survive a facial challenge: 1. Commenters must maintain reasonable decorum, conduct and civility at the meeting.

2. Commenters may not engage in speech that is not protected under the First Amendment and that falls within the following categories: a. speech that violates the legal or constitutional rights of others; b. speech that constitutes unlawful sexual harassment; c. speech that constitutes unlawful racial, ethnic, religious or nationality intimidation; d. speech that constitutes bullying; e. speech that traditionally has not been protected under the First Amendment, such as obscenity, defamation, fraud, incitement of imminent violence and speech integral to criminal conduct; f. speech that is profane; g. speech that is lewd; h. speech that constitutes advocacy of unlawful conduct; i. speech that is in violation of any criminal statute; j. speech that constitutes fighting words

or true threats as defined in applicable law; k. speech that advocates the sale or distribution of unlawful products or of products unlawful to provide to children; and l. personal attacks against an individual not related to school district business.

Most of the foregoing terms are well defined in existing law, but some are not.

For example, the word “bullying” may be ambiguous and deserving of a definition that can be objectively applied. I suggest that the following may be an appropriate definition of the term: “Bullying” means an intentional written, verbal or physical act, or a series of acts: directed at a student or students, employee or employees, contractor or contractors, or school director or directors: a. which occurs at a school board or committee meeting; b. that is severe and serious; and c. that has the effect of doing any of the following: 1. substantially interfering with a student’s education, an employee’s employment, a contractor’s work or a school director’s service; 2. creating a threatening environment; or 3. substantially disrupting the orderly conduct of the meeting or of the school.

committee of the school board. It includes a reasonably modulated voice that does not constitute yelling or screaming and speech that does not constitute any of the kinds of speech restricted in this policy.

As noted above, this is the second of a series of articles that I am writing for this column addressing the First Amendment and other legal considerations affecting school boards’ management of their public meetings. Although policy approaches to navigating this framework will be addressed in future installments, readers should be aware that PSBA soon will be providing updated policies that address public meetings. For those school districts that participate in PSBA’s policy service, please be sure to look for the PSBA guidance on this important topic.

The phrase “reasonable decorum” can be defined as follows: “Reasonable decorum” means conduct in keeping with good taste and propriety for a public meeting of the school board or a

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 49

Q&A Looking for more answers to your school law questions? Search for Pennsylvania School Law Handbook at www.psba.org for details on ordering paperback or ebook versions.

Q: Are there provisions permitting the early admission of children to school?

A: Yes. The board of school directors of a school district may, upon parental request and when recommended by a public school psychologist and approved by the district superintendent, admit as a beginner a child with a chronological age of 5 years and who has demonstrated readiness for entry as of the first day of the district’s school term. A board of school directors is not required to admit a child as a beginner whose chronological age is less than the district’s established admission age for beginners. 22 Pa. Code § 11.16.

Q:

If a student transfers from one school entity to another in Pennsylvania, must a disciplinary record be transferred to the new school entity?

A: Yes. Section 1305-A of the Public School Code requires a certified copy of the disciplinary record be transmitted to the school entity to which the student has transferred. The school entity to which the student has transferred should request the record. The sending entity has 10 days from receipt of the request to supply the certified copy of the student’s disciplinary record. 24 P.S. § 13-1305-A. A school district does not need the consent of the student’s parent or guardian to transfer the record to another school entity in Pennsylvania or another state in which the student seeks enrollment or is enrolled. 24 P.S. § 13-1306-A. “School entity” means any public school district, intermediate unit, area career and technical school or charter school. 24 P.S. § 13-1301-A.

Q: When school officials seek to expel a student from school, are procedures more elaborate than a suspension hearing?

A: Yes. Section 1318 of the Public School Code requires all expulsion hearings must be before the board of school directors, a committee thereof or a hearing officer

50 PSBA Bulletin May/June 2022

designated by the board for that purpose.

24 P.S. § 13-1318. Section 12.6(d) of the State Board of Education regulations provides that no student may be excluded for more than 15 school days without a formal hearing, unless agreed upon by both parties. 22 Pa. Code §§ 12.6(d), 12.8(b)(9).

The student’s parents or guardians must be notified of the charges via certified mail. 22 Pa. Code § 12.8(b)(1). Notice of the time and place of the hearing must be given to the parents and student at least three days prior to the hearing. Id. at § 12.8(b)(2). The hearing notice must contain a copy of the expulsion policy, notice that the student may be represented by counsel, and hearing procedures. Id. The hearing must be held in private unless the student or parents request a public hearing. Id. at § 12.8(b)(3). At the hearing, the student has the following due process rights: the right to testify or remain silent; the right to cross-examine witnesses; the right to present witnesses; the right to be represented by counsel, at the expense of the parent or guardian; the right to have a parent or guardian attend the hearing; and the right to obtain a copy of the transcript or tape of the proceedings at his or her own expense. 22 Pa. Code § 12.8(b)(4)-(8).

Q:

Does state law protect school districts from being sued in state court for civil damages?

A: The Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act generally provides that a school district cannot be held liable for damages stemming from an injury to a person or property caused by an act of the district or its employees with certain exceptions.

42 Pa.C.S.A. § 8541. School districts can be held liable for damages stemming from the following: (1) motor vehicle accidents; (2) the care, custody or control of real property; (3) the care, custody or control of personal property with certain limitations; (4) incidents involving trees, traffic controls and street lighting; (5) utility

service facilities owned by the district; (6) dangerous streets owned by the district; (7) sidewalks; (8) the care, custody and control of animals; and (9) negligence leading to persons becoming victims of sexual abuse, sexual assault and similar crimes of a sexual nature. 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 8542. However, immunity under the Tort Claims Act does not prevent school districts or their officials from being held liable for violating rights protected by the U.S. Constitution and federal statutes. 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

Q: Can teachers acquire tenure in all public school entities?

A: Yes, except with regard to charter school employment. Tenure rights extend to all professional employees working in school districts, intermediate units, and career and technical schools. 24 P.S. §§ 111121, 9-913-A(e), 18-1850.1(b)(9). Temporary professional employees on leave of absence from a school district to teach at a charter school can count that time toward tenure eligibility only at the discretion of the school district from which they are on leave. Tenured professional employees on such leave retain certain tenure rights with respect to the school district from which they are on leave, but their tenure does not provide protection with respect to their employment by the charter school. 24 P.S. § 17-1724-A(f).

Q: How are real estate tax notices generated and when must they be sent to taxpayers?

A: In most school districts, tax collectors are to be furnished with tax duplicates by July 1 each year. 24 P.S. § 6-682. Once the tax collector receives the duplicates from the school district, tax notices must be sent to property owners by the first day of July, or within 15 days if the delivery of the duplicates occurs after June 16, whichever is later. 72 P.S. § 5511.6. The district is responsible for the cost of printing and mailing the tax notices. 72 P.S. § 5511.9.

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Answer key: Answer key: Principles acrostic puzzle Principles acrostic puzzle 1

O P T I O N 2 R E S O L U T 3 E T H I C A L L Y 4 G O V E R N 5 A D V O C A T E 6 C O M M U N I C A T E 7 P L A N 8 E V A L U A T E 9 L E A D 10 T E A M S O F T E N A

D

I

O N

The hidden word is PRINCIPLES.

Mark Your Calendar!

• PSBA Leadership Nominations: May 2-20

• Appointment of Delegate Assembly Delegates: May 20-July 22 • Submission of Legislative Platform Proposals: May 20-July 22 • School Leadership Conference Call for Proposals Deadline: June 15 • School Leadership Conference Student Showcase Submission Deadline: June 15 • PSBA Leadership Election: September 9-October 29 • PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference: October 31-November 1

May/June 2022 PSBA Bulletin 51

worth 1,000 words

Butler Middle School students in the Best Buddies program enthusiastically cheer on the Butler Senior High School Unified Sports bocce team at their recent match. Best Buddies is the world’s largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Butler Area School District in Butler County has Best Buddies programs at the elementary, middle, intermediate high and senior high level. In 2021, Butler Area Senior High School was recognized as the Best Buddies Overall Outstanding High School Chapter of the Year.

A picture is worth…well, you know the saying. Give us your 1,000 words in photo form. Share a great moment in a classroom, concert, sporting event, or somewhere else in your school community that demonstrates the positive things taking place. Get your high school photo classes involved and invite them to submit a photo. One, high-quality, visually interesting photo will be featured in each issue. Send your submissions to jackie.inouye@psba.org including a description of what is taking place in the photo. High resolution (300 dpi) and acceptable formats are jpg, eps or tif files.

52 PSBA Bulletin May/June 2022

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24/7 hotline via email or phone:

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Services provided will be specific to your needs and may include: • Public relations strategy discussions and guidance over the phone (as many exchanges as it takes to bring about a solution) • Custom press releases/media talking points • Social media posts • Parent letters/email messages

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Save the Date!

October 31-November 1, 2022 Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in the Poconos PLAN TO JOIN US! Check myPSBA for conference registration.

Keynote Speaker: JEAN BECKER • Chief of staff for President George H.W. Bush from 1994 to 2018; deputy press secretary to First Lady Barbara Bush from 1989 to 1992 • Author of New York Times bestsellers, Pearls of Wisdom: Little Pieces of Advice (That Go a Long Way) about First Lady Barbara Bush and, most recently, The Man I Knew: The Amazing Story of George H. W. Bush’s Post-Presidency

Present or Perform Apply to present an educational session at conference. Or submit an audition for your district’s talented students to perform at the Student Showcase!

Application deadline: June 15, 2022 Apply and learn more at PASchoolLeaders.org.

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