Category: Government Actions

PDE Awards More Than $27 Million In Grant Funding Available For Community Learning Programs (April 4, 2024)

On April 4, 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced that 61 organizations in 18 counties have been awarded more than $27 million in funding under the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant program. This funding is available to establish and/or support community learning centers that provide academic, artistic, and cultural enrichment opportunities for students and their families.

The 21st CCLC program provides opportunities for communities to establish or to expand activities in community learning centers that:
-Provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including tutorial services to help students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools, to meet state academic standards;
-Offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as youth development activities, tutoring, service learning, nutrition and health education, drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, arts, music, physical fitness and wellness programs, technology education programs, financial literacy programs, environmental literacy programs, mathematics, science, career and technical programs, internship or apprenticeship programs, and other ties to an in-demand industry sector or occupation for high school students that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students; and
-Offer families opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development.

These opportunities must occur during non-school hours or periods when school is not in session to help students attending high-poverty and low-performing schools to meet state and local standards in core academic subjects. Centers must also offer students a broad array of activities that can complement their regular academic programs and literacy and other educational services to their families.

The 21st CCLC program is authorized under Title IV, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015.

The list of awardees can be found on PDE’s website.

Governor’s Budget Investment Proposal Aims at Intellectual Disability & Autism Services (March 29, 2024)

According to a press release, Governor Shapiro’s 2024-25 budget proposal puts life-changing investments for the intellectual disability and autism (ID/A) communities. The proposal includes major increases in home- and community-based services for Pennsylvanians with ID/A as well as reimbursement rates for the providers and direct support professionals who provide essential care and support every day. 

The proposed budget sets a transformative course to eliminate the emergency waiting list for services for adults and reduce barriers to care for thousands of Pennsylvanians over the next several years. This system change will make Pennsylvania one of a handful of states to end its emergency waiting list and help ID/A community members access vital services to live independently, pursue education and job opportunities, and participate in the Everyday Lives they deserve. 

DHS would re-examine rates to better support ID/A service providers and the direct support professionals who dedicate their careers to helping Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism. The investment in rates will support recruitment, retention, and wages for direct support professionals across this field who make inclusive, enriching lives possible for people with intellectual disabilities and autism. 

Ending the emergency waiting list would be accomplished through a multi-year program growth strategy that shifts how waiver program capacity is managed. To date, intellectual disability and autism waiver programs were managed by allocating a set number of “slots” to each county, which determines a person’s eligibility. Under this model, services they need are covered through their designated slot. Moving forward, program capacity will be managed under an overall budget for each county, giving more flexibility to local program administrators to serve more people based on current needs, service utilization, and overall costs. This shift will allow counties to serve more people with greater efficiency.

To jumpstart this transition and help counties begin to serve more people, Governor Shapiro directed DHS to immediately release additional program capacity to counties, which will provide services to an additional 1,650 Pennsylvanians this year, and service providers will also receive a one-time supplemental payment later this spring to assist with workforce recruitment and retention. The 2024-25 proposed budget seeks to build on this by investing $78 million in federal and state funds to serve an additional 1,500 Pennsylvanians in the next fiscal year.

Read the Governor’s full budget proposal by clicking here.

PDE Announces Compliance Monitoring Training for Peer Monitors (March 28, 2024)

On March 26, 2024, BSE Director Carole L. Clancy sent a PennLink message to all LEAS titled Compliance Monitoring Training for Peer Monitors. The message states that the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has the responsibility to ensure that all school districts and charter schools administer special education programs and services that comply with state and federal laws and regulations. To fulfill this responsibility, the Bureau of Special Education (BSE) trains individuals to serve as peer monitors on special education monitoring teams. The training will review the updated monitoring procedures that peer monitors will utilize to assist in the monitoring. This includes file reviews, interviews, online data entry and logistical processes.

All interested individuals, including currently contracted peer monitors, must complete this mandated training in person to continue to serve as peer monitors for the 2024-25 school year through the 2028-29 school year. The following individuals may serve as peer monitors: current peer monitors, retired special education personnel, advocates, family members, special education administrators.

Registration is available on the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network’s (PaTTAN) website at https://www.pattan.net/events/.

This required in-person training will be offered:
Monday, May 13, 2024, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM              Allegheny IU 3
Tuesday, May 14, 2024, 9:00 AM – Noon                  PaTTAN West
Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 9:00 AM – Noon             Riverview IU 6
Friday, May 17, 2024, 9:00 AM – Noon                     PaTTAN Central
Monday, May 20, 2024, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM             PaTTAN East
Tuesday, May 21, 2024, 9:00 AM – Noon                  Luzerne IU 18
Tuesday, June 4, 2024, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM              School District of Philadelphia

Please contact Charmaine Lee at [email protected] for questions.

USDE Sends Dear Colleague Letter Urging Schools to Address 2024-25 Attendance Issues (March 28, 2024)

On March 22, 2024, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona sent a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) informing schools that “there is still more work to do” to address chronic student absenteeism as the 2024-25 approaches.
Thus far, many school districts have increased home visits and utilized dashboards to effectively track attendance.
In his letter, Sec. Cardona urged schools to use accountability systems to measure chronic absenteeism to identify schools for support and improvement. He also enjoined each state to commit to helping students attend and engage in school daily, ensure more students attend regularly for the rest of the 2023-24 school year, and to lay a foundation now for more progress in the 2024-25 school year.
Click here to access the DCL.

Due to Miscalculation of Data, FAFSA Forms Corrections are Now the Latest Delay (March 28, 2024)

On March 25, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) announced that the ability for students to make updates and corrections to their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms in the first half of April. This is another delay in a process that has been rife with delays and technical issues.

In advance of that implementation, USDE will provide detailed information to partners, students, and families on how to correct the most common FAFSA form errors including no signatures and selecting ‘yes’ to applying for unsubsidized loans only (Question 8).

The reason for this most recent delay is due to a recently identified a vendor issue that was incorrectly calculating the Student Aid Index for records of dependent students with assets. That issue has now been resolved.

To date, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) has processed more than 4.3 million FAFSA forms and delivered ISIRs to the majority of schools, states, and designated scholarship organizations.

Click here for more information from the USDE.