Category: Government Actions

PennLink Informs LEAs of Indicator 13 Cyclical Monitoring Requirements (June 7, 2022)

On June 6, 2022, Carole L. Clancy, Director of the PDE Bureau of Special Education disseminated a PennLink message to LEAs  titled Preparing for Cyclical Monitoring: A Focus on Secondary Transition (Indicator 13). The memo states that in response to the accountability requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA) Part B State Performance Plans, the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) and intermediate unit transition consultants will provide sustained professional development for targeted local educational agencies (LEAs). This targeted professional development will assist with creating compliant and effective individualized secondary transition programming for students with disabilities. 

 The requirements for each LEA assigned to the 2022-2023 Preparing for Cyclical Monitoring: A Focus on Secondary Transition training are as follows: 
-Develop an administrative team to support the targeted training and technical assistance process. The administrative team is required to attend a webinar on September 15, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Administration team members will need to register in advance for this training through the PaTTAN website.
-Lead contact person to complete an interview/survey regarding effective practices for secondary transition as facilitated by an intermediate unit and/or PaTTAN consultant. Lead contact will work with IU Transition TaC/PaTTAN Consultant to develop and implement a local training plan for the 2022-2023 school year.
-With support from the IU Transition TaC/PaTTAN Consultant, identify targeted staff (i.e. special education directors, building principals, transition coordinators, special education teachers, speech/language therapists, guidance counselors, school psychologists, career tech ed staff, and other LEA staff involved in secondary programming) to participate in IEP pre-reviews using the PA Indicator 13 checklist, complete IEP post-reviews, participate in coaching activities as warranted with IU Transition TaC, and complete an online (Schoology) course.

In addition, the required online (Schoology) course will yield 6 Act 48 hours and must be completed by February 28, 2023. PLEASE NOTE: All staff must register for the Schoology course on the PaTTAN website (found on the training calendar for September 16, 2022). The registration key to register for the Schoology course is IND13-2022. This registration key will need to be shared with all LEA staff members who are identified to participate in this year’s cyclical monitoring preparation activities.

For questions concerning Preparing for Cyclical Monitoring: A Focus on Secondary Transition training for 2022-23, LEAs are directed to contact: Cecil Crouch, Educational Consultant at PaTTAN-Pittsburgh, at 800-446-5607, ext. 6866 or [email protected].

Act 1 PDE & DHS Guidance Expected This Summer (June 5, 2022)

Act 1 of 2022 requires school districts to assign an individual who acts as a single point of contact to students experiencing “educational instability” (those who make one or more changes in school entity enrollment during a single school year due to homelessness, adjudication, dependency, delinquency, or as part of court-ordered  services under a voluntary placement or custody agreement). That point of contact person helps students coordinate and be rapidly placed in appropriate courses; helps connect students with mental health resources; ensures that academic records are obtained (which must be provided within ten business days) and credits are accurately transferred to their new school; creates a written “graduation plan” covering grades 9 through 12 describing the courses and other activities the student must complete to graduate in a timely manner; and ensures that any services or supports required under an existing IEP or Section 504 service agreement are implemented immediately as required by law.

In addition, pursuant to Act 1 of 2022, school districts may, but are not required to, waive a course requirement for graduation if similar course work has been satisfactorily completed in another district or if the student has demonstrated competency in a content area. If it declines to waive course requirements, the school district may not determine that a student is ineligible to graduate unless it provides him/her with an alternative or modified course of study currently available to any other student that will assist the affected student in establishing his/her competency. 

If after taking these steps, a school district determines that an affected student is ineligible to graduate, officials may, but are not required to, request that his/her prior school district issue a diploma for the student. The student’s prior district may, but is not required to, issue the diploma if the student has met its graduation requirements.

Also pursuant to the Act, students who have experienced educational instability and who transfer to another school entity, have the right to participate in extracurricular and student sponsored activities as long as they meet qualification requirements.

The Act also requires the PA Departments of Education (PDE) and Human Services (DHS) to issue “guidance and best practices” within 180 days of its enactment on January 26, 2022.

To View Act 1 of 2022, click here.

Act 1 Guidance Expected this Summer (June 4, 2022)

Act 1 of 2022 requires school districts to assign an individual who acts as a single point of contact to students experiencing educational instability (those who make one or more changes in school entity enrollment during a single school year due to homelessness, adjudication, dependency, delinquency, or as part of court-ordered  services under a voluntary placement or custody agreement). That point of contact person helps students coordinate and be rapidly placed in appropriate courses; helps connect students with mental health resources; ensures that academic records are obtained (which must be provided within ten business days) and credits are accurately transferred to their new school; creates a written “graduation plan” covering grades 9 through 12 describing the courses and other activities the student must complete to graduate in a timely manner; and ensures that any services or supports required under an existing IEP or Section 504 service agreement are implemented immediately as required by law.

In addition, pursuant to Act 1 of 2022, school districts may, but are not required to, waive a course requirement for graduation if similar course work has been satisfactorily completed in another district or if the student has demonstrated competency in a content area. If it declines to waive course requirements, the school district may not determine that a student is ineligible to graduate unless it provides him/her with an alternative or modified course of study currently available to any other student that will assist the affected student in establishing his/her competency. 

If after taking these steps, a school district determines that an affected student is ineligible to graduate, officials may, but are not required to, request that his/her prior school district issue a diploma for the student. The student’s prior district may, but is not required to, issue the diploma if the student has met its graduation requirements.

Also pursuant to the Act, students who have experienced educational instability and who transfer to another school entity, have the right to participate in extracurricular and student sponsored activities as long as they meet qualification requirements.

The Act also requires the PA Departments of Education (PDE) and Human Services (DHS) to issue “guidance and best practices” within 180 days of its enactment on January 26, 2022.

To View Act 1 of 2022, click here.

Coming Later this Month: PA Families to Receive Credit for Missed School Meals Due to COVID Closures (June 3, 2022)

According to the PA Department of Human Services (DHS), since federal officials approved Pennsylvania’s plan for benefits lost due to pandemic-related school closures eligible families should be receiving their benefits later this month.

The Pandemic-EBT program was set up to help families cover the costs of free and reduced-price breakfasts and lunches kids would have normally gotten in school but that they missed due to pandemic-related school closures. Thus, despite being open for the most part  during the 2021-22 school year, many schools closed for days or weeks at a time because of staffing shortages and high COVID-19 case counts.

Since the Pandemic-EBT program was set up to help families cover the costs of free and reduced-price breakfasts and lunches kids would have normally gotten in school but that they missed due to pandemic-related school closures, the state requested the ability make up for any benefits lost due to closures..

DHS is recommending that families who have previously received and activated P-EBT cards should keep them, and families who have an EBT card for other benefits will receive their funds through that card.

For more information about P-EBT, see this list of frequently asked questions from Just Harvest. If you need assistance with your P-EBT card, the state hotline is 484-363-2137.

Source: WESA

Gov. Wolf: Record Revenues Will Cover Historic Education Investment with Billions Left Over (June 2, 2022)

On June 1st, Governor Tom Wolf announced that Pennsylvania has collected a record $43.9 billion in revenues for the 2021-22 â€‹fiscal year. Gov. Wolf wants to use this revenue to make major investments in improving life and lowering costs for Pennsylvanians.

In May, Pennsylvania collected $3.2 billion in General Fund revenue, which was $402.4 million, or 14.2 percent, over estimate. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $43.9 billion, which is $4.9 billion, or 12.5 percent, above estimate.

“Right now, Pennsylvania has $4.9 billion in the bank over and above what we expected to bring in this year. That’s a big pot of money, and I want to use it to lower some of the barriers that keep Pennsylvanians from succeeding,” said Gov. Wolf. “We have the money in the bank to pay for the historic investment I want to make in K-12 education, as well as the Corporate Net Income Tax cut and reforms I have proposed to bolster Pennsylvania businesses, and still have $1.8 billion left over,” said Gov. Wolf. “At a time when Pennsylvanians are hurting and state government is not, there is no excuse not to use this huge pot of money to improve education, lower costs for taxpayers, and build a stronger economy. Investing in Pennsylvanians is how we guarantee future success for Pennsylvania.”

Over the past seven years, the Wolf Administration endeavored to right Pennsylvania’s shaky finances. When Gov. Wolf took office, Pennsylvania was operating with a $2-3 billion budget deficit, and the Rainy Day Fund had fallen to a mere $231,800. At present, the Rainy Day Fund contains a record $2.8 billion – more than 12,000 times what it was when Gov. Wolf took office – to protect Pennsylvania against future emergencies. The Rainy Day Fund is entirely separate from both Pennsylvania’s $4.9 billion surplus this year and the $2.1 billion in remaining federal American Rescue Plan funding that Pennsylvania must obligate by 2024 or lose.

The Governor’s plan to invest in lowering costs for Pennsylvanians is balanced based on recurring General Fund revenue and does not rely on one-time funding sources. Over the past seven years, revenues have grown an average of $2.2 billion per year, and data forecasts from nationally recognized economic forecasting firms Moody’s Analytics and IHS Markit point to continued tax revenue growth for the commonwealth.

Based on the latest revenue estimates, even if the governor’s proposed budget were implemented in its entirety, Pennsylvania would still have a multi-billion dollar General Fund balance at the end of 2022-23.

“Pennsylvania has taken in record revenues this year,” said Gov. Wolf, “and I want to take that money and invest it right back into the people of Pennsylvania by making our education system the best in the nation. This is an investment in a better future for all Pennsylvanians – one where students have the resources to succeed and workers have the skills to support themselves and their families. To ensure our economy continues to grow in the future, we need to invest in our next generation of workers, leaders and innovators.”

To learn more about revenue sources or to read the press release in its entirety, click here.