The PA Department of Health’s (PDH) Chief of the Division of School Health Colleen Schultz released the February 2022 School Health Update via PennLink. The update focuese on: Vision Screening Procedures; Communicable Disease Info; Retention of SHARRS Info; Act 84 Info; Screenings and Exams; and Dental Hygiene.
To access the PDH February 2022 School Health Update, click here.
On February 10, 2022, Noe Ortega, Secretary of Education and Tracey Campanini, Deputy Secretary, Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) released a joint Pennlink email titled PA Kindergarten Entry Inventory – 2022-2023 School Year. The email states that all elementary schools are encouraged to implement Pennsylvania’s Kindergarten Entry Inventory (PA KEI) in the 2022-2023 school year to assist in meeting enhanced federal requirements. According to the email:
More information is available at www.kei-pa.org.
In addition, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides opportunities to strengthen the contribution of high-quality early childhood education in school reform and improvement efforts. The law recognizes that school success starts before a student enters the K-12 setting and calls on states to describe how they will assist LEAs and elementary schools to collaborate with early childhood education programs, and to invest in evidence-based practices. ESSA supports early learning and LEA collaboration in three main ways: (1) expanding access to high-quality early learning; (2) encouraging alignment and collaboration from birth through third grade; and (3) supporting educators. The PA KEI is a tangible tool to assist LEAs in understanding the comprehensive learning strengths and needs of students entering the K-12 setting, in establishing common expectations and language for beginning and extending collaborative conversations with pre-kindergarten programs and families, and in planning and implementing joint professional development opportunities that focus on strengthening evidence-based practices for young learners.
Implementing the PA KEI requires a Point of Contact (POC) who will serve as the liaison between LEA administrative staff, implementing kindergarten teachers, the Office of Child Development and Learning (OCDEL), and data systems staff. A dedicated POC ensures effective communication and implementation throughout the PA KEI process.
To initiate PA KEI participation in the 2022-2023 school year, send the POC name, email address, and phone number to [email protected] by May 30, 2022.
All kindergarten teachers who have not previously participated must complete a required professional development online course and obtain a certificate of completion in order to gain access to the web-based data system. Teachers with an expired proficient user certificate (more than five years since certification) are required to complete the professional development protocol.
Below is the tentative training schedule and timeline for participation:
March-September: Required professional development online course available
August-September: PA KEI systems professional development opportunities available
By the start of school: Implementing kindergarten teachers must have a required professional development online course certificate of completion on file in order to gain systems access
45 calendar days
from start of school: Observation and evidence collection/scoring completed
60 calendar days
from start of school: Data submissions (student outcomes) finalized within data system
Questions about this communication may be sent to [email protected]
On February 9, 2022, Governor Tom Wolf outline his plan to build on his administration’s record investments in students over the past seven years with a $1.9 billion increase in education from pre-k through college.
According to Gov. Wolf. “We have reversed devastating funding cuts and invested in classrooms. These are historic increases and life-changing improvements, but our work is not finished.” The governor feels that Pennsylvania is primed for a major education funding increase and can now afford a major new investment in schools, students and communities without raising taxes or reducing support for a single district.
The governor’s budget calls for building on the momentum of previous years with a generational investment of $1.9 billion in education from pre-k through college, including:
To view the press release, click here.
On February 2, 2022, the Wolf Administration sent a letter to Pennsylvania’s Congressional Delegation urging them to support the extension of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) nationwide waiver authority throughout the 2022-23 school year.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Congress has given the USDA the authority to issue nationwide waivers to ensure that school feeding programs could adapt to the needs of the communities they serve amidst ever-changing learning environments and increased food assistance needs during the summer months.
According to Feeding Pennsylvania, more than 1.5 million people in Pennsylvania, including more than 443,000 children, are at risk of hunger, and our school feeding programs play a critical role in ensuring that all our young people have the food they need to grow and thrive.
According to Gov. Wolf, the waivers issued by USDA can serve a multitude of purposes. Examples include allowing flexibility for both schools and nonprofits as to where meals can be accessed and the opportunity to offer meals to young siblings of school aged children or a chance to provide continued access to afterschool meals and snacks, regardless of traditional school and activities being in session or not.
“It is critical to meet the physical, mental, and emotional needs of learners so they can learn, grow, and achieve, and additional resources and support have never been more necessary,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Noe Ortega. “The extra flexibility these waivers can provide will help alleviate supply chain challenges, protect at-risk children, and ensure continuity of services to students, schools, and communities across the commonwealth.”
Waivers for the 2021-22 schoolyear are set to expire on June 30, 2022, and USDA cannot provide waivers past this date without approval by Congress. This means that the summer meal options countless Pennsylvania families have relied on over the past two years will expire, leaving millions of children without consistent access to food.
Schools and community feeding partners are already making plans for the summer and 2022-23 school year. They need to know now if they’ll have the opportunity to continue serving Pennsylvania children in the same manner or if service opportunities will be limited.
Families currently in need of support to meet their food needs are encouraged to take advantage of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Formerly known as food stamps, SNAP supports low-income and working Pennsylvanians, allowing them to purchase produce and groceries for themselves and their family. SNAP helps more than 1.9 million Pennsylvanians, including children, people with disabilities, older adults, and working Pennsylvanians, expand purchasing power to ensure their household has enough food to avoid going hungry. SNAP is issued through a monthly payment to an electronic benefit transfer card, and benefits are based off income and household size. People can apply for SNAP online at www.compass.state.pa.us online at any time.
More about the Wolf Administration’s efforts to improve food security across the commonwealth and options for those in need can be found at agriculture.pa.gov/foodsecurity.
To read the press release, click here.
On January 31, House and Senate Democrats announced a school budget plan that would represent the largest investment in public education in Pennsylvania history.
The $3.75 billion outline, dubbed the Full Funding Plan, would take advantage of an expected $6 billion year-end state revenue balance to address generational inequity, crumbling school infrastructure and staffing problems exacerbated by the pandemic.
A press release states that inadequate school funding and disinvestment in struggling communities are at the root of numerous costly social problems and that the plan is an opportunity to truly create the “‘thorough and efficient’ system of public education that our constitution requires.”
The plan would make significant additional investments in the following areas:
“We are confident in the sustainability of this plan because Pennsylvania is experiencing an unprecedented revenue surplus due to a huge economic turnaround aided by federal investments,” said State Sen. Vincent Hughes, Democratic Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “There can be no more excuses for toxic schools and inequality of opportunity. We are sitting on the largest pool of unspent funds in Pennsylvania history.”
Hughes said state revenues are on track to outperform estimates by well over $2 billion, while nearly $2.2 billion of American Rescue Plan funds remain unused.
“The time is now. The time is right,” said Sen. Jay Costa, the Democratic Leader. “The resources are there, and its incumbent upon all of us to really make a significant statement on the steps we need to take to adequately fund public education.”
Pennsylvania’s strong revenues combined with federal assistance will result in a year-end balance of well over $6 billion.
To view the press release, click here.