2018 PASA AWARDS OF ACHIEVEMENT THREE ... Flyer/2018/PFNov18.pdfchange process to better prepare students for the future. There is no going back. Moore’s law continues to advance

Inside this issue...Executive Director’s Message .......... 2At the Capitol ....................................... 3Noteworthy Quotes ........................... 5From the President’s Pen ................. 6Connection ........................................... 7PASA Leadership Forum ................... 8Southeast Region WC Dinner Another Success ........................... 8Women’s Caucus News ..................... 9WC Seeking Nominations for Two Awards .................................... 9Aspiring to Leadership ...................10$60,000 Donorschoose.org Fall into Funding Sweepstakes ......10Professional Development ............11Professional Learning ......................12PA Educational Leadership Summit ...........................................13Communications Tip .......................13The Importance of Cyber Security .............................13PASA/PSBA Conf. Recap .......... 14-16Questec Article ..................................17PASA Legal Services .........................17Our PASA Sponsors ..........................18SDs in the News ................................19AASA News .........................................19The Advocate .....................................20Member News ...................................21PASA Calendar ...................................21

2018 PASA AWARDS OF ACHIEVEMENTTHREE ADMINISTRATORS RECOGNIZED

FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATION AND COMMUNITIES

VOL. 61, NO. 2 - NOVEMBER 2018

See Awards of Achievement, page 4

Three Pennsylvania educators were recognized for outstanding leadership in education during the PASA Recognition Luncheon on October 18 at the PASA/PSBA Annual Leadership Conference in Hershey.

The PASA Awards of Achievement were established by the PASA Board of Gover-nors to recognize outstanding leadership among school administrators. Each award sponsor is contributing $1,000 toward the Pennsylvania administrator preparation program or scholarship fund of the recipi-ent’s choice. Recipients were chosen by the PASA Executive Committee from among those nominated.

Dr. Nancy HackerSuperintendent, Springfield TownshipLEADERSHIP IN PUBLIC EDUCATIONSponsor: PLGIT/PFM

In her role as a superintendent of several school districts in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Nancy has been a champion for her students, community and public education.

Having served in education for 40 years, as an administrator for over 26 years and as a superintendent since 2004, Nancy has demonstrated a commitment to constant, thorough and compassionate engagement with community, staff, board and stu-

dents, all aimed at raising student achievement, providing effective management, and ensuring a posi-tive climate conducive to student learning.

Whether it is leading initia-tives such as a Key Communicators Council, championing her district

to be the first in the commonwealth to put a transgender policy in place, or coordinat-ing discussions with stakeholders about the infrastructure needs of a growing district, Nancy is continually and effectively leading efforts to balance fiscal responsibility and community concerns with the need to pro-vide what is best for kids. She has resiliently and respectfully stood at the forefront and

LEFT: Jamie Doyle (L) and Jon Molloy of the Pennsylvania Local Govern-ment Investment Trust (PLGIT), award sponsor, with Dr. Nancy Hacker, along with PASA President Dr. Emilie Lonardi (R).

RESOLUTIONS APPROVEDDuring the PASA business meeting on Thursday, Oct. 18, in Hershey, part of the PASA/PSBA School Leadership Conference, PASA members present unanimously approved the 2018-19 PASA Resolutions as revised by the Resolutions Committee and recommended by the Board of Governors. The Resolutions offers guidelines for PASA’s positions on both ongoing and “new” education issues. The revised document is posted on the PASA website at www.pasa-net.org.

PASA Flyer - November 20182

The PASA Flyer is published monthly by the

Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators.

PRESIDENTDr. Richard Fry, Superintendent

Big Spring School District

TREASURERDr. John Bell, Superintendent

Delaware Valley School District

PRESIDENT-ELECTDr. Jeffrey Fuller, Superintendent,

Freedom Area School District

PAST PRESIDENTDr. Emilie Lonardi, Superintendent Downingtown Area School District

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORDr. Mark DiRocco

ASSISTANT TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Barbara W. Jewett

DESIGN EDITORSuzanne K. Yorty

Correspondence regarding the PASA Flyer can be mailed to:

PASA2608 Market Place

Harrisburg, PA 17110(717) 540-4448

(717) 540-4405 faxemail to [email protected]

Visit our web site at www.pasa-net.org

PASA Members: Please report your appoint-ments, renewals, awards or special achievements, or that of others in your region to Barbara Jewett at PASA either by phone (717) 540-4448, by fax (717) 540-4405, or via email at [email protected]. Copy deadline is the 8th of each month.

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORDR. MARK DIROCCO

LEADING SCHOOLS IN A TIME OF ACCELERATION

Proud Leadership for Pennsylvania Schools

I recently had the opportunity to attend a presentation at Mes-siah College by Thomas Friedman, the award winning journalist and foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times. Mr. Friedman is best known for his books The World is Flat and Thank You For Being Late: An Optimist Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations.

I sat in the audience mesmerized by his presentation as he eloquently and vividly explained the trends that are affecting the world today with great im-pacts on our economics, politics, and society in general.

Perhaps the most important trend is the acceleration of technology. In 1960, Gordon Moore, co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel, wrote a paper

where he projected that the number of components in semiconductor units would double in their capacity every year. He later revised the projection to every two years. It has become known as “Moore’s Law,” and it was initially thought that the ability to double the capacity of semiconductor units would eventually slow within a decade. However, the pace has continued, and we are experiencing technological advances at a frenetic pace throughout the world.

This has made the job of school leadership more complex than any time in our history. Today, school leaders must constantly be looking over the horizon to project what students will need to be successful in their world. However, the workplace and world economies are changing so fast, it is difficult to know specifically what students will need for future careers.

Consider that the iPhone, Airbnb, Uber, Google’s Android software, the Amazon Kindle, the IBM Watson Super Computer, Twitter and Facebook were all introduced in late 2006 or 2007, along with Amazon’s new software that allowed for one-click purchasing on its Internet platform. All these industries have only been with us for a little more than a decade, but they have profoundly changed our world by advancing services through technology and creating an incredibly large workforce that no one could have foreseen in the early 2000s.

Friedman stated that this “supernova” of technology has fundamentally changed the world our students will inherit. The smartphone industry has exploded, Airbnb is the largest hotel entity in the world, and Uber is the largest taxi company in the world. Our politics, school en-vironments and daily life are heavily influenced by Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Amazon is the largest retailer in the United States and the second largest in the world.

This explosion of technology has advanced so quickly it has caused some to theorize that technological advances are moving faster than human beings are capable of adapting to the change. The cycles of innovation are becoming shorter, providing less time for humans to learn and adapt. This creates an uneasiness within people as they try to keep up the frenetic pace of change and what it means to them personally. This can lead to pushback in a variety of ways from those who are negatively affected by the change or who want to return to a more comfort-able time. We see this in our politics, our communities, and in our family and social structures.

We have many courageous leaders in our schools who are instituting supernova changes such as personalized learning, one-to-one initiatives that promote digital and media literacy, project-based learning, maker spaces, and new curricula that emphasizes the Four C’s (cre-ativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication). The educational technology that we have introduced to children in the last decade, along with new curricula and skill sets, are breaking through the old paradigms of learning at a much faster pace than policymakers and the public realize.

These modern skills and attributes are not being measured by outmoded standardized tests, which only provide a narrow report of what is actually learned and accomplished by our students. Yet, policymakers and the public continue to seek a simple set of numbers to evalu-ate the effectiveness of schools.

Despite the constraints of our current evaluation system, district leaders need to lead the change process to better prepare students for the future. There is no going back. Moore’s law continues to advance.

Friedman concluded his talk by explaining that the key to advancing communities in a

See Exec. Director’s Message, page 5

PASA Flyer - November 2018 3

AT THE C

APITO

LNEWS RECAP

Don’t forget to check the PASA website for the weekly Education Update that provides a summary of up-to-date legislative, state and national education news. For more information on the following news briefs, see the PASA Web site at www.pasa-net.org. (Click on “News and Advocacy” to ac-cess the current and archived updates.)

And follow us on Twitter for the latest updates @PASASupts.

ELECTION NEWSState Level: Gov. Wolf and U.S. Senator Bob Casey easily won their bids for reelection. In the state House, Republicans will maintain their majority, although down 10 seats and with fewer moderate Republican members. In the state Senate, the Republican edge drops by 5, with a 29-21 majority. Congressional Races: Pennsylvania will send an equal number of Republicans and Democrats to the U.S. House in January, including a record four women, all from the southeast. Democrats took back the majority in the House, which will be increasingly diverse and include significantly more women. Meanwhile, in the U.S. Senate, with most of the races being held in predominantly Republican-leaning states, Republicans were able to keep or capture sufficient seats to provide them with a continuing and expanded majority in that chamber, with a few seats still to be determined in close races.

SCHOOL SAFETY NEWSArming School Staff: The Tamaqua Area school board recently became the first in the Commonwealth to adopt a policy allowing school district staff to be armed.

STATE BUDGET NEWSPSERS Fiscal Report: The Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS) has reported that the fund posted a positive return of 9.27 percent for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018 and earned $4.7 billion in investment income net of fees. PSERS also noted that, for the second consecutive year, the fund received full actuarial funding from school employers and the Commonwealth after 15 previous years of underfunding.State Revenue: Pennsylvania collected $2.5 billion in General Fund revenue in October, which was $28.3 million, or 1.2 percent, more than anticipated. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $10 billion, which is $238 million, or 2.4 percent, above estimate. Since the start of the 2018-19 fiscal year, overall tax revenue is $893.2 million, or 9.9 percent, more than was collected in the same period of the last fiscal year.

IN LEGISLATIVE NEWSSession Schedule: The 2017-18 legislative session is nearly over, with lawmakers returning to Harrisburg only for one day this month in nonvoting session. All bills not signed into law over the course of the two-year term will need to be introduced when the General Assembly reconvenes in January for the new two-year session.Graduation Requirements: Gov. Wolf has signed into law SB 1095, a bill that amends the School Code concerning graduation require-ments and provide students with additional options to be eligible to graduate. PASA strongly supported the bill.

Other Bills Signed into Law: The governor signed a number of other bills into law last month, including bills governing executive session for safety discussions, school bus cameras, student sunscreen use, and certificate grade spans for special education teachers, among others.Legislator Convicted: State Rep. Vanessa Brown (D-Phil-adelphia) was convicted last week of conflict-of-interest, lying on her state financial report and taking $4,000 worth of bribes from an informant for then-Attorney General Tom Corbett’s office in early 2011.

STATE NEWSTest Scores: The Pa Department of Education released the 2018 PSSA and Keystone Exam results, which showed little change from 2017 other than a 12 percent rise in science test scores.Special Education Funding: A report issued last month by the Education Law Center and PA Schools Work found that special education costs are rising much faster in Pennsyl-vania than is state aid, causing local taxpayers to foot most of the bill, stretching school budgets thin and increasing inequities between rich and poor districts.Teacher Diversity: More than 60 years after the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling, an analysis of state data shows persistently stark disparities between the racial composi-tion of teachers and students in Pennsylvania’s schools — among the widest gaps in the country. Just 5.6 percent of Pennsylvania’s teachers are persons of color, compared to 33.1 percent of its students.

NATIONAL NEWSUnion Membership: According to some news reports, membership in the national Education Association has dropped by about 17,000 since April, mostly due to the recent Janus decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. The NEA has predicted it will lose about 300,000 members over the next two years.The Teaching Profession: According to a study authored by Richard Ingersoll of the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, schools are hiring more teachers than ever but are struggling to keep them in the profession. The study also found that, as a result, students are more likely to have new teachers rather than more experienced teachers.Access to Advanced Courses: Students attending high-poverty schools, particularly smaller schools, have less ac-cess than their peers in low-poverty schools to the advanced courses that colleges tend to expect of their applicants, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released in late October.

COMING UP With the election over, lawmakers will return to Har-risburg this month for only one day in nonvoting session, primarily to recognize outgoing and retiring members. Things should be quiet at the Capitol over the holidays, with session ending on Nov. 30 and the new session begin in January. Meanwhile, Gov. Wolf, newly reelected, will be preparing a proposed 2019-20 state budget, to be unveiled in early February. As always, stay tuned for the latest infor-mation by following us on Twitter @PASASupts.


AWARDS OF ACHIEVEMENTcontinued from page 1

been an advocate for equality for ALL staff and students.In addition, Nancy champions her administrative team and

future school leaders to further their professional goals and en-courages life-long learning among her entire staff. And she sets the example by serving as an adjunct professor, mentoring admin-istrators, conducting professional development workshops on the local, state and national level, serving on professional councils, and publishing numerous articles, all focused on a wide variety of issues, from study skills to emotional intelligence in children to handling crises in schools.

Nancy’s leadership on all levels is a testament to her commit-ment to and leadership in public education.

In nominating Nancy for the award, Emily Kehr, Director of Hu-man Resources for Springfield Township, said, “We often hear from candidates that Springfield Township is a welcoming school district, and many candidates strive to want to work for our district as a result of the working environment she has created for all stakeholders.

“I cannot imagine that I will ever work for a more thoughtful, intelligent, compassionate and student-centered leader than Dr. Hacker.”

ABOVE: Dom Pendino of Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc.(L), award sponsor with Michael Vuckovich and Dr. Lonardi

Michael VuckovichSuperintendent, Indiana AreaINSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIPSponsor: Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc.

The award recognizes a school administrator who has dem-onstrated commitment to excellence in teaching and learning by developing, nurturing and supporting exemplary programs that support the academic achievement of particular student popula-tions, enrich student learning in a particular content area, or imple-ment strategies to enhance student learning across the curriculum.

In his new role as superintendent in Indiana Area, Mike brings with him a model of leadership and success gained from his years as an administrator in the Greater Johnstown School District, begin-ning as a high school principal, then Director of Education and as Interim Superintendent of that district.

During his tenure there, he designed and implemented in the high school a dual enrollment program that resulted in a 400 percent increase in student participation and an Associate’s Degree program which graduated the largest number of students in the

commonwealth. In addition, he created an International School, a system for differentiated supervision, a model for professional development, a technology integration plan, an information man-agement system, and an educational design and five-year vision to direct district initiatives.

Mike effectively met the challenge of developing and directing these initiatives despite the fiscal challenges of leading a district that is one of the most under-resourced in Pennsylvania. Under his leadership and direction, the district increased opportunities for students by overcoming a deficit and low fund balance, reducing costs, redesigning facility needs and negotiating a teacher contract that maintained support for teachers and their families while still saving the district over $1.5 million.

As a graduate of the Educational Leadership & Policy Center’s Fellows program, Michael is a strong advocate for students, and led the fight for adequate school funding through communication and outreach with community and lawmakers, tightened up the district’s internal controls to ensure a spotless audit, led a comprehensive planning initiative, ensured the district met the Career Readiness Indicator requirements under ESSA, led the district to its highest levels of PVAAS growth in years, and initiated new programs aimed at ensuring at-risk students had a variety of pathways to success.

Robert Heinrich, a former principal in the district, said of him, “His passion, drive, strategic leadership and tireless efforts have inspired and united our community, and resulted in extremely posi-tive results in a district that is facing extremely difficult challenges. His impressive efforts in Greater Johnstown will be a strong asset for Indiana Area.”

Dr. Amy SichelSuperintendent, AbingtonSERVICE TO THE PROFESSIONSponsor: Horace Mann

The award recognizes a school administrator who has demon-strated commitment to excellence as evidenced through notable service to the profession.

Amy and her accomplishments are no secret in Pennsylvania. She has had a long track record of success in Abington and in public education, having served on the district’s faculty for 43 years and as superintendent for 18 years. Throughout those years, she has been a

ABOVE: Joe Brophy of Horace Mann, award sponsor, with Dr. Amy Sichel and Dr. Lonardi

Continued on next page


strong advocate for narrowing the achievement gaps for historically under-represented students and promoting positive and forward-thinking school district leadership in her district and intermediate unit, and on both the state and national level.

As superintendent, Amy has continually worked toward innova-tion and student achievement, never satisfied with the status quo, and taking the risks necessary to support her staff and students in their educational journeys. Throughout her career, she has emphasized the importance of both professionalism and positive leadership in doing what is best for students and public education.

Amy has set the bar as an example of that commitment. From 2013-14 she served as President of AASA, The School

Superintendents Association, served as PASA President from 2010-11 and was selected as the 2010 Pennsylvania Superintendent of the Year. Also in 2010 she was named an eSchool News Tech-Savvy Superintendent for her vision, leadership and accomplishments in educational technology, and co-authored a chapter in the book Excellence Through Equity: Five Principles of Courageous Leadership to Guide Achievement for Every Student by Alan Blankstein and Dr. Pedro Noguero.

Amy consults with AASA’s National Superintendent Certifica-tion Program as the Lead Superintendent Educator for curriculum and professional development and as a mentor to early career and aspiring superintendents.

In addition, in her role as chair of the PASA Membership Com-mittee, she serves on the PASA Board of Governors, developing strategies to build membership through various initiatives and strategies, and emphasizing the strong connection between profes-sionalism and professional membership with a network of school administrators.

Upon her election as AASA President, former AASA President Pat Neudecker said of Amy, “She has been a clear voice for educa-tion in the public debate.” Dan Domenech, AASA Executive Director, added, “This a time when we urgently need leaders who are willing to engage in the national discussions about education. Amy will represent us well. This organization is fortunate to have strong lead-ers such as Amy among its members.” The same can be said of PASA.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2018 PASA AWARD OF ACHIEVEMENT RECIPIENTS!

AWARDS OF ACHIEVEMENTcontinued from page 4

positive manner is to focus on relationships. Communities that work together across political and socioeconomic labels are the most successful because they are the best at solving problems.

Dignity, respect, and responsibility are characteristics that educators can develop in their students to help them build relationships with others and solve problems. These traits will help students adapt to the supernova of changes and enter their future ready to be part of an ever-evolving workforce and society.

This is the time for courageous leadership. Push forward!

EXEC. DIRECTOR’S MESSAGEcontinued from page 2

HOLIDAY OFFICE CLOSINGS

The PASA office will be closed Nov. 22-23, Dec. 24-25, Dec. 31

and Jan. 1 for the holidays.

“Reform rhetoric about the failures of America’s schools is both overheated and off the mark. Our schools haven’t failed. Most are as good as the schools anyplace else in the world. And in schools where that isn’t the case, the problem isn’t unions or bureaucracies or an absence of choice. The problem is us. The problem is the limit of our embrace. Perhaps, then, a reset is in order. Instead of telling a largely untrue story about a system in decline – a story that absolves us of any personal responsibility – we might begin telling a different story: about a system that works. It works to deliver a high-quality education to those we collectively embrace. And it works in a different way for those we have collectively refused. When a school fails, it is because we have failed.” – Jack Schneider, assistant professor of educa-tion at the University of Massachusetts, from “How Are America’s Public Schools Really Doing?,” as published in The Washington Post, 10/25/18

“Preparation for 21st century success cannot be measured just by performance on high stakes tests. In an economy which demands multiple skill sets and includes varying educational pathways to good-paying jobs, students should have multiple ways to demonstrate that they are college and career ready.” – Gov. Tom Wolf, upon signing SB 1095, which reduces the reli-ance on high-stakes testing as a graduation requirement, from a press release, 10/15/18

“Pennsylvania’s growing reliance on locally designated fund-ing to provide needed services for students with disabilities is unsustainable. It forces local school boards to choose between raising additional revenue to meet funding gaps, spreading limited resources across a range of programs, and/or reducing needed services and supports for students with disabilities. It exposes families to local tax increases and service cuts.” – from a report (“Shortchanging Children with Disabilities: State Under-funding of Special Education in Pennsylvania”) recently released by the Education Law Center

NOTEWORTHY QUOTES


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MID-TERM ELECTION BUZZ & STATE CONFERENCE THOUGHTS

BY DR. RICHARD W. FRY, 2018-19 PASA PRESIDENT

We made it through a very unique mid-term election cycle, and now the wait-and-see process begins at the state level as our newly elected rep-resentation prepare to take office in January. We have some idea of what the legislative platform may be come

2019, but until all legislators are seated, there is still a lull creating anticipation for what is to come.

No matter the legislative agenda, PASA stands ready to continue engagement in the legislative process with the help of our Resolutions document that consistently guides our activities. It is critical that we stay proactive with all legislators and utilize the best interest of our students and school communities as a guiding light. This truly defines our role as advocates for public education: repre-sentation of our students and greater school community.

At our statewide conference in October at Hershey, we had the opportunity as an organization to recognize four very deserving colleagues for contributions they have made to their educational community as well as Pennsylvania’s system of education. Dr. Nancy Hacker, Dr. Amy Sichel, Mr. Michael Vuckovich and Dr. Emilie Lonardi all are very deserving of the honors bestowed on them.

As I reviewed each of their professional stories, the uniqueness of their journey stood out to me. It was inter-esting to see how they ascended to the superintendency and the various stops within their educational careers to date. As I listened to four truly gifted leaders with varying backgrounds accept their awards, I heard two very con-sistent themes from our honored colleagues: advocacy and collegial support.

The most recent election cycle brings advocacy to the forefront, but both advocacy and collegial support are equally important to our role as school leaders and are clearly reflected in PASA’s recently completed six-year Strategic Plan. Advocacy, along with consistent collegial support and professional development, are key compo-nents of any well-rounded state organization.

As I thought more about these two key components articulated by each award recipient, I remembered how daunting they could be for a new superintendent. Then I quickly remembered a telling statistic for our profession in Pennsylvania: we average a 22% turnover on a yearly basis for school superintendents throughout the Com-monwealth. Some of those positions may be individuals already in the field, but a review of the most recent three-year window reveals that we’ve welcomed over 200 new superintendents as colleagues across our state. Those numbers are incredible and make me wonder: With that sort of turnover, how do we address key principles such as advocacy and collegial support/professional development for our newer superintendents?

I departed the conference and discussed these two critical components with some colleagues that began

their journeys as school system leaders within the last several years. Again what I heard was quite consistent when discussing these two key components:

1. Advocacy is tough to get to early in their careers as they work to understand their own local culture and the norms of their Board of School Directors and school community. It is something over time that newly seated superintendents get more comfortable with, but most deferred a fair share of this work to their more senior col leagues to handle. 2. Collegial support in the form of finding a mentor and building a support network from those in the field was much more critical than any sort of advocacy work. Developing relationships with neighboring school leaders and leaders throughout the state proved critical within their first several years.So today, as I reflect on the most recent election cycle and my

time in Hershey last month, I’m left with some thoughts to guide my own practice moving forward.

My 14 years as Superintendent of Schools in one school district certainly provides me the opportunity to reach out and support col-leagues with lessons learned in my setting. This experience has also provided me the opportunity to develop a clear story that depicts a Big Spring student and the needs of our learning community.

But given all of the whirlwind necessities of the job, I still need to find time to provide those two important principles, advocacy and collegial support. In the end, the time spent on those two areas should help provide an opportunity to colleagues new to the profession to write their own story and, in time, become vital advocates for our learners.

So my challenge to all is quite simple: If you are new to the profession, define your support network for collegial support, and if you are established, be sure to support someone new and find time to tell your district’s story both locally and statewide as an advocate.

PA SCHOOLS WORK REGIONAL SUMMITS: INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE!

Join your colleagues and community leaders to kick off a historic school funding campaign focused on adequate, equi-table and sustainable education funding for students across Pennsylvania.

The PA Schools Work Regional Summits will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, November 17 in eight locations: Allegheny IU 3, BLaST IU 17, Colonial IU 20, PSBA (Mechanics-burg), American Reading Company (201 South Gulph Road, King of Prussia, PA 19406), Central IU 10, Luzerne IU 18 and St. Brigid Church(383 Arch Street, Meadville, PA 16335).

Click here for the full agenda. Click here to register. Click here to learn more about PA Works.

https://www.pasa-net.org/resolpriorities

https://www.pasa-net.org/Files/Docs/StratPlanWeb.pdf

http://file2.pasbo.org/PASchoolsWorkRegionalAgenda.pdf

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pa-schools-work-communities-united-for-our-students-future-tickets-46944712900

http://paschoolswork.org/


CONNECTIONBY BARBARA W. JEWETT, ASSISTANT TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Can I see another’s woe,And not be in sorrow too?Can I see another’s grief,

And not seek for kind relief?- From “On Another’s Sorrow” in Songs of Innocence

by William Blake (1789)

I remember when John F. Kennedy was shot. It seemed like the world had come to an end. Following that event, with the rising conflict in Vietnam, the ongoing tensions in the Cold War, and the assassinations of both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy not many years after, it seemed that the world had gone crazy.

Given the tragic events of the last two weeks – and the threats of violence – it continues to feel that way, perhaps more so, as social media brings those events even closer.

Two are shot and killed while shopping at a Kroger supermar-ket in Kentucky. Two teens are killed when an erratic driver in the Warwick SD in Lancaster County caused an eight-car accident near the high school. One student shoots and kills a fellow student in a North Carolina high school. Lion Air Flight JT610 crashes into the Java Sea, killing all 189 people on board. Eleven worshipers meet-ing in a Pittsburgh synagogue are gunned down by an anti-Semitic madman. Three children, a 9-year-old girl and her twin 6-year-old brothers, are hit and killed by a pickup north of Indianapolis as they are crossing the road to get on to the school bus. A Delaware Val-ley High School football player loses control of his car and his life following a football banquet. A Tyrone Area school bus driver finds a seven-year old dead at a bus stop, apparently hit and killed by an delivery truck before the bus arrives. A gunman walks into a Florida yoga studio, kills two, wounds six and then shoots himself.

Tragedies. Tremendous, incomprehensible grief for families and friends of the victims and for their communities. And, for those of us in the broader human community, a tremendous sense of personal shock, of loss, of disbelief, a sense that anything, anyone we cherish and love can be gone at any moment for any senseless reason. Each of us feel it. As the poet John Donne wrote in his “Meditation XVII” in 1638:

Any man’s death diminishes me,because I am involved in mankind;and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;it tolls for thee.For our children, our students, with each tragic event, there is a

sense of diminished expectations about the future, their future. Every loss, whether it be the larger tragedy of a senseless shooting or a local accident or teen suicide, is continuously amplified through the connections of social media, thus compounding children’s capac-

ity to cope. And that provides a very real challenge for those who work in our schools.

School leaders and school teach-ers have had to help children cope with tragedy for generations. The Great Johnstown flood. World War I. World War II. The atom bomb. The Cold War and bomb shelters. Assas-sinations and attempted assassina-tions of public figures. More recently Columbine. The space shuttle explosion and the loss of the first teacher going to space. 9-11. Parkland. Tragic losses in local communities, sometimes in their own.

How do we make sense of the senseless? How do we muster forward into a future where everything feels so tenuous? And how do we help our kids do that?

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1928), Thornton Wilder tells the story of several seemingly random but ultimately interrelated people who die in the collapse of an Inca rope bridge in Peru, and the events in each of their lives that preceded their being on that bridge at that particular time. The novel then fol-lows a witness to the accident who seeks to learn more about the victims and find some kind of cosmic answer to “why.” At the end of the novel, one character makes this observation: "There is a land of the living and a land of the dead, and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning."

It seems trite, but no matter your religious beliefs concerning life and death and tragedy, the one universal human connector is just that – love. If we just focus on the tragic and allow it to consume us and dictate our daily lives, we lose a connection to those around us and a con-nection to the hope we need in a very complicated world. Love is more than a noun; it’s a verb, it means doing and acting. And that can be very powerful in counteracting the worst of our fears and doubts and those of our students. We must show it and live it.

We are rightly focused on school safety and security today, on securing classrooms and buildings, and keep-ing students safe. The 2018-19 PASA Resolutions reflects that, your school policies and planning reflect that, and no doubt your professional development does as well. The equally important concern we have is how to address our students’ emotional and mental well-being. You work on that every day. So do your teachers. It isn’t easy, but it’s never been more important.

Following the death of her father, the late Pres. Ronald Reagan, Patti Davis said, “It takes strength to make your way through grief, to grab hold of life and let it pull you forward.” Somehow, we all need to find the strength to help our students find true connection in their lives, to move forward, to see potential and life and hope, despite a world where tragedy too often takes center stage.

Keep that vision front-and-center in your security plans.

RESOLUTIO

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SOUTHEAST REGION WOMEN’S CAUCUS DINNER

ANOTHER SUCCESSBY DR. TINA KANE

The recent Annual Southeast Region Women’s Caucus Dinner held on Monday, October 29th in King of Prussia was the largest attended event to date.

Over 90 accomplished female administrators from five counties and three intermediate units attended, representing an array of administrative positions, including Superintendents, Assistant Su-perintendents, Building Level, Central Office Directors, Professional Development Staff and Curriculum Supervisors. This impressive group of women conversed with one another, shared ideas and suggestions regarding current trends in education, and enjoyed a wonderful meal together.

After dinner, Connie Kindler, PASA’s Consultant for Professional Development, introduced the Keynote Speaker after sharing the progress female administrators have made in the field of educa-tion through their courage and commitment to students, families, communities and one another.

The keynote speaker, Anna Barton from Kades Margolis, discussed financial planning and investing for the future. This im-portant topic was well received by the attendees as they gained valuable insight and advice to prepare for retirement.

Each year, the Southeast Region Caucus partners with an orga-nization to collect donations that support and empower women. This year’s donations were made to Career Wardrobe, a nonprofit organization that provides women with professional clothing, makeup, and accessories in order to help them rejoin the workforce.

Now the Southeast Region and all other regions in the PASA Women’s Caucus are looking forward to the Annual Conference, May 13-15h at Hotel Hershey and are excited about this year’s theme of “Grit, Growth, and Gains: Leading for Student Achieve-ment.”

One of the conference’s keynote speakers, Dr. Vierdre Ridgley-Jackson, specializes in transforming leaders through a holistic ap-proach to personal and professional development. Her presence at the October dinner generated excitement as she demonstrated her commitment and interest to form relationships with Caucus members. Next year’s Southeast Region dinner is already in the planning stage and set for Tuesday, November 12. The Caucus hopes to see you there! Tina is principal of Paxon Hollow MS in the Marple Newton SD and a member of the PASA Women’s Caucus Board.

Support - Inspire - Empower

Leading the Future of Public Education:

Bold Leaders Breaking BarriersMarch 17 - 18, 2019

Harrisburg Hilton Hotel

40 Hours of PIL Credit!

**KEYNOTE PRESENTERS**

ANTHONY KIMCEO and founder of Education Elements

Six New Rules for School

HEIDI HAYES JACOBSfounder and president of

Curriculum DesignersBold Moves for Schools

virtual presentation

DR. JOSEPH ERARDIformer superintendent of Newtown School District

K-12 Safety Best Practices

See the PASA website for more information at https://www.pasa-net.org/leadsummit.

SCHEDULE (tentative)

Sunday, March 174:00 p.m. Registration5:30 p.m. Welcome/Keynote7:00 p.m. Dinner

Monday, March 187:00 a.m. Breakfast8:00 a.m. “Ed Talks”9:30 a.m. Sessions/BreakoutsNoon Lunch/Keynote1:00 p.m. Sessions/Breakouts2:30 p.m. Keynote3:45 p.m. Wrap-Up

REGISTRATION FEE:EARLY BIRD THROUGH FEB. 18PASA Member: $299Non-Member: $399AFTER FEB. 18PASA Member: $349Non-Member: $449

NOTE: Payment is due in advance.Hotel rooms available at a special rate of $169 +tax.

Deadline: February 15.


WHERE ARE OUR FACES? DIVERSITY IS INTENTIONAL

BY TOMORROW JENKINS, ED.D., PASA WOMEN’S CAUCUS SECRETARY

Support - Inspire - Empower

FROM

THE WO

MEN

’S CA

UCUS

Diversity is intentional. This is a motto that I have

subscribed to in the past few years. I am not really sure where I found the saying, but it really resonated with me. In actuality,

if you think about it, it makes sense. In my interpretation of the phrase, if we want to see diversity,

we must be intentional about making it happen. How intentional are you about diversity? For example, if we want more students of color in AP courses, we must be intentional. If we want more girls in STEM, we must be intentional. How about more men in elementary class-rooms or more women in leadership roles? It takes intentionality.

For example, the person submitting or publishing the photo-graphs of the Women's Caucus conference would look for a good representation of the attendees if he or she was being intentional. When there is a call for student leaders, see if only NHS or AP stu-dents made the list. If so make a specific request for a more diverse representation in thought, experience or socio-economic status. Such students could be student leaders just the same.

This brings me to another quote I recently heard: “I am only as good as the opportunities set before me.”

Who on your leadership team, teaching staff or school com-munity is missing out on an opportunity not because of disqualifi-cation but because of lack of invitation? What gifts and talents are

we overlooking because we have not been intentional about seeking out more diversity?

In closing, I encourage every reader to make an intentional decision to in-tentionally diversify. Now this will look different to different people, in different parts of the state, and in different leadership capacities. Do not disqualify yourself. Consider the impact you can make by making one suggestion, providing one invitation, set-ting one expectation.

And, please don’t get stuck on color, or race or gen-der, or any of those things that cause separation. If these characteristics apply, then so be it. Yet if you look right in front of you, right now, where you are, and you can see that diversification would be a benefit, then decide that you are going to be intentional about making it happen. We have to decide to be strategic about intentionality, for lasting change.

Dr. Jenkins is Assistant Principal of Kennett High School in the Kennett Consolidated School District.

PASA WOMEN’S CAUCUS SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR TWO AWARDS

The PASA Women’s Caucus is seeking nominations for two special awards, awarded annually to women in education.

WANDA MCDANIEL AWARD This honor is awarded to an aspiring school educator or administrator who shows evidence of great leadership potential. The award is named for Dr. Wanda McDaniel, an outstanding administrator and superintendent who displayed a high quality of leadership.

MARGARET SMITH LEADERSHIP AWARD This honor is awarded to an administrator (active or retired) who has demonstrated proven leadership in edu-cation. The award is named for Dr. Margaret Smith, first president of the Women’s Caucus, a former Pennsylvania superintendent and a former PA Secretary of Education.

Nominators for both awards (two per nominee) must address four areas: the nominee’s leadership, sig-nificant contributions in inspiring women and/or peers, significant accomplishments and evidence of continuing professional or personal growth. Award recipients will be recognized at the Women’s Caucus Spring Conference, scheduled for May 13-15 in Hershey. Nominations for both awards are due by Friday, February 22. Writable forms are available on the PASA web site, http://www.pasa-net.org/wcawards.

**SAVE THE DATE**

Spring ConferenceGrit, Growth & Gains: Leading

for Student Achievement

sponsored by the PASA Women’s Caucus

Mon., May 13 – Wed., May 15Hotel Hershey

Featured Presenters:Dr. Veirdre Jackson

Beth Trapani

More information and registration coming soon!


designed to provide practical information and tools to assist those considering a future

career as a district cabinet-level leader and/or superintendent

Thinking about moving forward in your professional journey? Or know someone who is? These are the workshops aspiring school system leaders need!

ASPIRING TO CABINET-LEVEL/CENTRAL OFFICE LEADERSHIPPASA Office - Jan. 31, 2019 (April 8 - snow make-up date)Focus: an overview of cabinet positions; preparation for these roles; team building; the differences between contracted term and tenured compensation plans; and actions for successfully transitioning to the role that is right for you. Current super-intendents and a cabinet-level leaders will facilitate practice interviews with participants.

ASPIRING TO THE SUPERINTENDENCYPASA Office - Feb. 1, 2019 (April 9 - snow make-up date)Focus: an overview of the role, responsibilities and rewards of serving as a superintendent; balancing responsibilities; finding the right match; negotiating a sound contract; and entry plan-ning and transition. A search consultant will discuss the search process and tips for securing the job.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE8:00 a.m. - Check-in/continental breakfast

8:30 a.m. - Program begins (includes lunch)4:15 p.m. - Program concludes

REGISTRATION FEE:

$159 (per day). Register for one day or both days!

BONUS: EARN GRADUATE CREDIT! PASA is partnering with Shippensburg University to provide the option of earning three Shippensburg University graduate credits that can be applied to its nationally recognized Letter of Eligibility Program. The credit option requires two weekend seminars and a field experience through Shippensburg Univer-sity, in addition to participation in both days of PASA’s Aspiring to Leadership Workshops. Those seeking this option must be currently serving in an administrative or supervisory position.

Want more information? Need to register? See the PASA website at

https://www.pasa-net.org/aspiring.

workshop

$60,000 DONORSCHOOSE.ORG FALL INTO FUNDING

SWEEPSTAKESNow through Nov. 30, Horace Mann is giving away up to

$60,000 in DonorsChoose.org funding. And this time, they’re spreading the wealth even further: Administrators,

principals and teachers are all eligible to win!

40 winners will receive up to $250 in DonorsChoose.org funding

10 winners per month through November

10 grand-prize winners will receive up to $5,000 in DonorsChose.org funding

Winners will be announced in December.

ENTER NOW!

Feel free to contact your local representative to learn more.

Official Rules

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!For breaking education news and the lat-est from the Capitol, follow us on Twitter

@PASASupts.

Find what you need to know in the weekly “Education Update.” Watch your email on Mondays

for the E-Update and link to this weekly report, a source for the latest in education and budget news from

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and the nation.

Check the PASA website at www.pasa-net.org for reports, testimony, the program and meeting schedule, archived

Updates, the PASA Career Center (job postings)…and more!

http://www.horacemann.com/teacher-lounge/contests/DonorsChoose?utm_source=association&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PASA00023

https://customer.horacemann.com/quote/locator/default.aspx

https://woobox.com/fb2pe8/rules


REFLECTIONS ON DR. ROBYN JACKSON’S KEYNOTE AT THE 2018 PASA/PSBA SCHOOL

LEADERSHIP CONFERENCEBY LYNN FUINI-HETTEN, ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT, SALISBURY TOWNSHIP SD

PROFESSIO

NA

L DEVELOPM

ENT

Did you attend the 2018 PASA/PSBA School Leadership Confer-ence in Hershey? If you were sitting in the large ballroom for the opening keynote on Wednesday morning, you had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Robyn Jackson, who also presented at the Women’s Caucus Conference many years ago.

Her message – “Are You a Boss, Leader, or Builder? What It REALLY Takes To Transform Schools” - kicked off the conference. As stated in the conference program, the focus of her message was “Good News: You CAN transform schools and make a huge difference in the lives of students. Bad News: Leadership alone won't get you there. In this thought-provoking keynote, find out the 4 Disciplines you need to practice if you want to transform school in this challeng-ing environment and discover the 5 key shifts you need to make now in order to make a powerful difference with schools and the students you serve.”

Robyn’s message asked us as school/district administrators to move beyond the idea of acting as a boss who might indicate subordinates should “go” and complete the work. She even asked us to move beyond the leadership approach to invite others along the way with a “let’s go.” She encouraged us as individuals to become builders who invite our stakeholders to “come” along with us as we focus on who we are and what we believe.

Our effectiveness as leaders – or builders – is directly related to our will and skill. (You might remember this framework from Robyn’s book Never Underestimate Your Teachers.) Our will is about our motivation to do what is right for our students, and our skill is our capacity to do what is right for our learners.

Think about the types of teachers and leaders in your district and take a look at this slide that Robyn shared. Where would they fall in these four quadrants?

If you understand and view each teacher/leader in your school/district through this lens, you may better understand each person and how to best support him or her.

Robyn cautioned us with “You cannot solve a will problem with a skill solution. You cannot solve a skill problem with a will solution.” That is a powerful statement. We need to tailor our solu-tions to the problems and challenges we are encountering.

How do we support these leaders/teachers? Robyn shared the following slide about what she calls “the

four disciplines of buildership.” I started to reflect on what we are

doing as leaders as we move towards our vision. If we are going to transform our schools, we need to have everyone moving forward. How do we best support our teachers and leaders within the “will and skill” quadrants?

Robyn gave a few insights related to feedback, sup-port, accountabil-ity, and culture. She proffered “bosses give one-way feed-back, leaders give two-way feedback, and builders provide

geometric feedback.” I had never heard the idea of “geo-metric feedback” or transcending beyond the typical two-person conversation. Builders think about where they want to go and the feedback needed between all stakeholders (teachers, leaders, community members); and then gather, collate, and share that feedback.

Shifting the conversation from feedback to support: bosses are punitive, leaders are reactive, and builders are proactive. How do we proactively provide support to our teachers and leaders? We can’t wait until we fail before we provide support.

Think about accountability: bosses blame, leaders set expectations, and builders come to agreements about moving forward. If we really want to have accountability, we all have to agree to being committed to the work. We will commit to each other, and keep our agreements.

The final discipline in the buildership model is culture. Bosses create a toxic culture, leaders create a collaborative culture, and builders work to transform the culture. What kind of culture do we have? How are we transforming the culture?

As builders, we need to constantly shift between feedback, support, accountability, and culture. When we approach problems and challenges, how can we look to these disciplines for potential solutions or opportunities?

What if we could get every teacher, every leader, ev-ery employee meaningfully engaged and excited about transformation?

Those of us participating in the Women’s Caucus net-working session at the conference reflected on Robyn’s keynote and processed some of her ideas. Through the collaborative conversation, we proffered there

are times in our careers when we need to be bosses, leaders and builders. But most importantly, we need to be thoughtful about our leadership – or buildership!

You can learn more about Robyn Jackson’s work here.

https://mail.pasa-net.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=G5EoTCBXuOJYvQo88a3yYccxJs0YoZGSQRqyxFfUTS2gR5tiaTvWCA..&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.ascd.org%2fPublications%2fBooks%2fOverview%2fNever-Underestimate-Your-Teachers.aspx

https://mail.pasa-net.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=gM7ZuOLsqMvpL-0cg7tx4RE-qjjdsTHUaq_TQpnpRSIPjCjCaTvWCA..&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.ascd.org%2fpublications%2fbooks%2f110028%2fchapters%2fWhat-Is-Masterful-Teaching%25C2%25A2.aspx


workshop

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING: REGISTER TODAY FOR 2018 - 19

Don’t miss out on a learning-rich series of professional develop-ment opportunities in PASA’s new membership year. Whether you are a new superintendent, someone aspiring to higher levels of school system leadership, or a school administrator who is looking to build your knowledge base and grow your leadership skills – PASA has a program for YOU!

Don’t miss these professional learning opportunities developed with YOUR needs in mind!

2018 Fall Webinar Series: “Avoiding the Pitfalls” Two webinars remain in the fall series! Take a short time out of your day and take advantage of these one-hour informational webinars focused on issues important to YOU! Nov. 14 (noon to 1 p.m.)PA Public Official and Employees Ethics Act: Overview & IssuesDec. 10 (noon to 1:30 p.m.)The Leader’s Role in Guiding Board Members on Sunshine Law, Use of Social Media and Email See more at https://www.pasa-net.org/webinars.

FREE WEBINAR - The Empowered Superintendent: Digital Transformation - co-hosted by PASA and CoSN This free webinar, co-hosted by PASA and the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and scheduled for Monday, December 17 at 1:00 p.m., is designed especially for superintendents and those on the leader-ship team leading digital transformation. The webinar will review a robust set of resources (including the Empowered Superintendent program) that can support you in the development of a powerful leadership team ready for digital transformation! Register for this free learning opportunity using this form.

New Superintendents’ Academy Part 3: Professional & Community Leadership New to the superintendency – or know someone who is? The New Superinten-dents’ Academy is a “must” for those new to the role or getting ready to make that

move. Join your colleagues from across the commonwealth within a network of school leaders, learn from experienced superintendents, and grow your knowledge base and leadership skills. In Session 3, scheduled for Jan. 8-9 in the PASA office, you will gain a rich understanding of the importance of effective and on-going communication, collaboration and empowerment of others inside and outside of the organization in the pursuit of excellence in student learning. New superintendents will learn strategies that engage all stakeholders. (NOTE: You do NOT have to take Academy sessions in order. Jump in!) [25 PIL credits available per two-day session] See more at https://www.pasa-net.org/workshopnsa.

Aspiring to Leadership Workshops*Aspiring to Cabinet-Level/Central Office LeadershipJan. 31 (PASA Office – Harrisburg)Aspiring to the SuperintendencyFeb. 1 (PASA office – Harrisburg)

See p. 10 for details.See more at https://www.pasa-net.org/aspiring.

PASA Leadership Forum:Informing, Engaging, Inspiring School Leaders(formerly the Education Congress)

“Bold Leaders Breaking Barriers”March 17-18 at the Harrisburg Hiltonwith Anthony Kim, Heidi Hayes Jacobs and Dr. Joseph Erardi

See p. 8 for details.See more at https://www.pasa-net.org/leadforum.

A capacity crowd of 60 school leaders participated in the first ever PASA Assistant Superintendent Summit on October 25 in Harrisburg. This is the first of new PASA programs designed to specifically serve Assistant Superintendents, Curriculum Direc-tors and central office administrators. Dr. Tracey Severns, na-tionally recognized teacher and school administrator, and Chief Academic Officer for the New Jersey Department of Education, led the summit, which included networking and discussion

focused on research theory and the practical application of the Assistant Superinten-dent's critical leadership be-haviors that most favorably impact student outcomes.


Each month, PASA, in coordina-tion with the Technology Committee and CoSN (Consortium for School Networking), will publish a monthly technology-focused news item of interest to members of PASA. This month's installment focuses on cyber security.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CYBER SECURITY

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and its state affiliate chapter, Pennsylvania Association for Educa-tional Communications and Technology, are honored to support the work of current and aspiring superintendents and district leadership teams in leading all aspects of digital learn-ing transformations. Last month CoSN shared information on Student Data Privacy with PASA members

This month we focus on the importance of cybersecurity. It seems that today there is not a week that passes without

a news story related to some sort of breach in security for one organization or another. As school districts rely more and more on digital tools for data records, instruction and many other fac-ets of school or district operations, it is incumbent upon school leaders to understand the issues around cybersecurity and take appropriate actions to prevent any sort of breach.

CoSN is pleased to help school leaders understand the urgency for assuring that school systems are secure by provid-ing a list of the top five reasons why school leaders must make cybersecurity a priority. You are encouraged to read this one-page document.

CoSN has partnered with edWeb to provide a series of monthly webinars on topics essential for leading digital trans-formations. School superintendents serve as panelists on each webinar and share their stories and expertise. The focus of the November 12, 2018 webinar (5:00 pm ET) is on cybersecurity. Click here to learn more and register for this free webinar.

If your school or district would like more information about joining CoSN or getting more involved with CoSN and/or PAECT, please contact Brian Calvary, CAE, CoSN Director of Membership and Chapters, at [email protected].

FREE WEBINAR ON DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION CO-HOSTED BY PASA AND COSN

PASA and CoSN will host a free webinar on Monday, De-cember 17 at 1:00 p.m. designed especially for superintendents and those on the leadership team leading digital transformation. The webinar will review a robust set of resources (including the Empowered Superintendent program) that can support you in the development of a powerful leadership team ready for digital transformation!

Register for this free learning opportunity using this form.

“I often hear people say they don’t want to start a podcast because they don’t have everything perfect. The intro music, the opening script, the catchy exit – all the factors holding the individual back from putting something out there. News flash! The story trumps the intro every time. Find great stories, record them and send them to the world. The people you serve don’t need you to be perfect. They need you to be real. This helps.” – Joe Sanfelippo, a Wisconsin superintendent, from “The Power of Podcasting,” as published in the November issue of AASA’s School Administrator. The issue focuses on the widespread opportunities for high school students to participate in dual credit programs.

NOTE: Joe Sanfelippo will be a featured speaker at this year’s PA Educational Leadership Summit (above).

COMMUNICATION TIP OF THE MONTH

DR. JOE SANFELIPPO, Superintendent of the Fall Creek SD (Wisconsin). His book, Hacking Leadership: 10 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Learning That Teachers, Students and Parents Love will be featured at the summit and will be required reading for all PIL participants.

JESSICA CABEEN, principal of Ellis Middle School in Austin, Minnesota. Jessica was awarded the NAESP/VINCI Digital Leader of Early Learn-ing Award in 2016, and in 2017 was named the Minnesota National Distinguished Principal.

Sponsored by…

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

SAVE THE DATE!

http://cosn.org/

https://www.paect.org/

https://www.paect.org/

http://www.cosn.org/sites/default/files/Superintendents Initiative - Privacy_0.pdf

http://www.cosn.org/sites/default/files/Superintendents Initiative - Cybersecurity_0.pdf

https://home.edweb.net/webinar/supers20181112/

http://www.cosn.org/sites/default/files/Superintendents Initiative - Cybersecurity_0.pdf

https://cosn.org/superintendents

https://goo.gl/forms/V1nz6toxiOaI1dKl1


2018 PASA/PSBA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE RECAP

School system leaders and school board members gathered in Hershey Oct. 16-18 for the annual PASA/PSBA Leadership Conference, which featured nationally known speakers, sessions, exhibits and special events.

LEFT: Dr. Michael Snell, 2018 Pennsylvania Superintendent of the Year, was recog-nized during both the opening session and the PASA Recognition Luncheon.

RIGHT: 2017-18 PASA President Dr. Emilie Lonardi (Downingtown Area SD), along with PSBA President Mike Faccinetto (Bethlehem Area SD), presided over the general sessions and was recognized dur-ing the conference for her year of service.

STUDENTSStudents were an integral part of this year’s conference, whether perform-ing or exhibiting successful school initiatives and programs at the Edu-cation Excellence Fair.

PASA AWARD RECIPIENTS

LEFT: Dr. Amy Sichel

CENTER: Michael Vuckovich

RIGHT:Dr. Nancy Hacker


FEATURED SPEAKERS

PASA RECOGNITION LUNCHSchool leaders and guests gathered Thursday for the PASA Recognition Luncheon. Highlights of the luncheon included recognition of the PASA Awards of Achievement recipients (see p. 1) and Dr. Emilie Lonardi for her service as association president in 2017-18.


RIGHT: 2018-19 PASA President Dr. Richard Fry presents a plaque to Dr. Lonardi, recognizing her year of ser-vice as president.

LEFT: Dr. Robyn Jackson, keynote speaker during the Opening Session, spoke about leadership for trans-forming schools.

LEFT: PASA Executive Director Mark Di-Rocco presented a “state of the association” overview during the conference breakfast on Friday morning, outlining PASA’s goals, challenges and accomplishments.

RIGHT: Dr. G. Terry Madonna of Franklin & Marshall University discussed Pennsylva-nia’s political landscape in an election year.

R IGHT: Chuck Under-wood, Thursday’s keynote speaker, spoke about gen-erational differences and workplace strategies.

ABOVE: Daryl Scott closed the conference on Friday, speaking about his daughter’s death in the Columbine tragedy and overcom-ing school violence.


SESSIONS & EXHIBITSConference attendees were able to both attend numerous general and education sessions during the conference and visit exhibits.


SAVE THE DATEThe 2019 conference is

scheduled for Oct. 16-18 in Hershey.

Conference photos courtesy of

Alan Wycheck Photography


PASA LEGAL SERVICES PASA’s legal staff offers a wide range of employment-related legal resources and services to PASA members who are Commissioned Officers. These services include consulting services, employment contract services, non-litigation dispute resolution, and assistance with

the negotiation and de-velopment of separation agreements.

Go to http://www.pasa-net.org/legalservices to read more about it.

In an age where only 42 percent of assignments are done by hand and more than 73 percent of teachers are using laptops or tablets every day in the classroom, technology is now one of the most critical elements involved in modern education with the power to impact learning.

While those who remember the days of traditional chalk-and-blackboard teaching may feel nervous picturing today’s students with their eyes glued constantly to a technology device rather than actively engaging with the teacher or their peers, evi-dence suggests that technology has, in fact, become the champion of individualized learning, while empowering those students who would normally not allow their voices to be heard.

“We have students who may not be comfortable raising their hand in class, so they send an email or message … Teachers can get on [Google classroom] and talk with students at night or on the weekend. They work on papers together that way,” says Dr. Ken Jewell, the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Wilmington Area School District, which has been a Questeq partner for more than three years. They recently received a “Google Reference Dis-trict” designation and Niche named them the #1 Best School District in Lawrence County.

The rigorous technology overhaul that started three years ago at WASD is now functioning like a well-oiled machine. Thanks to the hiring of new positions, such as a technology coach who works specifically with teachers, one-on-one personal development op-portunities and a culture of sharing and celebrating educational technology successes, WASD is experiencing complete educator support district-wide, resulting in innovative technology-fueled curriculum.

At WASD, they also developed new student information soft-ware that uses CDT testing data to target instruction to individual learners. Right now, they are starting with the Math classes, but plan to move on to ELA and Biology. The goal of this program is to enhance overall student enrichment for both the high performers and those who may be struggling.

Another Western Pennsylvania school, the ACLD Tillotson School, has also made huge strides in personalized learning for its students by making technology an essential component in its curriculum. Tillotson is a small, 75-student school providing sup-ports and services for K-12 students who have complex learning disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorders. It serves students in a seven-county area around Pittsburgh.

“We try to look at each student individually and see what their goals are and what they need assistance with,” says Brad Klingel-hoefer, Questeq Technology Coordinator at Tillotson. “If there is a technology program out there that can help them with a certain need—for example text-to-speech, touch-screen typing and moni-toring—we do everything we can to get it for them.”

Klingelhoefer and curriculum leaders at Tillotson have worked tirelessly to find technology that meets the needs of their overall student body as well. For example, they recently introduced Near-

pod, to help teachers with lesson plans and assessments and a new student information system to help track ILPs. They also replaced their library with a ‘Digital Learning Center,’ which the students renamed ‘The Tiger Zone,’ that is filled to the brim with the newest educational technology tools such as 3D printers, smart TVs, green

screens and video technology and more.

“Parents are in awe of how much technology we have,” says Klingelhoefer. “At our parent/teacher conference this year, one

of the parents was crying out of excitement that her kid gets to go here ... it’s all about teaching our students that technology is always going to be a tool for them to use when they transition out of here. Whatever they do, wherever they go, they will be familiar with these programs and know how it can improve their lives.”

SOURCE:Mid America Nazarene University- https://www.mnu.edu/

graduate/blogs-ideas/tech-in-the-classroom

WASD has been a Questeq partner for three years and the ACLD Tillotson School for two. Visit the Questeq blog at www.Questeq.com/Sup-Tips/ to read more about technology’s impact at both institutions.

From Questeq, a PASA “Platinum” SponsorEDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY ESSENTIAL TO

PERSONALIZED LEARNING

https://www.mnu.edu/graduate/blogs-ideas/tech-in-the-classroom

http://www.questeq.com/Sup-Tips/

http://www.pasa-net.org/legalservices


OUR PASA SPONSORS Thank you for your continuing support!

Visit the PASA website at www.pasa-net.org/pasasponsors for more information on the products and services our sponsors can offer YOU!

DIAMOND SPONSORS

Edmentum

Eidex Insights

Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc.

NaviGate Prepared

PFM/PLGIT

SuperEval PLATINUM SPONSORS

Horace Mann

Questeq

Spur

Edmentum


PFM/PLGIT

SuperEval

OUR PASA SPONSORSThank you for your continuing support!


DIAMOND SPONSORS

PLATINUM SPONSORS

Ed Leadership Sims

Eidex Insights

Horace Mann

Questeq

Spur

GOLD SPONSORS

Kades-Margolis Corp.

McClure Company

MIND Research Institute

BUSINESS SPONSORS

EasyProcure



DIAMOND SPONSORS

Edmentum

Eidex Insights


NaviGate Prepared

PFM/PLGIT


Horace Mann

Questeq

Spur



DIAMOND SPONSORS

Edmentum

Eidex Insights


NaviGate Prepared

PFM/PLGIT


Horace Mann

Questeq

Spur



DIAMOND SPONSORS

Edmentum

Eidex Insights


NaviGate Prepared

PFM/PLGIT


Horace Mann

Questeq

Spur

SILVER SPONSORS

The Fitness Headquarters


APPLE AWARD Steel Valley Middle School has received the Apple Distin-guished School Award. “This is a huge award to receive,” Steel Valley secondary campus principal Bryan Macuga said. “It shows we are really a hub of innovation and creating 21st Century learners.” Mr. Macuga said in order to receive the award, a school must demon-strate to the company that students are using Apple devices to learn in a number of innovative ways. He said it is the fourth year for one-on-one student/iPad use at the middle school, and that the devices are now integrated into the school’s daily curriculum. “We’re preparing kids for jobs that may not even exist right now,” he said. Click here to read more about it. (from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/1/18)

PAINTING THE PLOW Maplewood Junior-Senior High School is the Crawford County regional winner of PennDOT’s “Paint the Plow” safety outreach con-test which promotes winter driving safety and fosters appreciation for high school art programs. Maplewood won the “Fan Favorite” award, which was determined by online voting, by a slim margin over Titusville High school. The plow depicts the school mascot, a tiger, exploding out from the top of the plow, as well as the words “Slow Down” and “Save Lives.” The school also won the “Judges’ Pick” award, which was determined through voting by PennDOT Crawford County employees. During the winter weather season, the plow, as well as those painted by Titusville and Cochranton high school students, will be used to maintain Crawford County state-owned roadways. Click here to read more about it. (from The Meadville Tribune, 10/28/18).

PRINCIPAL RECOGNITION Charlene Symia is most comfortable when she’s celebrating others. But last month it was her turn to be recognized. The more-than-30-year Easton Area School District educator was named by the Pennsylvania Parent Teacher Association as the principal of the year. The Easton native is the longtime principal at Easton Area Middle School, where she oversees 2,000 children in grades six through eight. “She truly loves each and every one of those kids,” said middle school PTA President Michelle Robertson, who was among those who nominated Symia for the award. Click here to read more about it. (from The Easton Express-Times, 10/28/18).

COMPETITIVE ROBOTICS In a 70-foot by 30-foot steel building behind Palisades High School, nicknamed The Barn, students train for an uncommon sport. There are no weights or exercise equipment in the barn. Members of Cybersonics Technology Team 103 instead practice with motors, optical sensors and computer code to build the robots used com-petitively each year. Team 103 received the Gracious Professionalism Award and Entrepreneurship Award at the For Inspiration and Rec-ognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) World Championship in Detroit earlier this year. “None of us were really expecting it,” said Grace Eisenhart, 16, a team member since her freshman year. Click here to read more about it. (from The Bucks County Courier-Times, 10/25/18)

SCHOOL DISTRICTSin the news

NEWSFry Comments On IRS Tax Shelter Regulation

David Sovine, superintendent of Frederick County (Va.) Public Schools, and Richard Fry, superintendent of the Big Spring (Pa.) School District and PASA President, testified this week at a public hearing in Washington, D.C., about a regulation that the Internal Revenue Service is proposing that would close a tax shelter allowing individuals to profit by donating to private school voucher programs.

The proposed IRS regulation would put an end to the practice in Virginia, Pennsylvania and 10 other states where voucher sup-porters are receiving federal deductions and turning profits from donations to private school programs.

“Pennsylvania’s tax credit system is overwhelmingly geared toward private school vouchers with 90 percent of the funds going to private and religious schools,” said Fry. “Not only are most of the funds being diverted away from public schools, but the Pennsylva-nia Educational Improvement Tax Credit also provides a triple dip tax break for corporations that substantially reduces, or in some cases erases the cost of contributions.”

The following examples illustrate how the proposed regulation would treat various donations:• Individualswhodonate$100andreceiveallofitbackinstate tax cuts (i.e. tax credits) will receive no (zero) federal charitable deduction. They have already been fully reimbursed for their charitable donation. They should not be allowed to turn a profit from the donation.• Individualswhodonate$100andreceivethree-quarters($75) back in state cuts (i.e. tax credits) will only be allowed to write off the other one-quarter ($25) as a federal charitable deduction.

Kindness Challenge AASA is a lead partner with the Middle School Kindness Challenge, spearheaded by Stand for Children. The Challenge is a free, low-lift way to foster social and emotional development and improve your school environment during the critical middle school years. Sign up for the Fall 2018 Challenge today!

AASA Digital Consortium AASA Digital Consortium provides school district leaders the opportunity to work together to gain insight into emerging and successful models of best practices using digital media in support of effective learning experiences. Applications for the 2018-19 Digital Consortium are currently being accepted. Click here for informa-tion.

National Conference on Education Are you registered?? Registration remains open for the 2019 National Conference on Education, “Effective Leadership Creates Success,” scheduled for Feb. 14-16 in Los Angeles. See the AASA website, www.aasa.org, for information.

Join AASA today and become part of a supported community of school leaders nationwide who advocate for public education! See the AASA website, www.aasa.org, for details or contact the PASA office.


CHANGES TO PUBLIC CHARGE RULE WILL INCREASE BURDEN

ON PUBLIC SCHOOLSBY SASHA PUDELSKI, AASA ADVOCACY DIRECTOR

In October, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a proposed regulation that could have a profoundly negative impact on the immigrant children you educate.

The "public charge" regulation amends a policy that has been on the books for decades and is intended to ensure that immigrants who have entered the U.S. legally are not granted green cards or law-ful permanent resident cards if they are "likely to become primarily dependent on the government for subsistence." The Trump Admin-istration is changing the definition of a "public charge" to anyone who receives any assistance with health care, nutrition or housing.

One in four children in the U.S. -- nearly 18 million children -- has at least one immigrant parent here legally. The vast majority of these children – about 88 percent or 16 million – are U.S. citizens. Under the proposed regulation, if a child's parent is on a visa or is seeking lawful permanent resident status, he/she would be considered a "public charge" if they access Medicaid, food stamps or Section 8 housing vouchers at any period of time after the regulation is finalized. In addition, for the 12 percent of immigration children who are here on visas, they could lose a pathway to citizenship if they access Medicaid or potentially the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in the future.

Ultimately, the new “public charge” policy articulated in the proposed rule would terrify immigrant families and deter these families with children from seeking the help they need to lead healthy and productive lives.

Why does this matter to school leaders?Because of the complexity of the new regulation, it is predicted

that families (not just a family member who would be considered a “public charge”) will refuse to participate in Medicaid/CHIP, SNAP (food stamps) and public housing programs like Section 8. Specifically, this means that families with children who qualify for healthcare, nutrition and housing benefits will forego accessing these benefits for fear it could jeopardize a family member's path to citizenship.

Moreover, if a family is worried that a child with a visa could lose their pathway to citizenship if they access Medicaid/CHIP, then they will also refuse to allow the district to bill for these health or related services. AASA believes that this moves federal policy in the wrong direction. Instead of crafting policies that incentivize greater access for children's healthcare and nutritional and housing benefits, this regulation will reduce the number of children who access these benefits.

For district leaders, there are financial consequences if families are afraid to access healthcare via Medicaid/CHIP. A child who is no longer seeing a physician outside of school could become more reliant on school-based healthcare providers to meet their basic healthcare needs. More children could come to school without necessary vaccinations and fewer parents will consent to billing Medicaid for health services related to a student's IEP. Because the district still has an obligation to ensure children are healthy enough to learn, it will be forced to re-allocate local dollars to cover these costs since the district will not be granted permission by families to access Medicaid reimbursement for some of these expenses.

There are also financial consequences for districts if parents stop accessing food benefits via the SNAP program. Children who do not have access to proper nutrition outside the school will not come to school ready to learn. A child who has not eaten all week-end will come to school in a state of crisis and the district will be responsible for doing more to ensure that child's nutritional needs are met during the school day. For example, districts may opt to send home food over the weekend, provide free breakfasts and dinners, and will pay for these new programs with local dollars.

Finally, the proposed regulation would deter eligible immigrant families from seeking much-needed housing and homelessness benefits. If families opt out of housing opportunities in the com-munity and become homeless, families will experience increased housing instability, likely driving up homeless rates, increasing housing mobility, or both. Districts are already required to provide specific educational services for children under the McKinney-Vento Act to ensure that homeless children are able to continue to attend school. Given the under-funding of the McKinney-Vento Act, local dollars will have to be utilized to ensure districts meet the needs of a new and growing population of homeless students.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP? AASA has developed a template for school leaders to use to

push back against this regulation. Unfortunately, the comment process for this regulation is more complicated than usual, given the way the Department of Homeland Security views comments. District leaders will be required to personalize their comments us-ing the AASA template in order to submit their comments. All the information you need to comment is available here. In addition, you can reach out to Sasha Pudelski, [email protected] and she can provide direct technical assistance to you on submitting comments as well as submit them for you.

PASA Website Career Center Have an administrative position you need to fill? Or are you considering moving forward in your professional career?

As a courtesy to school administrators, public school em-ployers, and those seeking positions in school administration, PASA provides on its website the “PASA Career Center,” a listing of school administrator job openings, both in Pennsylvania and in the Mid-Atlantic region. Vacancies and available positions for public schools are posted at no charge upon request and review.

To request a vacancy announcement posting on this web site, send a message to the Webmaster. Please include your phone number with your e-mail request. Information needed includes: position, entity, contact name/address, description of the position, application deadline and application process. Additional position information may be included, depending on length.

(PASA reserves the right not to publish an open position or to modify submitted information.)


Please report member news to PASA at [email protected]. Announcements of professional vacancies across Pennsylvania and in neighboring states are posted on the PASA Web site at www.pasa-net.org (Click on the “Leadership Development” button and look for “Career Center.”)

NOVEMBER13 Technology Committee meeting (virtual)14 PASA Webinar: PSERS and Pensions15 Superintendent of the Year Luncheon (Harrisburg) Board of Governors’ meetings (Harrisburg)16 Board of Governors’ liaison meetings (PASA office)22-23 PASA office closed

DECEMBER5 Professional Development Committee meeting (virtual)10 PASA Webinar: The Board’s Governance Role, Communications17 Free Webinar with CoSN: The Empowered Superintendent 24-25 PASA office closed31 PASA office closed

JANUARY1 PASA office closed8-9 New Superintendents’ Academy Part 3 (PASA Office)15 Technology Committee meeting (virtual)21 PASA office closed23 Women’s Caucus Board meeting24 Joint Boards Dinner (Harrisburg)25 Board of Governors’ meeting (PASA office)31 Aspiring to Leadership Workshops (PASA office)

FEBRUARY1 Aspiring to Leadership Workshop (PASA office)5 Governor’s Budget Address6 Professional Development Committee meeting (virtual)14-16 AASA National Conference on Education (Los Angeles)18 PASA office closed

PASA CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2018-19For more information, see the PASA web site at www.pasa-net.org.

PASA

REGION 4 Debra DeBlasio has been appointed superintendent of the New Castle Area SD. She has been serving as acting superintendent following the retirement of John Sarandrea in August.

REGION 8 Dr. Edwin Bowser, superintendent of the Forest Hills SD, has announced he will be retiring effective Dec. 28. Bowser, a member of the PASA Resolutions Committee, has served in education for 38 years and as superintendent in the district since 2011.

REGION 17 Dr. Amy Martell is now serving as superintendent of the Troy Area SD. She previously served as superintendent in the Towanda Area SD. Martell replaces W. Charles Young, who retired from the position last December.

REGION 22 Dr. Charles Lentz has been appointed superintendent of the New Hope-Solebury SD, effective in December. He currently serves as assistant curriculum director for the Abington SD. Lentz will replace Chuck Malone, who has been serving as acting superin-tendent since July 1 following the resignation of Dr. Steve Yanni, who is now superintendent of the Upper Dublin SD.

PASA is sad to report the passing of VERNA HEN-DERSHOT, 85, who worked as PASA’s administra-tive assistant many years before retiring in the early 90s. Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband Robert, a former member of the State Board of Education and an Acting Secretary of Education, her children and grandchildren and friends.

Documents

2018 PASA AWARDS OF ACHIEVEMENT THREE ... Flyer/2018/PFNov18.pdfchange process to better prepare students for the future. There is no going back. Moore’s law continues to advance