It's been two weeks since a Commonwealth Court judge ruled Pennsylvania's system of funding public schools is unconstitutional and must be revamped.

Backers of the ruling are looking toward Gov. Josh Shapiro's new budget, expected March 7, to address the steps his administration will be taking to move toward compliance with the court decision.

Kristina Moon, senior staff attorney for the Education Law Center, called the victory "historic" for the petitioners: six school districts, parents, the NAACP of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools.

Moon said the judge wrote a "strong" decision, which is 786 pages long.

"The judge found that education is a fundamental right and spelled out, for the first time, what kind of education is required by the Pennsylvania Constitution," Moon explained. "'All students must have access to a comprehensive, effective and contemporary system of public education, so that every student has a meaningful opportunity to succeed academically, socially, and civically.' "

Moon noted the court ordered the governor and General Assembly to come up with a plan to ensure access, as well as adequate funding. The Commonwealth's K-12 system serves more than 1.7 million students.

In the case, which lasted eight years, Moon pointed out the decision means some validation for all the parents and educators who've been saying for years not enough money was being provided for resources for their students.

"They've been now validated by the court to say, 'You're right, this is not fair.' And it's in fact unconstitutional to not have enough funding from the state to be able to provide students what they need," Moon asserted.

Moon emphasized the judge took into consideration the challenges faced by underfunded school districts, and the wide gaps in graduation rates, standardized test scores, and opportunities between low and high-wealth districts. The ruling also referenced the current funding system -- which relies heavily on local property taxes -- as disproportionately affecting students in low-wealth districts.

"She noted that these gaps widened even further into unjustifiable disparities for students who are Black, Latino, economically disadvantaged and English learners," Moon observed. "The court concluded that every child can learn, and money does matter."

Moon added in hundreds of pages of testimony and evidence from the trial, the judge found students in underfunded districts can overcome challenges if they have access to the right resources, which wealthier districts have been able to provide.

High school graduates have the option before taking their next academic step to choose a gap year - for traveling, relaxing, or researching different careers. But a growing trend is to get an apprenticeship.

This summer, Indiana's Office of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship turns four - and well over 100 companies and organizations have set up apprenticeship programs based on its guidelines.

These positions can last a few months to several years, and provide workplace skills and insight.

Sue Smith - a vice president in the School of Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering, and Applied Science at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana - said these programs give an apprentice some definite advantages.

"Most apprenticeships have not only on-the-job training, but they also have the attainment of college credentials along the way," said Smith. "It's just a matter of not 'college or apprenticeship,' but 'college and apprenticeship.'"

Construction, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), electrical, carpentry and plumbing trades have traditionally been the most sought-after apprenticeships.

But Smith said the opportunities are expanding to include nursing, health sciences, Information Technology (IT), and cybersecurity.

Indiana has set standards for apprenticeships, in terms of the pay, work hours required, and the need for mentoring - as part of its State Earn and Learn (SEAL) program.

More employers across the state are meeting those standards, and Smith said an apprenticeship is a win for both student and employer.

"And we're getting," Smith said, "more and more of those, where the employer partner says, 'Hey, I'm looking for these folks. If you have them come into your classrooms and they're looking for this type of employment, let us know - connect us.'"

The Office of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship says 94% of apprentices who complete their programs retain employment and earn an average salary of $70,000 dollars a year.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.




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Massachusetts, like other states, continues to struggle with a shortage of teachers. But for one English teacher at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, not even a daily four-hour commute via car and ferry could keep her from the classroom.

Dani Charbonneau is the coordinator of an embedded alternative education program called Project Vine - which integrates "at-risk" students into the student body with the same curriculum and schedule, but with added adventurous field trips and special programming.

Charbonneau said if school is fun, kids will come.

"You know," said Charbonneau, "it can be very painful for some people to try and get through the traditional educational model, and there's room for alternatives."

Charbonneau - the 2023 Massachusetts "Teacher of the Year" - said Project Vine aims to increase student engagement, reduce chronic absenteeism, and break what is often a family legacy of bad high school experiences.

If she can do that, she said, students will start to view their education in a new light.

Charbonneau said what sets Project Vine apart from other alternative programs is that her "at risk" students are not apart from their peers, and are still able to participate in extracurricular activities and electives.

She's encouraged state education officials and lawmakers to create grants for schools interested in following the Project Vine model, and said she hopes they'll keep good data on their progress.

"So that we can get a real sense of what works," said Charbonneau, "and really use that to drive the educational choices that are being made."

As part of her state award, Charbonneau became a candidate for the "National Teacher of the Year." But she said she told the judges she wasn't interested.

The responsibilities and travel that come with the title would mean too much time away from her students.





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Arizona educators spoke out about what they're calling a teacher retention crisis in the state and released a proposed budget for how the state should address the issue.

According to the Arizona Education Association, as of last January, Arizona has almost 2,900 teacher vacancies.

Of the vacancies that have been filled, they say 45% of them have been filled by individuals who don't meet standard teacher certification requirements.

President of the Tucson Education Association Margaret Chaney said each one of those vacancies translates to a classroom full of students being taught by what she calls a "long-term sub" or classrooms being combined.

"Arizona has plenty of experience in talented educators," said Chaney, "but far too many are leaving the profession faster and earlier than previous years because of low salaries, underfunded schools and a lack of respect."

Those with the AEA released their 2023 Educator's Budget and are calling for increased salaries and wages so that Arizona can compete with other states to keep teachers in Arizona schools.

Amber Gould, a Glendale High School English teacher, was one of those at the event that spoke about her experience as an educator of more than 10 years in the state.

She called on lawmakers to work with educators to solve the issues plaguing Arizona's public school system - and says it is unfair for teachers to have to fill in the gaps with their own time, money and energy.

"I realized I could make a much higher salary if I was a manager over at Quick-Trip, and I've been in my district for over 10 years," said Gould. "The other issue is that our health care is so expensive."

An estimated $600,000 of the proposed budget goes toward providing health care for educators.

Arizona Education Association president Marisol Garcia says 80% of educators in the state are women, many who have children and struggle for accessible health care.




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