MUMIN NAMED FINALIST for NATIONAL SUPERINTENDENT of the YEAR® PASA Is Excited to Announce That Dr
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VOL. 63, NO. 4 - JANUARY 2021 MUMIN NAMED FINALIST FOR NATIONAL SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR® PASA is excited to announce that Dr. to all U.S. superintendents who plan to Khalid Mumin, superintendent of the Read- continue in the profession. The program ing SD and the 2021 Pennsylvania Super- also honors international school superin- intendent of the Year, has been selected as tendents. The applicants were measured one of four finalists for the 2021 National against the following criteria: Superintendent of the Year®. • Leadership for learning – creativity in This distinction honors school system successfully meeting the needs of leaders throughout the country who are students in the school system making a positive difference in the lives of • Communication – strength in both the students they serve, in addition to ensur- personal and organizational ing the safety and wellness of their school communication communities. • Professionalism – constant improve- Co-sponsored by AASA®, The School ment of administrative knowledge and Superintendents Association, AIG Retire- skills, while providing professional Inside this issue... ment Services and First Student, the 2021 development opportunities and National Superintendent of the Year® will be motivation to others on the education Executive Director’s Message ................. 2 announced during AASA’s virtual National team At the Capitol .............................................. 3 Conference on Education, Feb. 18-19. • Community involvement – active Commonwealth Budget Seminars ...... 3 The three other finalists include: Bryan participation in local community PASA Leadership Forum .......................... 4 Johnson, Hamilton County Schools, Chat- activities and an understanding of 2021: Light at the End of the Tunnel .... 5 tanooga, Tenn.; Christy Perry, Salem-Keizer regional, national and international issues Contacting PASA ........................................ 5 Public Schools, Salem, Ore.; and Michelle Reid, A $10,000 college scholarship will be Process to Identify Advocacy Northshore School District, Bothell, Wash. presented in the name of the 2021 National Priorities Begins This Month ............. 5 The finalists had an opportunity to meet Superintendent of the Year® to a student in PLUS Caucus of PASA ............................... 6 the national education community during a the high school from which the superinten- Hope Is A Good Thing .............................. 7 virtual press conference on Jan. 8. dent graduated, or the school now serving Still Time to Register! ................................ 7 The National Superintendent of the the same area. Addressing Our Divisions ....................... 8 Year® program, now in its 34th year, is open Congratulations, Khalid! PA Licensure Exam Prep Session .......... 8 Navigating the School Year: NOMINEES SOUGHT FOR PASA OFFICERS, Updates & Resources .......................... 9 AASA REPRESENTATIVES Sponsors & Sponsor Resources ............ 9 PASA is seeking nominations for the beginning October 1, 2023. WC: The Beauty of Building Up 2021-22 PASA President-Elect/Secretary and Candidates for PASA Treasurer serve a Fellow Females .....................................10 Treasurer. In addition, PASA is seeking nomi- one-year term. The elected Treasurer's term Nominations Sought for PASA nations for two Pennsylvania representatives begins on October 1, 2021. Women’s Caucus Awards .................10 to the AASA Governing Board. See the PASA website for the list of PASA Awards of Achievement ............11 duties for each office. Advocacy Update ....................................11 PASA OFFICERS PA Educational Leadership Summit ...12 Candidates for PASA President-Elect/ Eligibility Virtual Learning Programs ...................12 Secretary must make a three-year commit- Each eligible candidate must have been COSN ............................................................13 ment to the association by serving one year an active member of the Association for at Communications Tip ..............................13 each as President-Elect/Secretary and chair- least three years prior to October 1, 2020 and Noteworthy Quotes ................................14 man of the Advocacy Committee beginning a PASA member in one of two membership The Advocate ............................................15 October 1, 2021, as President beginning categories: Commissioned Officer and Small AASA News & Advocacy ........................16 October 1, 2022, and as Past-President and District Leader. Thought for the Day ...............................16 chairman of the Membership Committee Membership News ..................................17 See Nominees Sought, page 4 Calendar ......................................................17 FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DR. MARK DIROCCO Proud Leadership for Pennsylvania Schools DEMOCRACY IS FRAGILE. The PASA Flyer is published monthly by the PUBLIC EDUCATION Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. IS CRITICAL. The storming of the United States Capitol Building on Wednes- PRESIDENT day, January 6 was as shocking as it was historic. It is difficult to Dr. John Bell, Superintendent believe that an angry group of people could so easily breach the Delaware Valley School District security of the capitol and disrupt Congress with the intent to stop the democratic process of counting electoral votes in a blatant and seditious attempt to TREASURER subvert our democracy. Five people died because of this seditious act, and the entire nation Dr. Thomas Lesniewski, Superintendent was shaken to its core. Punxsutawney Area School District We learned that many of the participants were armed with weapons and bombs, which could have resulted in a much greater loss of life, including those of our political leaders. It has PRESIDENT-ELECT also been revealed that this was not just a crowd of well-meaning people who were whipped to Dr. Jay Burkhart, Superintendent frenzy by speeches and then got out of hand. It was a deliberate and planned attack by some South Western School District members of the crowd on our elected leaders and democratic process. Amazingly, interviews with some of the participants indicated they believed that they were PAST PRESIDENT defending democracy by storming the Capitol. These people believed they had to use violent Dr. Jeffrey Fuller, Superintendent force to coerce Congress into overturning the results of the election. Freedom Area School District It was a sad, shocking, and embarrassing day for America. How could this happen in the greatest and longest running democratic republic in the world? EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR As the next few days unfolded, I began to reflect on how fragile our democracy has become Dr. Mark DiRocco and how important it will be for public education to step forward to help our republic prevail in the future. EDITOR I have often stated that public education is the backbone of our democracy. One of its Barbara W. Jewett major purposes is to ensure that we have an educated populace to preserve our democracy. We need to focus on this purpose with greater emphasis moving forward. Our future as a republic DESIGN EDITOR may depend on it. Suzanne K. Yorty Today, very few citizens seem to understand the basic tenets of how our government was formed and how democracy in the United States form is designed to work. Our founders studied Correspondence regarding the republics from ancient Greece and Rome during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. These PASA Flyer can be mailed to: ancient republics all crumbled due to the lack of restraint of those in power who failed to act for the common good, and the unrelenting competition by partisan factions to achieve power PASA at any cost. 2608 Market Place Our Constitution was designed with a purposeful set of checks and balances to prevent this Harrisburg, PA 17110 (717) 540-4448 from happening. When George Washington declined a third term as president and peacefully (717) 540-4405 fax transferred power to John Adams, many world leaders were astonished. Washington under- email to [email protected] stood that the failure of previous republics was due to leaders refusing to give up power. That is what made America different! Visit our web site at My guess is that very few of our current political leaders and citizens are well versed in www.pasa-net.org the literature on ancient republics and the foundational design of our democracy that was engineered to improve upon former democratic governments so it could endure for centuries. Obviously, those who stormed the Capitol had no conception of how our democracy works and PASA Members: sullied the very Constitution they should have respected as citizens. Please report your appoint- Once again, our educators will be asked to process an unsettling national event with their students. It will be a challenge due to the political tension and sharp divide that exists in our ments, renewals, awards nation. However, the event needs to be addressed, and our students need some reassurance or special achievements, or about the stability of our government. that of others in your region I believe this is a clarion call for public education. to Barbara Jewett at PASA We need to assess how we can better educate our students about our democratic system either by phone (717) 540- without entering a partisan battle in our local communities as to how or if that should be done. We need to be confident that our students graduate from our schools fully understanding 4448, by fax (717) 540-4405, how the United