School districts and intermediate units must update their 2020-21 administrative information in EdNA and notify PDE of changes by July 31, 2020.

Current information enables accurate allocation of funds, and efficient data submission and communication between the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and LEAs. An LEA’s official record is maintained in the Education Names and Addresses (EdNA) system.

Below are instructions for updating/revising your LEA’s information regarding chief administrators, school names and addresses, changes in school grade configurations, and reporting of alteration/curtailment of programs. Note: These instructions do not pertain to charter schools.

SCHOOL OPENINGS/CLOSINGS/RECONFIGURATIONS, BUILDING CLOSURES

Changes to school configuration that require review and approval by PDE include closing a school building to K-12 educational use, and closing, opening, renaming, or reconfiguring a school (for example, changing the grade levels of a school).

The process for reviewing and approving these changes requires the LEA to submit the following electronic documentation: (1) a signed letter from the chief school administrator including a summary of the proposed change(s) along with the current school configuration, and the number of students in the current and proposed configurations; (2) board minutes documenting the local board’s approval of those changes; and (3) evidence of the required public hearing, if closing a building to K-12 educational use for the school year.

Detailed instructions for submitting these changes are available on the PDE website at http://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/School%20Services/Pages/School-Reconfigurations.aspx.   

Requests for the upcoming 2020-21 school year will be processed beginning April 1 and accepted until July 31, 2020.

To expedite processing, all requests must be submitted electronically to PDE School Services Office at RA-school-configs@pa.gov.   

Please be sure your spam filters allow emails from “RA-school-configs@pa.gov” and from “Ed, School Configurations” so that the district will receive the approval emails.

ALTERATION AND/OR CURTAILMENT OF PROGRAMS

Act 82 of 2012 amended the Pennsylvania Public School Code Section 24 P.S. § 11-1124 such that alterations or curtailments of programs under Section 1124(2) no longer require PDE approval. However, PDE must be notified of any alterations or curtailments that are being made under Section 1124(2) that may result in the suspension/furlough of professional staff.

The notification must be submitted electronically to “RA-school-configs@pa.gov” along with a copy of the board action and a PDF of the signed letter from the superintendent, IU executive director or AVTS/CTC director that explains the planned changes.

Questions may be directed to RA-PDE-SchoolService@pa.gov.

CHIEF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND COMMISSIONED OFFICERS

It is critical for PDE to have updated information for chief school administrators, including a current email address and emergency contact information. Please notify Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality regarding changes in superintendent, assistant superintendents, executive directors, and assistant executive directors, or when an acting chief school administrator is appointed.

The Commission’s Basic Education Circular (BEC) outlines information required for PDE to issue a commission and the process for updating chief school administrator information in EdNA. The BEC is accessed from the BEC listing at Basic Education Circulars (BECs).

District-level changes such as addresses, phone numbers, websites, and commission renewals or expiration dates should be updated in EdNA by each LEA. Prior to it becoming available in the public EdNA system, PDE staff will review the information submitted. Information on chief school administrators that is published in the annual Education Directory is taken from the EdNA system. 

For information regarding chief school administrators and commissioned officers, contact Debra Haines at ra-edcertquestions@pa.gov.