PPG: Voucher Hearing/ PA Council of Churches on SB1/ PSFC: Take Action on Funding/ STT: Mandate Relief/ MCALL: Allentown Cuts/ Fortune: Teachers under attack/ PSBA Legislative Conference April 17-18

Thanks to PSBA President Marianne Neal, Shauna D’Alessandro, Lynn Foltz and Supt. Ron Sofo for testifying at yesterday’s SB1 hearing in Pittsburgh

Voucher committee hears from locals

Thursday, March 24, 2011

By Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A Pennsylvania House Democratic policy committee gathered Wednesday at the University of Pittsburgh's William Pitt Student Union for the latest in a series of public hearings on a controversial school voucher proposal.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11083/1134378-298.stm#ixzz1HVR1mobX

Pennsylvania Council of Churches’ Statement on Senate Bill 1 and School Vouchers

We urge the Pennsylvania General Assembly to reject SB 1 and work toward legislation that provides equitable and adequate support of our public education system so that all children can grow and thrive and support a growing and thriving Commonwealth for now and future generations.

TAKE ACTION - PA School Funding Campaign Legislative Action Center

Click here to contact your local legislators and tell them you agree with the vast majority of Pennsylvanians who want them to stop the billion dollar cut in school funding.

 

Senators propose broad school mandate relief

SCRANTON TIMES TRIBUNE, BY ROBERT SWIFT (HARRISBURG BUREAU CHIEF)

Published: March 23, 2011

HARRISBURG - Putting the 2,000-page Public School Code in their sights, a group of senators unveiled a sweeping legislative package Tuesday to give public schools relief from state mandates so they can better cope with looming cuts in state aid.
Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/senators-propose-broad-school-mandate-relief-1.1122519#ixzz1HVTgLvXw

 

Federal cuts to hit Allentown schools

Spending plan threatens to put popular high school reform method in the dust bin of education fads.

By Steve Esack, OF THE MORNING CALL

10:58 p.m. EDT, March 23, 2011

In 2004, Gerald Zahorchak and his boss, Gov. Ed Rendell, began championing "small learning communities," a high school reform movement aimed at meeting students' academic and emotional needs.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-allentown-federal-school-budget-20110323,0,4293140.story

CNN Money.com/Fortune

American teachers under attack

March 23, 2011 11:01 am By Elizabeth G. Olson, contributor

With state budgets buckling, American teachers are facing the erosion of tenure protection, employee benefits, and other job protections that they fought for and won years ago.

FORTUNE -- Who can blame American teachers for feeling beleaguered as state after state strips away the job protections, especially tenure, that they have won in recent decades?

http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/23/american-teachers-under-attack/

Budget Cuts, Vouchers, Mandate Relief, Charter/Cyber Funding?

PSBA 2011 Legislative Advocacy Conference April 17-18 | Harrisburg

Join us in Harrisburg for PSBA’s Legislative Advocacy Conference, April 17-18 at the Harrisburg Hilton. This day-and-a half program, which begins on Sunday afternoon and ends on Monday afternoon, will give you the latest information on what’s happening in Harrisburg, and an opportunity to sharpen your advocacy skills.

View the Schedule-At-A-Glance

Conference sessions include:

• Nationally-known education historian Diane Ravitch (via teleconference)

• State Education Secretary Ronald Tomalis

• Interactive advocacy training with Christopher Kush

• Sen. Daylin Leach. Sen. Leach is a member of the Senate Education Committee, and voted against SB 1.

• Rep. Ron Miller, chairman of the House Labor & Industry Committee, will discuss mandates and labor-related issues.

• House Education Committee Executive Directors Christopher Wakeley (Democratic), Patricia White(Republican) will talk about the education agenda for 2011-12. Wakeley and White will provide the perspectives of their caucuses on key issues.

• Auditor General Jack Wagner will address charter and cyber school funding issues 

Register online: https://www.psba.org/workshops/register/?workshop=107

Thanks for making yesterday the busiest day yet on the KeystoneStateEducationCoalition.org website with 697 different visitors.