Friday, August 5, 2011

Chester Upland - what “Selective Dismantling” actually looks like; WARNING: may not be suitable for young children……..

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Chester Upland - what "Selective Dismantling" actually looks like; WARNING: may not be suitable for young children……..

Posted on Fri, Aug. 5, 2011
Chester Upland district will recall 33 teachers
By Dan Hardy Inquirer Staff Writer
Hit hard by deep state and federal funding cuts, Delaware County's struggling Chester Upland School District will start the school year with only about 55 percent of the teachers who were there when classes ended in June.
As a result, class sizes will rise from an average of 21 students per teacher last school year to 30 in the elementary grades and 35 in high school.

 

Phila. school district criticized at House Education Committee meeting

Rep. Truitt: 'Tired of dumping money into this rat hole'
 By Yasmin Tadjdeh | PA Independent August 5, 2011
HARRISBURG — A lawmaker slammed the Philadelphia public school district for its poor academic performance and low graduation rates despite the millions the state spent in the "rat hole."  "Constituents in my district are getting a little tired of dumping money into this rat hole in Philadelphia," said state Rep. Dan Truitt, R-Chester, at the House Education Committee meeting Thursday. West Chester, the county seat of Chester, is about 30 miles west of Philadelphia.

http://paindependent.com/2011/08/philadelphia-school-district-criticized-at-house-education-committee-meeting/


State budget bashed at legislative hearing

Posted: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 9:45 pm 
Beaver County Times By J.D. Prose jprose@timesonline.com
CONWAY -- In a school district that can ill afford to cut programs, Aliquippa Superintendent Dave Wytiaz told a House committee Wednesday that there will be no all-day kindergarten this year because of decreased funding in the state budget.
"That was made with great reluctance," said Wytiaz, echoing the sentiment of other district officials who testified about the impact of the state budget on their programs during a House Democratic Policy Committee hearing at the Conway fire department banquet hall on Gross Street.

http://www.timesonline.com/news/local_news/state-budget-bashed-at-legislative-hearing/article_1241a2bf-e3d1-5fec-b8c6-0ba314fc2b9b.html

 

PA's Charter School Law - What Needs to Be Changed?

PA SchoolTalk Posted by Jennifer Lowman on August 1, 2011
The Pennsylvania state legislature will most likely amend Pennsylvania's Charter School Law, first passed in 1997, in the fall of 2011. ELC has posted a summary and full anaylsis of the main bills, along with suggested improvements, at: ELC Charter School Bill Analysis

While some charter schools have been shown to improve students' academic performance, others have not.  In addition, at least 19 charter schools (out of 74) in Philadelphia are under federal  investigation for alleged fraud, misuse of federal funds, etc. Do you think Pennsylvania's Charter School Law needs to be changed?  If so, how?  We'd love to know your thoughts.

School vouchers would hurt taxpayers

Posted: 12:01am on Aug 4, 2011; Modified: 8:20am on Aug 4, 2011
When the Pennsylvania General Assembly returns to session this fall, one of the major issues up for debate will be the creation of a taxpayer-funded school voucher system. About two-thirds of Pennsylvanians — myself included — oppose vouchers that would use tax dollars to pay private-school tuition.

Diane Ravitch's Speech at the Save Our Schools March on July 30th (Video)

REMINDER: Requests for absentee ballots for election of PSBA officers must be received no later than August 15.
All school directors and school board secretaries who are eligible to vote and who do not plan to attend the association's annual business meeting during the 2011 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference in Hershey, Oct. 18-21, may request an absentee ballot for election purposes. (See PSBA Bylaws, Article IV, Section 4, J-Q.)
The absentee ballot must be requested from the PSBA executive director in accordance with the PSBA Bylaws provisions. Specify the name and mailing address of each individual for whom a ballot is requested.
Requests must be in writing, e-mailed or mailed first class and postmarked or marked received at PSBA Headquarters no later than Aug. 15. Mail to Executive Director, P.O. Box 2042, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 or e-mail administrativerequests@psba.org.


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