Daily postings
from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1000
Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators,
legislators and members of the press via emails, website, Facebook and Twitter.
Follow us
on Twitter at @lfeinberg
Voucher
update:
We are hearing that the Piccola/Williams bill SB 1 may be dead in the
House, but vouchers are still very much in play. We may see action amending other bills with
voucher and charter provisions before the session ends. Please continue to let your House members know
that no voucher plan is acceptable.
Auditor General Jack Wagner Again Urges General
Assembly to Fix Flawed Charter
School
Says fix needed before more money is spent on
new education initiatives
Press
Release HARRISBURG , Pa. Dec. 6, 2011 – Auditor General Jack Wagner
today urged the General Assembly to fix an oversight in an education reform
bill that recently passed the Senate to address the flawed charter school
funding formula, which, he said, is costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of
dollars. “Money is being spent without a
clear idea of what it actually costs to educate a child, resulting in a system
that is unfair to school districts, charter and cyber charter schools, and most
importantly, taxpayers,” Wagner said. “The charter school funding formula must
be fixed before the General Assembly considers spending more money on
alternative forms of education.”
http://www.auditorgen.state.pa.us/Department/Press/WagnerAgainUrgesFixFlawedCharterSchoolFunding.html
Here’s a link to collection of
some previous KSEC postings on charter and cyber funding and accountability:
Charter and Cyber Funding and Accountability Recap 12/8/11
The case for school
vouchers -- with improvements to SB 1
Published:
Wednesday, December
07, 2011 , 6:00 AM
The state House of
Representatives is the last hindrance to passing school vouchers in Pennsylvania
In Florida
Five months ago, Miami New Times exposed
a taxpayer-funded voucher program that, even on the overblown Floridian scale
of dysfunction, is a stunning boondoggle. Students who receive the John M. McKay Scholarship
for disabled students are taught in public parks or not at all, the story
showed. Administrators and teachers at schools given millions by the program
have rap sheets that include cocaine dealing, kidnapping, witness tampering,
and burglary. Kids in these schools are even sometimes paddled, a tactic
outlawed in most Florida
Pittsburgh Public Schools OKs budget that
contains staff reduction
Thursday, December 08, 2011
by Taryn Luna, Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Public
Schools board approved the 2012 district budget, and the subsequent reduction
of more than 400 employees by next fall, at a special legislative meeting
Wednesday night.
In Philly, parents come
to the rescue of a cherished public school
By Kristen A. Graham Inquirer Staff Writer, Posted: Thu, Dec. 8, 2011 , 3:01 AM
The school, like many, still finds itself in a tough spot. To make the
math work, Farlino has zeroed out her budget for the rest of the year, meaning
that with over half of the school year left, she has no money left for things
such as paper, books, and ink for school printers. Schools started the year already cut close to
the bone. A $629 million district shortfall announced last year meant less
staff and fewer programs.
Even though Meredith's Home and School Association chipped in $14,500
over the summer to help absorb some of the cuts, "it's bare bones - myself
and the counselor," Farlino said. "We run the lunchroom. We are the
nurse three days a week."
The school lost its gifted-and-talented teacher. It has no assistant
principal, no dean of students, no academic coach or reading and math teachers
to work with struggling or high-achieving small groups of students. Things are as dire as anyone has ever seen.
"This is the first time that I've seen the academic programs be
affected by a budget," Farlino said. "We're no longer talking about
fluff or support impact. We're talking about the ability to have kids
achieve."
Bensalem Charter school application
withdrawn
Posted: Wednesday,
December 7, 2011
5:50 pm | Updated:
1:30 am , Thu Dec 8, 2011 .
By James McGinnis
Staff writer
But his enterprising
plan for a business centered high school simply couldn’t stand up to questions
from the Bensalem school board Wednesday night.
Align Pre-K and early
grades, coalition says
NSBA School Board News,
December 2011
High-quality preschool
is essential for ensuring that all children — particularly disadvantaged
children and English Language Learners — are launched onto a path of academic
and career success, says a new report by the Pre-K Coalition, a group that
includes NSBA and six other education organizations. Yet, as important as this
advantage is, Pre-K is not some kind of educational “silver bullet,” and its
successes must be built upon in early elementary school,
To get the most impact
from Pre-K, the programs should be closely aligned with early elementary school
(kindergarten through third grade) so gains made in preschool can be maintained
and enhanced throughout the K12 years and beyond, says the coalition’s report, The Importance of Aligning Pre-k
through 3rd Grade.
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