Sunday, February 5, 2012

“Persing said the state currently provides Chester Upland with about $3,600 per special education student, but only provides such subsidies for up to 16 percent of the district’s enrollment. However, the state forces Chester Upland to pay charters about $24,000 for each special education student that enrolls, Persing said. There is no cap. “


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
  
More pain expected in Corbett's budget proposal
Tax collection $500 million short of projections
Sunday, February 05, 2012
By Laura Olson and Karen Langley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Gov. Tom Corbett toured the Kurt J. Lesker Co., a manufacturer of vacuum products in Jefferson Hills, in April, defending his 2011 budget decisions. More cuts are expected for the 2012 budget.
HARRISBURG -- His first state budget proposal and its billion dollars in cuts brought months of angry outcry from students, labor unions, Democrats and the physically disabled.
This year? Expect more of the same.

“Persing said the state currently provides Chester Upland with about $3,600 per special education student, but only provides such subsidies for up to 16 percent of the district’s enrollment.  However, the state forces Chester Upland to pay charters about $24,000 for each special education student that enrolls, Persing said. There is no cap. “
Delaware County school districts facing familiar money woes, anxiously await Corbett budget
Published: Sunday, February 05, 2012
Delco Times By JOHN KOPP, jkopp@delcotimes.com
Joe Otto lets people argue otherwise, but the William Penn School District chief operating officer insists school administrators across Pennsylvania were “blindsided” by the massive education cuts implemented by Gov. Tom Corbett last year.

Philadelphia's school district will close buildings early to save money
By Kristen A. Graham, Inquirer Staff Writer, Posted: Sun, Feb. 5, 2012, 7:16 AM
Starting next week, the Philadelphia School District will cancel all weekend programs and shut school buildings an hour early during the week to save $2.8 million.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012
Philadelphia Inquirer BucksInq blog by Bill Reed
Ritchie Webb: Neshaminy's savior or ogre?
Neshaminy School Board President Ritchie Webb in his office in his Levittown home. He runs a catering business, a food service for the Bristol Township School District, and a tax and accounting business. (Ron Tarver/Inquirer photographer)
There's no middle ground when it comes to Ritchie Webb.
Take, for example, last month’s Neshaminy school board meeting. As Webb took his seat as president, half the packed crowd rose and cheered; the remainder jeered and chanted, “Negotiate.”

Pennsylvania Schools’ Financing Fight Pits District Against ‘Charter on Steroids’

New York Times By SABRINA TAVERNISE
Published: February 4, 2012
CHESTER, Pa. — The Chester Upland School District is more than $20 million in debt, its bank account is almost empty and it cannot afford to pay teachers past the end of this month.
At Columbus Elementary, teachers like John Shelton struggle with fewer resources and wonder how long they will be paid.
To make matters worse, the local charter school, with which the district must divide its financing, is suing the district over unpaid bills.

“In a high-level turnaround, Robert Scott, the commissioner of the Texas Education Agency, said Tuesday that student testing in the state had become a “perversion of its original intent” and that he looked forward to “reeling it back” in the future.”
New York Times, february 5th, 2012

In Texas, a Backlash Against Student Testing

THE TEXAS TRIBUNE By MORGAN SMITH Published: February 4, 2012
……There is anxiety among school leaders, educators and parents about meeting the increased standards with fewer resources. In the Panhandle, the Hereford Independent School District superintendent may withhold her district’s test scores from the state. An Austin parent is considering a lawsuit to stop the rollout of the tests. Some legislators are mulling how to postpone some of the tests’ consequences for students.
In a high-level turnaround, Robert Scott, the commissioner of the Texas Education Agency, said Tuesday that student testing in the state had become a “perversion of its original intent” and that he looked forward to “reeling it back” in the future. Earning a standing ovation from an annual gathering of 4,000 educators that has given him chillier receptions in the past, Mr. Scott called for an accountability process that measured “every other day of a school’s life besides testing day.”

Posted at 02:05 PM ET, 01/31/2012

Shareholder lawsuit accuses K12 Inc. of misleading investors

Washington Post By Emma Brown
A shareholder in Virginia-based K12 Inc. has filed a lawsuit against the virtual-schools operator in federal court, alleging that the firm violated securities law by making false statements to investors about students’ poor performance on standardized tests.

TFA - No magic solution for schools
Minneapolis Star Tribune Article by: JACK SCHNEIDER Updated: February 1, 2012 - 12:00 PM
Teach for America pushes the hot button of reform, but it isn't that simple.
This February, Teach For America begins its third decade of operations and its fourth year in the Twin Cities. Roughly 10 percent of graduating seniors at Macalester and Carleton Colleges have applied, as well as 3 percent of those at the University of Minnesota.
Depending on whom you side with, that's cause for either celebration or despair.

February 9th: Rally in support of public education 7:00 pm Downingtown East HS
Senator Andy Dinniman, February 1, 2012
Public education has come under increasing attack in Harrisburg and it is time for the citizens of Chester and Montgomery (and Bucks, Berks, Lehigh and Delaware) counties to stand up and protect our schools both here and throughout Pennsylvania.
We are asking all those who value public education to come together for a meeting on Thursday, February 9, 2012, at 7 pm at Downingtown East High School, 50 Devon Drive (just off Route 113) in Exton. 

http://www.senatordinniman.com/enews/12_1_31_Education.htm

 

February 14th Valentine’s Day Harrisburg 12:00 pm rally in support of public education

Dear Gov. Corbett, Fall Back In Love With Education.

Uploaded by PhillyStudentUnion on Jan 31, 2012

February 14th Valentine's Day Rally at the Harrisburg Capitol

Rally at 12pm in the Harrisburg Capitol Rotunda

1:36 YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gybrEHCMxQk&feature=youtu.be

More info, registration, sponsor bus seats for students at: http://showloveforeducation.eventbrite.com/?ref=ecount

More info: www.phillystudentunion.org


February 16: EPLC Philadelphia Budget Panel Breakfast 8:00 am
(note: there will be additional EPLC budget events throughout the state; details as they become available)
Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel - 201 North 17th Street
Subject: Governor Corbett's Proposed Education Budget for 2012-2013

RSVP Required: http://www.eplc.org/events-calendar/southeastern-pennsylvania-breakfast-series/

 

February 29th: at 6PM in the South Fayette High School Theater

Statewide kickoff meeting of PSEA's Partners for Public Education (PPE) Program

PPE is all about connecting parents, community leaders, elected officials, and teachers together for one goal - the support of public education.  State Senator Wayne Fontana, State Representative Jesse White, PSEA President Mike Crossey, along with members of the SFEA Representative Council, SF School Board, SF Administration, and SF Student Government will stand together to recruit parents and other interested parties add their voices to the chorus of those who care about public education.

http://partnersforpubliced.org/  

http://www.facebook.com/SouthFayettePPE

 

March 26th: Last day to register to vote in the April 24th PA Primary Election
You do have the power to change the direction of education policy in Pennsylvania
The last day to REGISTER before the primary is March 26 , 2012.  Make sure that you, your family and friends are all registered to vote in the April 24th Pennsylvania Primary.  Forward this reminder to any and all public education stakeholders.

County Legislative Guides by Education Voters PA
New guides now available
These legislative guides list contact information, committee assignments and school districts for PA State Representatives and State Senators.  They also include tips on being an effective advocate for public education: contacting your elected officials and writing letters to the editor

PA House Democratic Caucus Website
UPDATED DAILY – STATEWIDE PRESS COVERAGE OF SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGETS
As districts consider their preliminary budgets and we await the Governor’s February 7th budget announcement, the PA House Democratic Caucus has begun daily tracking of press coverage on school district budgets statewide:

http://www.pahouse.com/school_funding_2011cuts.asp?utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.pahouse.com%2fschool_funding_2011cuts.asp&utm_campaign=Crisis+in+Public+Education

 

Latest Updates on Chester UplandFebruary 5, 2011



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