Daily postings
from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1500
Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators,
legislators, members of the press and a broad array of education advocacy
organizations via emails, website, Facebook and Twitter.
These daily
emails are archived at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us
on Twitter at @lfeinberg
PA House Appropriations Chairman Rep. Adolph's Legislative Report: The
2012-13 State Budget
YouTube 29:59
Uploaded by PABudgetNews on Apr 11, 2012
Rep. Bill Adolph
joins Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi to discuss the 2012-13 state
budget. K12 education funding comments
begin at about 8:00 into the video.
Gov. Tom Corbett blames
local school boards for rising school taxes
Lehigh Valley April 11, 2012 ,
3:52
Pennsylvanians who are concerned about rising school taxes should take their
complaints to local school boards, not the state government, Gov. Tom Corbett
said today.
PA House Democratic Appropriations Committee
Education Funding Facts NEW! POSTED: 04/04/2012
STATEWIDE PRESS COVERAGE OF SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGETS
Here are more than 400 articles since
January 23rd detailing budget cuts, program cuts, staffing cuts and
tax increases being discussed by local school districts
The PA House Democratic Caucus has been tracking daily 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
Find a Bake Sale
for Public Education in Pennsylvania
Monday, April 9th, 12pm
Capitol Rotunda, Harrisburg
Munhall Bake Sale
Monday, April 16th, 3pm -6pm
Munhall Vol. Fire Company, located along Main Street
Learn more at: www.svteach.wikispaces.com.
Thursday, April 12th, 2pm
Meet on the north side of City Hall to hand-deliver cookies along with a
message to City Council members
Learn more at: http://www.facebook.com/events/256742904417848/
Saturday, April 14th, 10am
– 2pm
Pittsburgh Children Museum, 10 Children’s Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Shippensburg Bake Sale
Monday, April 9th at 12pm
King Street, in front of the Shippensburg Post Office
Squirrel Hill Bake Sale
Tuesday, April 17th, 4pm
to 5:30pm
Squirrel Hill Post Office, Corner of Murray Avenue Darlington
To add your local bake sale to this list, email the details to yesenia@educationvoterspa.org
“About 150 people,
including school district representatives from 15 of the 17 school districts in
the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, plus area parents, and teachers,
crowded into the Elaine Langone Forum, an auditorium on the Bucknell University
campus, to better understand the issues, and talk with Valley legislators about
the funding crisis.”
Pensions driving
education crisis
The Sunbury Daily Item By Rick Dandes April 11, 2012
LEWISBURG — Escalating teachers’ pensions,
increased health-care costs and mandated cyber-charter school funding have
created a crisis that threatens the very core of public education, Valley
school district officials warned at a Wednesday meeting conducted by the
Pennsylvania School Boards Association. “You’ve
heard about the crisis in funding,” Mark DiRocco, Lewisburg Area
School District
Charter Schools Spend
More On Administration, Less On Instruction Than Traditional Public Schools:
Study
Huffington
Post Posted: 04/10/2012
4:49 pm
Public schools are often criticized
and scrutinized for perceived administrative bloat, tied to concerns that those
sitting behind desks in district offices are diverting funds away from
investment in students. Conversely, charter schools are touted for successes through their leaner administrative
model, allowing for more resources to go directly to classrooms.
But a new study by the National Center for the Study of Privatization
in Education debunks this
belief. By looking at charter and traditional public schools in Michigan, where
both receive about the same operational funding, researchers found that charter
schools actually spent more per-student on administration and less on
instruction than non-charter public schools.
Controlling for factors that
determine school resource allocation like student enrollment and school
location, Michigan State University's David Arsen and the University of Utah's
Yongmei Ni found that charter schools spend on average $774 more per student on
administration and $1,140 less on instruction than do traditional public
schools.
….Among other things, the survey asked teachers what they
believe will have the greatest impact on improving academic achievement. This is what teachers said were the most important
factors:
1. Family involvement and support (84 percent said it would
have a “very strong impact”);
2. High expectations for all students (71 percent said it
would have a “very strong impact”);
3. Fewer students in each class (62 percent said it would
have a “very strong impact”);
4. Effective and engaged principals and building-level
leaders (57 percent said it would have a “very strong impact”).
What teachers know vs.
what education policymakers do
By Diane Ravitch
We heard a lot last month about the MetLife Survey of the American
Teacher. It showed that teachers across the nation are demoralized
and that their job satisfaction has dropped precipitously since 2009. The
proportion thinking of leaving teaching has gone from 17 percent to 29 percent,
a 70 percent increase in only two years. If this is accurate, it would mean the
exit of one million teachers. I hope it is not true.
Another survey, released about the same time, has not
gotten the attention it deserves. This one conducted by Scholastic and the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation is called Primary Sources: 2012. It contains valuable information about
what teachers think.
Number of Texas
As of Tuesday afternoon,
TASA had received confirmation from 250 districts across the state that have
adopted the Resolution Concerning High Stakes, Standardized Testing of Public
School Students. Several more are anticipated to pass the resolution at
meetings this week. View the list of districts that have adopted the resolution
listed alphabetically and by region. When your district adopts the resolution or if
you need information about it, contact TASA's director of communications and
media relations, Jenny LaCoste-Caputo.
American Educator,
Spring 2012 by Pasi Sahlberg
REMEMBER TO VOTE! TUESDAY, APRIL 24th
Tuesday,
April 24 is Primary Election Day
in Pennsylvania
Polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. Click here to find your polling place. During the Primary, registered members of the
Republican and Democrat parties are eligible to vote to nominate the candidates
that will represent their party on the ballot in the November General Election. ALL
voters will be required to show a photo ID before voting at a polling place in
the November 2012 Election. Click here for
more information on the new Voter ID law.
Stand Up for Public Education!
East Penn Education Forum on April 25th
7:00 – 9:00 pm
What’s at Stake? Discover how high-stakes testing and funding
cuts are impacting our kids and schools.
Hosted by: East Penn Invested Citizens (EPIC), Salisbury Parent Advisory,
Allentown Parent Groups and a coalition of Lehigh Valley Parents
Where: East Penn Administration Building School Board Meeting Room, 800 Pine Street
Has your board considered this draft resolution yet?
PSBA Sample Board
Resolution regarding the budget
Please consider bringing this sample resolution to
the members of your board.
http://www.psba.org/issues-advocacy/issues-research/state-budget/Budget_resolution-02212012.doc
PA Partnerships for
Children – Take action on the Governor’s Budget
The governor’s budget plan cuts funding for proven
programs like Child Care Works, Keystone STARS and the T.E.A.C.H. scholarship
program, Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance
Program. These are among the most cost-effective
investments we can make in education. Gov. Corbett’s budget plan also runs counter
to a pledge he made when he ran for governor in 2010. He acknowledged the
benefits of early childhood education and promised to increase funding to double
the number of children who would benefit from early learning opportunities.
We need your help to tell lawmakers: if you cut
these programs – you close the door to early learning! Click here to tell your state legislators to fund early childhood education programs
at the same level they approved for this year’s budget.
Education Voters PA –
Take action on the Governor’s Budget
The Governor’s proposal starts the process,
but it isn’t all decided: our legislators can play an important role in
standing up for our priorities. Last year, public outcry helped prevent
nearly $300 million in additional cuts. We heard from the Governor, and
we know where he stands. Now,
we need to ask our legislators: what is your position on supporting our
schools?
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