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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
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Just look away Grover
Nordquist – here’s Pennsylvania
Final budget
figures for 2011-2012 show that 135 school districts used over $95 million in
referendum exceptions last year
For the second year in a row the State is abdicating
its constitutional responsibility to provide for the maintenance and support of
a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the
Commonwealth, and is kicking the can down the road to local school districts.
Nearly 200 Pa.
By Tony LaRussa, PITTSBURGH April 3, 2012
State education officials have given nearly 200 school
districts permission to raise property taxes without seeking approval from
voters. Of the 228 districts that
applied for exemptions last year, 135 raised taxes. The previous year, 133
districts applied and 84 raised taxes.
Read more: Nearly 200 Pa. districts OK'd to raise taxes - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_789571.html#ixzz1qxuoIJii
Read more: Nearly 200 Pa. districts OK'd to raise taxes - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_789571.html#ixzz1qxuoIJii
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Report on Act 1
Referendum Exceptions for 2012-2013
Prepared by: Pennsylvania Department of Education March 30, 2012
Final budget figures for 2011-2012 show that 135
school districts used over $95 million in referendum exceptions last year
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/referendum_exceptions/7456/report_on_referendum_exceptions/510336
Pennsylvania
By Dan Hardy Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Mon, Apr. 2, 2012 , 10:30 AM
The biggest change in Gov. Corbett's proposed
education budget for the 2012-13 school year is his plan to use block grants to
dole out a large portion of the state's public education payments to school
districts.
He proposes setting aside $6.5 billion for the
grants, which would cover basic education funding - an all-purpose state
subsidy to school districts - and state reimbursement programs for local Social
Security payments and transportation costs.
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20120402_Pennsylvania_budget_calls_for_lumping_much_school_aid_into_block_grants.html
Arcadia
Cheltenham Citizens Call Posted on April 2,
2012 (no byline)
While the presentations
were focused with few public policy punches pulled, if there was a true star of
the education conference, “Unpacking the PA School Budget,” held last Thursday
at Arcadia University, it was probably the “A-word” – accountability.
http://www.citizenscall.net/schools/arcadia-conference-confronts-corbett-education-budget-head-on/
Leaders in Education
Advocacy and Reform Network conference joins education experts
Congressman
Chaka Fattah, a reporter from The Washington
Post and a vice president of United
Way Southeastern PA
all spoke at the event
The Daily Pennsylvanian By JENNY TRANG · April 1, 2012 , 10:55 pm
With a third of U.S.
beginner teachers leaving their positions within their first five years, it is
no wonder the United States
The Leaders in Education Advocacy and Reform Network
held an all-day conference Saturday at the Penn Law School
http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2012/04/leaders_in_education_advocacy_and_reform_network_conference_joins_education_experts
“Common throughout the bills are proposals to decrease local
control of schools by democratically elected school boards while increasing
access to all facets of education by private entities and corporations. “
A Smart ALEC Threatens
Public Education
Coordinated
efforts to introduce model legislation aimed at defunding and dismantling
public schools is the signature work of this conservative organization.
Education Week (Content Partner) Opinion By Julie
Underwood and Julie F. Mead, Phi Delta Kappan, Published Online: February 29, 2012
A legislative contagion seemed to sweep across the Midwest during the early months of 2011. First, Wisconsin legislators wanted to strip public employees of
the right to bargain. Then, Indiana Ohio
What was going on? How could elected officials in
multiple states suddenly introduce essentially the same legislation?
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/03/01/kappan_underwood.html?qs=alec
Building a National Security
State
How has it come to this? In their recent, much
publicized, report from the Council on Foreign Relations, Joel Klein of the
Murdoch organization and Condoleezza Rice of the Hoover Institution would have
us believe that the purpose of American education is to better educate the
military. It is difficult to think of a precedent for this astonishing view. Sparta Prussia Germany
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/democracy_and_education/2012/04/building_a_national_security_state_on_the_backs_of_teachers.html
Mon, 02/20/2012 - 2:59pm
Time to Make Our Voices
Even Louder
Strong public schools for all our students are the
best investment our nation can make.
Professional Opinion By: Anne L. Bryant
Anne L. Bryant is executive director of the National School
District Administration, March 2012
The start of a new year is A time of resolutions and
renewal, but for many of us here in Washington
We are dealing with a Congress that has deep
partisan divisions, divisions within parties, and many different and competing
priorities. Many of us are discouraged by the bickering and the slow pace of
action. We know well the damage that’s being inflicted on public schools by the
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and the painstaking process to get a new law
passed. Multiple continuing resolutions seem to have become the norm in recent
appropriations cycles. And with this being an election year, we can expect
campaigns to further disrupt work in Washington
http://www.districtadministration.com/article/time-make-our-voices-even-louder
UPDATED DAILY – STATEWIDE PRESS COVERAGE
OF SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGETS
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
Stand Up for Public Education!
Wed., April 11, 2012 7:00 pm Town Hall Meeting on Education at Bucknell University
Meeting with legislators from Columbia
Where:
The Forum, Room 272, Elaine
Langone Center
Bucknell University Moore Avenue Lewisburg , PA 17837
7
p.m. – School directors and administrators meet with legislators (PSBA
Legislative Meeting)
7:30
p.m. – Town Hall Meeting on Education – Please invite your PTO/PTA and other
parent/ community groups to join us! The
purpose of the 7 p.m. meeting is for school directors and administrators to
discuss the impact of the governor’s 2011-12 budget proposal on their school
districts. At 7:30 p.m., the meeting will be open to all interested parents and
other members of the community who would like to come out in support of their
public schools and ask their legislators to take their message back to Harrisburg
Please
RSVP By April 4, to Kathy Swope, PSBA Region 6 director, at (570)
523-3336 or email swope@ptd.net
Stand Up for Public Education!
Thursday April 12th,
7:00 pm Allegheny County
WHERE: North Hills Senior High School 53 Rochester
Road Pittsburgh, PA 15229
WHEN: Thursday, April
12, 2012 @ 7:00pm
REGISTER for this event: NorthernAreaLegislativeForum.eventbrite.com
All public
education stakeholders are invited to this special event, which will be
moderated by the League of Women Voters.
Join us on Thursday, April 12th at North
Hills Senior
High School at 7PM
for an evening with several key state legislators from Allegheny County
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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