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
Please take 5 minutes to join parents and community
members across the Commonwealth in calling their legislators and Governor
Corbett on Wednesday and urge them to change the direction we are heading and
INVEST IN PUBLIC EDUCATION! Use our Call
to Action Guide for all the information you'll need to
participate. It's that easy!
Spread the word. Forward this email to
your friends, post on Facebook and Twitter or do what others are doing,
encourage parents and neighbors by passing out flyers.
STATEWIDE PRESS COVERAGE OF SCHOOL DISTRICT
BUDGETS
Here are more than 700 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:
Gov. Corbett adds pension reform to budget agenda
By Laura Olson / Post-Gazette Harrisburg
The commonwealth's
pension liability for public employees is about to make state budgeting even
more of a nightmare, and Republican Gov. Tom Corbett has put pension reform
next on his to-do list.
Despite control,
fractious state GOP allows reform to languish
By Brad Bumsted Tribune-Review Saturday, May 19, 2012 , 9:36 p.m.
HARRISBURG Pennsylvania
These reforms professed
by some Republicans when the party took control of the Legislature and
governor's mansion remain stalled 17 months later. That has given rise to
restlessness among conservative activists and lobbyists for businesses.
As lawmakers prepare to
pass a second budget under Gov. Tom Corbett, outspoken conservatives question
why the Republicans have been unable to deliver key legislation many assumed
would pass. With a summer recess looming, and then another for the November
election, only 19 scheduled legislative session days remain.
Posted: Sun, May. 20, 2012, 6:51 AM
Teachers want
a say in Philadelphia
School District
By Kristen Graham INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The flyers were not subtle, bold black text on
fluorescent yellow sheets: “FOR SALE
With the nearly broke Philadelphia School
District
“In
fact, Pennsylvania
The Accountability Hoax
Yinzercation blog — MAY 18, 2012
Governor Corbett’s
secretary of education doesn’t want to talk about the $1 BILLION in cuts to our
public schools. In a speech to the Chamber of Business and Industry in State College earlier this week, all Ron Tomalis wanted
to talk about was accountability. That’s a nice word, accountability: very
grownup, responsible, implies you are thinking about outcomes and consequences.
But the poor word has been hijacked by the forces of school privatization.
Posting from Sunday, May 20, 2012
Archbishop
calls for Catholics to lobby for taxpayer funded voucher bailout that could
take another billion dollars out of our public schools
How standardized tests
are affecting public schools
Florida’s standardized testing program is being
misused and has “severely impacted student learning,” according to a new white
paper that says that school districts in the state are required to give as many
as 62 tests a year to students. The
white paper, called “The Ramifications of Standardized Testing on our Public Schools,”
was just released by the Central Florida School Board Coalition, a group of top
officials from 10 school districts.
While the specifics are about Florida, the
general conclusions about thenegative impact of state standardized programs are
relevant across the country — not only because other states have their own version but because
some looked to Florida as a model as they developed their own school
accountability systems.
The white paper that follows is long but worth
your time. It points out in great detail the negative effects on students and
teachers of Florida
“The failure of the No Child Left Behind regimen to narrow the achievement gap offers the
sobering lesson that closing underperforming public schools, setting high
expectations for students, getting tough with teachers and opening a raft of
charter schools isn’t the answer.”
Making Schools
Work
New York Times Opinion By DAVID L. KIRP Published: May 19, 2012
AMID the
ceaseless and cacophonous debates about how to close the achievement
gap, we’ve turned away from one tool that has been shown to work: school
desegregation. That strategy, ushered in by the landmark 1954 Supreme Court
decision in Brown v. Board of Education, has been unceremoniously ushered out,
an artifact in the museum of failed social experiments.
‘Is this really what
education is about?’
This was
written by Vicki Abeles, a parent of three and the director of the documentary,
“Race to Nowhere” and Jo Boaler a professor of
mathematics education at Stanford
University
By Vicki Abeles and Jo Boaler
Welcome to standardized testing season, when
students nationwide are clearing their desks, sharpening their pencils and
fighting feelings of anxiety to meet our schools’, states’, and federal
government’s desire for a simple, quantifiable way to measure them. Is this
really what education is about?
Ask your House member to restore full
funding of the Accountability Block Grant program
Last
week, the Senate approved a state budget proposal that restores $50 million to
the Accountability Block Grant (ABG) program – the key funding stream to
support full-day kindergarten in school districts. This decision demonstrates a
commitment to smart budgeting by investing in programs that work, like full-day
kindergarten. Student performance on PSSA exams shows that children in full-day
kindergarten programs are likely to do better on reading and math achievement
tests in third grade.
While the Senate’s action to partially restore ABG funds is a
promising step, House members can do even better for the graduating class of
2025 – they can ensure full restoration of $100 million in ABG funding when
they put forth their budget proposal.
Educators
and policymakers acknowledge the benefits of full-day kindergarten – that’s why
they created a targeted funding stream several years ago to help expand
full-day kindergarten opportunities. Since
the ABG program was created, 70 percent of districts invested ABG dollars in
full-day kindergarten and the number of full-day kindergarteners increased 91
percent. Simply put, the ABG
program was a success and we can’t let lawmakers forget that fact.
Full-day kindergarten is
slated for reductions and elimination in many school districts across the state
– maybe even yours! Please help protect this proven program by asking your
House member to support full restoration of $100 million for ABG.
Thank
you for your commitment to Pennsylvania
Education Funding Advocacy Week is not a single event but a series of
activities sponsored by individuals and organizations that oppose the
Governor’s proposed Budget for 2012-2013 because it reduces learning
opportunities for students in Pennsylvania
·
Education Voters of PA “Call to Action for Public Education”
Day on May 23rd. Get
involved! Learn how, click here.
·
Harrisburg 10:00
AM .
·
The Media Area NAACP and CU Keystone
Honors Program is hosting 2012 Conference on the State of
Education in Pennsylvania “Calling for a Trauma-Informed Education
System” on Friday, May 25. Click here for
registration details.
More info at: http://www.paschoolfunding.org/
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?
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.