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
Here’s $282 million in additional sources of PA Revenue with no new
taxes:
$121 million surplus in
the Legislature’s leadership accounts.
(That’s
a reserve that amounts to $478,000 for each of our 253 lawmakers.)
$86 million in windfall
overpayments to cyber charter schools
$75 million in taxes
diverted to discretionary EITC program funding private and religious schools
According
to PA Partnerships for Children, the governor’s proposed budget calls for more
than $30 million in cuts to high-quality early learning programs, despite
Corbett’s campaign pledge in 2010 to double the number of children who benefit
from these proven programs.
The
Governor’s proposed budget would also eliminate the $100 million Accountability
Block Grant program, which many school districts use to fund kindergarten
programs. The version passed by the
Senate would keep the program but cut funding in half.
Early learning costs are
worth it
Published:
Tuesday, May 15,
2012 , 5:00 AM
Ted J. Kleisner is chairman of the board & CEO of Hershey
Entertainment & Resorts Co. He also is a member of the Pennsylvania
In my 17 years of experience with Hershey Entertainment &
Resorts Co., I have heard many people begin a conversation with the simple
phrase “My first job was at Hersheypark.” Those are thrilling words to hear,
especially because they come from people from such a diverse background who
have progressed, professionally, into so many areas.
Pennsylvanians can
expect heated negotiations over proposed state budget
Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 , 5:00 AM
Millions of Pennsylvanians have a
stake in the outcome of the negotiations over the 2012-13 state budget. Colleges, public schools and human service
programs face cuts under Gov. Tom Corbett’s spending plan.
Lawmakers, even some of Corbett’s fellow Republicans, say some cuts go too
far. This sets
up heated negotiations in the coming weeks.
Arts leader resigns post over honor to Corbett
By Marylynne Pitz / Pittsburgh May 15, 2012 5:32 am
Charlie Humphrey
resigned Monday from the board of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, a move
prompted by GPAC's explanation for the Pittsburgh Opera's honoring of Gov. Tom
Corbett and his wife, Susan, with lifetime achievement awards at a dinner over
the weekend.
The tribute at the
opera's Strip District headquarters Saturday night drew 200 protesters --
including Pittsburgh Public School marching band students -- to voice
their opposition over the award because they believe Mr. Corbett has undermined
arts education in Pennsylvania
Encore! Encore!
Yinzercation Blog — MAY 14, 2012
We have a new smash hit
on our hands. Outraged over the Pittsburgh Opera’s decision to honor the
Governor with a lifetime achievement award for his “support” of arts education,
over 350 people gathered Saturday for an “Operatic Rally.” As gala attendees
arrived in fancy cars and even fancier gowns for the $750 per plate event, the
crowd of parents, students, teachers, and community members made it clear that
Gov. Corbett has actually gutted arts education with his cuts to our public
schools.
Budget Woes Could Close Philly's Problem Schools
NPR Morning Edition by
JEFF BRADY
Morning Edition [3 min
18 sec]
Delco Times online ‘Live From the
Newsroom’ Wednesday, May 16th from 7:00 – 8:00 pm will be focusing on education funding;
in particular the cuts in Upper Darby .
Coming Wednesday:
Another view of the Upper Darby school crisis
on Live from the Newsroom
Delco Times Published:
Tuesday, May 15,
2012
Last week's Live from
the Newsroom brought together the Upper Darby
school officials tasked with figuring out the budget crisis. This week, we'll offer another view as we are
joined by Larry Feinberg of the Keystone State Education Coalition and a member
of the Haverford School Board; Joe Batory, a former Superintendent of Upper
Darby; and State Senator Ted Erickson.
It should be a lively
and informative debate, so make sure you are right here at 7 p.m.
“Despite
their frequent protestations that charter schools are public schools, charters
are, in reality, private schools taking public dollars. They are run by private
citizens and corporations who have little accountability to the citizens of Philadelphia
Posted: Mon, May. 14, 2012, 3:00 AM
The
end of public education in Philadelphia
If the School Reform Commission
and Chief Recovery Officer Thomas Knudsen have their way, we may witness the
end of public education in Philadelphia
Schools
dealing with charter challenge (1st of 2 parts)
Pottsville Mercury By Frank Otto
fotto@pottsmerc.com Posted: 05/13/12 02:05 pm
PHOENIXVILLE — At the Phoenixville
Area School District budget meeting March 21, Joe Antonio, the district’s
director of continuous improvement, laid out the shift in the educational landscape
that many school districts are now trying to combat.
“For over 100 years, public
education has had a monopoly,” he said. “That changed 15 years ago.” Antonio’s
presentation at that meeting centered around the district’s new turn in
strategy, something that was almost unthinkable in many schools just a decade
ago: competing directly with charter and cyber schools for students.
School
districts think outside the classroom to compete with charters (2nd of 2 parts)
Pottsville Mercury By Frank Otto fotto@pottsmerc.com
Posted: 05/14/12
12:01 am
(Second of two parts)
As technology has advanced in the
past decade, the concept of a classroom has changed dramatically. With the arrival of charter schools, the way
was paved for their Internet-based equivalent, cyber-charter schools.
Virtual Learning: Growing
but untested, NSBA report says
NSBA School Board News, May 14, 2012
Do K12 students benefit
from taking some or all of their classes online? A new report by NSBA’s Center
for Public Education, Searching for the Reality of
Virtual Schools, says that while online education holds
promise for 21stcentury learning, researchers
know relatively little about the performance of virtual schools, and the
studies that have been done are troubling.
New Advocacy Groups
Shaking Up Education Field
Their sway
over policy and politics appears to be growing, especially at the state and
local levels.
Education Week By Stephen Sawchuk
Published Online: May
14, 2012
A new generation of education
advocacy groups has emerged to play a formidable political role in states and
communities across the country. Those groups are shaping policy through
aggressive lobbying and campaign activity—an evolution in advocacy that is
primed to continue in the 2012 elections and beyond. Bearing names meant to signal their intentions—Stand
for Children, Democrats for Education Reform, StudentsFirst—they are pushing
for such policies as rigorous teacher evaluations based in part on evidence of
student learning, increased access to high-quality charter schools, and higher
academic standards for schools and students.
Why rating teachers by
test scores won’t work
I don’t spend much time debunking our most
powerful educational fad:value-added assessments to rate teachers. My colleague Valerie
Strausseviscerates value-added several times a week on her Answer Sheet blogwith the verve of a Samurai
warrior, so who needs me?
Unfortunately, value-added is still growing in
every corner of our nation, including D.C. schools, despite all that torn flesh
and missing pieces. It’s like those monsters lumbering through this year’s
action films.We’ve got to stop them! Let me fling my small, aged body in their
way with the best argument against value-added I have seen in some time.
Parents
sign petition against use of FCAT
The
petition, gaining traction in parts of Florida
For years, students and teachers
have dreaded the FCAT, Florida
Parents like Dalia Blumstein of Miami Beach
The Florida Comprehensive
Assessment Test affects a school’s state-issued letter grade, student
graduation and, starting this year, teacher evaluations and ultimately, their
pay.
The petition is gaining traction
in parts of Florida and around the country, in
particular Texas
A
Dozen Education Policy Questions the Press Should Ask
Nieman Watchdog ASK THIS | February 07, 2012
By Diane Ravitch gardendr@gmail.com
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/
The Education Policy and Leadership
Center is pleased to invite you to
attend the PENNSYLVANIA EDUCATION POLICY FORUM
Western Pennsylvania Breakfast
Series Thursday, May 17, 2012
Continental Breakfast - 8:00 a.m. Program -
8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Holiday Inn Pittsburgh
University Center 100 Lytton Avenue , Pittsburgh , PA 15213
SUBJECT: College Completion Agenda
SPEAKERS:
SPEAKERS:
·
Gregg
Fleisher, National AP Training and Incentives Program Director, National Math+Science
Initiative
- Marcus S. Lingenfelter,
Director, State Government Relations, The College Board
- Dr. Peter H. Garland, Executive Vice
Chancellor,
The College Board's
College Completion Agenda Report is available at http://completionagenda.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/reports_pdf/Progress_Report_2011.pdf
Please RSVP Today! Registration is free, but everyone must RSVP at http://www.eplc.org/events-calendar/western-pennsylvania-breakfast-series/.
Please RSVP Today! Registration is free, but everyone must RSVP at http://www.eplc.org/events-calendar/western-pennsylvania-breakfast-series/.
Please share this
invitation with your friends and colleagues.
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
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?
s; � t r h � pѣ ocess,
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
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