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.
Parents Across America’s Response to Testimony before the House
Education and the Workforce Committee Hearing held May 16, 2012
“Exploring State Success in Expanding Parent and
Student Options”
Yesterday, a subcommittee of the U.S. House
Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing which was promoted as a discussion on “state efforts to expand
parental engagement.”
However, the title of the actual hearing (see
heading above) and the testimony of three of the four invited speakers, made it
clear that the leadership defines parent engagement solely as parental choice.
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
Delco Times by Editor
Phil Heron Thursday, May
17, 2012
More voices heard in Upper Darby school controversy
The controversy
surrounding proposed curriculum cuts in the Upper Darby School District
A group of concerned
parents urged the pols to get involved, assuring them that what happens in the
schools will spill over to the township.
In the meantime, we
devoted another ‘Live From the Newsroom’ live-stream Internet broadcast to this
crucial issue.
We were joined by state
Sen. Ted Erickson, R-26, who represents Upper Darby; former Upper Darby
Superintendent Joe Batory; and Larry Feinberg, Haverford School Board member
and representative of the Keystone State Education Coalition.
“over 70%
of the state’s school districts are already spending down their reserves to
balance their budgets this year”
Insane,
Irrational, Irresponsible
Yinzercation Blog — MAY 17, 2012
The Governor has added
another new talking point. Now he is suggesting that we should blame school
districts for cutting programs because they aren’t tapping their supposedly
vast reserve accounts to pay for them. Speaking during his regular appearance
on a Philadelphia
Actually, as Gov.
Corbett well knows, over 70% of the state’s school districts are already
spending down their reserves to balance their budgets this year.
Hostile
Witness; Make 'Em Pay
Opinion by Daniel Denvir
City 12:00 AM
The fiscal crisis facing our public schools is
being exploited by a movement to privatize public education, break unions and
subject students to high-stakes test-prep regimes. But it is a crisis
nonetheless — one that requires long-term solutions, immediate band-aids and,
critically, a substantial commitment from Philly's largest stakeholders.
As I've reported, the state, whose School Reform
Commission (SRC) has controlled Philly schools since 2001, has underfunded poor
districts for decades. This fiscal year, Gov. Tom Corbett and the Republican
legislature slashed nearly $300 million of Philly's funding. The district now
faces a $218 million deficit for the coming year and a $1.1 billion cumulative
five-year shortfall.
Teacher layoffs: Seniority shouldn't
be only consideration
Published: Thursday, May
17, 2012 , 6:08 AM
Remember the teacher or teachers who made the most difference
in your life? When you think of them, you likely don’t recall their age.
What stands out is how
enjoyable it was to be in their classroom and the many lessons you learned —
about whatever subject it was and about life.
Posted: Thu, May. 17, 2012, 5:30 PM
Unvaccinated
kids booted from Pa.
MICHAEL RUBINKAM The Associated Press
That's the message Pennsylvania
The message , and the vaccines , seem to have
penetrated.
Spot checks of most of the 20 largest districts
Thursday show the success of a Herculean effort by school nurses to get
students vaccinated in the months, weeks and days leading up to the deadline,
with many districts now reporting full or nearly full compliance.
NYC: New
Coalition to Challenge Bloomberg’s Education Policies
New York Times By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM Published: May 17, 2012
A coalition of labor unions and liberal advocacy
groups is planning an ambitious effort to support mayoral candidates who pledge
to reverse some of the Bloomberg administration’s more-contentious public
education policies. The coalition, to be
announced on Friday, is a direct response to another well-financed political
group, StudentsFirstNY, which was formed this year as a counterweight to
critics of the administration’s stewardship of the city’s schools, and is led
by former schools chancellors of New York and Washington
The dueling groups underline the highly visible
role that public schools are expected to play in next year’s mayoral race, as
the contenders debate the merits of policies like the expansion of charter
schools and the use of teacher evaluations in firing faculty members.
They also highlight the potential role that outside
money could play in the mayoral race. The new coalition has the backing of many
of the city’s big unions, including the United Federation of Teachers.
StudentsFirstNY, which is looking to raise $10 million a year, has been
financed primarily by hedge fund managers and venture capitalists.
WHAT WORKS: Heads
Up about The Coalition for Community Schools
The Coalition for Community Schools, housed at the
Institute for Educational Leadership, is an alliance of national, state and
local organizations in education K-16, youth development, community planning
and development, family support, health and human services, government and
philanthropy as well as national, state and local community school networks.
Community schools are both a place and a set of partnerships between the school
and other community resources. There are a number of national models and local
community school initiatives that share a common set of principles: fostering
strong partnerships, sharing accountability for results, setting high
expectations, building on the community’s strengths, and embracing diversity
and innovative solutions.
Website for more info: http://www.communityschools.org/about/overview.aspx
Virtual Schools Need a Grounding in Reality
We've all seen the fast-growth of online
learning in the K-12 public education sector, and the many new opportunities
emerging for students and schools. But with all this rapid growth, are too many
students getting lost in cyber space?
Quite possibly, yes. That's the conclusion of a
new report by the National School Board Association's Center for Public
Education, "Searching for the Reality of Virtual Schools,"
which looked at what little data exists on student outcomes, from a single
online class to full-time virtual schooling.
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/
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?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.