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For February 15, 2013 :
No state store sell-off, no education
grant, Corbett says;
SPECIAL EDITION EPLC Education Notebook Monday, February 11, 2013
EPLC: Summary of
Governor Corbett's Proposed 2013-2014 Education Budget
"There's no grant (program) if it doesn't pass," the governor
said.
But he did not suggest any alternative financing for the block grants.
The Republican governor also had no ready answer when asked where he
would cut spending if lawmakers reject his strategy for overhauling the state
pension plans covering more than 800,000 active and retired state workers and
school employees.
"I'm not going to go into that right now," he said.”
No state store sell-off, no education grant,
Corbett says
The
Associated Press Reading Eagle Press Originally
Published: 2/13/2013
“….a sound funding formula would
take into account the "extraordinary needs of kids who are poor, are
English language learners" or have learning disabilities. The objective, he said, is to put students from
the entire spectrum of economic backgrounds on a level playing field.”
After cuts, poor schools hit again
Intelligencer
Journal Lancaster Feb 14, 2013
About a
third of the way into his budget address last week, Gov. Tom Corbett had
stirring words for those who believe one of our greatest obligations is to
teach our children well. The Republican
governor stood before the Legislature and declared that every child
"deserves an equal start in life." What's more, Corbett added,
"I intend to see that promise kept."
It was a notable shift in tone for a governor who only a couple of years ago took the dogmatic stand that it was better to cut nearly a billion dollars from schools than to raise taxes by a single dollar. But lofty rhetoric without deeds is watery soup. And advocates of strong schools are making the case that Corbett's promise of an "equal start" for every child falls flat.
It was a notable shift in tone for a governor who only a couple of years ago took the dogmatic stand that it was better to cut nearly a billion dollars from schools than to raise taxes by a single dollar. But lofty rhetoric without deeds is watery soup. And advocates of strong schools are making the case that Corbett's promise of an "equal start" for every child falls flat.
By Eleanor
Chute / Pittsburgh February
14, 2013 3:11 pm
The
Education Policy and Leadership
Center
Numbers Game
Latest Corbett
budget has some good news ... especially if you're a CEO
by Chris
Potter Pittsburgh City Paper February 13, 2013
Since Gov.
Tom Corbett released his proposed 2013-2014 budget earlier this month, it's
been touted as being a kinder, gentler budget than his first two efforts. It
includes modest-but-real increases in social-service spending like
education and mental health. Even budgetary whipping boys, like state-supported
universities, are spared further cuts, as they are flat-funded.
But
there's a catch. Corbett's increases depend on the legislature passing
controversial reforms like raffling off the state store system, or forcing
pension concessions from the teachers who educate students. And Corbett's
previous austerity measures are part of the reason social services are in such
dire straits to begin with. Call it the Schlock Doctrine: Enact a budget that
will create a future crisis ... and then use the resulting crisis to justify
future budgets. And it's not the only way in which Corbett promises less than
it seems.
YorkCounts: Convert city school district to
charter schools
By ANGIE
MASON York Daily Record/Sunday News Updated: 02/14/2013 07:49:45 AM EST
A
YorkCounts education work group has suggested that turning the York City
School District York York City School District
Judge allowing Wilkinsburg
schools to take out $3M loan
By Annie
Siebert / Pittsburgh February
15, 2013 12:19 am
An
Allegheny County Common Pleas judge has granted the Wilkinsburg School District
The
district petitioned the court to approve the loan last month, saying it would
"not be able to meet its payroll or debt service obligations"
beginning in March. The petition cited a significant hike in payments to
charter schools as one source of its financial woes.
Closing Arguments
Parents
and the school district fight over the future of Philly public education.
As a
sixth-grade student and the student-body president at Jay Cooke Elementary in Logan
It may feel personal, but Jenna is just one of 17,000 students set to be relocated under a plan outlined by Philadelphia School District Superintendent William Hite, who contends that closing 37 schools will ultimately save $28 million a year for a school district that projects a $1.1 billion deficit over five years.
It may feel personal, but Jenna is just one of 17,000 students set to be relocated under a plan outlined by Philadelphia School District Superintendent William Hite, who contends that closing 37 schools will ultimately save $28 million a year for a school district that projects a $1.1 billion deficit over five years.
As Corbett eyes cuts, investment boss out at Pa.
Philly.com
PhillyDeals Blog by Joseph N. DiStefano February 14, 2013 , 11:14 AM
The
Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS) says Alan Van
Noord plans to retire as chief investment officer in June, as Gov. Tom Corbett
presses to reduce the state's relatively generous retirement guarantees for
more than 200,000 retirees and around 275,000 current school employees.
LehighValleyLive
By Precious
Petty | The Express-Times on February 13, 2013 at 8:40 AM
A new
company recently took over the Pennsylvania Special Education School-Based
ACCESS Program and the switch is causing headaches for Lehigh Valley
Districts
must enroll in the program to get federal reimbursements for medical services
provided to some special education students. The statewide vendor, Boston-based
Public Consulting Group, hasn't made that process easy, district officials
said.
PDE Press
Release February
14, 2013
Corbett Administration Announces $3.7 Million in Grants to Public Libraries
Harrisburg – The Corbett administration today announced that more than $3.7 million has been awarded to 15 public libraries across the commonwealth through the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund. These awards will assist local communities in financing repairs and upgrades to library facilities. “Public libraries play an important role in communities acrossPennsylvania
Corbett Administration Announces $3.7 Million in Grants to Public Libraries
Harrisburg – The Corbett administration today announced that more than $3.7 million has been awarded to 15 public libraries across the commonwealth through the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund. These awards will assist local communities in financing repairs and upgrades to library facilities. “Public libraries play an important role in communities across
Tennessee legislative committee kills bill to close
Tennessee Virtual Academy operated by K12, Inc.
Memphis Tn
Commerical Appeal By Richard Locker Posted February 12, 2013 at 8 p.m., NASHVILLE — A state legislative committee blocked
discussion Tuesday of leaked internal e-mail from the only taxpayer-funded,
for-profit online school operating in Tennessee
The
committee then killed a bill that would have closed the two-year-old Tennessee Virtual Academy
Obama pushes preschool plan, won't discuss cost
POSTED: Thursday,
February 14, 2013 ,
5:42 PM
Conservatives Skeptical of Expanding Preschool
New York
Times By MICHAEL D. SHEAR Published: February 14, 2013
ATLANTA
— President Obama’s plan to expand
preschool for the nation’s children faces deep skepticism among Republicans,
who fear the creation of another federal entitlement program that they say
could add to the nation’s deficit and swell the ranks of the teachers’ unions.
The State of the 4-Year-Olds
New York
Times Opinion By GAIL COLLINS Published: February 13, 2013
One of the
big moments of the State of the Union address was President Obama’s call for
“high-quality preschool” for 4-year-olds.
Nobody was
happier at the idea than Walter Mondale, the former vice president. “This is
going to be wonderful,” he said in a phone conversation. His delight was sort
of inspiring. If I had been down the road Mondale has traveled, my mood would
have been a little darker.
In 1971,
when he was a senator, Mondale led the Congressional drive to make quality
preschool education available to every family in the United States
And it
passed! Then Richard Nixon vetoed it, claiming Congress was proposing “communal
approaches to child rearing.”
Watch John Merrow’s reports on early
childhood development on PBS
Advancing New Hampshire February 14, 2013
In case you missed it, on the occasion of President Obama’s State of the
Union commitment to early childhood development, the PBS Newshour reran a 2011
report from John Merrow, the ultimate education reporter, on pre-K efforts in Chicago
Watch Chicago
Takes Early Aim at ‘Achievement Gap’ in Schools on PBS.
And here is John Merrow’s 2002, hour-long report on “The Promise of
Preschool.” It is not at all out-dated.
Four Reasons Pre-K Faces An Uphill
Climb
Bellweather Education Partners’ Eduwonk Blog by Andrew Rotherham February 13, 2013
President Obama made a big call for a federal – state partnership on
early-childhood education in his State of the Union speech. As education
initiatives go, pre-K has substantial research behind it. The mixed results
that are observed in many pre-K initiatives, and Head Start, owe more to
execution shortcomings than the underlying value of quality pre-K education.
And it’s also common- sense that preparing students for school, and
closing the gaps that exist before they start school, is a smart way to get kids
off to a good start in school. The
issue is also ripe for a federal-state partnership. Still, it’s a long way from here to there.
Doesn’t mean the President can’t get something done, but here are four
reasons the President’s pre-K initiative faces a tough ride in Congress:
Fact Sheet: Kids Lose Billions With
Sequester
First Focus Campaign for Children By Jared SolomonFebruary
11, 2013
First Focus Campaign for Children By Jared Solomon
In a matter of weeks on March 1, 2013 , if across the board cuts known as
sequestration take effect federal funding for kids will be cut by an additional
$4.2 billion in Fiscal Year 2013. With the recently passed American Tax Relief
Act, this fact sheet explores the updated impact of sequestration on America
Here is the testimony Education Secretary Arne Duncan gave Thursday
before the Senate Appropriations Committee on what could happen to education
programs if Congress takes no steps to avert a March 1 deadline for automatic
spending cuts, known as the “sequestration.” This testimony was provided by the
Education Department.
At Long Last, We Are Treating
Doctors Like We Treat Teachers
Almost two years ago to this very day, I wrote a couple of largely
hypothetical pieces that toyed with the idea of performance pay for physicians,
similar to what's being forced on educators. The first hammered out some
specific proposals for doctors, such as the use of a few fundamental
metrics, like BMI, cholesterol, and blood pressure, to evaluate doctors
and hospitals . I doubled down the second time by suggesting that our
health care workforce is failing and that our continued decline in overall wellness is ruining our economic
competitiveness. If you follow the education reform debate, you'll read
suspiciously similar sounding aspersions cast against our public schools and
its teachers. The New York Times published
a piece in January of this year about a new program in New York City attaching
quality of care to physician income. We would have, at long last, a
health care system accountable to patients.
NSBA’s Center for Public Education The Edifier by Jim Hull February 14, 2013
What is the economic benefit of
vouchers?
A recent study of
the Washington , DC
Education Policy and Leadership
Center
SUBJECT: Governor Corbett's Proposed
Education Budget for 2013-2014
"Southeastern Region Breakfast Series" Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Continental Breakfast - 8:00 a.m. Program - 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel - 201 North 17th St. , Philadelphia ,
PA 19103
SPEAKERS: An Overview of the Proposed 2013-2014 State Budget
and Education Issues Will Be Provided By:
Sharon Ward, The Pennsylvania Budget and
Policy Center
Ron Cowell, The Education Policy and Leadership
Center
State and Regional
Perspectives Will Be Provided By:
Mark B. Miller, School Director,Centennial School District
Mark B. Miller, School Director,
Joe Otto, Chief Operations Officer, William Penn
School District
Michael Churchill, Of Counsel, Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia
Dr. Stephen D. Butz , Superintendent, Southeast Delco
School District
Dr. Stephen D. Butz
While there is no
registration fee, seating is limited and an RSVP is required.
SAVE THE DATE: 2013 Pennsylvania
Budget Summit
Many Pennsylvanians have
sent a clear message to Harrisburg Policy Center
for an in-depth look at the Governor's proposal and an update on the federal
budget -- and what they mean for communities and families across Pennsylvania
2013 Pennsylvania
Budget Summit
Thursday, February 21, 2013 ,
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
HiltonHarrisburg , 1 North Second Street, Harrisburg , PA
Hilton
EPLC 2013 REGIONAL WORKSHOPS
FOR SCHOOL
The Education Policy and Leadership Center, with the Cooperation
of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) and Pennsylvania
Association of School Business Officials (PASBO), will conduct A Series of Regional Full-Day
Workshops for 2013
Pennsylvania School Board Candidates. Registration is $45 and includes
coffee/donuts, lunch, and materials.
Pittsburgh Region Saturday, February 23, 2013 – 8:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh/Monroeville, 101 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146
Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh/Monroeville, 101 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146
2013 PSBA Leadership Symposium on
Advocacy and Issues
April 6, 2013 The Penn Stater Convention Center Hotel; State College, PA
Strategic leadership, school budgeting and advocacy are key issues facing today's school district leaders. For your school district to truly thrive, leaders must maintain a solid understanding of these three functions. Attend the 2013 PSBA Leadership Symposium on Advocacy and Issues to ensure you have the skills you need to take your district to the next level.
April 6, 2013 The Penn Stater Convention Center Hotel; State College, PA
Strategic leadership, school budgeting and advocacy are key issues facing today's school district leaders. For your school district to truly thrive, leaders must maintain a solid understanding of these three functions. Attend the 2013 PSBA Leadership Symposium on Advocacy and Issues to ensure you have the skills you need to take your district to the next level.
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