Daily
postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 1900
Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators,
legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, PTO/PTA officers, parent
advocates, teacher leaders, education professors, members of the press and a
broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education
advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook and Twitter.
The Keystone State Education Coalition is
pleased to be listed among the friends and allies of The Network for Public
Education. Are you a
member?
These daily
emails are archived at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
PSBA Region 15 Members (Delaware and Chester
Counties
Jeffery B. Clay, Executive Director for the Pennsylvania School
PA Budget – got $695 million? (plus $120 million more for PHL)
To help close the budget gap, some lawmakers — and even the Corbett
administration — are considering a delay in the phaseout of a corporate tax
that has already been cut by 85%.
PA
Budget and Policy
Center May 16, 2013
Pennsylvania
House leaders plan to introduce a 2013-14 budget bill on May 28, with a vote to
follow the week of June 10. Balancing
the budget without new deep spending cuts will be difficult, as lawmakers have
to make up for a $518
million shortfall projected by the Independent Fiscal Office. The task
will be more complicated as House Appropriations Chairman Bill Adolph announced
the bill will NOT include $177 million in savings from changes
to the state's public pension systems proposed by Governor Corbett in his
February budget.
"Somehow, we've got to get this educational industrial complex that
we created under control," said Folmer. "
State, teachers' union reluctant on more
money for Philly schools
WHYY
Newsworks By Benjamin Herold, @BenjaminBHerold and Holly Otterbein,
@hollyotterbein May
16, 2013
Yesterday,
Philadelphia Mayor Nutter announced his plan to raise $95
million for the city's struggling School District ,
mostly through tax hikes on cigarettes and alcohol.
But
even if that money comes through, city schools will still be looking for an
additional $120 million from Harrisburg
Sen.
Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon), who chairs the Senate's education committee, said the
unions have to go first. "Philadelphia
Hite proposes ending teacher seniority
KRISTEN
A. GRAHAM, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER POSTED: Friday,
May 17, 2013 ,
3:01 AM
William
R. Hite Jr. knows it's a tough ask: $120 million from a state that historically
views Philadelphia
"If
we stand any chance to get money from Harrisburg, it's going to have to support
something that is different from what we have now," Hite told the Inquirer
Editorial Board on Thursday, adding that legislators are unlikely to support a
system where "individuals get another increase just because they're
remaining on the job another year."
“But Tomalis quickly earned and could not
shake a reputation as anti-public school, despite recent attempts to shut down
two low-performing, mismanaged cyber charter schools.
He presided over Corbett's unpopular cuts to
public and higher education in 2011-12. He backed laws that protected and
enhanced charter schools and private schools while putting more restrictions on
traditional public schools and teachers.”
Tom Corbett to replace education secretary
with mid-state superintendent
Ron Tomalis to be adviser with same pay. Cumberland Valley
By Steve Esack, Call Harrisburg
When
it was time to name an education secretary, he picked someone with the same
mind-set: Ron Tomalis, who lacked teaching experience but had worked to expand
school choice as a state and federal government official before moving into the
for-profit education sector.
New Education Secretary on Deck in Pennsylvania
Reports
that Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis is headed out the door
appear to have been on the mark, as Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican, announced
today that he will nominate William Harner, the superintendent of the Cumberland Valley School District
A
former Army officer, Harner has broad experience in education. He previously
worked as a school administrator in Georgia ,
South Carolina , New
Orleans , and Philadelphia , and he said
that he grew up going to school in a district outside the City of Brotherly Love Superintendents
Academy at the Broad Foundation in
2005 as a fellow, according to his
biography at the Cumberland
Charters' pension double dip
Post-Gazette
Letter to the Editor by Steve Robinson May 16, 2013 12:07 am
STEVE ROBINSON is Director
of Public Relations for the PA School Boards Association
In response to the May 7 letter "Wrong Reform" by Robert Fayfich, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools, an important clarification must be made. The "double dip" referenced in the letter certainly does exist. However, it is the charter schools that are receiving a windfall as a result of this pension double dip, and it is the school districts and taxpayers across the state who are paying the price.
In response to the May 7 letter "Wrong Reform" by Robert Fayfich, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools, an important clarification must be made. The "double dip" referenced in the letter certainly does exist. However, it is the charter schools that are receiving a windfall as a result of this pension double dip, and it is the school districts and taxpayers across the state who are paying the price.
Read
more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/letters/charters-double-dip-687756/#ixzz2TSpvP7K1
Common Core in the Crosshairs, Across Party
Lines
PoliticsPA Written by Carl Feldman, Contributing
Writer May 16,
2013
PA Special education funding commission
organizes.
Capitolwire.com Under The Dome™
email Thursday, May 16, 2013
A
commission examining how the commonwealth funds special education programs held
an organizational meeting Wednesday, where Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, and
Rep. Bernie O’Neill, R-Bucks, were elected as co-chairmen of the commission.
Both lawmakers led the recent effort to pass legislation to establish the
15-member commission tasked with developing a funding system that recognizes
the real number of physically and mentally challenged students, as well as the
level of their needs. The next meeting is scheduled for June 13. Browne
said the Sept. 30 deadline for reporting to the governor will be
pushed back to Nov. 30.
The
commission picked Baruch Kintisch of Pathways Solutions LLC (formerly with the Education Law Center
House
members on the commission include: O’Neill; Reps. Mark Longietti, D-Mercer;
Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster; Mike Peifer, R-Pike; and the two House Education
Committee chairmen, Reps. Paul Clymer, R-Bucks, and James Roebuck,
D-Philadelphia.
Senate
members include: Browne; Sens. Ted Erickson, R-Delaware; Jim Brewster,
D-Allegheny; Judy Schwank, D-Berks; and the two Senate Education chairmen Sens.
Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon, and Andy Dinniman, D-Chester.
The
three administration appointees include the Education Secretary, Budget
Secretary Charles Zogby and Carolyn Dumaresq, deputy secretary of elementary
and secondary education.
Published:
Thursday, May 16,
2013
By
VINCE SULLIVAN vsullivan@delcotimes.com
@vincesullivan
York superintendent resigns, will take job
in NY
Philly.com by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Thursday, May 16, 2013 , 8:56 AM
Read
more at http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20130516_ap_yorksuperintendentresignswilltakejobinny.html#g84vM23ySh5eZrpG.99
Forum takes on standardized testing
Notebook
by Dale Mezzacappa on May 16 2013 Posted in Latest news
Two
icons of the progressive education movement spoke in Philadelphia University
of Pennsylvania and helped drive Philadelphia ’s small schools movement 20 years ago, said
that high-stakes testing was “corrupting and curdling” education in New York City
Sea to Shining Sea
Did
you know that we organized Sunday’s Rolling Rally here
in Pittsburgh to coincide with public education
actions all over the United
States Philadelphia Chicago
Our City. Our Schools.
Our Voice.
We Stand withChicago
We Stand with
Here’s
how Pittsburgh
New
York Times By MOTOKO RICH Published: May 15, 2013
Parents
in Chicago Federal District Court Illinois
“Evaluating teachers on student test scores
will inevitably prove once again that low income students do not test as well
as affluent students and that effective teachers who want good evaluations will
move to schools with higher income students.”
There is Only One Effective Teacher
Evaluation
Education
Week By John
Wilson on May 16, 2013 6:30
AM
How
much longer are we going to continue down the path of absurdity seeking the
promised land of teacher evaluations? Spending millions of dollars on
complicated and convoluted systems that only demoralize teachers will
eventually result in backlash from taxpayers and voters. Evaluating teachers on
student test scores will inevitably prove once again that low income students
do not test as well as affluent students and that effective teachers who want
good evaluations will move to schools with higher income students. Coupling
test scores of students to the evaluations of teachers who never taught those
children will never hold up in court. The irony in all this is that there is an
effective system for teacher evaluations, one that has been around since the
1980's.
Peer Assistance and Review (PAR)
programs have been the exemplar for strong teacher evaluation systems.
Teachers trained to evaluate their peers are able to distinguish the
inexperienced from the ineffective---a significant difference from other
evaluation systems---and can help teachers improve their practice.
GFBRANDENBURG'S
BLOG May 15, 2013
How to Earn Gigabucks Through
Charter Schools
A
very interesting article in Alternet on how hedge fund managers and other
millionaires and billionaires are making enormously profitable investments in
the charter-school bubble.
Here
are two paragraphs from a
long article:
The revolution is here
Washington
Post By Valerie Strauss, Published: May 17, 2013 at 4:00 am E-mail
the writer
I’ve
written a lot about growing resistance to high-stakes standardized testing and
other corporate-driven school reforms. In the following piece, the argument is
made that the revolution against the reform movement is here. It was written by
Jeff Bryant, an Associate Fellow at the Campaign
for America’s Future and the owner of a marketing and communications
consultancy. It serves numerous organizations including Human Rights Watch,
Doctors Without Borders, PBS, and International Planned Parenthood Foundation.
He writes extensively about public education policy at The
Education Opportunity Network.Follow Jeff on Twitter: jeffbcdm
Navigating School Funding Decisions in Harrisburg
Webinar for School Boards &
Superintendents Wed, May 22, 2013 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM EDT
This spring marks the third
year that superintendents and school boards are struggling to put together
budgets with deeply reduced state funding levels. So what is Harrisburg
Join the Pennsylvania Budget andPolicy
Center on Wednesday, May 22nd at 3pm for a webinar on the latest in
the state budget debate and what it means for education funding in Pennsylvania
Join the Pennsylvania Budget and
For more info and registration:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3540292551835560192
Search underway for PSBA Executive Director
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA)
is a nonprofit statewide association of public school boards, pledged to the
highest ideals of local lay leadership for the public schools of the
commonwealth. Founded in 1895, PSBA has a rich history as the first
school boards' association established in the United States Pennsylvania
Search
by Diversified Search, 1990 M St NW, Suite 570Washington , DC
Sign Up
Today for PILCOP Special Ed CLE Trainings
Spots are filling up for the
final two trainings in our 2012-2013 Know Your Child’s Rights series with
seminars on ADAAA, Pro Se Parents and Settlement Agreements.
For seminar details and registration:
http://pilcop.org/sign-up-today-for-special-ed-cle-trainings/
Turning the Page for Change
celebration, June
11, 2013
Please join us for the Notebook’s annual Turning the Page for
Change celebration on June 11, 2013 , from 4:30 - 7 p.m. at the University of The Arts 320 S. Broad Street
PA Charter Schools: $4 billion taxpayer dollars with no real
oversight Keystone State May 2,
2013 )
Charter schools - public funding without public scrutiny; Proposed
statewide authorization and direct payment would further diminish
accountability and oversight for public tax dollars
rgin-b� �!m . `E xm� i style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Charter schools - public funding without public scrutiny; Proposed
statewide authorization and direct payment would further diminish
accountability and oversight for public tax dollars
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
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