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
“We no longer need to hypothesize about the results. Cyber
charters do not work for the majority of the students they enroll.”
Plus: House budget coverage/reactions; several items on early
childhood education
Delay the
cut in the capital stock and franchise tax
We urge the legislature to delay
planned tax cuts rather than making additional budget cuts to schools, health
care, and human services.
Help spread the message of the Pennsylvania School
Funding Campaign for the 2013-2014 State Budget
http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2013/03/help-spread-message-of-pennsylvania.html
PA House GOP leaders push their
budget, aiming to spend less than Corbett
By The
Associated Press on May 29, 2013 at 1:40 PM , updated May 29, 2013 at 1:48 PM
Republican leaders in the Pennsylvania House say they want a state budget
for next year that would spend about $100 million less than the governor has
proposed but about $600 million more than what passed a year ago. The GOP leadership introduced their budget
plan Wednesday for the fiscal year starting July 1. They're highlighting an increase in spending
on K-12 education, funding to hire 300 more state troopers and greater support
for certain health programs, county conservation districts and the state open
records office.
A spokesman for Gov. Tom Corbett's budget office calls it "a
starting point."
PA House budget includes $4 million
bump for lawmakers
By Melissa Daniels PA Independent May 29, 2013
The $28.3 billion proposal, released Tuesday, is about $100 million less
overall than what Gov. Tom Corbett proposed in February. But Corbett’s plan keeps funding flat
for Senate and House of Representatives budgets, at nearly
$272 million. The House proposal bumps that up to $276 million, an increase of
1.5 percent.
“Earlier this month, Adolph said the House
will not tackle Corbett's pension reform plan.
Senate Republicans leaders, including Senate
Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware, have been lukewarm to
the idea, too. The Senate Finance Committee plans
to hold a public hearing at 10 a.m. Wednesday on a bill that mirrors Corbett's
pension proposals. The House has yet to schedule hearings.
If the Senate and House cannot agree on
pension reform, the state budget will have to be reduced by $175 million.
School districts also could not factor in the pension savings in their own
budgets.”
State budget talks to heat up in Harrisburg
House Republicans are to
propose budget that would spend slightly less than what Gov. Tom Corbett had
proposed.
By Steve Esack, Morning Call Harrisburg
The
Republicans, who control the House by a 19-member majority, will call for
reducing Corbett's spending plan to $28.3 billion to partly account for a drop
in state sales tax revenue.
Exact
details of the House's plan are not known. But no agency is expected to take
the brunt of the spending cuts. To make
up for that anticipated loss, the House could recommend shaving part or all of
Corbett's 2.4 percent spending increase, which represents an extra $679
million.
PA House Republican Caucus on budget
proposal
PA House GOP budget proposal
(spreadsheet)
PBPC: What You Need to Know About
the Pa.
Pennsylvania House Republican leaders today introduced a 2013-14 budget
that is $100 million less than what Governor Tom Corbett proposed in February.
Overall, the $28.3 billion plan cuts $230 million in spending proposed by the
Governor, shifting nearly $130 million of the savings to other budget
priorities.
A significant piece of the spending reductions come from education—$85
million from reduced state payments for school employees’ Social Security and
pension benefits. These savings are the result of deep cuts to education that
have reduced the ranks of teachers, reading specialists, counselors and other
school staff. The House plan adds $10 million of these savings to the $90
million increase already proposed by the Governor for the K-12 basic education
subsidy. Most of the rest of the education savings are redistributed to
priorities other than education.
Read the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center's full overview of
the House budget proposal.
It’s
not just about the basic education subsidy; look at what’s not in the proposed budget:
For FY2008-09, BEFORE the ARRA/federal
stimulus money, there were several line items in addition to the basic
education subsidy that no longer exist or are significantly reduced.
High School Reform $ 10.7
million eliminated
Accountability Block Grant $171.4 million reduction
Tutoring $ 65.1 million eliminated
Dual Enrollment $
10.0 million eliminated
Science: It’s Elementary $
13.6 million eliminated
School Improvement Grants $
22.8 million eliminated
Charter School Reimbursement $226.9 million eliminated
Total: $520.5 million
Here’s the detail:
Key Education Subsidies Chart
FY2006-07 thru 2012-13
Senator Hughes’ website
Video of the Pennsylvania
Budget and Policy
Center
You can watch a video of the webinar at http://pennbpc.org/webinar-resources-education-funding-cuts-pennsylvania or
share it with your friends on Twitter and Facebook. A link to the PowerPoint
presentation is also available at that web page.
Be sure to register for our next webinar on Tuesday, June 18 at 4 p.m. to
get the latest on the 2013-14 state budget. Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4943642123672820480.
Finally, don’t forget to bookmark and follow our web site (http://pennbpc.org) and blog (http://thirdandstate.org)
for the latest from Harrisburg
Petition: PA State Senators and
House Representatives: Increase Special Education Funding line item in
2013-2014 PA State Budget.
Petition by Upper
Darby Parent Coalition
The State of Pennsylvania
Read/sign petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/pa-state-senators-and-house-representatives-increase-special-education-funding-line-item-in-2013-2014-pa-state-budget
Impasse immediate over plan to revise Pa.
WHYY
Newsworks By Mary Wilson @marywilson May 30, 2013
State
Senate lawmakers are beginning the public vetting of a three-part proposal from
the governor's office to deal with Pennsylvania
Months of debate leading up to the hearing have only made the groups on either side of the issue seem more entrenched than ever.
Months of debate leading up to the hearing have only made the groups on either side of the issue seem more entrenched than ever.
“Pennsylvania
Letter: The true costs of unchecked charter
growth
WHYY
Newsworks By Rhonda Brownstein May 29, 2013
Ben
Herold's recent article "Rising
cyber-charter costs fuel push for statewide reform" focused on the
financial cost of cyber charters. In the article, much attention was given to
responses from cyber charter operators and supporters who emphasize catchy
policy terms like "innovation," but wholly ignore the reality of
student experiences in these programs.
Cyber schools failing our kids
Discussion
of cyber education must focus on evidence of what has actually occurred in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
Teplitz Calls for Costing-out Study of
‘Flawed’ Charter School
Senator
Teplitz’s website MAY
29, 2013
“It would eliminate all extracurricular
activities, sports, art and music. The budget would expand classes to the limit
allowed by the Philadelphia
There would be one nurse for every 1,500
pupils, the state mandate, instead of the district's current rate of one per
1,000 students.
No support staff would be available to serve
lunch, watch children during recess, greet visitors, type letters, answer
phones or conduct business.
Assistant principals would be nothing more
than a memory.”
Proposed Philly school budget cut begin to
hit home
CENTRAL
HIGH School teacher Jacquelyn Mancinelli said she and everyone she knew were in
"a state of disbelief" when they learned about the school district's
proposed budget cuts.
The
school's 27 athletic teams, many of them champions, gone.
The
guidance counselors who assist students through the difficult process of college
applications from September to Christmas vacation each year: also gone.
"But
now it's starting to become more of a reality and everybody is really
scared," said Mancinelli, 25, a ninth- and 10th-grade English teacher.
Read
more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130530_Proposed_school_budget_cut_begin_to_hit_home.html#6ZU5ppHDeEzlDIWH.99
$2 tax on cigarettes to aid school district
wins Philly City
WHYY
Newsworks By Tom MacDonald @tmacdonaldwhyy May 29, 2013
Gerry Lenfest: School budget cuts would
hurt Philly's economy
WHYY
Newsworks By Holly Otterbein, @hollyotterbein May 29, 2013
One
day before the vote, charity giants Carole Haas Gravagno and H.F.
"Gerry" Lenfest decided to throw their weight behind the city's
struggling schools.
Haas
Gravagno, chairwoman of the Stoneleigh Foundation, urged city and state
leaders to figure out a way to avoid the cuts. She said they would hurt
children, taxpayers, businesses and the suburbs alike. "We're more interested in building
juvenile justice centers or prisons. That's where [children will] go if we
aren't taking care of them," she said. "This will spill over into all
the counties if we don't do something."
Lenfest, another noted philanthropist, said in a statement that
"gutting the schools" would hurt Philadelphia
“The average resident will see his real estate taxes reduced by $31.78
or .1105 mills.”
Radnor School
Delco
Times By Linda Stein lstein@mainlinemedianews.com
Wednesday, May
29, 2013
RADNOR
- After a long and contentious debate, the Radnor Township School Board adopted
an $82.7 million budget for the 2013-2014 school year. The budget includes a ½
percent tax rate decrease for the first time in 30 years, board President Eric
Zajac said.
http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2013/05/29/news/doc51a61218a3469025856218.txt?viewmode=fullstory
http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2013/05/29/news/doc51a61218a3469025856218.txt?viewmode=fullstory
Haverford School Board OKs budget draft,
3.55% tax hike
By
LOIS PUGLIONESI DelcoTimes Correspondent Wednesday, May 29, 2013
HAVERFORD
— School directors at a recent meeting voted 7-0 to adopt a proposed final
budget with a 3.55 percent tax rate increase, slightly higher than the 3.49
percent increase projected in earlier budget drafts.
Editorial: Public school funding crisis
needs action
Delco
Times Published: Wednesday, May 29, 2013
It is
the telltale sound of spring. Cha-ching.
No, not the chatter of those 17-year Cicadas awakening across the landscape. We’re talking about your local school board munching their way deeper and deeper into your wallet.
Yes, it’s school budget time again. Stop us if you’ve heard this tune before.
No, not the chatter of those 17-year Cicadas awakening across the landscape. We’re talking about your local school board munching their way deeper and deeper into your wallet.
Yes, it’s school budget time again. Stop us if you’ve heard this tune before.
More than 300 Business Leaders and
Organizations from 44 States Sign Letter Asking Lawmakers to Support Early
Childhood Programs
Letter Delivered to President Obama and Congressional Members
Former Chief Executives of Macy’s, Inc. and Procter & Gamble to Meet
with Secretary Duncan and Secretary
Sebelius to Discuss Early Childhood Programs
Press
Release America May
29, 2013
Letters to the editor: Pre-K Partnership
will help Pennsylvanians
PUBLISHED:
MAY 29, 2013
12:01 AM EST
I agree withErie 's educators about the
importance of high-quality pre-K for children's development ("Pre-K
funding fluctuates but Erie Mission Pennsylvania
I agree with
We're Leaving Our Kids at the Gate
Pennsylvania
Partnerships for Children Blog May 29, 2013 5:43 PM | Posted By : PPC
Lawmakers inWashington
Lawmakers in
Since
the sequester took effect on March 1, the commonwealth's Head Start programs
have been hit with a $13.5 million reduction, potentially eliminating services
to more than 1,500 children by the end of the year. Some programs already are
closing their doors, leaving kids without pre-k programs. Estimates show child
care funding in Pennsylvania
Public
Citizens for Children and Youth
Public
Citizens for Children and Youth
Public
Citizens for Children and Youth
Public
Citizens for Children and Youth
First Book provides access to new books for
children in need.
To
date, First Book has distributed more than 100 million books and
educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income
families throughout the United States
and Canada. First Book is transforming the lives of
children in need and elevating the quality of education by making new,
high-quality books available on an ongoing basis.
We
are proud of our past success and even more excited about the future. First
Book is uniquely positioned to become a leader in providing digital resources
so that children in need don’t miss out.
No matter how formats and technologies change, children from low-income
families will still need access to rich and varied content. First Book is
helping guide the publishing industry as it evolves so that all children can
benefit from new technologies and flourish as readers.
Citizen’s
Call Blog Posted on May 28, 2013
Cheltenham
High School (CHS) has been named to America
The
high school tracked a 98 percent graduation rate, 90 percent college bound
rate, 1545 average SAT score and 3.5 average Advanced Placement Exam score. CHS
achieved an overall score of 3.2, placing it in the 760th position. According
to Newsweek/The Daily Beast, those schools on the list “have proven to be the
most effective in turning out college-ready grads.”
Here’s the full list - 77 Pennsylvania
America’s Best High Schools
Newsweek/Daily Beast by Lauren
Streib May 6, 2013 5:00 AM EDT
This
year our ranking highlights the best 2,000 public high schools in the
nation—those that have proven to be the most effective in turning out
college-ready grads. The list is based on six components: graduation rate (25
percent), college acceptance rate (25 percent), AP/IB/AICE tests taken per
student (25 percent), average SAT/ACT scores (10 percent), average AP/IB/AICE
scores (10 percent), and percent of students enrolled in at least one
AP/IB/AICE course (5 percent). Click here forfull
methodology.
“In a letter to lawmakers on the House
Appropriations Committee last week, 10 education groups including the National
Education Association and the National School Boards Association banded
together to ask the panel to reject what they called “devastating cuts.””
Special Education Could Face $2 Billion In
Cuts
DisabilityScoop.com
By MICHELLE DIAMENT May 28, 2013
As a
new round of budget talks gets underway in Congress, special education
advocates are sounding the alarm about big cuts that may be on the horizon.
Preliminary
figures from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations
indicate that education programs could be slashed by nearly 20 percent for the
fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, partly as a result of the sequester, the
across-the-board spending cuts that took effect in March. Though detailed proposals have yet to be
released, the Council for Exceptional Children — which lobbies on behalf of
special educators — is estimating that such cuts would mean more than $2
billion less for programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act.
“When
you see these figures in black and white, it’s pretty stunning,” said Lindsay
Jones, senior director for policy and advocacy at CEC. “I don’t know how
(schools) could withstand it.”
The
level of cutbacks proposed is drawing concern from the broader education
community.
“How
can we reduce the effects of poverty on our students? Robert Balfanz,
codirector of the Everyone Graduates Center and research scientist at the
Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University, writes that (PDF) "schools that serve high
concentrations of low-income students need to be able to provide direct,
evidence-based supports that help students attend school regularly, act in a
productive manner, believe they will succeed, overcome external obstacles,
complete their coursework, and put forth the effort required to graduate
college- and career-ready."
Reducing the Effects of Child Poverty
THE
WHOLE CHILD BLOG May
28, 2013 by Klea
Scharberg
In
today's global economic state, many families and children face reduced
circumstances. The 2008 economic crisis became a "household crisis" (PDF) when higher costs for basic
goods, fewer jobs and reduced wages, diminished assets and reduced access to
credit, and reduced access to public goods and services affected families who
coped, in part, by eating fewer and less nutritious meals, spending less on
education and health care, and pulling children out of school to work or help
with younger siblings. These "new poor" join those who were
vulnerable prior to the financial shocks and economic downturn.
Today's
statistics are astounding:
“NSBA, AASA (the School Superintendents
Association), the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the
National Association of Secondary School Principals wrote the document. It
notes that states and districts face “very real obstacles” to align their
curricula with the new standards and administer the required tests.”
National school leadership organizations
urge “adequate time” for Common Core implementation
School
Board News Today by Alexis Rice May 29th, 2013
States
and school districts need adequate time, professional development, and the
technical infrastructure to properly transition to the Common Core State
Standards (CCSS) and the assessment requirements, the National School Boards
Association (NSBA) and the major organizations representing school
administrators say in a joint
statement on the issue.
“Strong
educational standards can be an important tool for improving student
achievement, but states and school districts must be well prepared to
successfully implement the Common Core State Standards,” said NSBA Executive
Director Thomas J. Gentzel. “For the standards to succeed, states and school
districts must have the financial resources and the infrastructure to manage
online assessments, and they must be able to provide school administrators and
teachers with the professional development.”
Need to feel good about the Common Core and Keystone Exams?
What would it take for us to see similar events focusing on high quality
early childhood education and community
schools? Generous sponsors?
“The Pennsylvania Education Summit is
co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Business
Council Education Foundation, Pennsylvania Partnerships for
Children and Team Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Education Summit Pennsylvania
Agenda
and registration here: http://educsummit.eventbrite.com/
“What’s the least bad option going forward?
Who should bear the brunt of this legacy of fiscal irresponsibility? Current retirees?
Today’s teachers? New teachers? School districts? Taxpayers? The students
themselves?”
Live
or Webinar June 6, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. EDT
The
Thomas B. Fordham Institute, 1016
16th Street NW
America’s teacher-pension systems (with up to a trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities according to some estimates) present a raging public-policy dilemma. Career teachers absolutely deserve a secure retirement, but lawmakers promised them benefits that the system cannot afford, as those promises were based on short-term political considerations and bad math. Now the bill is coming due, and someone’s going to get soaked.
America’s teacher-pension systems (with up to a trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities according to some estimates) present a raging public-policy dilemma. Career teachers absolutely deserve a secure retirement, but lawmakers promised them benefits that the system cannot afford, as those promises were based on short-term political considerations and bad math. Now the bill is coming due, and someone’s going to get soaked.
Panelists:
- Sandi Jacobs, vice president
and managing director of state policy, National Council on Teacher Quality
- Josh B. McGee, vice president
of public accountability, Laura and John Arnold Foundation
- Charles Zogby, secretary of
the budget,
- Leo Casey, executive director,
Albert Shanker Institute
Moderator:
Chester
This event will be webcast.
Visit our website,www.edexcellence.net, at 10:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday,
June 6, to watch the proceedings live.
Register
now to join the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and the National Council on
Teacher Quality for a timely look at the teacher-pension crisis and various
state efforts to address it.
Info
and registration: http://www.edexcellence.net/events/no-way-out.html
EPLC Education Policy Fellowship Program –
Apply Now
Applications are
available now for the 2013-2014 Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP). The Education Policy
Fellowship Program is sponsored in Pennsylvania
With more than 350
graduates in its first fourteen years, this Program is a premier professional
development opportunity for educators, state and local policymakers, advocates,
and community leaders. State Board of Accountancy (SBA) credits are
available to certified public accountants.
Past participants
include state policymakers, district superintendents and principals, school
business officers, school board members, education deans/chairs, statewide
association leaders, parent leaders, education advocates, and other education
and community leaders. Fellows are typically sponsored by their employer
or another organization.
The Fellowship Program
begins with a two-day retreat on September 12-13, 2013 and
continues to graduation in June 2014.
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
Building One America 2013 National Summit July 18-19, 2013 Washington , DC
Brookings Institution to present
findings of their “Confronting Suburban Poverty” report
Building One America’s Second National Summit for
Inclusive Suburbs and Sustainable Regions will involve local leaders and
federal policy makers to seek bipartisan solutions to the unique but common
challenges around housing, schools and infrastructure facing America America
Information and registration: https://buildingoneamerica.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1
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
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