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Pennsylvania Education Policy
Roundup for June 21, 2013:
Perhaps Pennsylvanians don’t want
their public schools defunded, dismantled and sold off to the highest bidder or
campaign donor.
Send an email to Harrisburg
Education Voters PA
As the budget process continues please
consider contacting the legislative leadership listed below regarding the
education budget ; here’s part of their job description:
PA Constitution - Public School System Section 14.
“The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and
support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the
needs of the Commonwealth.”
PA Legislature Republican Leadership 2013
Senate Majority Leader Dominic
Pileggi
717-787-4712
Senate Appropriations Committee
Chairman Jake Corman
717-787-1377
Senate President Pro Tempore
Joseph Scarnati
717-787-7084
House Majority Leader Mike Turzai
717-772-9943
House Appropriation Committee Chairman
William Adolph
717-787-1248
House Speaker Sam Smith
717-787-3845
Governor Tom Corbett
717-787-2500, Fax:
717-772-8284
Email: governor@state.pa.us
Some in
Pa. House wary of Phila. school aid
ANGELA COULOUMBIS AND MARTHA WOODALL, INQUIRER
STAFF WRITERS
POSTED: Friday, June 21, 2013, 3:01 AM
HARRISBURG - Top Republicans in the Capitol may be
working hard behind the scenes to craft a rescue package for Philadelphia's
financially troubled schools, but one key GOP bloc let it be known Thursday
that a deal is far from certain.
Gov. Corbett, along with leaders in the
Republican-controlled Senate, has been meeting for weeks with Mayor Nutter and
the city's Democratic delegation in Harrisburg to assemble a plan to infuse
tens of millions of dollars into the district's cash-starved coffers. Key
elements include letting the city slap a $2-per-pack tax on cigarette sales and
extending Philadelphia's extra 1 percent sales tax, with proceeds going to the
schools.
Not so fast, says the Republican-controlled House.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20130621_Some_in_Pa__House_wary_of_Phila__school_aid.html#SFEbvBg4xQYtrjW4.99
Perhaps Pennsylvanians don’t want their public schools defunded,
dismantled and sold off to the highest bidder or campaign donor…….
GOP poll:
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett in bad shape
Washington
Post By Aaron Blake, Published: June 19,
2013 at 3:44 pm
A
newly leaked Republican poll shows Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R) faces a
steep uphill battle in his quest for reelection, and even many Republicans are
unhappy with him.
The Public
Opinion Strategies poll, which was obtained by the Philadelphia City Paper
and conducted from April 30-May 2, shows Corbett trailing Rep. Alyson Schwartz
(D) 46 percent to 34 percent. It is not
known whom the poll was conducted for.
In
addition, when Pennsylvanians were asked whether Corbett deserved another term,
65 percent either said no (49 percent) or leaned that way (the rest). Even 44
percent of Republicans leaned toward electing someone new.
“In
addition, some 65 percent of respondents said the governor did not deserve
another term, with even 44 percent of Republicans favoring a new chief
executive.”
Internal
poll prompts national pundits to doubt Pa. Gov. Corbett reelection
By Robert J.
Vickers | rvickers@pennlive.com on June 20, 2013 at 1:12 PM
National
speculation over Gov. Tom Corbett's reelection vulnerability has ratcheted up
this week after an internal poll showing the governor at startling levels of
unpopularity, and two prominent political pundits speculating that the
incumbent may not run in 2014.
The
April 30-May 2 survey, conducted by top Republican
polling firm Public Opinion Strategies, found Corbett trailing U.S.
Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Montgomery County 46-34 percent.
Blaming
teachers won't fix Philly schools
Daniel
Denvir City Paper Posted: Thu, Jun. 20, 2013, 12:00 AM
This
past weekend, an Inquirer editorial chastised the Philadelphia
Federation of Teachers for not saying “what it will do to help” solve the
schools’ “doomsday” budget, which lays off 3,859 teachers, aides, counselors
and administrators after closing 24 schools.
The
School District is demanding $133 million in labor concessions to plug its $304
million budget gap. That’s more than twice as much as it requested from the
city, and $13 million more than what it’s seeking from the state — which cut
nearly $1 billion from school funding statewide (that’s you, Gov. Tom Corbett)
despite its constitutional obligation to fund public education and, critically,
its direct control of city schools for the past decade.
SRC mum on
KIPP plan to move into closing Wilson Elementary
thenotebook by Sonia Giebel on Jun 20 2013 Posted
in Latest news
Backed
by several neighborhood parents, KIPP Philadelphia CEO Marc Mannella publicly
asked School Reform Commission members Wednesday night to endorse -- or at
least discuss – his offer
to open a kindergarten in the closing Wilson Elementary School.
“If
we were to want to do something with this for the ’13-’14 school year,
obviously time is getting late, but this is something that we feel we could do
today,” he told the commissioners.
But
he was met by stony silence.
Allentown School District could get up
to $8 million in state aid
By Colin McEvoy | The Express-Times
on June 21, 2013 at 5:30 AM,
Local
state legislators are trying to secure an additional $8 million in state aid
for the Allentown School District,
according to district officials. The
district is grappling with a $242 million budget proposal that includes
a $9 million deficit, even after cutting 149 positions and raising
taxes 8.54 percent. School board member Joanne Jackson said tonight
that state Sen. Pat Browne is negotiating
with state legislators to include $8 million in the state budget for the
Allentown district.
“The
board approved the budget 6-1, with two members absent. Larry Funk cast the
dissenting vote, saying he would not agree with the tax increase when the
reasons for needing it are more in the hands of state legislators rather than
the school board.”
Tuscarora
School District OKs 1% real estate tax increase
Chambersburg
Public Opinion By AMBER SOUTH @AESouthPO
MERCERSBURG
- A 1 percent real estate tax increase is part of the approximately $34.5
million budget that Tuscarora Area school district adopted Tuesday for the
2013-14 school year.
The
mill rate will be 110.66, 0.75 mills more than the 2012-13 school year.
Still,
the budget has an approximately $330,000 deficit. Budgeted expenditure is
$34,468,165 and budgeted revenue is $34,137,926.
Creating space for STEAM: science,
technology, engineering, art and math
School
districts plan to use grants to develop interesting places where teens can
gather
Post
Gazette By Debra Duncan June 20, 2013 5:29 am
Two
foundations are giving $500,000 to 25 school districts in southwestern
Pennsylvania, and most of the schools will use the money to create places where
students can employ the latest technology to learn. Each district will receive a $20,000 grant
from the Grable and Benedum foundations. Many will use the grants to redesign
an area of the library or a classroom where students can gather to focus on
projects related to what is called STEAM -- science, technology, engineering,
art and math.
PennCAN:
Corbett anti-teachers union poll intended to help Nutter, Hite
Daniel Denvir City Paper JUNE 20, 2013, 1:38 PM
PennCAN, the self-described school reform group that paid for
the poll and analysis urging Gov. Tom Corbett to exploit the Philly schools crisis and
attack the teachers union for political gain, tells City Paperthat
the plan is intended to support the work of Mayor Michael Nutter and School District Superintendent William Hite. "The poll found strong support
for more state funding if coupled with the kind of meaningful reforms that Dr.
Hite has been publicly championing, such as allowing principals to have the
flexibility to build their own teams," PennCAN Executive Director Jonathan Cetel emailed CP.
"We have been sharing the poll with key decision makers in Harrisburg in
order to support Mayor Nutter and Dr. Hite's efforts to secure more state
funding for the School District of Philadelphia."
City Paper acquired the secret report on Tuesday night and published it on Wednesday.
City Paper acquired the secret report on Tuesday night and published it on Wednesday.
“Just
last week PennCAN was in Pittsburgh hiring a new public affairs manager. The
organization’s executive director told thePittsburgh Business Times that our region is playing a
bigger role in state politics and that “political power has shifted west,” so
they feel it’s important to have a staff member near the three rivers. [Pittsburgh Business Times, 6-12-13]
Yes, re-read that sentence. PennCAN is moving to Yinzer Nation because of
politics and power. They talk about our kids, but as they’ve made clear with
the “recommendations” from their new poll, they really want to bash our
teachers.”
GERM Infection
Yinzercation
Blog June 21. 2013
Yinzercation
is on vacation. I hopped across the pond to the Society for the History of
Children and Youth conference to deliver a paper on student activism in our
movement (comparing it to young people protesting the education offered
to indentured children 100 years ago). But even here in England, the headlines
scream about corporate-style education reform.
“It is time for public
education stakeholders to come together to engage in an honest, civil, and
meaningful conversation about how limited taxpayer dollars can best be spent
educating all of Pennsylvania's public school students.”
Letter:
Divisive cyber school rhetoric will not help fix school funding for all
WHYY
Newsworks Letter By Susan Spicka June 20, 2013
This
letter is in response to a series of opinions about cyber charter school
funding in Pennsylvania. See the related links to the right.
I
am a parent of two daughters who attend a public elementary school, and I have
close friends who cyber school their children. We want our children and all children
in Pennsylvania to receive a great education in our public schools.
When
I read Mr.
Parris's response to the NewsWorks article, "Rising
cyber charter school costs fuel statewide push for reform," I was very
disappointed by his inference that individuals advocating for changes to the
cyber charter school funding formula will somehow relegate children "to
the status of second-class student(s)."
How not to
manage Philly schools: A PennLive editorial cartoon
Just What
is Pa. Gov. Corbett's Relationship with Philly Schools?
Education
Week State EdWatch By Andrew Ujifusa on June 20, 2013 3:50 PM
The
relationships between several governors and teachers' unions in recent years
have taken a sour turn—the rhetorical
slugfest between New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, and
the New Jersey Education Association is just one prominent example. But
Christie's neighbor, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, is in a different kind of
hot water when it comes to union politics. A new poll, the subject of a June 19
article byPhiladelphia City Paper, encourages the GOP governor to
"campaign against an 'enemy'" as part of an effort to boost his
wilting approval ratings ahead of his 2014 reelection campaign. That
"enemy" turns out to be the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.
Will
Pennsylvania Governor Help Rescue Philly Schools?
Education
Week Districct Dossier Blog By Lesli A. Maxwell on June
20, 2013 4:53 PM
Philadelphia's
school system has been on the ropes financially for some time, and without a
quick infusion of hundreds of millions of dollars, school system officials say
they will lay off nearly 4,000 staff members.
“expected to be replaced by Emma Vadehra, who
works as the chief of staff for a charter school management organization known
as Uncommon Schools, the sources said.”
Arne
Duncan Expected To Tap Emma Vadehra As New Chief Of Staff
Huffington
Post Posted: 06/20/2013 1:09 pm EDT
U.S.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will likely soon tap a new chief of staff,
sources say.
Sources
close to the administration, who requested anonymity because they were not
authorized to speak publicly, told The Huffington Post that Joanne
Weiss, Duncan's longtime right-hand woman, will depart the U.S. Education
Department this summer, likely in July. She is expected to be replaced by Emma
Vadehra, who works as the chief of staff for a charter school management
organization known as Uncommon Schools, the sources said.
Growing Young Minds: How Museums and
Libraries Create Lifelong Learners
Institute
of Library and Museum Services June 2013 report
Save
the Date: Diane Ravitch will be speaking at the Main Branch of the Philadelphia
Free Library on September
17 at 7:30 pm. Details to come.
Next week
is the deadline to submit proposals for PSBA’s 2014 Legislative Platform
There
is one week remaining to submit proposals for consideration for PSBA’s 2014
Legislative Platform.The deadline to submit proposals is Friday, June
28. Guidelines for platform submissions and submission forms are
posted on PSBA’s Web site. Boards may submit new proposals as well as revisions
to the current platform and should include a brief statement (about 50 words)
of rationale for each proposal submitted. The rationale should include a
summary of the reasons why your board believes this issue should be addressed
in the platform, any specific problems your district has encountered, and how
your board believes the problem could be resolved. In addition, your
board is encouraged to submit any data related to the issue as it affects your
district, or any draft language that could be crafted into proposed
legislation. This information will be shared with the PSBA Platform Committee.
All submissions should be directed to PSBA’s Office of Governmental and Member
Relations. All items submitted must be verified by the board secretary. The
PSBA Platform Committee under the direction of Chairman Mark B. Miller will
review proposals and rationale submitted for the platform on Aug.
10.
The
items recommended by the Platform Committee will be presented to the new PSBA
Delegate Assembly for final determination by the voting delegates
present. Next week, PSBA will be mailing to all school board
secretaries a memo and response form for the appointment of their voting
delegates to the Delegate Assembly. Selection of voting delegates for
the Delegate Assembly meeting is the same as it was for the Legislative Policy
Council. Each PSBA member entity has the opportunity to participate in
the meeting the debate and vote on all of the agenda items.
PASA-PSBA
School Leadership Conference
October 15-18, 2013 | Hershey Lodge & Convention Center
October 15-18, 2013 | Hershey Lodge & Convention Center
The
PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference is the largest gathering of elected
officials in Pennsylvania and offers an impressive collection of professional
development opportunities for school board members and other education leaders.
See Annual School Leadership Conference links for all
program details.
Registration:
https://www.psba.org/workshops/?workshop=17
PAESSP State Conference October 27-29,
2013
The Penn Stater Conference Center
Hotel, State College, PA
The
state conference is PAESSP’s premier professional development event for
principals, assistant principals and other educational leaders. Attending will
enable you to connect with fellow educators while learning from speakers and
presenters who are respected experts in educational leadership.
Featuring
Keynote Speakers: Charlotte Danielson, Dr. Todd Whitaker, Will Richardson &
David Andrews, Esq. (Legal Update).
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.
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
Lineup of speakers: https://buildingoneamerica.org/summit/speakers
Information and registration: https://buildingoneamerica.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1
Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School FAST FACTS
PA Charter Schools: $4 billion taxpayer dollars with no
real oversight
Keystone State Education
Coalition Prior Posting
Charter schools - public
funding without public scrutiny
Thanks for all the post. I love reading all of the updates since I am currently working towards my PA teaching certification.
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