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Pennsylvania Education Policy
Roundup for June 22, 2013:
Money Laundering: New Hampshire
calls EITC by its rightful name.
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
Are Corbett's biz tax cuts in
jeopardy?: Friday Morning Coffee
By John L. Micek | jmicek@pennlive.com
on June 21, 2013 at 7:52 AM
Good Friday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Just when you think times couldn't get any more trying for Gov. Tom Corbett, they go and get even worse. Just a day after dismal poll results had some pundits speculating whether Corbett would bother seeking reelection in 2014, a top Republican in the state Senate held open the possibility that one of Corbett's cherished goals -- the final elimination of Pennsylvania's Capital Stock and Franchise tax -- could be put on ice for another year in favor of shoring up the state's bottom line.
Just when you think times couldn't get any more trying for Gov. Tom Corbett, they go and get even worse. Just a day after dismal poll results had some pundits speculating whether Corbett would bother seeking reelection in 2014, a top Republican in the state Senate held open the possibility that one of Corbett's cherished goals -- the final elimination of Pennsylvania's Capital Stock and Franchise tax -- could be put on ice for another year in favor of shoring up the state's bottom line.
Here’s
ALEC’s take on the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax courtesy of PMA….
ALEC on The
Effects of Pennsylvania’s Capital Stock and Franchise Tax
PA
Manufacturer’s Association published by Maura Donley on Fri,
06/21/2013 - 1:34pm
ALEC
members request this brief on the scheduled phase-out of Pennsylvania’s Capital
Stock and Franchise Tax (CSFT), which has been the subject of recent debate in
the legislature. Under a plan adopted by the legislature in 2000, the CSFT was
originally scheduled to be phased out completely by 2009. This plan was
subsequently altered to delay the final phase-out date on four separate
occasions in 2002, 2003, 2009 and 2011. While the CSFT is currently
scheduled to be eliminated entirely by January 1, 2014, some remain skeptical
as to the detrimental effects of the tax on business and economic growth.
HB 618 on PA House Calendar for
consideration on Monday June 24
This bill is a
comprehensive amendment to the Charter School Law, including temporary
reduction in funding for cyber charter schools, the creation of a funding
commission, a system of direct payment to charter schools, accountability
provisions and other improvements to the Charter School Law.
Governor
Corbett Issues Statement on Philadelphia School District
PDE Press Release June 19, 2013
Harrisburg – Governor Tom Corbett today issued the following statement on the Philadelphia School District’s financial situation:
PDE Press Release June 19, 2013
Harrisburg – Governor Tom Corbett today issued the following statement on the Philadelphia School District’s financial situation:
“As
governor, I am committed to finding a long-term solution for the Philadelphia
School District that is focused on students and is fiscally responsible for
taxpayers. “Over the past several weeks,
many viable ideas and solutions have been suggested to help close the $304
million dollar budget shortfall for the district.
State
looks for Philly funding solution with other people's money
The
notebook by Dale Mezzacappa on Jun 22 2013
Weeks
of frantic lobbying have moved Gov. Corbett and some key legislators to
recognize that the Philadelphia School District has a real problem, and that
they have some responsibility to be part of the solution. But in seeking to craft a deal that would allow
the District to avoid implementing its “doomsday” budget, Harrisburg doesn’t
want to contribute any revenue of its own.
None of the proposals currently on the table, either to solve this
year’s immediate crisis or provide sustainable levels of aid to Philadelphia in
the future, involve an increase in dedicated state money to the city schools,
Harrisburg watchers say.
“The
state doesn’t want to come up with any money. They think giving [City Council]
authorization [to enact more city taxes] is a big step,” said one person with
knowledge of the negotiations.
Nor
have Republican legislative leaders and the governor shown any desire to
grapple with bigger issues of what is fair, adequate and equitable when it
comes to education funding around the state, not just for Philadelphia.
More parents join hunger strike for
Philly schools
AP
Statewire by KATHY MATHESON June 21, 2013
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A hunger strike to protest layoffs in the Philadelphia school district extended to a fifth day on Friday, when two more parents joined the fast and a gubernatorial candidate pledged to do the same.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A hunger strike to protest layoffs in the Philadelphia school district extended to a fifth day on Friday, when two more parents joined the fast and a gubernatorial candidate pledged to do the same.
Four
parents and two district employees are now participating in the "Fast for
Safe Schools," drinking only water until the city and state supply enough
funding to rehire 1,200 lunchtime aides.
The
aides are among more than 3,800 school workers who will lose their jobs next
month because of the district's $304 million deficit. The layoffs, which
comprise about 20 percent of the city's total school staff, include assistant
principals, teachers, counselors and secretaries.
Every
Philadelphian has a role to play in school funding
WHYY
Newsworks Opinion By Janet Pinkerton June 21, 2013
“Do you want to stay in this city you have
come to love? Or will you, once you have children, realize with quiet horror
and resignation that you have to move out of Philadelphia if your offspring are
to have a decent education?”
The
following is a work of opinion submitted by the author.
Oh,
Philadelphia! Why are you so quietly letting your schools go down? Why are you
letting the education of 200,000 students — pre-K to grade 12, including
charters — slide into the toilet?
“After
the loss of federal stimulus funds, Corbett cut education funding by
nearly $1 billion in 2011, sparking a statewide funding crisis across
school districts. The loss of federal money to corrections and medical
assistance was replaced by state funding, but education dollars were not.”
Teachers'
union ad rips Corbett for building prison amid schools crisis
thenotebook by Sonia Giebel on Jun 21 2013 Posted
in Latest news
The
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has been airing a radio ad criticizing Gov.
Corbett and his fellow politicians for building a $400 million prison –
complete with air-conditioned cells, classrooms, and a librarian – at a time
when Philadelphia's schools are being cut to the bone.
“What
are their priorities?" the ad asks. "Building classrooms in
prisons while turning our schools into holding pens?” Facing a $304 million budget gap, more than
3,800 District employees -- including teachers, librarians,
counselors, noontime aides, and central-office staff -- were laid off
in the wake of the District’s austerity measures. The District will also
close 24 schools this year.
While we scrounge
around for funding for constitutionally mandated public education, in
Pennsylvania $150 million in diverted tax dollars are being funneled to
unaccountable private and religious schools via our EITC program; legislation
is pending to increase that by $50 million.
“The
law attempted to skirt this constitutional restriction by laundering the money
through third-party ‘scholarship organizations.’ But the court wisely saw
through this charade. It ruled that no matter how you cut it, tax dollars that
would have been used to fund normal government operations were being used to
support religious schools.”
EITC: The
‘neovoucher strategy’ (and why it didn’t work in New Hampshire)
Washington
Post Answer Sheet Blog By Valerie Strauss, Published:
June 21, 2013 at 12:15 pm
“Neovouchers”
is the term that Kevin Welner, director of the National Education Policy Center
at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education, has given to private
school tax credit programs. Earlier this week, a judge in New Hampshire ruled
that the part of tax-credit program that allows public money to be used for
religious school education violates the state constitution. Here’s a piece by
Welner on what happened in New Hampshire that has ramifications beyond that
state’s borders.
“Community
schools give students who live in poverty advantages enjoyed by their wealthier
and higher-performing peers. The federal Equity and Excellence Commission lists
such advantages as health care (mental, dental, and vision services), expanded
learning experiences, and family supports to help motivate students and prepare
them to learn.”
COMMENTARY
- Community Schools: A Model for the Middle Grades
Education
Week Published Online: June 21, 2013
By Josefina Alvarado-Mena, Chris Brown, Nicole
Johnson, & Frank Mirabal
Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.
Expanding
the number of community schools is no longer a goal that can be left on the
periphery of school reform. No academic standards, tests, or school-based
interventions will ever be able to completely mitigate the economic, family,
medical, and emotional needs that interfere with a student’s learning. In January, a Harvard Family Research Project report on
community schools cited research crediting them with improved student learning,
attendance, behavior, and development, as well as increased family engagement
in their children’s learning.
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
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