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.
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These daily
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Roebuck: GOP
cyber/charter bill (HB618) deserves a D+, doesn't save nearly enough
Education
Voters PA Statewide Call to Action for Public Education
Mark your calendar today for Monday, June 10th – remember it just takes 10 minutes to do three things to make a difference!
Mark your calendar today for Monday, June 10th – remember it just takes 10 minutes to do three things to make a difference!
Education Voters PA Statewide Call to Action for Public
Education
Mark your calendar today for Monday, June 10th – remember it just takes 10 minutes to do three things to make a difference!
Mark your calendar today for Monday, June 10th – remember it just takes 10 minutes to do three things to make a difference!
As we
enter the final stretch of the 2013-14 budget discussions, it is critical that
parents, voters, taxpayers, community members make one more push to ensure that
our elected officials in Harrisburg
“If our lawmakers stand
with Gov. Corbett and his cuts, the state will continue to shift the cost of
education down to local home and business owners, and our children will
continue to lose educational opportunities,” she said. “That just isn’t the
right thing to do.”
Shippensburg community to rally for public schools
Tuesday night
By
Debbie Chestnut, The Sentinel June 3, 2013
Shippensburg
Area School District students, parents and community members will come together
for a Support our Schools rally at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at The Thought Lot on the
corner of Orange
Education
Matters in the Cumberland
Valley
Susan
Spicka, co-founder of Education Matters in the Cumberland
Valley , said the purpose of the rally
is to demonstrate the impact of inadequate state funding on students in public
schools and the need for a change in budget priorities in Harrisburg
Protesters present petition calling school board to
demand more state education funds
By Gregg Bortz | The Express-Times
on June 03, 2013
at 6:11 PM
A dozen
protestors with a petition from hundreds more today sounded their concerns
about proposed state budget cuts that threaten Allentown and other school
districts, and demanded the school board take action to reverse them. The group said it gathered about 550
signatures from parents and other guardians at several of Allentown
EPLC Education Notebook for June 3, 2013
Education
Policy and Leadership
Center
Roebuck: GOP
cyber/charter bill (HB618) deserves a D+, doesn't save nearly enough
Rep.
Roebuck’s website Press Release HARRISBURG, June 3 – State Rep. James Roebuck, D-Phila.,
Democratic chairman of the House Education Committee, said the Republican
charter and cyber charter school bill reported out of the committee today
deserves a D-plus grade because it doesn't include nearly enough taxpayer
savings or financial reforms.
"I
have introduced a bill that would save $365 million in the first year and
include more financial accountability and more comprehensive reforms to these
publicly funded schools. The Republican bill doesn't even come close, and I and
other Democrats plan to offer amendments to it in the full House. Without
changes, this bill deserves a D-plus because it doesn't save nearly
enough," Roebuck said.
Cyber-schools are public schools: As I See It
By Patriot-News Op-Ed By Suzanne D. Hair on June 03, 2013 at
11:00 AM
Like Susan Spicka ("As lawmakers consider state budget, some
things to consider," May 24), I, too, am the parent of a
school-age child and am very concerned about how our lawmakers’ decisions
impact my child’s educational future. The similarity ends there, however.
My son is a
student at Commonwealth Connections Academy,
a cyber-charter school. He had been enrolled there for the past three years. He
previously attended a bricks-and-mortar public school.
PA House Republican budget moves forward, as
Democrats push own plan
Patriot
News By The Associated Press on June 03, 2013 at
7:16 PM ,
The House
Appropriations Committee on Monday approved a $28.3 billion state budget
blueprint that closely tracks what Gov. Tom Corbett proposed,
while Senate Democrats unveiled their own plan to
compete against proposals backed by the Republican majority that controls both
houses of the Legislature. The dual
actions provided a lively start to what is expected to be a long month of work
in June. Lawmakers' labors will include finalizing a budget for the 2013-14
fiscal year by the June 30 deadline and dealing with major issues being driven
by Corbett, including additional funding for transportation systems, changes in
the public pension systems and the privatization of wine and liquor sales
before their summer vacation.
“Democrats say public
schools need more money to offset a nearly $1 billion cut two years ago. They also
bemoan the omission of a Medicaid expansion financed by mostly federal money
and the inclusion of $360 million in broad-based business tax cuts Republican
Gov. Tom Corbett proposed.”
Delco Times
by AP Published: Monday, June 03, 2013
Monday's 21-14 party-line vote followed a spirited discussion about state spending and policies.
Committee Chairman William Adolph says the $28.3 billion proposal would increase spending for public education and state police while avoiding any increase in taxes.
The Delaware County Republican stressed that it's only a starting point. Floor debate in the House is expected to start next week. The new fiscal year begins July 1.
http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2013/06/03/news/doc51acdec631085031057515.txt
Senate Democrats Budget
Properly Funds Education, Job Creation, Social Services
Senator
Costa’s website Harrisburg, June 3, 2013 – Senate Democrats today presented their version of a
2013-14 state budget which they say is a responsible alternative to the
short-sighted and ill-advised spending plans offered by Gov. Tom Corbett and
House Republicans.
Senate
Democratic Leader Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) said that the $28.4 billion
spending plan focuses on job creation, education and social service programs.
He said it is a balanced plan that uses policy innovations and budget savings
to make key investments.
Senate Democrats' budget invests more heavily in
education and funds job creation
By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
onJune 03, 2013
at 3:20 PM ,
updated June 03, 2013 at 3:23 PM
on
Senate
Democrats rolled out a $28.4 billion alternative budget plan today that
includes $212 million more for education and an extra $125 million for job
creation than the amounts Gov. Tom Corbett proposed in his budget.
At a
Capitol news conference, Senate Democrats unveiled their budget proposal that
also invests $39 million for distressed school districts and funding for small
cities in economic distress, both of which would help financially strapped Harrisburg
“The Democratic proposal
calls for spending about $56 million more than the governor's $28.4 billion
plan. It increases education funding by roughly $200 million over Corbett's
budget.”
WHYY
Newsworks By Mary Wilson @marywilson June 3, 2013
Pennsylvania
Senate Democrats are outlining their budget priorities with a proposal that
depends on a "liquor modernization" plan; keeping a business tax Gov.
Tom Corbett would like to eliminate; and the state opting into the expansion of
the Medicaid program. The Corbett
administration still hasn't agreed to expand Medicaid and has said the
commonwealth wouldn't be ready for it by 2014, in an apparent move to take it
off the table for budget negotiations.
But
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa says his caucus doesn't agree.
"We
believe there's no question that the Department of Public Welfare has the
ability to get the program up and running Jan. 1 of 2014 when it's implemented,"
said Costa, D-Allegheny. "What we hear from the administration are nothing
but roadblocks and hurdles that they keep throwing out there."
WHYY
Newsworks By Tom MacDonald @TMacDonaldWHYY June 3, 2013
One state
senator is optimistic that the Philadelphia Harrisburg
State
Senator Anthony Hardy Williams says he's not sure how the money will be found
for Philadelphia schools, but he knows other
districts in need of funding from Harrisburg
"There
are a number of district across Pennsylvania Chester Pennsylvania to Philadelphia
North Hills approves 2013-14 school year budget
The North
Hills School Board voted to pass a 2013-14 final budget totaling $69,747,422 at
the Monday work session. The budget is a 1.6 percent increase in expenditures
over the 2012-13 budget.
After five years and two
strikes, Neshaminy teachers ratify new contract
WHYY
Newsworks By Aaron Moselle, @awmoselle June 4, 2013
A five-year
labor impasse between a Bucks
County
The
seven-year contract, which is back-dated to 2008, still needs to be approved by
the school board.
Blackwell, activists call
for elected Philly school board
Summer Ballentine, Inquirer
Staff Writer POSTED: Tuesday, June 4, 2013 , 3:01 AM
Residents
and education activists joined City Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell in a call
Monday for an elected school board to replace the School Reform Commission.
"Never
has so much money had so little accountability," said Helen Gym, founder
of Parents United for Public Education, during the hearing before Council's
Committee on Education. She was spurred on by a crowd of about 50 with shouts
and applause.
25 Western Pennsylvania
school districts get grants for special projects
By Mary
Niederberger / Pittsburgh June
3, 2013 3:12 pm
Twenty-five
school districts in Western Pennsylvania
counties have been awarded $20,000 grants to create spaces to engage students
in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics projects.
The grants
were administered by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit's Center for Creativity
with money provided by the Claude Worthington Benedum and the Grable
foundations.
Teacher-quality study
lacks quality
Philly.com Opinion by LISA HAVER POSTED: Tuesday, June 4, 2013 , 3:01 AM
RECENTLY,
the National Council on Teacher Quality released its "Teacher Quality
Roadmap" in which it offered its criticisms and recommendations on policies
and practices of the School
District of Philadelphia
Read more
at http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20130604_Teacher-quality_study_lacks_quality.html#C4TM5OiMUjjjoPiZ.99
Hot off the Press–the
Arts Ed issue of NEA Arts!
Quarterly
Magazine of the National Endowment for the Arts June 3, 2013
by Paulette Beete and Adam Kampe
New data shows school “reformers”
are full of it
Poor
schools underperform largely because of economic forces, not because teachers
have it too easy
Salon.com BY DAVID SIROTA MONDAY,
JUN 3, 2013
12:30 PM EDT
In the
great American debate over education, the education and technology
corporations, bankrolled politicians and activist-profiteers who collectively
comprise the so-called “reform” movement base their arguments on one central
premise: that America
Before
getting to the big news, let’s review the dominant fairy tale: As embodied by
New York City’s major education announcement this
weekend, the “reform” fantasy pretends that a lack of teacher “accountability”
is the major education problem and somehow wholly writes family economics out
of the story (amazingly, this fantasy persists even in a place like the
Big Apple where economic inequality is particularly
crushing). That key — and deliberate — omission serves myriad political
interests.
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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