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
Philly to layoff 3800
more; Three of four school districts in state say they'll cut programs to help
balance budgets; Madonna poll says only 1% give Corbett Admin. an “A” for
improving public education; Q Poll says 52% don’t think Gov should be
reelected….
Think these items are
related?
Monday: Education Voters PA Statewide Call to
Action for Public Education
Pennsylvania’s 1.76 million public school kids don’t care whether Rendell backfilled or Corbett cut stimulus money; they now have 20,000 fewer adults trying to maintain their constitutionally mandated “thorough and efficient system of public education” than they did a couple years ago.
Pennsylvania’s 1.76 million public school kids don’t care whether Rendell backfilled or Corbett cut stimulus money; they now have 20,000 fewer adults trying to maintain their constitutionally mandated “thorough and efficient system of public education” than they did a couple years ago.
Mark your calendar
today for Monday, June 10th – remember it just takes 10 minutes to do three
things to make a difference!
Send an email to Harrisburg
Education Voters PA
In the
event that you have a few minutes more to spare, please consider contacting the
legislative leadership listed below; 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
717-787-6564
Governor
Tom Corbett
717-787-2500, Fax: 717-772-8284
Email: governor@state.pa.us
PCAPS Forum on Community Schools Saturday June 15, 9 am – 1:30 pm
The Philadelphia
Over the
past year, in forums, workshops, listening sessions, and through surveys,
thousands of students, parents, community members and school staff voiced their
desire for an educational system that provides a well-rounded education
parallel to what affluent districts offer, but that also addresses the
challenges that come with poverty. We understand that all of our schools must
provide:
- A rigorous academic
curriculum
- Enrichment activities
such as sports, art, music, drama
- Coordinated supports and
services that address the social-emotional as well as the academic needs
of students and their families.
The
Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools (PCAPS) has done our
research! After meeting with experts from around the country, we have
concluded that the most equitable, effective, financially sound strategy for
our city is one that embraces community schools for all children.
Please join
us on Saturday, June 15th for the Community Schools Conference
(9am-2pm) at Kensington CAPA High School (Front & Berks St.) to learn more
from national experts and work with others on a strategy to make this a reality
for our city.
Please
encourage your networks to attend and feel free to bring a friend! Lunch will
be provided. Please RSVP at www.eventbrite.com/event/6815949689
Three of four school
districts in state say they'll cut programs to help balance budgets
Intelligencer
Journal Lancaster
By BRIAN
WALLACE Staff Writer bwallace@lnpnews
Updated Jun 07,
2013 13:32
Over the
last two years, Columbia
School District
The cuts
aren't enough, however, to enable the district to balance its 2013-14 budget
without dipping into its quickly vanishing reserves.
The only
alternative? Yet another round of cuts.
In Philly, Thousands of
layoff notices going out today
by Dale
Mezzacappa on Jun 07 2013 Posted in Latest news
The School District will be sending out thousands of layoff
notices today, sources say.
Superintendent
William Hite sent an
email to employees last night saying, due to "catastrophic
financial challenges," that the District will be sending "layoff
notifications to many of our colleagues."
Robert McGrogan, head of the Commonwealth Association of School
Administrators, confirmed that almost all the 160 assistant principals in his
bargaining unit will be receiving notices, effective July 1. Plus, all
principals are at emergency meetings with District personnel to receive
instructions on what to tell employees who receive the notices regarding health
coverage and other issues.
District
officials still have no commitments for money to close a $304 million budget
gap. It is asking for $120 million from the state, $60 million from the city,
and $133 million in union concessions.
Philly schools to lay off
nearly 3,800 staffers
POSTED: Saturday, June 8, 2013 , 3:01
AM
DOOMSDAY
HAS arrived in Philadelphia
Superintendent
William R. Hite Jr. announced yesterday afternoon that 3,783 layoff notices
were sent out to school personnel, part of a "harsh reality" that
will help close the district's $304 million shortfall. Beginning July 1, no guidance counselors. No
secretaries. No football. No glee club.
Without
these employees, "our schools will be just empty shells," Hite said.
The district workforce, before layoffs, is 19,530 employees.
Read more
at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130609_Philly_schools_to_lay_off_nearly_3_800_staffers.html#FzqfTX1Ku5itij8T.99
Philly schools send out nearly 3,800 pink slips
AP State
Wire by KATHY MATHESON June 7, 2013
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The fallout from the Philadelphia School District's dreaded "doomsday" budget began Friday as officials said they sent out nearly 3,800 pink slips to employees from assistant principals to secretaries.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The fallout from the Philadelphia School District's dreaded "doomsday" budget began Friday as officials said they sent out nearly 3,800 pink slips to employees from assistant principals to secretaries.
Superintendent
William Hite said in an email to staff that he was "profoundly upset about
having to take these actions." "These
people are more than numbers and positions. They play essential roles in the
lives of our students, often doing jobs beyond title," Hite tweeted after
the announcement. "Without them, our schools will be empty shells."
Nearly 700
teachers, 130 assistant principals, 300 secretaries and 1,200 noontime aides
are among those who could be jobless in the upcoming school year. A district
spokesman said additional layoffs of central administration staff are expected
to be announced next week.
“This is a failure of
leadership and funding at the city and state level. It is absolutely immoral
for the state of Pennsylvania , which has
insisted on a state takeover structure for Philadelphia
This is not a school:
Parents United statement on district layoffs
Posted
on June 7, 2013 by PARENTSUNITEDPHILA
Over 3,000
layoffs. Aides, secretaries, nurses, librarians, art and music teachers,
classroom teachers, assistant principals, counselors—people who have worked in
our children’s schools for years, keeping schools running smoothly and keeping
our kids safe, teaching them to read music, administering medication, guiding
them through applying to high school and college, and helping them acquire
research skills.
Parents are
appalled at this action, which will hurt everyone in our city in many
ways. When 3,000 people lose their jobs, the economic and personal
consequences borne by those individuals and their families are not only
devastating on an individual scale—they ripple out. These layoffs will
undermine school communities and neighborhoods, and ultimately our city and
state economy as well.
And what
will happen to our schools?
Corbett trails two
Democratic challengers in Qunnipiac poll
POSTED: Friday, June 7, 2013 , 8:48
AM Thomas Fitzgerald, Inquirer
Politics Writer
U.S. Rep.
Allyson Schwartz is the frontrunner among Democrats and leads Pennsylvania Gov.
Corbett (R) by 10 percentage points, according to a Quinnipiac University
Fifty-two
percent say Corbett does not deserve reelection, to 35 percent who believe he
does.
Madonna
Poll: Majority of Pennsylvanians give local schools A or B grade
PSBA News
Release by Steve Robinson, Director of Publications and PR 5/23/2013
According
to a recent public opinion poll, a majority of Pennsylvanians grade their local
school with an A or B on performance. The poll presents the findings of a
survey of 807Pennsylvania registered voters designed by G. Terry Madonna
Opinion Research.
Evans calls for long-term funding for education
Phillytrib
by Damon C. Williams Thursday,
06 June 2013 17:25
State
Representative Dwight Evans — former chair of the House appropriations
committee and a strident supporter of school choice and adequate school funding
— believes it’s time for Harrisburg and the General Assembly to come up with a
long-term funding solution for public education. That solution, Evans said, shouldn’t involve
heaping further taxes on citizens, many of whom are already buckling under the
strain of one of the country’s highest tax burdens.
“We used to
caution that the quality of education should not depend on a student’s zip
code. Today, just living in Pennsylvania
raises questions about the quality of education that can be provided in the
commonwealth because of budget cuts in Harrisburg
Education Policy and Leadership Center June
7, 2013
“The bottom
line, according to the department: Louisiana
and Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
Report Card: Louisiana , Pennsylvania
Education
Week Politics K-12 Blog By Michele McNeil on June
7, 2013 4:00 PM
It's easy
to forget about the Race to the Top "bridesmaids." They're the seven
states that just missed winning awards in the $4 billion contest in 2010 and
ended up with consolation prizes a year later worth a fraction of
what they had hoped for. Regardless,
those seven states collectively are spending $200 million to implement a small
piece of their plans. And now, the U.S. Department of Education is publicizing
how these states are doing in making good on their promises.
NCLB Bills: A
Side-By-Side Comparison
Education
Week Politics K-12 Blog By Alyson Klein on June 7,
2013 4:33 PM
Can't keep
the three bills put out in Congress this week on the long-stalled
reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act straight?
Here's your
cheat sheet:
Learning First Alliance
NSBA’s
School Board News Today by Joetta Sack-Min|June 7th, 2013
The
National School Boards Association (NSBA) is one of 16 members of the Learning
First Alliance (LFA). This week LFA called on lawmakers to give states and
school districts more time to transition to the Common Core State Standards so
that they can develop the proper resources for students and teachers, including
curriculum, assessments, and professional development. NSBA also recently asked Congress to
give adequate time for stakeholders to prepare for the transition.
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
Lineup of speakers: https://buildingoneamerica.org/summit/speakers
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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