Daily postings from the Keystone State Education
Coalition now reach more than 3000 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school
directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers,
Governor's staff, 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
These daily emails are archived at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org
Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg
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?
New PA budget adds $1,000 per prisoner/parolee compared to $10 per
public school student, 100 times less for students
Source: PCCY Newsletter August 16, 2013
New PA budget adds $1,000 per prisoner/parolee compared to $10 per
public school student, 100 times less for students
Fiscal Pressures Squeeze Philadelphia Schools as Opening Looms
Education Week By Jaclyn
Zubrzycki Published Online: August 16, 2013
On the hot seat, both
short and long term: a district that’s laid off thousands of teachers and
support staff; a city that’s weighing how to meet its pension obligations amid
the school funding crisis; teachers and principals whose contracts expire at
the end of this month; and a state that’s been criticized over an aid formula
that experts say is among the most inequitable in the country.
'They’re cutting everything but the kids': On budget reductions
and school conditions
thenotebook by
Erin Rooney on Aug
16 2013 Posted in Commentary
Residents of Philadelphia School
District ’s ability to open safe and functioning schools. In
the face of a massive budget crisis, the District has slashed numerous
positions, programs, and resources. These reductions raise serious concerns.
“You allow this opening of schools in order to
provide pathetic cover for a governor who has not only failed to do his duty
but has manufactured and exploited a crisis for political gain. You normalize poverty, deprivation and
inequity in his name.”
Helen Gym: SRC statement: Going to war on your own soldiers
Parents United for Public Education Posted on August 15, 2013 by HELENGYM
These remarks were
made at the Aug. 15 SRC special meeting which stripped seniority from the
teachers’ contract. This means that the District has the right to arbitrarily
determine which staff to return to schools based on “need.” The SRC voted
unanimously to do so.
Last week when you
Superintendent Hite issued your ultimatum, parents across the city sprang into
action on your behalf. Within 24 hours we were down at City Hall meeting with
the Mayor’s office staff and City Council members. Parents wrote letters to the
editor, made phone calls, contacted the media about our stories ,and turned out
for press conferences for support. We stayed up late, emailing into the night,
and met and planned – all on behalf of you because , foolishly, we somehow
believed.
Of all the things
which have run through my head in the past week, the saddest one perhaps is the
sinking in that all of last week – the plea from you, Superintendent Hite, the
threat not to open schools which sent parents and families across the city into
a panic, the dueling press conferences – all of it was nothing but political
theater to justify this.
This was never, never
about educating our children.
With $50M pledge, Philly schools begin rehiring
AP PA State Wire by
KATHY MATHESON
Published: 31 minutes ago
Published: 31 minutes ago
With the city's
promise Thursday of $50 million in emergency funds, education officials began
hiring back about 1,000 pink-slipped employees, from assistant principals to
lunchtime aides.
But what will the
schools look like? Many parents say the cash infusion is barely a bandage on a
district hemorrhaging red ink, and that the buildings will simply be shells -
without sufficient resources or staffing to offer students a safe and adequate
learning environment. About 2,500 workers remain laid off.
“Broadly
speaking, you and your foundation have come under significant fire for giving
so much money to overtly steer K-12 education in what some see as a
controversial direction. What makes you confident that you are helping steer
the country's educational system in the right direction? Per @lfeinberg and @jashsf, why not instead devote the bulk
of your energy and resources toward greater investment in early-childhood
education—where some see pretty clear evidence that those investments produce
tangible results over a child's lifetime—or toward leveling the wildly uneven
playing field between wealthy and poor districts in this country?”
Q&A: Bill Gates on Teaching, Ed Tech, and Philanthropy
Education Week Digital
Education By Benjamin Herold on August 16, 2013 7:56 AM
Philanthropist and
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates recently dipped into the coffers of bgc3—his
personal office, think tank, and incubation engine—to make a
multimillion-dollar investment in Graphite,
a new venture from the San Francisco-based nonprofit Common Sense Media that aims
to provide teachers with easy-to-search, Consumer Reports-style
peer reviews of ed-tech products. In conjunction with Graphite's launch, Gates
offered to respond via email to some questions from Education Week and
our Twitter followers.
Low-income schools struggle under state’s grading system
With dozens of changes
in just the past three years, the formula behind Florida
The trend is visible
through a decade-plus of school grade results, dating back to the first grades
issued in 1999.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/10/3555391/low-income-schools-struggle-under.html#storylink=cpy
“Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom Corbett (R) remains the most vulnerable incumbent in the country”
The Fix’s top 15 gubernatorial races
Republicans are
playing lots of defense this cycle, with four of the top five seats likeliest
to flip belonging to the GOP. Overall, the GOP has to defend 24 seats to just
14 for Democrats.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom
Corbett (R) remains the most vulnerable incumbent in the country. Maine Gov.
Paul LePage (R) moves up to the No. 2 spot, meanwhile, as Republicans’ best
pickup opportunity is still in Arkansas.
SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING FORMULA COMMISSION PUBLIC MEETING – Allentown August 22, 10 AM
(to consider costs of
special education)
Thursday, August 22, 2013 10:00 AM
Board Room - Allentown
School District
Monday, August 26, 2013 ,
9:30 AM , Tredyffrin-Easttown School
District
Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee Public
hearing on Common Core
Thursday, August 29, 2013 ,
9:30 AM Capitol, Hearing
Room 1, North Office Bldg.
Save the Date: Diane Ravitch will be
speaking in Philly at the Main Branch of the Philadelphia 7:30
pm ..
Diane Ravitch | Reign
of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's
Public Schools
When: Tuesday,September 17,
2013 at 7:30PM
Where: Central Library
Cost: $15 General Admission, $7 Students
Ticket and Subscription Packages
Tickets on sale here at 10:00 a.m. onAugust 23, 2013
When: Tuesday,
Where: Central Library
Cost: $15 General Admission, $7 Students
Ticket and Subscription Packages
Tickets on sale here at 10:00 a.m. on
Yinzers - Save the Date: Diane
Ravitch will be speaking in Pittsburgh on September 16th at 6:00 pm at Temple Sinai
The lecture is
being hosted by Great Public Schools (GPS) Pittsburgh, which is a new coalition
of community, faith, and labor organizations consisting of Action United, One
Pittsburgh, PA Interfaith Impact Network, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers,
SEIU, and Yinzercation. Co-sponsors for
the event include the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, the PA State
Education Association, Temple Sinai , and First
Unitarian Church
of Pittsburgh
Join the National School Boards
Action Center
Participate
in a voluntary network to urge your U.S.
Representatives and Senators to support federal legislation on Capitol Hill
that is critical to providing high quality education to America
PILCOP 2013 Symposium on Equality: Privatization
This year’s
day-long Symposium will be held on Thursday, September 12th and will explore
the debate over privatizing government services such as healthcare, land
management and education. The Symposium
on Equality annually convenes thought leaders and outstanding advocates
to engage in meaningful discussion and exploration of the day’s most
pressing civil rights and social issues. This year’s event will foster
conversation, collaboration and exploration of the debate over privatizing
government services such as healthcare, land management and education.
PILCOP Know Your Child’s Rights! 2013-2014 Special
Education Seminars
The Law Center Law Center
This year’s
topics include Tips for Going Back to School; Psychological Testing, IEEs and
Evaluations; School Records; Children with Autism; Transition Services;
Children with Emotional Needs; Discipline and Bullying; Charter Schools;
Children with Dyslexia; Extended School Year; Assistive Technology;
Discrimination and Compensatory Education; and, Settlements. See below for
descriptions and schedules of each session.
PSBA is accepting applications to fill vacancies in NSBA's grassroots
advocacy program. Deadline to apply is Sept. 6.
PSBA members: Influence
public education policy at the federal level; join NSBA's Federal Relations
Network
The
National School Boards Association is seeking school directors interested in
filling vacancies for the remainder of the 2013-14 term of the Federal
Relations Network. The FRN is NSBA's grassroots advocacy program that provides
the opportunity for school board members from every congressional district in
the country who are committed to public education to get involved in federal
advocacy. For more than 40 years, school board members have been lobbying for
public education on Capitol Hill as one unified voice through this program. If
you are a school director and willing to carry the public education message to Washington , D.C.
PSBA members will elect
officers electronically for the first time in 2013
PSBA 7/8/2013
Beginning
in 2013, PSBA members will follow a completely new election process which will
be done electronically during the month of September. The changes will have
several benefits, including greater membership engagement and no more absentee
ballot process.
Below is a
quick Q&A related to the voting process this year, with more details to
come in future issues of School Leader News and at
www.psba.org. More information on the overall governance changes can be found
in the February 2013 issue of the PSBA Bulletin:
Electing PSBA Officers:
2014 PSBA Slate of Candidates
Details on each candidate, including
bios, statements, photos and video are online now
PSBA Website Posted 8/5/2013
The 2014 PSBA Slate of Candidates is being officially published to the
members of the association. Details on each candidate, including bios, statements,
photos and video are online at http://www.psba.org/elections/.
October 15-18, 2013 | Hershey Lodge & Convention Center
Important change this year: Delegate Assembly (replaces the
Legislative Policy Council) will be Tuesday Oct. 15 from 1 – 4:30 p.m.
The
PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference is the largest gathering of elected
officials in Pennsylvania
Registration:
https://www.psba.org/workshops/?workshop=17
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).
Charter schools asking Corbett
administration to change funding formula in their favor.
By Steve Esack, Call Harrisburg
Now charter
schools — which since 1997 have evolved from independent, isolated institutions
into a united, powerful political force — are fighting back. They have launched
a coordinated effort to gain up to $150 million annually in additional funding
from local school districts in the Lehigh
Valley
School Choices: Are your PA tax
dollars, intended for the classrooms of Chester Upland
http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2011/06/follow-money-contributions-by-vahan.html
According to minutes
from 12/18/12 Agora Cyber Board mtg, your PA tax $$$ paid for 19,298
local TV commercials
"They
don't feel they should be subject to this law, or, candidly, subject to
you," Mutchler told senators on the state government committee, which is
considering legislation to amend the five-year-old law. "They are a cancer
on the otherwise healthy right-to- know-law."
By Amy Worden, Inquirer Harrisburg
PA Charter Schools: $4
billion taxpayer dollars with no real oversight
Charter schools - public funding without public scrutiny
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.