Friday, May 31, 2013

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for May 31, 2013: Yo – Pennsylvania, Michigan just increased preschool funding by $65 million!!!

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


Keystone State Education Coalition:
Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for May 31, 2013:
Yo – Pennsylvania, Michigan just increased preschool funding by $65 million!!!



Delay the cut in the capital stock and franchise tax
We urge the legislature to delay planned tax cuts rather than making additional budget cuts to schools, health care, and human services.
Help spread the message of the Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign for the 2013-2014 State Budget


“With the dramatic cuts that school districts like Upper Darby are facing, the policymakers in the state need to look at the mandates placed on schools and start cutting them back instead of piling them on,” DeVlieger said. “Schools need to put the focus back on educating students, not providing every kind of imaginable social and medical need under the sun. So many of these mandates are areas that parents or the government should be handling, not schools.”
DeVlieger discussed the skyrocketing costs of special education, which has increased from $18 million in his district in 2008-2009 to a projected $32 million in 2013-2014, while the state has flat-lined the funding in each of those years.
“The costs fall directly on the local taxpayers through property taxes or result in the cutting of regular education programs,” he said.
School officials blast education funding formulas
Published: Wednesday, May 29, 2013
By DANIELLE LYNCH dlynch@delcotimes.com @dmlreporter
UPPER DARBY — Local school officials and education policy officials voiced concerns about problems with current public education funding formulas during a Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee hearing Wednesday.  The two-hour hearing, which took place at the Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School Performing Arts Center, was requested by state Rep. Margo Davidson, D-164, of Upper Darby. She was joined by 11 Democratic legislators from across Pennsylvania.

Another home run from Jessie Ramey @ Yinzercation blog…..
Budget Talk
Yinzercation Blog by Jessie Ramey, May 30, 2013
As we get closer to the end-of-June deadline, our legislators are finally talking about the state budget. Yesterday, the Republicans in the PA House proposed their own budget in response to Governor Corbett’s plan, announced in February. [See “Budget with a But”] Their version adds $10 million more for education, bringing the total increase to $100 million. [PA House GOP Proposed 2013-14 Budget] After two devastating years of cuts, any increase is good – but $100 million doesn’t get us close to the nearly $2 billion our kids have lost.
Perhaps most telling, the Republican plan counts on $85 million in “savings” from all the teachers who lost their jobs last year (since the state now won’t have to pay their portion of Social Security and pensions). However, rather than putting those “savings” fully back into education, the House GOP shifts $75 million over to other line items. Yet overall, this Republican budget spends $100 million less than even Gov. Corbett proposed, so there are plenty of cuts all around – including $32 million less for the Department of Public Welfare and a $3 million cut to child care services for the working poor. Meanwhile, the legislature would receive a $4 millionincrease for itself under this plan. [Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center analysis, 5-29-13]

Pennsylvania pension overhaul plan stands idle
By Kate Giammarise / Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau May 30, 2013 12:02 am
HARRISBURG -- Despite a push from Gov. Tom Corbett, pension overhaul appears to be the least likely of Mr. Corbett's major legislative proposals to be completed by the June 30 budget deadline.  Pension overhaul plans were not included in the House Republican budget proposals unveiled Wednesday in Harrisburg.  "As things stand today, it would be accurate to say the budget, transportation funding and liquor sales reform are farther advanced than pension reform," said Erik Arneson, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, referring to the governor's other major stated priorities.

Better Choices for PA Press Conference--Local Government Officials Raise Concern About Tax Cuts
Tuesday, June 4th at 1pm; Main Rotunda, State Capitol, Harrisburg PA
On Tuesday, June 4th, local government officials from across the state will gather in Harrisburg to make the case against new business tax cuts that are scheduled to take effect this year.  Citing the need to restore funding to local schools and county human services, officials will argue that Pennsylvania simply cannot afford new tax cuts this year.
Please RSVP to atkins@pennbpc.org.

“In the absence of new funds to cover a $304 million projected shortfall, schools will open in the fall without new books, paper, clubs, counselors, librarians, assistant principals, or secretaries.
Athletics, art, and music would be gone. There could be 3,000 layoffs, including some teachers.
Class sizes would be larger, and schools would have no aides to help manage them or support staff to monitor lunchrooms and playgrounds.”
Phila. SRC approves doomsday school budget
MARTHA WOODALL AND MELISSA CHEA-ANNAN, INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS
POSTED: Thursday, May 30, 2013, 9:59 PM
The Philadelphia School District's doomsday scenario moved a step closer to reality Thursday night.  Amid angry shouts of "disgrace!", the School Reform Commission approved a $2.4 billion budget that includes cuts that Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. has said would be catastrophic for the city's schools.

Philanthropists stress importance of arts education on region's economy
by thenotebook on May 30 2013 Posted in Latest news
Philanthropists Carole Haas Gravagno and H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest, in calling for more school funding yesterday, emphasized the far-reaching effects that massive school budget cuts would have on the economy of Philadelphia and the surrounding region. Gutting school music and arts programs, they argue, would only hamstring students' ability to join and sustain a vibrant intellectual and cultural scene that's of vital importance to the city's economic activity. 
From a written statement by Haas Gravagno:

H. F. “Gerry” Lenfest Press conference remarks on  the Philadelphia School District Budget Crisis - May 29, 2013
WYNNEALEXANDERMEDIA.COM
“I’m telling you as a business leader and as an humanitarian - we cannot allow this destruction of the public education system. The consequences will be very grave. Our schools give us our future in every way. They determine the quality of life for all of us.”

Pottsgrove preliminary budget would raise taxes 2.2%
Pottstown Mercury By Evan Brandt ebrandt@pottsmerc.com  Wednesday, 05/29/13 02:58 pm
LOWER POTTSGROVE — Although it took three different attempts, the Pottsgrove School Board managed to adopt a $61.5 million preliminary final budget Tuesday night that would raise property taxes by 2.2 percent, or $95 for the average household.

“A cursory examination of tax records revealed that out of 80 private properties occupied by charter and alternative schools, 13 were tax delinquent.”
Charter Schools, Landlords Owe City and Schools $762K
Why is Philly letting deadbeats keep their contracts?
City Paper by Ryan Briggs Posted: Thu, May. 30, 2013, 12:00 AM
This February, before turning its attention to begging the city and state to plug a $300 million budget deficit for the Philly School District, the School Reform Commission (SRC) announced a gesture of its own toward combating the city’s gaping tax-delinquency problem. The SRC ruled that tax deadbeats could no longer hold lucrative school contracts. 
“If you’re contracting with us, you must be up to date on your taxes,” says School District spokesperson Fernando Gallard, adding that the new regulations require vendors to obtain tax certification from the city’s Revenue Department.
That mandate, however, doesn’t extend to charter or alternative schools or the companies they contract with, despite the explosive growth of such institutions in recent years.

Separate and unequal treatment for cyber-charter students: As I See It
Patriot-News Op-Ed  By Monica Allison on May 30, 2013
Monica Allison is president of PA Familes for Public Cyber Schools.
My child is a second-class student.
This school year, the budget for my child’s public education is almost a third lower than the education budget for his peers in our school district. That’s because my child attends a public cyber school.  My child’s public education, like your child’s, is funded by the school district in which I live in and pay taxes. At the beginning of each school year, the district determines how much money they can spend per child. 

If you follow the money going to cyber schools it is clear that the lack of a fair PA education funding formula results in “excess” tax dollars being used for purposes other than educating our kids:
Millions flow to Beaver County-based PA Cyber School's spinoffs
By Rich Lord and Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette July 15, 2012 12:04 am
The Beaver County-based Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, which was searched by federal agents Thursday, pays tens of millions of dollars a year to a network of nonprofit and for-profit companies run by former executives of the state's largest online public school.

According to minutes from 12/18/12 Agora Cyber Board mtg, your PA tax $$$ paid for 19,298 local TV commercials
Keystone State Education Coalition April 17, 2013

As of February, 2013 Agora Cyber was serving 2,857 Philly students, the most of any PA cyber

Agora has never made AYP. Agora 2012 grad rate was 45%; Philly SD grad rate was 57%

In 2011, Agora parent company K12, Inc. CEO Ron Packard’s total compensation was $5 million


Early Childhood Education Caucus to discuss state budget at June 4 news conference
Rep. Phyllis Mundy’s website  May 30
The Early Childhood Education Caucus will hold a news conference at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 4, at the Capitol Media Center where its members will voice support for adequately funding early childhood care and education programs in the 2013-14 state budget. Speakers will include:
  • State Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Luzerne, and state Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh/Northampton/Monroe, co-chairmen of the caucus;
  • Lloyd Lamm, regional banking executive for the capital region of First National Bank of Pennsylvania;
  • Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed;
  • Retired Army Brigadier Gen. Jerry G. Beck who will represent Mission Readiness; and
  • Members of the caucus.
The 125-member Early Childhood Education Caucus is a bipartisan, bicameral alliance of legislators who advocate for the continued funding and development of high-quality early childhood care and education programs in Pennsylvania.
The caucus has worked together on many issues with the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission, whose co-chairman is Peter Danchak of northeastern Pennsylvania.

With $65M increase, Michigan moves into national forefront of preschool funding
The Center for Michigan By Ron French/Bridge Magazine 30 May 2013
Michigan will move from middle of the pack to top of the heap when Gov. Rick Snyder signs off on a massive expansion of state-funded early childhood education in coming days.
The $65 million increase in funding for the Great Start Readiness Program, allowing at least 10,000 more 4-year-olds to attend high-quality, publicly funded preschool, is the biggest increase in the nation this year and leads an emerging trend to invest in children before kindergarten.

In Raising Scores, 1 2 3 Is Easier Than A B C
New York Times By MOTOKO RICH Published: May 29, 2013
TROY, N.Y. — David Javsicas, a popular seventh-grade reading teacher known for urging students to act out dialogue in the books they read in class, sometimes feels wistful for the days when he taught math.
A quiz, he recalls, could quickly determine which concepts students had not yet learned. Then, “you teach the kids how to do it, and within a week or two you can usually fix it,” he said.
Helping students to puzzle through different narrative perspectives or subtext or character motivation, though, can be much more challenging. “It could take months to see if what I’m teaching is effective,” he said.
Educators, policy makers and business leaders often fret about the state of math education, particularly in comparison with other countries. But reading comprehension may be a larger stumbling block.

The number of high-poverty schools increases by about 60 percent
Hechinger Report by Jill Barshay May 29, 2013
Poverty is getting so concentrated in America that one out of five public schools was classified as as a “high-poverty” school in 2011 by the U.S.  Department of Education. To win this unwelcome designation, 75 percent or more of an elementary, middle or high school’s students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch. About a decade earlier, in 2000, only one in eight public schools was deemed to be high poverty. That’s about a 60 percent increase in the number of very poor schools!  This  figure was part of a large data report, The Condition of Education 2013, released by the National Center for Education Statistics on May 23, 2013.  There’s a lot to chew on in it. But school poverty jumped out at me as a really depressing data point showing the growing income inequality in America.

This fits nicely with the Walton Family Foundation’s funding of $159 million per year to dismantle democratically governed American public schools staffed by professional educators….would you like some fries with your standardized test?
Low Wages at a Single Wal-Mart Store Cost Taxpayers about $1 Million Every Year, Says New Committee Staff Report
Committee on Education and the Workforce May 30, 2013
WASHINGTON, DC – The price of Wal-Mart’s low wages and benefits at just one Wal-Mart store not only costs families in lost income and economic security, but it also may cost taxpayers about one million dollars in higher usage of public-assistance programs by Wal-Mart employees and their dependents, according to a report released today by the Democratic staff of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce. 
While up-to-date data on Wal-Mart’s wage and employment practices are not always readily available, new demographic data released by Wisconsin’s Medicaid program provided the needed information to uncover the scope of the taxpayer subsidization of Wal-Mart. The report finds that a single 300-employee Wal-Mart Supercenter in Wisconsin may cost taxpayers anywhere from $904,542 to nearly $1.75 million per year, or about $5,815 per employee. Wisconsin has 100 Wal-Mart stores, 75 that are Wal-Mart Supercenters.

Wisconsin Budget panel delays implementation of common standards for schools
High school students would need to take ACT test annually
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel May 29, 2013
Madison — The state Department of Public Instruction would potentially be barred from implementing new common academic standards until hearings are held and new findings issued under a provision a legislative committee tucked into the state budget Wednesday.
The Joint Finance Committee also voted to require high school students to take a suite of age-appropriate ACT tests twice their freshman year and once every year after that.

Why I Want to Choose the ‘Disadvantaged’ Local School (and Why I Might Not)
New York Times By ANDY HINDS May 30, 2013, 2:30 pm 36 Comments
When I ask other parents of preschoolers in my urban San Diego neighborhood where they’re planning to send their little ones to kindergarten, the name of our local K-5 virtually never comes up. Because of the “Choice Program” in our district, parents can apply to send their kids to almost any public school in the system. So parents in our neighborhood opt for magnet schools, charter schools or even the garden-variety public school a couple of miles away that gets better test scores than our “zone school” does. Or they skip the public options altogether and commute to schools with the words “Country Day” or “Our Lady” in their names.



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 Foundation with the support of generous sponsors.”
Pennsylvania Education Summit
Harrisburg, PA Thursday, June 13, 2013 from 8:00 AM to 3:45 PM (EDT)
The Pennsylvania Education Summit: Building a Pathway to College and Career Success will gather business leaders, teachers, school superintendents, curriculum specialists, state lawmakers, legislative staff, executive agency professionals, workforce investment board members and staff, and other education stakeholders for a civil conversation on the public policy required to ensure our Commonwealth's young people are "college and career ready."  The Pennsylvania Education Summit will highlight and support the efforts of the Corbett Administration and Pennsylvania General Assembly to design and implement education reforms that increase student achievement and accountability in Pennsylvania's K-12 education system.
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?”
No Way Out? How to Solve the Teacher-Pension Problem
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, 7th Floor Washington, DC 20036
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, Pennsylvania
  • Leo Casey, executive director, Albert Shanker Institute
Moderator: Chester E. Finn, Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute
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.

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 by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC).
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, Hamilton Hall, 320 S. Broad Street. We will be honoring a member of the Notebook community for years of service to our mission as well as honoring several local high school journalists. Help us celebrate another year of achievement that included two awards from the Education Writers Association and coverage of other critical stories like the budget crisis and the school closing process.

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’s metropolitan regions and its diverse middle-class suburbs. Participants will include local elected and grassroots leaders from America’s diverse middle class suburban towns and school districts, scholars and policy experts, members of the Obama Administration and Congress.  The summit will identify comprehensive solutions and build bipartisan support for meaningful action to stabilize and support inclusive middle-class communities and promote sustainable, economically competitive regions.


Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School FAST FACTS
Quakertown Community School District March 2013

PA Charter Schools: $4 billion taxpayer dollars with no real oversight Keystone State Education Coalition (updated 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

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for May 30, 2013: “We no longer need to hypothesize about the results. Cyber charters do not work for the majority of the students they enroll.” Plus: House budget coverage/reactions; several items on early childhood education

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


Keystone State Education Coalition:
Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for May 30, 2013:
“We no longer need to hypothesize about the results. Cyber charters do not work for the majority of the students they enroll.”
Plus: House budget coverage/reactions; several items on early childhood education


Delay the cut in the capital stock and franchise tax
We urge the legislature to delay planned tax cuts rather than making additional budget cuts to schools, health care, and human services.
Help spread the message of the Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign for the 2013-2014 State Budget



PA House GOP leaders push their budget, aiming to spend less than Corbett
By The Associated Press  on May 29, 2013 at 1:40 PM, updated May 29, 2013 at 1:48 PM
Republican leaders in the Pennsylvania House say they want a state budget for next year that would spend about $100 million less than the governor has proposed but about $600 million more than what passed a year ago.  The GOP leadership introduced their budget plan Wednesday for the fiscal year starting July 1.  They're highlighting an increase in spending on K-12 education, funding to hire 300 more state troopers and greater support for certain health programs, county conservation districts and the state open records office.
A spokesman for Gov. Tom Corbett's budget office calls it "a starting point."

PA House budget includes $4 million bump for lawmakers
By Melissa Daniels  PA Independent May 29, 2013
HARRISBURG — Among the $578 million spending increase Pennsylvania’s House Republicans propose for next year’s state budget is a cool $4 million bump for lawmakers themselves.
The $28.3 billion proposal, released Tuesday, is about $100 million less overall than what Gov. Tom Corbett proposed in February.  But Corbett’s plan keeps funding flat for Senate and House of Representatives budgets, at nearly $272 million. The House proposal bumps that up to $276 million, an increase of 1.5 percent.

“Earlier this month, Adolph said the House will not tackle Corbett's pension reform plan.
Senate Republicans leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware, have been lukewarm to the idea, too.  The Senate Finance Committee plans to hold a public hearing at 10 a.m. Wednesday on a bill that mirrors Corbett's pension proposals. The House has yet to schedule hearings.
If the Senate and House cannot agree on pension reform, the state budget will have to be reduced by $175 million. School districts also could not factor in the pension savings in their own budgets.”
State budget talks to heat up in Harrisburg
House Republicans are to propose budget that would spend slightly less than what Gov. Tom Corbett had proposed.
By Steve Esack, Morning Call Harrisburg Bureau 9:50 p.m. EDT, May 28, 2013
HARRISBURG — House Republicans on Wednesday will introduce a 2013-14 budget that is $100 million less than Gov. Tom Corbett had proposed in February.
The Republicans, who control the House by a 19-member majority, will call for reducing Corbett's spending plan to $28.3 billion to partly account for a drop in state sales tax revenue.
Exact details of the House's plan are not known. But no agency is expected to take the brunt of the spending cuts.  To make up for that anticipated loss, the House could recommend shaving part or all of Corbett's 2.4 percent spending increase, which represents an extra $679 million.

PA House Republican Caucus on budget proposal

PA House GOP budget proposal (spreadsheet)

PBPC: What You Need to Know About the Pa. House Budget Bill
Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center May 29, 2013
Pennsylvania House Republican leaders today introduced a 2013-14 budget that is $100 million less than what Governor Tom Corbett proposed in February. Overall, the $28.3 billion plan cuts $230 million in spending proposed by the Governor, shifting nearly $130 million of the savings to other budget priorities.
A significant piece of the spending reductions come from education—$85 million from reduced state payments for school employees’ Social Security and pension benefits. These savings are the result of deep cuts to education that have reduced the ranks of teachers, reading specialists, counselors and other school staff. The House plan adds $10 million of these savings to the $90 million increase already proposed by the Governor for the K-12 basic education subsidy. Most of the rest of the education savings are redistributed to priorities other than education.

It’s not just about the basic education subsidy; look at what’s not in the proposed budget:
For FY2008-09, BEFORE the ARRA/federal stimulus money, there were several line items in addition to the basic education subsidy that no longer exist or are significantly reduced.
High School Reform                   $  10.7 million eliminated
Accountability Block Grant         $171.4 million reduction
Tutoring                                    $  65.1 million eliminated
Dual Enrollment                         $  10.0 million eliminated
Science: It’s Elementary             $  13.6 million eliminated
School Improvement Grants        $  22.8 million eliminated
Charter School Reimbursement   $226.9 million eliminated
                        Total:                $520.5 million
Here’s the detail:
Key Education Subsidies Chart FY2006-07 thru 2012-13
Senator Hughes’ website

Video of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center's education funding webinar of May 28
Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center May 29, 2013
You can watch a video of the webinar at http://pennbpc.org/webinar-resources-education-funding-cuts-pennsylvania or share it with your friends on Twitter and Facebook. A link to the PowerPoint presentation is also available at that web page.
Be sure to register for our next webinar on Tuesday, June 18 at 4 p.m. to get the latest on the 2013-14 state budget. Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4943642123672820480
Finally, don’t forget to bookmark and follow our web site (http://pennbpc.org) and blog (http://thirdandstate.org) for the latest from Harrisburg, including an update later today on the budget bill released by Pennsylvania House Republican leaders. 

Petition: PA State Senators and House Representatives: Increase Special Education Funding line item in 2013-2014 PA State Budget.
The State of Pennsylvania has flat-funded Special Education since 2007-2008. Meanwhile, the gap between Special Education costs and funding continues to grow, and now many local municipalities are being forced to increase property taxes year after year, and cut educational programming and curriculum from which Basic Education and Special Education students benefit in order to finance Special Education programs.

Impasse immediate over plan to revise Pa. pension system
WHYY Newsworks By Mary Wilson @marywilson May 30, 2013
State Senate lawmakers are beginning the public vetting of a three-part proposal from the governor's office to deal with Pennsylvania's multibillion-dollar pension debt.
Months of debate leading up to the hearing have only made the groups on either side of the issue seem more entrenched than ever.

Pennsylvania has been experimenting with students in cyber charter schools under the guise of 'innovation' for more than a decade. We no longer need to hypothesize about the results. Cyber charters do not work for the majority of the students they enroll.”
Letter: The true costs of unchecked charter growth
WHYY Newsworks By Rhonda Brownstein May 29, 2013
Ben Herold's recent article "Rising cyber-charter costs fuel push for statewide reform" focused on the financial cost of cyber charters. In the article, much attention was given to responses from cyber charter operators and supporters who emphasize catchy policy terms like "innovation," but wholly ignore the reality of student experiences in these programs.
Cyber schools failing our kids
Discussion of cyber education must focus on evidence of what has actually occurred in Pennsylvania as opposed to a theoretical discussion of the supposed benefits of this "innovative" movement. Our state has allowed unchecked cyber charter growth, and the consequences have been grave. Cyber charter school growth has further harmed funding-starved districts and incentivized unregulated district-run cyber programs. The Education Law Center of Pennsylvania is deeply troubled by the financial costs. But more devastating are the educational consequences of these programs. Students enrolled in Pennsylvania cyber charter schools are not receiving a quality education.

Teplitz Calls for Costing-out Study of ‘Flawed’ Charter School Funding Formula
Senator Teplitz’s website MAY 29, 2013
HARRISBURG, May 29, 2013 — As school districts continue to struggle with tighter budgets, state Sen. Rob Teplitz said a thorough examination of the charter school funding formula is needed to address spending inequities.  Teplitz has introduced a resolution directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a comprehensive statewide costing-out study of charter schools and cyber schools in Pennsylvania. The resolution has 19 co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle.
Pennsylvania’s charter school funding formula establishes a per-student tuition rate based on the cost to educate a student in his or her home school district, and not on the actual costs at the charter or cyber charter school.  The flawed formula creates spending inefficiencies that hurt taxpayers, said Teplitz, who is a member of the Senate Education Committee.

“It would eliminate all extracurricular activities, sports, art and music. The budget would expand classes to the limit allowed by the Philadelphia teachers union contract: 30 students in grades K to 3, and 33 students in grades 4 to 12.
There would be one nurse for every 1,500 pupils, the state mandate, instead of the district's current rate of one per 1,000 students.
No support staff would be available to serve lunch, watch children during recess, greet visitors, type letters, answer phones or conduct business.
Assistant principals would be nothing more than a memory.”
Proposed Philly school budget cut begin to hit home
REGINA MEDINA, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER MEDINAR@PHILLYNEWS.COM, 215-854-5985 Thursday, May 30, 2013, 3:01 AM
CENTRAL HIGH School teacher Jacquelyn Mancinelli said she and everyone she knew were in "a state of disbelief" when they learned about the school district's proposed budget cuts.
The school's 27 athletic teams, many of them champions, gone.
The guidance counselors who assist students through the difficult process of college applications from September to Christmas vacation each year: also gone.
"But now it's starting to become more of a reality and everybody is really scared," said Mancinelli, 25, a ninth- and 10th-grade English teacher.

$2 tax on cigarettes to aid school district wins Philly City Council support
WHYY Newsworks By Tom MacDonald @tmacdonaldwhyy May 29, 2013
Philadelphia's budget process is moving forward as a key City Council committee approved a cigarette tax to help the schools.  The bill creating Mayor Michael Nutter's proposed $2r per pack cigarette tax was among six approved by Council's committee of the whole Wednesday. Nutter has offered several proposals to help the school district fill a $300 million budget shortfall.

Gerry Lenfest: School budget cuts would hurt Philly's economy
WHYY Newsworks By Holly Otterbein, @hollyotterbein May 29, 2013
Philadelphia's School Reform Commission will vote Thursday on whether to adopt a budget that would deprive the district of librarians, sports, music and assistant principals.
One day before the vote, charity giants Carole Haas Gravagno and H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest decided to throw their weight behind the city's struggling schools.
Haas Gravagno, chairwoman of the Stoneleigh Foundation, urged city and state leaders to figure out a way to avoid the cuts. She said they would hurt children, taxpayers, businesses and the suburbs alike.  "We're more interested in building juvenile justice centers or prisons. That's where [children will] go if we aren't taking care of them," she said. "This will spill over into all the counties if we don't do something."  Lenfest, another noted philanthropist, said in a statement that "gutting the schools" would hurt Philadelphia's economy.

“The average resident will see his real estate taxes reduced by $31.78 or .1105 mills.”
Radnor School Board cuts taxes in $82.7 million budget
Delco Times By Linda Stein lstein@mainlinemedianews.com Wednesday, May 29, 2013
RADNOR - After a long and contentious debate, the Radnor Township School Board adopted an $82.7 million budget for the 2013-2014 school year. The budget includes a ½ percent tax rate decrease for the first time in 30 years, board President Eric Zajac said.
http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2013/05/29/news/doc51a61218a3469025856218.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Haverford School Board OKs budget draft, 3.55% tax hike
By LOIS PUGLIONESI DelcoTimes Correspondent Wednesday, May 29, 2013
HAVERFORD — School directors at a recent meeting voted 7-0 to adopt a proposed final budget with a 3.55 percent tax rate increase, slightly higher than the 3.49 percent increase projected in earlier budget drafts.

Editorial: Public school funding crisis needs action
Delco Times Published: Wednesday, May 29, 2013
It is the telltale sound of spring. Cha-ching.
No, not the chatter of those 17-year Cicadas awakening across the landscape. We’re talking about your local school board munching their way deeper and deeper into your wallet.
Yes, it’s school budget time again. Stop us if you’ve heard this tune before.

More than 300 Business Leaders and Organizations from 44 States Sign Letter Asking Lawmakers to Support Early Childhood Programs
Letter Delivered to President Obama and Congressional Members
Former Chief Executives of Macy’s, Inc. and Procter & Gamble to Meet with Secretary Duncan and Secretary  Sebelius to Discuss Early Childhood Programs
Press Release America’s Promise Alliance May 29, 2013
WASHINGTON, DCAmerica’s Promise Alliance (America’s Promise) and its early childhood project ReadyNation today announced that more than 300 business leaders and organizations from 44 states around the country have signed an open letter to President Obama and Members of Congress declaring support for early childhood programs. Citing the benefits early childhood programs provide to the nation’s economy, workforce preparedness, and standing in the global marketplace, business leaders are asking the nation’s leaders to make it a national priority to invest in the academic and social development of young children. The full letter and list of signatories can be found at www.readynation.org

Letters to the editor: Pre-K Partnership will help Pennsylvanians
ERIE TIMES-NEWS by Lt. Gen. Dennis L. Benchoff U.S. Army (Ret.), Lancaster
PUBLISHED: MAY 29, 2013 12:01 AM EST
I agree with Erie's educators about the importance of high-quality pre-K for children's development ("Pre-K funding fluctuates but Erie educators say experience still vital," May 8). As a retired Army general and member of Mission: Readiness, I also know it is important for our future national security.  The Defense Department estimates that 75 percent of all Americans ages 17 to 24 cannot join the military primarily because they are too poorly educated, physically unfit or have a criminal record. In Pennsylvania, 22 percent of high school graduates can't score high enough on the military's exam to enlist. Education outcomes will improve through expansion of quality pre-K programs, which have been shown to increase graduation rates by as much as 44 percent and lessen criminal behavior in later years.

We're Leaving Our Kids at the Gate
Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children Blog May 29, 2013 5:43 PM | Posted By : PPC
Lawmakers in Washington continue to act like the worst consequence of sequestration is that it disrupted airline flights. Of course, they fixed that, but now they need to do something about the 2,000-plus Pennsylvania children whose early learning opportunities will be disrupted if Congress doesn't act soon to reverse the sequester.
Since the sequester took effect on March 1, the commonwealth's Head Start programs have been hit with a $13.5 million reduction, potentially eliminating services to more than 1,500 children by the end of the year. Some programs already are closing their doors, leaving kids without pre-k programs. Estimates show child care funding in Pennsylvania will be cut by about $3.5 million due to the sequester, potentially leading to more than 650 children losing subsidies that allow their parents to afford care and maintain their employment

Montgomery County: Early Childhood Education, Child Care and the Proposed 2013-14 State Budget
Public Citizens for Children and Youth

Delaware County: Early Childhood Education, Child Care and the Proposed 2013-14 State Budget
Public Citizens for Children and Youth

Chester County: Early Childhood Education, Child Care and the Proposed 2013-14 State Budget
Public Citizens for Children and Youth

Bucks County: Early Childhood Education, Child Care and the Proposed 2013-14 State Budget
Public Citizens for Children and Youth

First Book provides access to new books for children in need.
To date, First Book has distributed more than 100 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada.  First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education by making new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis.
We are proud of our past success and even more excited about the future. First Book is uniquely positioned to become a leader in providing digital resources so that children in need don’t miss out.  No matter how formats and technologies change, children from low-income families will still need access to rich and varied content. First Book is helping guide the publishing industry as it evolves so that all children can benefit from new technologies and flourish as readers.

Cheltenham High School Makes Newsweek’s Best Schools List for 2012
Citizen’s Call Blog Posted on May 28, 2013
Cheltenham High School (CHS) has been named to America’s Best High Schools list, byNewsweekThe Daily Beast. The list highlights the best 2,000 public high schools in the nation. With a solid ranking of 760, CHS more than held its own in the ratings competition, the essence of which is to identify the leading schools in the country in preparing students for college.
The high school tracked a 98 percent graduation rate, 90 percent college bound rate, 1545 average SAT score and 3.5 average Advanced Placement Exam score. CHS achieved an overall score of 3.2, placing it in the 760th position. According to Newsweek/The Daily Beast, those schools on the list “have proven to be the most effective in turning out college-ready grads.”

Here’s the full list - 77 Pennsylvania high schools are on this list
America’s Best High Schools
Newsweek/Daily Beast by Lauren Streib May 6, 2013 5:00 AM EDT
This year our ranking highlights the best 2,000 public high schools in the nation—those that have proven to be the most effective in turning out college-ready grads. The list is based on six components: graduation rate (25 percent), college acceptance rate (25 percent), AP/IB/AICE tests taken per student (25 percent), average SAT/ACT scores (10 percent), average AP/IB/AICE scores (10 percent), and percent of students enrolled in at least one AP/IB/AICE course (5 percent). Click here forfull methodology.

“In a letter to lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee last week, 10 education groups including the National Education Association and the National School Boards Association banded together to ask the panel to reject what they called “devastating cuts.””
Special Education Could Face $2 Billion In Cuts
DisabilityScoop.com By MICHELLE DIAMENT May 28, 2013
As a new round of budget talks gets underway in Congress, special education advocates are sounding the alarm about big cuts that may be on the horizon.
Preliminary figures from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations indicate that education programs could be slashed by nearly 20 percent for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, partly as a result of the sequester, the across-the-board spending cuts that took effect in March.  Though detailed proposals have yet to be released, the Council for Exceptional Children — which lobbies on behalf of special educators — is estimating that such cuts would mean more than $2 billion less for programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
“When you see these figures in black and white, it’s pretty stunning,” said Lindsay Jones, senior director for policy and advocacy at CEC. “I don’t know how (schools) could withstand it.”
The level of cutbacks proposed is drawing concern from the broader education community.

 “How can we reduce the effects of poverty on our students? Robert Balfanz, codirector of the Everyone Graduates Center and research scientist at the Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University, writes that (PDF) "schools that serve high concentrations of low-income students need to be able to provide direct, evidence-based supports that help students attend school regularly, act in a productive manner, believe they will succeed, overcome external obstacles, complete their coursework, and put forth the effort required to graduate college- and career-ready."
Reducing the Effects of Child Poverty
THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG May 28, 2013 by Klea Scharberg
In today's global economic state, many families and children face reduced circumstances. The 2008 economic crisis became a "household crisis" (PDF) when higher costs for basic goods, fewer jobs and reduced wages, diminished assets and reduced access to credit, and reduced access to public goods and services affected families who coped, in part, by eating fewer and less nutritious meals, spending less on education and health care, and pulling children out of school to work or help with younger siblings. These "new poor" join those who were vulnerable prior to the financial shocks and economic downturn.
Today's statistics are astounding:

“NSBA, AASA (the School Superintendents Association), the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals wrote the document. It notes that states and districts face “very real obstacles” to align their curricula with the new standards and administer the required tests.”
National school leadership organizations urge “adequate time” for Common Core implementation
School Board News Today by Alexis Rice May 29th, 2013
States and school districts need adequate time, professional development, and the technical infrastructure to properly transition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the assessment requirements, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) and the major organizations representing school administrators say in a joint statement on the issue.
“Strong educational standards can be an important tool for improving student achievement, but states and school districts must be well prepared to successfully implement the Common Core State Standards,” said NSBA Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel. “For the standards to succeed, states and school districts must have the financial resources and the infrastructure to manage online assessments, and they must be able to provide school administrators and teachers with the professional development.”

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 Foundation with the support of generous sponsors.”
Pennsylvania Education Summit
Harrisburg, PA Thursday, June 13, 2013 from 8:00 AM to 3:45 PM (EDT)
The Pennsylvania Education Summit: Building a Pathway to College and Career Success will gather business leaders, teachers, school superintendents, curriculum specialists, state lawmakers, legislative staff, executive agency professionals, workforce investment board members and staff, and other education stakeholders for a civil conversation on the public policy required to ensure our Commonwealth's young people are "college and career ready."  The Pennsylvania Education Summit will highlight and support the efforts of the Corbett Administration and Pennsylvania General Assembly to design and implement education reforms that increase student achievement and accountability in Pennsylvania's K-12 education system.
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?”
No Way Out? How to Solve the Teacher-Pension Problem
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, 7th Floor Washington, DC 20036
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, Pennsylvania
  • Leo Casey, executive director, Albert Shanker Institute
Moderator: Chester E. Finn, Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute
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.

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 by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC).
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, Hamilton Hall, 320 S. Broad Street. We will be honoring a member of the Notebook community for years of service to our mission as well as honoring several local high school journalists. Help us celebrate another year of achievement that included two awards from the Education Writers Association and coverage of other critical stories like the budget crisis and the school closing process.

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’s metropolitan regions and its diverse middle-class suburbs. Participants will include local elected and grassroots leaders from America’s diverse middle class suburban towns and school districts, scholars and policy experts, members of the Obama Administration and Congress.  The summit will identify comprehensive solutions and build bipartisan support for meaningful action to stabilize and support inclusive middle-class communities and promote sustainable, economically competitive regions.


Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School FAST FACTS
Quakertown Community School District March 2013

PA Charter Schools: $4 billion taxpayer dollars with no real oversight Keystone State Education Coalition (updated 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