Daily postings from the Keystone State Education
Coalition now reach more than 3060 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school
directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers,
Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, 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 and searchable 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?
The
Network for Public Education Press Release January 19, 2014
NPE National Conference at University of Texas
at Austin March
1 & 2
Keystone State Education Coalition
But
state budget records show the education spending was reduced by $655 million in
stimulus money and $355 million in state funds…also had to spend about $312
million more to start covering decades' worth of unfunded pension liabilities…
“Corbett told reporters Wednesday, as he has since 2011-12, that
the $1 billion reduction was caused solely by the loss of temporary federal
stimulus money. "I did not cut $1 billion," Corbett said. "That
was cut before I walked in the door [as governor]." But state budget records show the education
spending was reduced by $655 million in stimulus money and $355 million in
state funds. Corbett, as required by
state law, also had to spend about $312 million more to start covering decades'
worth of unfunded pension liabilities for school employees. But the pension
increase did not find its way into classrooms, and school boards laid off
staff, cut programs and raise property taxes.”
Gov.
Tom Corbett muses about school funding and voter ID law
Governor
says he canceled appearance at Philly's Central High for students' sake.
By Steve Esack, Call Harrisburg Bureau 9:47
p.m. EST, January 22, 2014
During a news conference Wednesday in the
Capitol, Corbett, a Republican with dismal polling numbers seeking re-election,
explained how his administration dealt with those issues.
Corbett's comments on schools, voter ID and
other topics came after he gathered with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against
Rape and Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence to publicly propose
spending 10 percent more, for a total of $15.3 million, for rape crisis
services and domestic violence prevention programs in 2014-15.
Corbett
calls Pa.
public school funding unfair
Philly.com by MARK SCOLFORO, THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS POSTED: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 , 12:15 PM
Story
Highlights
- Corbett said Wednesday that the state's school
funding system should be changed.
- He's interested in a bill that would set up a
commission to develop a formula to distribute money for K-12 education.
- Corbett’s handling of education funding has
emerged as a major campaign issue.
“It’s not exactly a secret that Corbett is not generally considered
a friend of public education. One of his biggest campaign donors is Vahan
Gureghian, the brains and money behind the biggest charter school in Pennsylvania , Chester
Community Charter
School . It did not take
Corbett long once he took office to pay a visit to that facility and laud it as
a model for the rest of the state.”
Editorial:
Corbett can run, but not hide, from bad decisions
Delco Times Editorial POSTED: 01/22/14, 10:12 PM EST |
For Gov. Tom Corbett, it could have been a
teachable moment.
It turned out be just that, but probably not
the kind the governor had in mind.
Corbett was due at Central
High School in Philadelphia last Friday to honor students
and staff for their recent showing on statewide testing. It had not gone
unnoticed that it would mark his first visit to a public school in the city,
even as his first term comes to an end. It also has not gone unnoticed that
many blame the horrific cuts that have beset the district, where layoffs and
staff parings have shattered more of students, staff and parents, on the
austere budgets Corbett pushed in the first three years of his administration. Of course, Corbett has another view of those
finances, including his belief that the real villain in the funding crisis that
beset so many Pennsylvania
schools was in the expiration of federal stimulus funds, and local decisions –
despite warnings not to do so – to earmark those funds for recurring programs.
http://www.delcotimes.com/opinion/20140122/editorial-corbett-can-run-but-not-hide-from-bad-decisions
This
collection of postings on Vahan Gureghian continues to be one of the most
visited links on the Keystone
State Education Coalition
blog:
http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2011/06/follow-money-contributions-by-vahan.html
West
Philly group seeks to expand literacy in district schools
EACH OF Pennsylvania 's
26 state prisons is mandated by law to employ a librarian with a master's
degree and to have a large collection of books and periodicals. But no state
law requires the same for public schools.
"I think it's backward," said David Florig, executive director
of the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children, a nonprofit promoting childhood
literacy in West Philly. "Early reading is key to success in school and
staying on track." Only 11 of 212
schools in the Philadelphia
School District have
libraries. That, according to Florig, is problematic for Philly's kids, their
prospects and the city's future.
Our
View: Settlement needed for pension reform
The
Sentinel (Carlisle ) Editorial January 22, 2014
Push has come to shove in real time for Pennsylvania on pension
reform and education funding.
Two weeks from yesterday — supposedly — all
will be made clear regarding Gov. Tom Corbett’s reported plan to inject
millions into the public education system while initiating long-promised
reforms of the state’s overburdened pension system. This should be a fiscal balancing act well
worth watching. School districts statewide are at the breaking point over
funding and pension system debt. Given the governor’s record on education
funding and pension reform over the past three years, whatever Corbett offers
will be a hard sell. Paying for the
expected heavy infusion of dollars into education is expected to come from
drastic changes in the Public School Employees Retirement System. There, expect
a battle over defined contribution retirement plans.
The governor’s annual budget proposal is to be
presented to the General Assembly on Feb. 4.
"I've spent a lot of my time trying to educate people about
the charter issue. There is so much poor thinking on the subject that it's very
frustrating for me...We're building two entire systems of education...the lost
money created by this duplication is a staggering amount of money and it
happens every time we open a new seat in a charter school and take a person out
of one of the district schools...and that money is just lost to education. It's
just friction. It's transition costs, and people don't see that."
Exit
interview: SRC's Joseph Dworetzky on hopes, frustrations and the future of
Philly schools
WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN MCCORRY JANUARY 22, 2014
In many ways, Joseph Dworetzky was the
"voice of people" during his four year tenure as a School Reform
Commissioner — often casting the lone "no" vote on SRC decisions
unpopular with the education advocates who regularly testify at the group's
action meetings.
Dworetzky, a lawyer by trade who spent time as
City Solicitor in Ed Rendell's mayoral administration, held views that
often clashed with those of his SRC colleagues.
Report:
Philly's school 'Renaissance' a mixed bag
SOLOMON LEACH, DAILY NEWS STAFF
WRITER LEACHS@PHILLYNEWS.COM,
215-854-5903 POSTED: Thursday, January 23, 2014 , 3:01 AM
THE SCHOOL
District of Philadelphia 's
latest attempt to turn around "underperforming" schools has yielded
dramatic improvements in some cases, while many schools are still struggling,
according to a recent report by the district.
The Renaissance Schools Initiative, launched in 2010 by former
superintendent Arlene Ackerman, paired schools with either charter operators or
district-run turnaround teams. Thirty-five schools have undergone the
transformation, including three that since have closed. In addition to new leadership, each of the
schools replaced at least half of its teachers. Many also implemented longer
instructional periods and other changes.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140123_Report__Philly_s_school__Renaissance__a_mixed_bag.html#Dc2XGpWiVzOcq49h.99
Grover
Cleveland
Mastery making progress, giving students ownership
SOLOMON LEACH, DAILY NEWS STAFF
WRITER LEACHS@PHILLYNEWS.COM,
215-854-5903 POSTED: Thursday, January 23, 2014 , 12:16 AM
FOR EIGHTH-grader Germaine Fitchett, the
difference between Grover Cleveland Mastery Charter pre- and post-Renaissance
is like night and day. "The school
got more strict. We have more responsibilities and higher requirements and
things like that," the wiry teen said during a recent tour of the school,
on 19th Street
near Erie Avenue . But he doesn't mean that in a bad way. "The teachers, they're always happy and
excited and things like that. And especially around PSSA time," he
explained, referring to the state achievement exams. "The teachers [are]
like, 'We're gonna make it, we're gonna do this, we're gonna reach this.'
"
“The local job market and the city's public schools were big
reasons why young adults didn't see themselves planting roots in Philadelphia . Only 36 percent of those polled said they
would recommend the city as a place to raise kids, while 56 percent said they
wouldn't.”
Better
schools, more jobs would keep economic boon of millennials in Philly
WHYY Newsworks BY AARON MOSELLE
JANUARY 22, 2014
A new study shows that Philadelphia has become a bit of a hot spot
for millenials, "but that many of them don't plan on staying for
long." Between 2006 and 2012, the
city gained 100,000 millennials, adults between the ages of 20 and 34,
according to "Millennials in Philadelphia :
A Promising but Fragile Boom," the report released Wednesday by the Philadelphia research
initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts. [Read
the report below.]
Half of those surveyed, though, said they
definitely or probably wouldn't be living in the city in the next five or 10
years. About 30 percent of all other
adults said the same.
“In only three years, the district has transformed spaces in the
high school and middle school into high-tech learning centers, taken computer
programming classes down to the elementary level, partnered with Carnegie Mellon
University 's Entertainment
Technology Center
to guide technology learning and become Pennsylvania 's
first school district to provide iPads to all 2,355 students, according to the
district.”
Elizabeth
Forward schools recognized for high-tech efforts
By Deborah M. Todd / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette January 22, 2014 11:40 PM
At any given moment in the quad of Elizabeth Forward Middle School ,
sixth-graders could be studying schematics for a 3-D printing project on an
iPad. At the high school, it's no surprise seeing students hunched over library
tables tweaking plans for an iPhone app. Even at the elementary level, lessons
on constellations become digital stargazing sessions for kindergarten students
brandishing iPad minis. A push to
promote the fundamentals of STEM (science, technology, engineering and
mathematics) education has propelled the Elizabeth Forward
School District to elite
status among national technology and education organizations.
Accolades continued Monday for Mt. Lebanon
School District ’s
academic achievement.
State Sen. Matt Smith and Rep. Dan Miller,
both Democrats from Mt. Lebanon, attended the school board meeting to present
proclamations recognizing nine of the district's 10 schools for receiving the
Governor’s Award for Excellence in Academics.
Editorial:
Reading school board takes first step in reorganizing the district
Reading Eagle Tuesday January 21, 2014 12:01 AM
When Reading School Board member Pierre V.
Cooper cast the lone vote against the Berks County Intermediate Unit running
the district for the remainder of the school year, he spoke of the proposal as
taking power away from the board. It was
an interesting choice of words. For decades, power seemed to be one of the
primary reasons people ran for a seat on the Reading School Board: the power to
appoint friends and family members to district jobs, the power to garner name
recognition to pursue other elected offices, the power to spend lavishly on
meals at taxpayer expense and the power to direct day-to-day district
operations.
Those are exactly the types of things that we
hope the BCIU involvement over the next five months or so will help to
eliminate. And because the other six members of the board voted to accept help
from the intermediate unit, we trust that they are hoping to do that, too.
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette January 22, 2014 11:44 PM
The board of Pittsburgh Public Schools on
Wednesday night approved a 2 percent property tax increase that will yield $3
million for the school district but still leaves the district with a budget
deficit. The 0.19-mill increase raises
the tax rate from 9.65 mills to 9.84 mills. One mill generates $1 of tax for
every $1,000 of assessed property value.
The vote was 7-2, with board members Bill Isler and Sherry Hazuda voting
no. The district had gone more than a
decade without raising the property tax rate until it raised the rate in 2013.
New
Pittsburgh Public Schools Board President Speaks out on Student Achievement
Urban Media Today by Allegra Johnson January 2014
In December 2013, Thomas Sumpter was elected as the board president of the Pittsburgh Public Schools. With a new president elected, there has been a major transition within the school board; something Sumpter says is needed to support the school district.
Sumpter said he feels optimistic about the future of Pittsburgh Public Schools and that it will take the entire community to help close the achievement gap facing many low-income and minority students in the school district. UrbanMediaToday's Allegra Johnson spoke to Sumpter about the school district and what he is most hopeful for.
Urban Media Today by Allegra Johnson January 2014
In December 2013, Thomas Sumpter was elected as the board president of the Pittsburgh Public Schools. With a new president elected, there has been a major transition within the school board; something Sumpter says is needed to support the school district.
Sumpter said he feels optimistic about the future of Pittsburgh Public Schools and that it will take the entire community to help close the achievement gap facing many low-income and minority students in the school district. UrbanMediaToday's Allegra Johnson spoke to Sumpter about the school district and what he is most hopeful for.
Teacher
Evaluation Sparks Clash in Pittsburgh
Education Week By Stephen
Sawchuk Published Online: January 22, 2014
A dispute in Pittsburgh between the school
district and teachers' union over the city's jointly designed
teacher-evaluation system shows the stark distinction between ambitious policy
plans and implementation—a lesson for an active philanthropic community that
has invested millions of dollars in rethinking evaluation nationwide. "I thought we were partners in reform,
but the partnership [with the union] has been rocky, let's just say that,"
Superintendent Linda S. Lane
said. "In theory, it sounds fine, but when it gets to the execution, it's
tough."
The disagreement concerns the 26,000-student
district's decision to set the bar so that an estimated 9 percent of teachers
would receive the lowest evaluation score. The Pittsburgh Federation of
Teachers insists that that figure is too high.
The new system has largely been funded out of
a $40 million grant from the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
which nationwide has put nearly
$700 million into grants to reshape the teaching profession. (The Gates
Foundation also supports Education Week's coverage of business and
K-12 innovation.) With no immediate
resolution in sight, concerns are brewing that the dispute could scotch the
remaining $15.8 million in the grant, though the Gates Foundation indicates
that the funding is not yet in jeopardy.
Is
Nutter changing his tune on charters?
SEAN COLLINS WALSH, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER WALSHSE@PHILLYNEWS.COM, 215-854-4172
POSTED: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 , 3:01
AM
IS MAYOR NUTTER changing his tune on charter
schools?
In June, as the School District of Philadelphia
was readying to close 24 traditional schools while students fled to charters,
Mayor Nutter went on national TV to defend the decision.
"My job is to make sure that we have a
system of great schools all across the city of Philadelphia, that they are
properly funded regardless of who manages them . . . and that the elected
officials, certainly myself included, are providing the proper funding for a
high-quality education regardless of what school a parent decides to send their
child to," he said on MSNBC.
Compare that to his comments last week, when
he criticized Gov. Corbett's appointment of Councilman Bill Green to the School
Reform Commission - in part because Green has previously proposed
"charterizing" the entire district.
"It is my hope that [Green] will come to better understand the
importance of district-managed schools and that he will stand up and truly
support our schoolchildren and teachers," Nutter said in a statement. He
added in a news conference: "We must come to grips with the growth of
charter schools."
Nutter maintains that he has always been a
supporter of good schools, district or charter, and that his concerns about
charter-school expansion are related to a change in how they are funded.
With
Bill Green taking the helm, it's time to dissolve the SRC
Notebook by Ron
Whitehorne on Jan 22 2014 Posted in Commentary
Ron Whitehorne is a retired teacher and is on
the steering committee of the Philadelphia
Coalition Advocating for Public Schools (PCAPS).
With the appointment of Bill Green to head up
the School Reform Commission, it’s time to get serious about getting rid of
this dysfunctional form of governance and returning our schools to local
control. For the last two years, the SRC
has pursued a policy of “rightsizing” the District, which has called for
closings schools, reducing staff, and cutting instructional programs. The SRC
has also championed turning over schools with chronically low test scores to
charters and, with some caveats, has favored the expansion of the charter
school sector, despite the fact that these actions have only worsened the
District’s fiscal problems.
The appointment of Bill Green to chair of the
commission signals a continuation of this direction. Indeed, Green, based on
his past statements and record on Council, may prove to be a more aggressive
advocate of these policies than his predecessor, leading even SRC supporter
Mayor Nutter to express reservations about his appointment.
Three Philadelphia Public Schools principals
were fired last week after an investigation into test cheating that has
implicated about 140 teachers and administrators, a spokesman for the district
said Wednesday. The action follows years
of investigating the results of state standardized math and reading tests taken
from 2009 to 2011. The investigation, conducted by the school district and the
state department of education, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Office of
Inspector General, identified 33 schools — including three public charter schools — where
an analysis of test answer sheets found a suspicious number of wrong answers
that were erased and made right.
Pearson’s
Plan for Education Is Coming
Education news Blog Jan 22, 2014 by Staff by Alan Singer
In the United States school districts are traditionally
organized and funded locally. Parents, teachers, and school and district
administrators usually only think about state and national issues when they
feel pressed from above by state imposed budget cuts or federal demands for
curriculum change and new assessments. Much of the opposition to Common Core
and Race to the Top arose because parents, teachers, and administrators felt local
prerogatives were being undermined by unwarranted pressure from above. But an
examination of the Pearson publishing mega-giant’s plan to control public education in Great Britain makes clear, the
greatest threat to local initiatives in public education may be from powerful
global corporations. Beware! The Pearson Plan for education in the United Kingdom
may be coming to a country near you — unless we can stop it now.
Investments
for Kids in the Fiscal Year 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act
First Focus FACT SHEETS By Jared SolomonJanuary 22, 2014
First Focus FACT SHEETS By Jared Solomon
While not ideal by any stretch, the Fiscal
Yeary 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act, also known as an omnibus budget
bill, does include an overall increase in funding to discretionary investments
that matter to kids, when compared to FY13. Unfortunately, after adjusting for
inflation and comparing to pre-sequester levels in 2012, this investment falls
far short, reflecting a decline of nearly $2.1 billion. This analysis looks at
overall funding levels, funding for individual policy areas, notable increases
and decreases, new investments, and significant policy changes.
Come
to Harrisburg
February 4th for the Governor's Budget Address
Show your School Spirit with PCCY!
On February 4th the Governor will introduce
his budget plan for 2014-2015. Based on past performance, the next budget
may do little to meet the needs of Pennsylvania’s public school students.
School districts in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties of Bucks,
Chester, Delaware and Montgomery remain underfunded by the state by a combined
$161 million. That is why we need YOU to stand up for your school in
Harrisburg on February 4th to demand equitable funding for our
schools. To really make our point, please wear local school colors,
jackets or sweatshirts to show your school spirit!
Click here to sign-up and get details. For more
information please email Shanee Garner-Nelson at shaneeg@pccy.org.
PA
House Education Committee Meeting Monday, January 27, 2014 11:00 AM Room 140 Main Capitol
Informational briefing - Recommendations of
the Special Education Funding Commission Report.
PDE
chief Dumaresq LIVE budget presentation, PSBA Conference Center, Feb. 5 at 2
p.m
PSBA’s website 1/13/2014
Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn
Dumaresq will be at the PSBA Conference Center on Feb. 5 at 2
p.m. to present a special state budget overview.
Find out how the proposals of the fiscal year
2014-15 Pennsylvania budget impact your school district the day after the
governor delivers his address to the General Assembly. Secretary Dumaresq will
review the governor's plan and answer your questions. In addition to the live
presentation, members across the state also can participate through streaming
media on their computers.
To register for the LIVE event, Wed.,
Feb. 5, 2 p.m., at the PSBA Conference Center, Mechanicsburg: https://www.psba.org/workshops/register/?workshop=150
To register for the WEB event: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7884287076736574210
- See more at: http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=6842#sthash.6jG84BK0.dpuf
2014
PA Gubernatorial Candidate Plans for Education and Arts/Culture in PA
Education
Policy and Leadership Center
Below is an alphabetical list of the 2014 Gubernatorial Candidates and
links to information about their plans, if elected, for education and
arts/culture in Pennsylvania. This list will be
updated, as more information becomes available.
2014 PICASSO PROJECT SCHOOL AWARDS
Representatives
from winning schools and partner organizations are invited to join us for the
grants award ceremony on Monday, January 27, 2014 at the World
Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street from 4:00pm to
6:00pm. RSVP to info@pccy.org or call 215-563-5848
x11.
January
24th – 26th, 2014 at The Science
Leadership Academy
in Philadelphia
EduCon is
both a conversation and a conference.
It is an
innovation conference where we can come together, both in person and virtually,
to discuss the future of schools. Every session will be an opportunity to
discuss and debate ideas — from the very practical to the big dreams.
DELAWARE COUNTY INTERMEDIATE UNIT - GOOGLE SYMPOSIUM
2014
FEBRUARY 1ST, 2014
The DCIU Google Symposium is an opportunity for teachers,
administrators, technology directors, and other school stakeholders to come
together and explore the power of Google Apps for Education. The
Symposium will be held at the Delaware County Intermediate Unit. The
Delaware County Intermediate Unit is one of Pennsylvania’s 29 regional
educational agencies. The day will consist of an opening keynote
conducted by Rich Kiker followed by 4 concurrent sessions.
NPE National Conference
2014
The Network for Public Education
The Network for Public Education is pleased to announce our
first National Conference. The event will take place on March 1 & 2, 2014
(the weekend prior to the world-famous South by Southwest Festival) at The
University of Texas at Austin. At the
NPE National Conference 2014, there will be panel discussions, workshops, and a
keynote address by Diane Ravitch. NPE Board members – including Anthony Cody,
Leonie Haimson, and Julian Vasquez Heilig – will lead discussions along with
some of the important voices of our movement.
Details and
registration here: http://www.networkforpubliceducation.com/conference/
The National School Boards Association 74th Annual
Conference & Exposition April 5-7, 2014 New Orleans
The National School Boards Association 74th Annual
Conference & Exposition will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention
Center in New Orleans, LA. Our first time back in New Orleans
since the spring of 2002!
General
Session speakers include education advocates
Thomas L. Friedman, Sir Ken Robinson, as well as education innovators Nikhil
Goyal and Angela Maiers.
We have more than 200 sessions planned!
Colleagues from across the country will present workshops on key topics with
strategies and ideas to help your district. View our Conference
Brochure for highlights on sessions and
focus presentations.
·
Register
now! – Register for both the conference and housing using our online
system.
·
Conference
Information– Visit the NSBA conference website for up-to-date information
·
Hotel
List and Map - Official NSBA Housing Block
·
Exposition
Campus – View new products and services and interactive
trade show floor
Join the National School Boards Action Center Friends of
Public Education
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’s
schoolchildren
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