Daily postings from the Keystone
State Education Coalition now reach more than 3100 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?
Will you be tweeting
about the PA budget? Use the
#EducationPA and #PABudget hashtags together.
Pennsylvania Education Policy
Roundup for February 4, 2014:
Watch the Governor’s budget address live
at 11:30 am this morning
Governor Tom Corbett’s 2014 – 2015 Budget Address
Tuesday, February 4th, 2014 11:30 a.m.
Watch live at: governor.pa.gov/live
“He is expected to ask state legislators spend
$340 million more for public schools, $20 million more for special education
and more money for higher education on top of the extra $10 million he has
already said he wants for preschool.”
Expectations are high for Corbett's budget address
Lancaster
Online By KAREN SHUEY |
Staff Writer Posted: Monday, February 3, 2014 2:09
pm | Updated: 8:01 pm, Mon Feb 3, 2014.
Pennsylvania
is facing significant financial challenges this year.
But, despite
the gloomy forecast, many are expecting Gov. Tom Corbett to unveil a generous
budget proposal Tuesday when he stands before the General Assembly. The first-term Republican — who is running
for reelection this year amid low approval ratings — is rumored to propose his
biggest funding increases ever to make up for unpopular cuts to education and
human services. All eyes will be focused
on Corbett as he lays out his policy priorities for the 2014 spending plan in
his fourth state budget proposal. The
speech comes at an important time as the governor tries to get the items on his
agenda passed before voters head to the polls this fall to decide whether he
will get a second term.
“Mr. Corbett also will propose adding $20 million to a base of
special education funding that has remained level, at $1.026 billion, for six
years, Mr. Pagni said. The governor will
call for basic education funding, which makes up the bulk of state money for
K-12 schools, to remain at the current level of $5.5 billion.”
Corbett budget plan raises special ed funding
Governor also will seek scholarships,
teacher training
By Karen
Langley / Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau February 4, 2014 12:01 AM
HARRISBURG --
Gov. Tom Corbett today will call for new funding for special education,
scholarships for higher education, teacher training and curriculum in a final
budget proposal before he faces re-election.
The governor will propose creating a $240 million block grant, called
Ready to Learn, that would be available to schools to train teachers and
develop curriculum, though not to pay teacher salaries, said Jay Pagni, press
secretary for Mr. Corbett. He described the money as "highly targeted,
results-oriented, performance-based funding." High-performing schools
would have a greater range of options for using the grant.
Corbett's 2014-15 budget address set for this
morning
By Steve Esack, Call Harrisburg
Bureau 5:29 a.m. EST, February 4, 2014
HARRISBURG —
Gov. Tom Corbett, up for re-election amid record-low
approval ratings, is scheduled to give his annual budget address at 11:30 a.m.
before the Legislature.
In his third
budget since taking office in 2011, Corbett is expected to call for at least
$100 million more for public schools, $20 million more for special education,
and more money for higher education on top of the extra $10 million he has
already said he wants for preschool in 2014-15.
In human
services, Corbett has advocated for $22 million more for programs that aid
intellectually disabled adults and $2 million more for rape crisis and
domestic-violence prevention.
DN Editorial: IS HE LEARNING?: Corbett shows some
signs of acknowledging education's
Philly Daily
News POSTED: Tuesday, February 4, 2014, 3:01 AM
FIRST, the
good news: Today's budget address by Gov. Corbett is expected to include $10
million in additional money to expand early-childhood education.
Study after
study shows that funding early education, like pre-kindergarten, all-day
kindergarten and Head Start, is a wise investment, especially for low-income
kids. A child who has attended pre-K gets an important foundation that more
privileged kids get as a matter of course, and that child is more likely to
graduate from high school and to be employed, and less likely to wind up in
juvenile court. Children who can take advantage of early education make
important gains in literacy, language, math and science.
State Senate expected to vote Tuesday on SRC
nominations
Gov. Tom Corbett nominated Farah Jimenez
and Councilman Bill Green to the Philadelphia School Reform Commission.
MARTHA
WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST
UPDATED: Tuesday, February 4, 2014, 1:08 AM POSTED: Monday, February
3, 2014, 6:17 PM
Harrisburg
will be focused on Gov. Corbett's budget address Tuesday, but the state Senate
has set aside time to handle another item of business. The Republican leadership will ask the Senate
to vote to approve the governor's two nominees to the Philadelphia School
Reform Commission without public comment.
Corbett raised nearly $7 million in re-election bid
By Steve
Esack and Scott Kraus, Call Harrisburg Bureau 5:57 pm, February 3, 2014
HARRISBURG —
Tom Corbett's fellow Republican governors have his back in his quest for a
second term. He's going to need them. The Republican Governors Association — a
Washington, D.C., political advocacy group — gave Corbett's campaign $210,028,
one of its largest donations, to help push his fundraising total to nearly $7
million in 2013, according to campaign finance reports filed Friday in
Harrisburg. That was not the largest
donation the campaign received in 2013, but it is one more indication national
interests could play an increasingly important role in the outcome of
Pennsylvania's closely watched 2014 gubernatorial election. No other incumbent governor has gone into
re-election with approval ratings as low as Corbett's, triggering a rush of
Democrats looking to unseat him — and angst among Republicans looking to put a
damper on Democrats' hopes.
Cash or credit? PA facing $600 million in new
pension costs
PA
Independent By Eric Boehm / February 3, 2014
Gov. Tom
Corbett will lay out his plans for next year’s state budget Tuesday morning in Harrisburg,
with a $2 billion elephant in the room.
That’s how much — about $1 out of every $15 the state plans to spend
— Pennsylvaniahas to pay the State Employees Retirement System, or
SERS, and the Public School Employees Retirement System, or PSERS, in the
2014-15 budget. It’s a $600 million increase from the current year, with larger
increases due in the next few budgets.
Pittsburgh City board urged to reject 3 charter
schools
Staff makes recommendations ahead of
Feb. 26 vote
By Lexi
Belculfine / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette February 3, 2014 11:40 PM
Pittsburgh
Public Schools staff on Monday recommended that the school board reject three
charter school applications. The board
will vote at its Feb. 26 legislative meeting on the proposed Homewood
Children's Village Collegiate Charter School Community Campus, Provident
Charter School for Children with Dyslexia, and Robert L. Vann Charter School.
Superintendent Linda Lane said the vote usually reflects the staff's
recommendation. Teams of staff members
reviewed the proposals, a public hearing on the charter schools was held Dec.
16 and applicants were interviewed in January.
Three proposed Pittsburgh charter schools get
negative reviews
Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review By Michael
Hasch Monday, Feb. 3, 2014, 7:39 p.m.
The Pittsburgh Public Schools charter school review team recommended Monday that the school board deny three charter school applications. The review team recommended that applications be denied for the Homewood Children's Village Collegiate Charter School, the Provident Charter School for Children with Dyslexia and the Robert L. Vann Charter School. A lack of curriculum, a plan for meeting the needs of all students and the inability to provide expanded educational options beyond those available in the Pittsburgh Public Schools prompted the recommendations.
The Pittsburgh Public Schools charter school review team recommended Monday that the school board deny three charter school applications. The review team recommended that applications be denied for the Homewood Children's Village Collegiate Charter School, the Provident Charter School for Children with Dyslexia and the Robert L. Vann Charter School. A lack of curriculum, a plan for meeting the needs of all students and the inability to provide expanded educational options beyond those available in the Pittsburgh Public Schools prompted the recommendations.
Governor Tom Corbett Deserves an F for Public
Education Funding
Lower
Macungie Patch Posted by Mark Spengler , February
03, 2014 at 05:34 PM
The eve of
Governor Corbett's annual budget address is a good time to reflect back on
his performance in the area of public education funding. Corbett
often likes to claim that he has substantially increased spending on K-12
education spending and denies having made cuts. A simple review of the
facts shows why he deserves an F:
Visitors face more security at West Chester schools
MICHAELLE BOND, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Monday, February 3, 2014, 1:07 AM
MICHAELLE BOND, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Monday, February 3, 2014, 1:07 AM
WEST CHESTER
Starting Monday, visitors at the West Chester Area School District's 16 schools
should plan to spend a little more time at the front desk. Gone are the days of writing your name on a
sheet of paper, sticking a patch to your shirt, and being on your way.
The
district's schools will join about 300 others throughout the state, including
roughly 200 in the Philadelphia area, that have implemented the Raptor security
system, which is meant to better regulate who walks into schools. The Web-based software uses visitors'
driver's licenses - or other government ID cards - to instantly screen visitors
for sex offenses, keep an electronic log of visitors, and issue visitor badges
with names, pictures, and reasons for the visit.
"Part of the process also requires microfilm," he
says. "Anybody know, really, what microfilm is anymore? Seriously? It's
2014 and we're still requiring microfilm in state government."
Bill would streamline school construction
reimbursements
Written by
Matt Paul and Radio Pennsylvania | Feb 2, 2014 5:13 AM
(Harrisburg)
-- A midstate lawmaker wants to modernize the system by which schools can seek
partial state reimbursement on construction projects. State Representative Seth Grove, a York
County Republican, says his bill would make the process user-friendly for both
the Commonwealth and the schools.
An enrollment policy built on shaky ground
Notebook by James H.
Lytle on Feb 03 2014 Posted in Latest news
The School Reform Commission’s enrollment policies, and the premises on
which they are based, are at the heart of its efforts to improve city schools
and student achievement. For that reason, they merit careful
analysis. For the last several
years, the SRC has promoted an increase in "high-performing" or
"high-quality" seats with the unstated premise that student
performance is determined by the quality of classrooms and schools that
students attend. And for the last decade, the SRC has supported the development
of a portfolio of schools, including District and charter schools, to expand
parent choice in school selection.
To facilitate
the choice process, the SRC has recently been considering a "universal
enrollment" system, which would allow parents to complete a single
application for District, charter, and parochial schools (and
possibly private schools) that they would like their child to attend.
In the
discussion that follows, I hope to provide some perspective on the SRC’s
enrollment strategies, a discussion that may have increased importance because
of recent statements by SRC chair nominee Bill Green.
Letter to the Editor: Tell the truth about charters
Delco Times POSTED: 02/02/14,
7:51 PM EST |
By DAVE CLARK,
Chief Executive Officer, Chester Community Charter School
To the
Editor:
We are
dismayed that the Delaware County Daily Times (“Media NAACP addresses charter
school legislation” Jan. 18) let stand false and misleading statements
regarding Chester Community Charter School (CCCS). For example, the notion that CCCS expanded to
grades 6-8 without full approval and notification is patently absurd and should
have been reported in the article. In fact, Chester Upland’s receiver, Joe
Watkins, directed his attorney to investigate this question last year.
Here’s background on the operator of CCCS…….
Follow the Money: Contributions by Vahan Gureghian
http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2011/06/follow-money-contributions-by-vahan.html
NSBA Advocacy Institute shows school boards how to
be year-round advocates
NSBA School
Board News Today by Joetta Sack-Min Feb 3, 2014
More than 750
school board members are learning about national education issues and public
engagement at the National School Boards Association’s Advocacy Institute, a
three-day conference in Washington that includes visits to their Congressional
representatives on Capitol Hill. The
event focuses on building year-round advocates for public education and local
school governance in public, legal, and legislative arenas. Advocacy Institute
is the successor to NSBA’s popular Federal Relations Network conference and
covers a wider array of topics.
Push for Preschool Becomes a Bipartisan Cause
Outside Washington
New York
Times By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA and MOTOKO RICH FEB. 3, 2014
Preschool is
having its moment, as a favored cause for politicians and interest groups who
ordinarily have trouble agreeing on the time of day. President Obama devoted
part of his State of the Union address to it, while the deeply red states of
Oklahoma and Georgia are being hailed as national models of preschool access
and quality, with other states and cities also forging ahead on their own. With a growing body of research pointing to
the importance of early child development and its effect on later academic and
social progress, enrollment in state-funded preschool has more than doubled
since 2002, to about 30 percent of all 4-year-olds nationwide.
State Chambers of Commerce Defend Common Core
Education
Week By Michele
Molnar February 3, 2014
Chambers of
commerce in a growing number of states are casting themselves in the role of
defenders of the common core against increasingly vocal opposition to the new
standards from some of their traditional Republican allies. Take Georgia. At a January gathering of the
Georgia chamber's board of directors in Atlanta, candidates for state
superintendent stated their positions on the Common Core State Standards. Eight
candidates weighed in—seven Republicans and one Democrat—and most expressed
reservations about, or outright resistance to, the standards for
English/language arts and mathematics.
The Student and the Stopwatch: How much time is spent on testing in
American schools?
February 05, 2014
- 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm; 1016 16th St. NW; Floor 7
Washington, DC 20036
Thomas B. Fordham
Institute LIVE WEBCAST
This event will be webcast. Visit our website,www.edexcellence.net,
at 4:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, February 5, to watch the proceedings
live.
In this era of
results-based academic accountability, teachers and their students spend class
time taking—and preparing for—standardized tests. But just how much time? An
inordinate amount? Does it vary by locale? What is the ideal amount of prep
time? What are the policy implications for districts and states? The curricular
and instructional implications? And what are the consequences for children,
especially disadvantaged students?
For the first time, Teach
Plus brings empirical evidence to the table with its new
report, The Student and the Stopwatch: How Much Time is Spent on
Testing in American Schools? The report examines district- and
state-required testing in more than thirty urban and suburban
districts nationwide, featuring input from more than 300
teachers.
Join the Thomas B.
Fordham Institute and Teach Plus for a discussion on time-on-testing in
American classrooms.
Have you considered signing this petition yet?
Petition
by Denise
Kurnas
To be
delivered to The Pennsylvania State
House, The Pennsylvania
This petition
is designed to keep charter school oversight in local district control instead
of allowing other entities or the Pennsylvania Department of Education to spend
our property tax dollars without input from our locally elected school board
officials.
Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center 2014
Pennsylvania Budget Summit
Harrisburg Hilton Thu, Feb 20, 2014 9:00
AM - 4:00 PM
The
Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center will host its Annual Budget Summit on
Thursday, February 20th to provide an in-depth look at the Governor's spending
plan and an update on the federal budget — and what it all means for
communities and families across Pennsylvania.
As in
previous years, the Budget Summit will be at the Hilton Hotel in downtown
Harrisburg.
Additional
information, agendas, and workshops will be posted in the new year.
Register Now! EPLC’s Education Policy Forums on
Governor Corbett’s 2014-2015 State Budget Proposal for Education
The next EPLC
education policy forums will be held on the following days and in the following
locations. These forums will take place shortly after Governor Corbett’s
February 4th presentation of his proposed 2014-15 state budget and will focus
on his plans for education.
Thursday, February 13, 2014 – Pittsburgh , PA
Monday, February 24, 2014 – Philadelphia , PA
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
– State College, PA
Thursday, February 27, 2014 – Harrisburg , PA
Space is limited for each event and an
RSVP is required. Anyone wishing to receive an invitation should inquire by
contacting The Education Policy and Leadership
Center
PSBA White Paper: The costs of charter and cyber
charter schools
Updated January 2014
Research and policy implications for Pennsylvania
White Paper
by PSBA’s Education research & Policy
Center
This week PSBA’s Education Research and Policy Center
Register Now! EPLC’s 2014 Education Issues Workshops for Legislative
Candidates, Campaign Staff, and Interested Voters
EPLC’s Education Issue
Workshops Register
Now! – Space is Limited!
A Non-Partisan One-Day Program forPennsylvania
A Non-Partisan One-Day Program for
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 in Harrisburg, PA
Wednesday,March
19, 2014 in Monroeville, PA
Thursday,March
27, 2014 in Philadelphia,PA
Wednesday,
Thursday,
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
Find out how the
proposals of the fiscal year 2014-15 Pennsylvania
To register for the LIVE event, Wed.,
Feb. 5, 2 p.m., at the PSBA
Conference Center
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
Auditor General DePasquale to Hold Public Meetings on Ways to Improve
Charter Schools
Seeks
to find ways to improve accountability, effectiveness, transparency
The public meetings will
be held:
- Northampton County: 1 to 3 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 27, City Council
Chambers, 6th Floor, City Hall, One South Third St., Easton
- NEW:
Time is limited to two
hours for each meeting. Comments can be submitted in writing by Wednesday, Feb.
19, via email to Susan Woods at: swoods@auditorgen.state.pa.us.
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
The Alliance
Thursday, February 6
- 6:00 p.m.Ritz East - 125 S. 2nd St. Philadelphia, PA
- There will be a
discussion after the film. Special Guests: - Mark Naison Professor of
History and Chair of African and African-American Studies,
- Tickets are
$9.00 and can be purchased at Rockfish Productions.
- https://sites.google.com/site/rockfishproductions/Films/standardized-lies-money-civil-rights/screenings-for-standardizedOnline
is recommended because if it sells out there may not be tickets available
at the door.
- The trailer for
the film https://sites.google.com/site/rockfishproductions/standardized-background-info
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
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. New Orleans
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
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
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