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?
SB1085: “A review of
relevant, rigorous research finds no evidence that higher education
authorizers, in particular, correlate with student achievement gains. A
comprehensive study of charter school performance in 16 states found lower
student achievement in states with multiple authorizers, including non-profit
organizations and higher education authorizers.” Research for Action
http://www.researchforaction.org/2014/01/28/rfa-releases-brief-on-higher-eds-as-charter-authorizers/
“Charter schools also would get $19 million in aid from the grants,
the first time state aid would flow directly to the institutions, instead of
through school boards.”
Not on Twitter yet? Your
legislators and the press are.
Make the jump and then
follow us at @lfeinberg
Ed Law Center Statement on Governor’s 2014-15 Budget Proposal
Governor Corbett’s
education budget proposal includes welcome increases for special education and
early learning but ignores the need for a stable and comprehensive approach to
education funding.
- See more at: http://www.elc-pa.org/2014/02/06/elc-statement-on-governors-2014-15-budget-proposal/#sthash.cSvIRLw0.dpuf
Strings in Corbett's grant proposal gets pushback
Corbett’s administration
defended the uses under the $340 million program as proven ways to improve
student achievement. The Republican governor unveiled it a day ago as the
centerpiece of his budget plan. But
groups including the Pennsylvania School Boards Association say it’s better for
the districts to have maximum flexibility over the money to help with difficult
financial decisions. The Pennsylvania
Association of School Business Officials says it’s a bad time to handcuff
schools that are dealing with rising costs and program and personnel cuts since
2011.
Charter schools also
would get grant money, the first time state aid would flow directly to them.
Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review By Megan
Harris Published: Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014 , 11:39 p.m.
Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed $12 billion education budget ties increased support for some learning initiatives to school performance, but critics say the changes don't do enough to erase budget cuts. Announced inHarrisburg on Tuesday, the
proposed 3.3 percent increase drives $240 million in Ready to Learn block
grants to Pennsylvania classrooms, including
$25.5 million to Allegheny
County
Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed $12 billion education budget ties increased support for some learning initiatives to school performance, but critics say the changes don't do enough to erase budget cuts. Announced in
Not everyone is impressed with Gov. Corbett’s ‘Ready to Learn’ block
grant proposal.
Capitolwire Under the
Dome February 6,
2014 (paywall)
While most interested
parties responded favorably to Gov. Tom Corbett’s intention to spend more money on basic education in
2014-15 – although legislative Democrats and the governor’s other critics on
education spending claimed it wasn’t nearly enough – some concerns are being
voiced regarding the specifics of his centerpiece proposal, the “Ready to
Learn” block grant and the additional $240 million it will distribute to
schools. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), the Pennsylvania
Association of School Business Officials (PASBO) and the state’s largest
teacher’s union – the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) – are in
agreement that the proposed block grant is a bit too limiting in how school
districts will be able to spend the new money. On Tuesday, Acting
Education Secretary Carolyn C. Dumaresq explained the funding is to be used for
practices the Department of Education knows will increase student achievement,
and that for struggling school districts, there will be less flexibility to
ensure the dollars focus in on core areas to improve student performance. But
PSBA, PASBO, PSEA and others said the strings attached to the money aren’t to
their liking, and they would prefer to decide how best to use the new dollars.
They would prefer the money be added to the basic education funding line within
the state budget, which they said would allow them maximum flexibility. To read
more about the pushback against the “Ready to Learn” block grant, CLICK HERE for a story from The Associated Press.
“But there is a troubling reliance on gimmicks and a failure to
raise enough recurring revenue to keep the governor's promises. He would permit
natural-gas drilling under state lands to raise $75 million, an estimate that
may be overstated. He wants to continue cuts to the capital stock and franchise
tax, even though stalling them could yield $75 million. Corbett also refuses to extract more revenue
from gas drillers, who are consuming a nonrenewable resource that could produce
up to $600 million more in annual revenues. Nor will he expand Medicaid as
other states have, forgoing $400 million in federal funds to pursue his own
convoluted alternative.”
Inquirer Editorial: Revenue problem
POSTED: Thursday, February 6, 2014 ,
1:08 AM
Gov. Corbett unveiled a
"let the next guy worry about it" budget proposal this week amid
appropriate skepticism about how he would pay for promised increases in
spending on education and services for the elderly and disabled. The governor's plan relies too heavily on
putting off the state's bills. He would postpone full pension payments,
repeating a mistake that helped the state accumulate unfunded liabilities. He
would delay payments to Medicaid providers, straining the health-care industry.
And he would again raid the Oil and Gas Lease Fund, which is supposed to offset
the impacts of natural-gas drilling, to cover operating expenses.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20140206_Inquirer_Editorial__Revenue_problem.html#FgubuOXb3vXuDvZ3.99
With Gov. Corbett's new budget - it's deja vu all over again: Nathan
Benefield
PennLive
Op-Ed By Nathan A. Benefield on February 06, 2014 at 10:15 AM
Ceremonies in Punxsutawney Pennsylvania
Corbett's education budget: What's in it for your school district?
By Jan Murphy |
jmurphy@pennlive.com on February 06, 2014 at 3:30 PM
The following is a
breakdown of the total amount of money and the dollar and percentage increase
over this year that school districts in Adams, Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin,
Franklin, Lebanon, Lancaster, Perry and York counties would receive underGov.
Tom Corbett’s 2014-15 budget proposal. This money that would flow through basic
education subsidies, the accountability block grant program and a proposed
Ready to Learn block grant program would support district operations
and classroom instruction. Statewide, the average district increase is 3.9%.
“Charter
schools also would get $19 million in aid from the grants, the first time state
aid would flow directly to the institutions, instead of through school boards.”
Strings in Corbett's education grant plan draw ire
Education Week by AP Published
Online: February
6, 2014
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) —
The centerpiece of Gov. Tom Corbett's budget proposal, a big new grant program
for public schools, is getting pushback because it attaches strings to the use
of the money at a time when Corbett is against giving a general increase in
state aid to education.
The criticism from major Pennsylvania
First Lady Susan Corbett and Acting Secretary of Education Recognize
Two Dallas Schools for Academic Excellence
PDE Press ReleaseFebruary 06, 2014
Dallas, Pa. – First Lady Susan Corbett today presented the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Academics to Wycallis Elementary School and Dallas Elementary School in Dallas School District, Luzerne County. “These schools demonstrate the remarkable commitment and dedication of students, parents, taxpayers, teachers and administrators in preparing students for a bright and successful future,” Mrs. Corbett said. “Both schools are great examples of the high-quality learning that is taking place in classrooms acrossPennsylvania Wycallis Elementary
School attained a 94.2 percent, the highest in the district
and the highest among the 60 public schools in Luzerne County Dallas Elementary School
followed with a score of 93.1 percent, second in both the district and among
all Luzerne County
PDE Press Release
Dallas, Pa. – First Lady Susan Corbett today presented the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Academics to Wycallis Elementary School and Dallas Elementary School in Dallas School District, Luzerne County. “These schools demonstrate the remarkable commitment and dedication of students, parents, taxpayers, teachers and administrators in preparing students for a bright and successful future,” Mrs. Corbett said. “Both schools are great examples of the high-quality learning that is taking place in classrooms across
Bill would re-establish PA Governor’s Schools
State Rep. Karen Boback,
Charters to cost Philadelphia
School District
MARTHA
WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Thursday, February 6, 2014 ,
7:24 PM
The Philadelphia School
District
A total of 67,315
students were enrolled in January in the 86 charters in the city and a handful
of cyber and suburban schools. The
charters, however, continue to collect money to educate these students even
though their enrollments is higher than agreed to with the district. Other
charters have simply refused to sign agreements that would limit enrollment.
With so many snow days, school districts face tough 180-day assignment
WHYY Newsworks
BY KEVIN MCCORRY FEBRUARY
6, 2014
The recent rash of winter
storms has caused many schools across the region to close their doors more
often than usual. With February only a
week old, school districts are going to have to get creative with their
scheduling to ensure that they meet their state-mandated 180 school days.
Including three days this
week, Lower Merion School District
Kasunic to Retire from State Senate, Ending Distinguished Public
Service Career
PASENATE.COM PA
Democratic State Senate website February 6, 2014
Capping off a public
service career that includes 32 years in the General Assembly, state Sen.
Richard A. Kasunic announced today that he will retire at the end of his
current term in November. Kasunic, who
previously represented the 52nd House district from 1982 until voters elected
him to the state Senate in 1994, said he wrestled with this decision because of
his true enjoyment of helping the people of 32nd Senate
District, which includes Fayette, Somerset ,
Washington
Activists launch petition to abolish SRC
Citypaper By Daniel Denvir Published: 02/06/2014
Activists have launched
an online petition to abolish the School Reform
Commission (SRC), which has governed Philadelphia
Wharton's Peter Degnan to lead William Penn Foundation
BOB
FERNANDEZ, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Thursday, February 6, 2014 , 1:01 PM
The $1.9-billion William
Penn Foundation has hired Peter J. Degnan, vice dean of the University of
Pennsylvania's Wharton School, as its new managing director after a lengthy
search for a top executive. Degnan will
lead William Penn, the largest regionally focused charity, after the tumultuous
and brief tenure of Jeremy Nowak, who was hired by the foundation in April 2010
and resigned in November 2012. "We
are excited about Peter coming on board," David Haas, the foundation's
board chair, said in a statement.
Many parents spoke in favor of a
charter school in Easton
By Jacqueline Palochko,
Of The Morning Call February
7, 2014
Some say because Easton Area
School District Strong Foundations
Charter School
ACLU fights Easton
Area School
District
School district's bracelets case
doesn't merit top court's review, group says.
By Peter Hall, Of The
Morning Call 9:26 p.m. EST, February 6, 2014
GAO report calls on schools to improve prevention and reporting of
child sexual abuse
NSBA Legal Clips February 6, 2014
A Government
Accountability Office (GAO) report says schools need to be more vigilant in
preventing and reporting child sexual abuse, according to U.S. News
& World Report. The GAO report also calls on federal agencies
to better disseminate information to help schools prevent and report sexual
abuse, and to better track and analyze incidents of sexual abuse committed by
school personnel. The GAO report found
that even though 46 states have laws requiring school officials to report
child sexual abuse and 43 have penalties for not reporting incidents, many
states and school districts vary in how they promote awareness and prevention
training for school personnel, as well as in how they report suspected abuse.
Those discrepancies in policy and reporting measures have led to many
schools being unaware of their responsibilities in preventing abuse, the report
says.
Harkin: A High-Quality Early-Education Program Will Cost Money
Education Week Campaign
K-12 Blog By Alyson Klein on February
6, 2014 1:08 PM
Federal early-childhood
education programs aren't doing nearly enough to meet a tidal wave of demand at
the state level, in the view of U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the sponsor of a
multibillion-dollar dollar bill that
seeks to dramatically expand the federal role in early-childhood
education. But his legislation, which is
based on a proposal floated
by President Barack Obama in back-to-back State of the Union addresses, isn't
likely to get enacted anytime soon. That's partly because of its price
tag, more $30 billion over the first five years, a tall order in a Congress
bent on trimming spending.
A new entitlement? The right to preschool
DAVID A. LIEB, THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS POSTED: Tuesday, February 4, 2014 , 1:06 AM
The push reflects a
conclusion among conservatives that one part of the social safety net deserves
more government help, not less. If it continues, the move could be a step
toward creation of a new educational entitlement at a time when both parties
are concerned about the costs of the current programs, such as Medicare and
Social Security.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20140204_ap_6b1fd63f2fb44abd8a3908ad12af8e7e.html#sYbksjdc7lPVuCI6.99
Bloomberg News By Janet
Lorin and Susan Sawyers Feb 6, 2014 3:27 PM ET
Since President Barack Obama first
called for expanded pre-kindergarten in last year’s State of the Unionaddress,
the issue is gaining momentum from both sides of political aisle, Education
Secretary Arne Duncan said. “It has
become the ultimate bipartisan issue,” Duncan
Expanding access to
quality early education programs for 4-year-olds isn’t just a goal of mayors
and governors, Duncan
“If Congress wants to
become less dysfunctional and more functional, there’s no better place than
around education,” Duncan
Stakes Are High for K-12 Policy in 2014 Elections
Education Week By Andrew
Ujifusa Published Online: February 4, 2014
State elections involving
three dozen governors and more than 6,000 legislators this year could have
major consequences for a variety of education policies, with the Common Core
State Standards, school choice, collective bargaining, and early education
among the topics most likely to get time in the spotlight and on the stump. In some states, the 2014 elections may prove
pivotal for the fate of controversial education measures enacted as a result of
Republicans' strong showing in 2010. The GOP took control of 12 additional
state legislatures and six more governorships that year. The list of state elections includes 36
gubernatorial contests and legislative races in all but four states (Louisiana , Mississippi , New Jersey , and Virginia Hawaii , Nevada ,
and New York
“The Obama administration has set the goal of connecting 99 percent
of all students to high-speed broadband — of at least 100 megabits per second,
more than five times the speed of the average home broadband connection —
within the next five years. As previously
reported, the F.C.C. will double, to $2 billion, the spending on high-speed
Internet connections in schools and libraries in each of the next two years.
That increase will come primarily from the use of funds collected in previous
years but not yet spent.”
F.C.C. to Change Program That Connects Schools to High-Speed Internet
Service
New York Times By EDWARD WYATT FEBRUARY 5, 2014 , 12:27 PM
WASHINGTON — The Federal
Communications Commission will complete changes this spring in the federal
program to connect schools and libraries to high-speed Internet service and
separately will consider increasing the tax paid by consumers or phone
companies to finance the effort, the agency’s chairman, Tom Wheeler, said
Wednesday. In an address as part of
Digital Learning Day, a national program focused on online education, Mr.
Wheeler said that any increase in the tax would be preceded by a restructuring
of how the current $2.4 billion annual program spends its money.
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.
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,
RESCHEDULED:
PDE chief Dumaresq LIVE budget presentation, PSBA Conference
Center
PSBA website Feb 4, 2014
Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn
Dumaresq will be at the PSBA
Conference Center Pennsylvania
To register for the LIVE
event, Thu., Feb. 13, 2:30 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.EhFhjsIb.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
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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