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/
NV, TX, OH, UT, NM, AZ, PA, OR, FL, and AR should be Ashamed of Charter School
Not on
Twitter yet? Your legislators and the
press are.
Yes – you! C’mon - Make the jump and then follow us at @lfeinberg
Follow the
school privatization money:
“The largest contributions to Denlinger’s campaign were $5,000 from
the Certified Public Accountants PAC and from attorney Vaughn Gureghian, who
owns a charter school and is described as an online education consultant in the
FEC report……… The largest contribution
to Aument’s campaign was $2,000 from the pro-privatization Students First PAC”
Denlinger gets an early start in the cash race for state Senate
The competition for a
state Senate seat in Lancaster
County county GOP Senatorial
District seat, new campaign finance reports show.
How will Philly pay for charter costs?
My colleague Martha
Woodall wrote
today that charter school costs will be $25 million more than the Philadelphia School District
The reasons? It's mostly
because charter schools have enrolled about 1,600 more students than their caps
say they ought to have.
The district pays
charters $8,596 per student, or $22,242 for students who receive
special-education services.
The big question is: how
will Philly pay this bigger-than-anticipated bill? The answer: the district
will have to look for savings elsewhere. That's a huge question mark for a
district already cut to the bone, with many schools lacking full-time
counselors, nurses and other essentials.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/school_files/How-will-Philly-pay-for-charter-costs.html#ZRKBIt9Kx31ZikLC.99
Blogger’s
note: The Walter D. Palmer Leadership Learning Charter School. highlighted in
this article as enrolling hundreds more students than it is authorized to, has
a PA School Performance Profile score of 39.7, well below most traditional
Philadelphia public schools. That SPP
score placed it 2968th out of 3005 PA schools.
Charters to cost School District $25
million more than anticipated
Story Highlights
- The district may spend nearly $700 million on
charter payments by the end of the school year.
- Charters have enrolled 1,600 more students
than permitted in their agreements.
- A total of 67,315 students were enrolled in
the 86 charters in the city.
MARTHA
WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER LAST UPDATED: Friday, February 7, 2014 ,
1:08 AM POSTED: Thursday, February 6, 2014 , 7:28 PM
The Philadelphia School
District
One of the main reasons
is that charters have enrolled 1,600 more students than permitted in their
agreements. 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 collect
money to educate these students even though their enrollments are higher than
agreed to. Other charters have refused to sign agreements that would limit
enrollment.
The district pays the
charters $8,596 per student, $22,242 for those who receive special-education
services. The Walter
D. Palmer
Leadership Learning
Charter School
is authorized to enroll 675 students at its two campuses in North and Northeast Philadelphia , the district says. It has 1,302.
Palmer has maintained it is entitled to enroll the students under state law.
Check out
how PA charters stack up in the CREDO study that this blog posting covers…
NV, TX, OH, UT, NM, AZ, PA, OR, FL, and AR should be Ashamed of Charter School
Cloaking Inequity Blog February 7, 2014 | Julian Vasquez Heilig
The Texas Insider
recently reported the following about the Stanford CREDO charter school study:
The results reveal that the charter
school sector is getting better on average, and that charter schools are
benefiting low-income, disadvantaged & special-education
students,’’ said Director Margaret Raymond of the Center for Research on
Education Outcomes (CREDO) language learners more than their peers in other
groups, a study shows. Overall, charter
school students are faring better than they were four years ago, surpassing
those in traditional public schools in reading gains and keeping pace in
math, notes the Stanford University
Report, which calls closing low-performing schools ‘‘the strongest tool
available to ensure quality across the sector.
Maybe the Texas Insider
thought that we might not click on the link to the actual study and look at the
statistical results. Well, a Cloaking Inequity reader brought Table 14 in the
report to my attention. This table shows how students in charters are
performing overall state by state. CREDO sorted the state alphabetically, but I
have sorted the states by the the amount of impact. I will begin with the
reading results.
If I was a Nevadan, I
would be piping hot because charter reading achievement is negative 108 days
(See Table 1). Wow. In Texas , Oregon , Arkansas , Arizona and Pennsylvania Ohio , Florida and Utah New Mexico
and New York City
Corbett's 'Ready to Learn' education budget favors wealthier schools,
advocates say
WHYY Newsworks BY KEVIN
MCCORRY FEBRUARY
7, 2014
Here's an accurate
headline you could have written about Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett's budget
address earlier this week: Corbett calls for $387 million in increased
state education funding. But many
education advocates are quick to say that hardly tells the full story.
They say the majority of
this proposed funding increase is a one-time influx of cash that's delivered
with many strings attached. Corbett's
"Ready to Learn" grant initiative calls for $240 million to be
distributed to the state's 500 school districts by way what the governor's team
calls a predictable, transparent, student-based formula.
Analysts wonder if state can meet 4% revenue growth included in
Corbett's budget
By Jeff Frantz |
jfrantz@pennlive.com on February 07, 2014 at 8:40 AM
Gov.
Tom Corbett built his budget proposal on the estimate that Pennsylvania
The difference between
what Corbett and other analysts are expecting is about $300 million. With
revenue collection already below projection for the current fiscal year,
analysts outside the administration -- both partisan and nonpartisan -- said
they're going to watch next year's revenue numbers very closely.
Acting education secretary explains why budget keeps subsidy unchanged
Citizens Voice BY MICHAEL
P. BUFFER (STAFF WRITER) Published: February 7, 2014
"We elected to put
the money in the block grant because one of the concerns … is that the basic
instructional subsidy formula is broken," Dumaresq said after an event
presenting the Governor's Award for Excellence in Academics to Wycallis Elementary School
and Dallas Elementary School
“The formula, said state Sen. Andy Dinniman, is problematic. "The poorest school districts do not
appear to be doing very well on it," he said. Any funding increase should be driven out to
districts based on the formula used for the existing block grant in the
education budget, because it accounts for problems typically found in
low-income school districts, said Dinniman, D-Chester.”
BY MARY WILSON
FEBRUARY 8, 2014
State Democratic leaders
are beginning to make finer points of disagreement with Gov. Tom Corbett on the
centerpiece of his budget proposal.
The governor has defended
his proposed $240 million block grant for Pennsylvania
It differs from an
existing $100 million state block grant to schools in two ways -- how it can be
spent and how it is doled out to school districts, also known as its formula.
School leaders like funding bump, pensions savings proposed in Gov. Tom
Corbett's state budget
By Charles Thompson |
cthompson@pennlive.com on February 07, 2014 at 9:30 AM ,
Northern Lebanon School
District Superintendent of Schools Don Bell always looks forward to a
gubernatorial election year, and not because he’s some kind of political
junkie.
As a career school
administrator, he simply knows that – all things being equal – it is the public
schools’ best chance in any four-year cycle to get a bigger bite of the state
funding pie.
“We always look forward
to the election year bump that we see,” Bell
Gov. Tom Corbett has not
disappointed on that front.
Education Voters of PA says Governor Education Budget Proposal “A mixed
bag”
Governor heard people’s “frustration,” Questions still remain
about details
Statement of Susan Gobreski, Education Voters of PA, Executive Director:
Statement of Susan Gobreski, Education Voters of PA, Executive Director:
“Governor Corbett has
clearly heard that people across Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
Paying for It
In our analysis earlier
this week, we concluded that Governor Corbett’s proposed education budget is “More
BAD than GOOD.” But the way he intends to pay for it is just plain WRONG.
First, the governor
depends on an overly rosy picture to balance his spreadsheet. He is counting on
having $216 million left over at the end of this fiscal year in June to carry
forward, yet state revenue collections are already $41 million below where
they were projected to be as of January. [Unless otherwise noted, all numbers
from PA Budget and Policy
Center 2-4-14 ]
What’s more, “The governor’s budget relies on more than $1 billion in one-time
revenue sources that will not be available for future budgets.” [Sharon
Ward, PBPC
Commentary, 2-5-14 ] Pennsylvania
Corbett's education grants aren't enough, NE Pa.
superintendents say
Pocono Record By SARAH
HOFIUS HALL The Citizens' Voice February 06, 2014
A new state grant program
will not keep the lights on, prevent layoffs or restore the millions area
school districts have lost in funding the last three years. On Tuesday, after Gov. Tom Corbett proposed
$241 million for the new grant program in his 2014-15 budget, superintendents
said they would rather spend that money on what their districts need most. Basic education funding, the largest funding
allocation districts receive and money districts use to pay the bills, is at
the same level as this year. "It's
the same old song and dance, unfortunately," said Bronson Stone, the superintendent
of Susquehanna Community School District
Nutter applauds Corbett’s education spending in budget
Philly Trib by Damon
C. Williams Thursday, 06 February 2014 19:22
Local and statewide
reaction to Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget proposal was predictable and swift, with
party-line loyalty and ideological alliances on full display. Corbett released details of his budget
proposal on Tuesday, and reaction poured in soon after Corbett’s announcement —
especially regarding public education, as Corbett has made public education a
highlight of his budget proposal. ….In Philadelphia,
Mayor Michael Nutter was among the first to respond, applauding Corbett for
finally addressing public education funding, but refrained from the much more
confrontational approach employed by state Democrats.
Scott Armstrong: Rising costs, poverty burden Allentown School District
Morning Call Opinion by
Scott Armstrong 5:58 p.m. EST, January 24, 2014
Scott Armstrong is a member of the Allentown School
Simply put, theAllentown School District
Simply put, the
Letter: Six qualities needed for school board candidates
LTE Delco Times POSTED: 02/07/14,
10:33 PM EST |
To the Times:
On January 29, 2014 , the Upper Darby School District
As parents who are active
in our schools and community, we would like to highlight the six qualities that
we believe the new Upper Darby School Board director should possess. These
qualities are ranked in order of highest priority.
“One of the most exciting and powerful aspects of the campaign is
the broad base of support we have. Beyond business leaders, there are school
district superintendents, law enforcement officials, and even retired military
leaders making the case for investment in high-quality pre-k in Pennsylvania
Where We Are, Where We’re Going: Pre-K in PA
World Class Greater Philadelphia February 7, 2014
Pre-k is a hot topic
right now. As evidence piles up that high-quality pre-k is a wise investment
with a lasting impact, it’s been the subject of high-profile op-eds in
the New York Times and Wall Street Journal and featured in the President’s
two most recent state of the union speeches. Currently, 39
states have publically funded pre-k, among them Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
Given the growing chorus
of support on the issue and the upcoming gubernatorial and state legislative
elections, there is a unique opportunity to increase access now, which is where
the Pre-K for PA campaign
comes in. Last month, a statewide
coalition, including the Economy League, launched the campaignat events in Pittsburgh ,
Harrisburg , and Philadelphia
PA Early Learning Investment Commission
Business Leaders Supporting Quality
Early Childhood Education
The development of an
effective system of early care and education is critical to Pennsylvania
The goal of the
Commission is to build a public-private partnership of business leaders across Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
Hite and Green are ‘in sync’ on new action plan
The superintendent and SRC chair face a
difficult budget season and a likely showdown with teachers.
Notebook by Dale
Mezzacappa February
7, 2014
Midway through one of the
most tumultuous years ever in Philadelphia public education, Superintendent
William Hite is presenting a new “action plan” – his vision for the future – as
he faces an unstable budget situation and prepares for determined new
leadership at the School Reform Commission.
Focused on improving student achievement, teacher and principal
development, and financial stewardship, the plan “is going to require some
investment,” Hite said. Councilman
Bill Green, Gov. Corbett’s choice to be SRC chair, said in an interview that
his and Hite’s goals “are completely in sync.”
“The discussions we’ve had … we’re in broad agreement.”
Berks-Mont News By Dr.
Paul Eaken, Fleetwood Superintendent POSTED: 01/31/14
Each February, school
districts across Pennsylvania Fleetwood Area School District
Weather forces state to extend PSSA testing period
Snowy weather leads state to extend
period by five days.
Morning Call Staff and
wire reports 9:08 p.m. EST, February 7, 2014
Thanks to a winter filled
with cancellations, delays and early dismissals, the state Education Department
is giving school districts more time to administer statewide tests. Districts will now have an extra week to give
the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, according to a news release
issued Friday.
The PSSA Math/Reading
testing period was to have run March 17-28. The testing window will now be
extended to April 4. The PSSA Writing
testing period was to have run March 31 to April 4, but will now end April 11. Testing periods for the PSSA Science and the
Keystone Exams will not change. The PSSA Science period remains April 28 to May
9 while the Keystone Exams period remains May 12-23.
U.S. Sen. Toomey Takes Sen. Williams’ ‘Pass The Trash’ Bill to Washington
PA Democratic State
Senate website HARRISBURG Feb. 4, 2014
State Sen. Anthony H.
Williams’ fight to prevent school districts from “passing” teachers suspected
of sexual misconduct to other schools instead of the police packed new muscle
Friday morning when U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey and state Attorney General Kathleen
Kane joined the conversation. Williams
and Kane teamed up with Toomey at Polyclinic
Community Health
Center in Harrisburg
to endorse the federal lawmaker’s legislative effort in Washington D.C. Pennsylvania
De Blasio Tests Political Might in Pre-K Push
New York Times By JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZ and NIKITA
STEWART FEB. 7,
2014
He has phoned titans of
finance and real estate to ask for donations. He has called on labor leaders to
tap their war chests and lend their muscles. He has lined up endorsements from
actors, musicians and movie producers. Mayor
Bill de Blasio, after climbing to the top of New York City
The Koch Brothers Left a Confidential Document at Their Last Donor
Conference
Moyers & Company by
Andy Kroll and Daniel Schulman February 6, 2014
There’s one main rule at
the conservative donor conclaves held twice a year by
Charles and David Koch at luxury resorts: What happens there stays there.
The billionaire
industrialists and their political operatives strive to ensure the anonymity of the wealthy
conservatives who fund their sprawling political operation — which
funneled more than $400 million into the 2012 elections — and
to keep their plans private. Attendees of these summits are warned that the seminars, where the Kochs and their
allies hatch strategies for electing Republicans and advancing conservative
initiatives on the state and national levels, are strictly confidential; they
are cautioned to keep a close eye on their meeting notes and materials.
But last week, following
the Kochs’ first donor gathering of 2014, one attendee left behind a sensitive
document at the Renaissance Esmeralda resort outside of Palm Springs,
Calif., where the Kochs and their comrades had spent three days focused on
winning the 2014 midterm elections and more.
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
Public Interest Law
Center of Philadelphia
Dear
Parents and Advocates:
This month
we are offering TWO great special education seminars.
Learn about
special education provisions in charter schools,
including
how one's rights differ from school to school.
Tuesday, February 11, 2013
12:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Audience members
will learn about the legal needs of children with dyslexia, and other learning
disabilities, and hear from expert presenters on the latest research and
trends.
Tuesday, February 25, 2013
12:00 - 4:00 p.m. - Full Session
6:00 - 8:00
p.m. - Abbreviated Session
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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